Pandora's box.

So, what with Pandora being selected as one of the best music sites on the web, I reckoned it was time to see if it could surprise this old music snob and provide me with any delightful selections based on tunes or artists I already knew I liked. I decided to start it off easy with an older tune that was sure to have lots of cross-referenced matching-type stuff going for it. Plus, it’s got a good beat and you can dance to it. So...

MY SELECTION WAS:
What A Fool Believes by: The Doobie Brothers

THEY CAME UP WITH:
Thank You For Being A Friend by: Andrew Gold - Yes!
Coming Home by: Bryan Adams - What the - ?
Walking On Broken Glass by: Annie Lennox - Oh no, it just keeps getting worse.
No Time For Talk by: Christopher Cross - Kill me now!
Heart Hotels by: Dan Fogelberg - NOOOOoooOOOOO!
Missed Opportunity by: Hall & Oates - Better, though I can't believe it took five songs to make the Yacht Rock connection!
See The Lights by: Simple Minds - Okay, I'm shutting this down NOW.

Hmmm…that didn’t go so well. Let’s try for something a little more easily categorized as straight-ahead pop.

MY SELECTION WAS:
Chewing Gum by: Annie

THEY CAME UP WITH:
My Best Friend by: Annie - Well, duh.
In A Vacuum by: Amy X Neuburg - Hmm...sounds like watered down Madonna and that's not doing it for me.
Twist by: Goldfrapp - Now that's more like it.
As I Lay Me Down by: Sophie B. Hawkins - I could grimace, but this selection actually brought a smile to my face. I guess context really does count for something. Oh wait, I'm a DJ, I knew that already! Can Wilson Phillips be far behind?
Radio Romance by: Tiffany - Up until the synths, this could have almost been a DFA 1979 song. After the synths, um, okay...fast forward.
Boy Toy by: Gentlemen Of Leisure - Honestly, I've never heard this song. And in the context of an "Annie" station I'm actually digging it. It reminds me of a more languid Pet Shop Boys.
Beauty And The Beast by: Peabo Bryson & Celine Dion - OH SWEET BABY JESUS, WHY DO YOU HATE ME? MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP!

MY SELECTION WAS:
David Bowie

THEY CAME UP WITH:
Sound And Vision by: David Bowie - Excellent first choice.
Ships In The Night by: Be Bop Deluxe - Okay, cool. Kind of "Cars Lite."
Another Nail For My Heart by: Squeeze - You can't really go wrong with Squeeze.
Time Will Crawl by: David Bowie - Okay, we already established I like Bowie, right?
Hot In The City by: Billy Idol - The man's abs are timeless...this song is not.
Don't Fight It by: Tom Cochrane & Red Rider - Call me a music snob, but this is the sort of thing I would dismiss immediately. And that's why being a snob is a losing proposition. Because this song is a rather delightful slice o' pop.
History Never Repeats by: Split Enz - Okay, obviously Pandora has Bowie pegged in the '80s. To be fair I tried his name Monday and Pandora picked a Tin Machine song and then thrust me in the middle of the grunge movement...so with someone as slippery as Bowie I suppose it's best to go in with a particular type of song.
Win by: David Bowie - Isn't this supposed to be directing me towards Bowie-ish songs? Not Bowie songs"
Beast Of Burden by: The Rolling Stones - I guess sleeping with Bowie gets you into the rotation, huh?

Well, that was sort of a dud as far as opening me up to new tunes, though I did dig that Tom Cochrane & Red Rider song, but it did provide me with enough pseudo-Bowie sounding stuff to keep me happy.

Okay, one more.

MY SELECTION WAS:
Pretty Fucked Up by: The Supersuckers

THEY CAME UP WITH:
The Revisionist by: The Lawrence Arms - I didn't get this selection until the guitars kicked in. Then I totally got it. Not gut-busting...but it is catchy as hell.
Granola-Head by: The Queers - Hee hee. Haven’t heard this one before. Pretty funny.
I Wish Somebody Would Build A Bridge (So I Can Get Over Myself) by: Thirsty Merc - This totally apes the guitar intro, explodey chorus thingie so I'm digging it.
Promise by: Matchbook Romance - Ack! What is this?! No bueno!
Overheated by: Lawrence Arms - A little slicker than the earlier Lawrence Arms track, not as good...but still not too bad. A little generic perhaps.
California by: Hawk Nelson - So I'm becoming afraid...Pandora is veering further and further into Mall-rock territory. Not cool.
Sea Ghost by: The Unicorns - Whew, talk about coming back from the precipice!
Sloop John B by: Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Ugh, this is funny, and a guilty pleasure indeed...but we're back to the Mall-punk.
Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault by: Jawbreaker - okay I'm ending here on an up note.

Okay, overall I get Pandora’s vibe, but she’s not really doing it for me. Also I would shudder to think some fresh-faced new music lover would use this for reliable recommendations of artists similar to their faves.

I think I’ll stick with reading about music, talking about music, trading mix CDs with friends and checking out DJs…it’s not quite time for HAL to guide my taste. But I think it will be soon. We’ll see...