The Gent's Cheat Sheet » Entertaining

GCS Recommends: Crooner Compilations

Trey — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:07:48 +0000

Build your collection of tunes for entertaining quickly (and cheaply!) with greatest hits compilations.

If you’re looking to build your collection of music for entertaining (particularly in more unfamiliar genres), greatest hits collections can definitely be a good way to go. They aren’t always available for newer artists, but choices abound if you’re looking for the best tracks from the classic crooners.

Greatest hits compilations can provide a few key benefits:

More bang for your buck. Most quality compilations contain between fifteen and twenty songs, so the per-song cost typically ends up being much lower than purchasing the songs individually or as part of a typical album with fewer tracks. For an example, take the Tony Bennett compilation included below—at $8.98 for twenty songs, it end up being only $0.45 per song.
Better quality. “Greatest hits” is self-explanatory: you’re not going to find much filler material.
A condensed overview. These types of collections tend to be particularly useful when considering unfamiliar genres or artists. You don’t have to educate yourself about an artist in order to select the best recordings—someone’s already compiled a “cheat sheet” and put them in one place.

If you’re looking to stretch your dollar when you pick up these compilations, here are a couple of techniques I’ve found helpful:

Take advantage of sales—both at big box stores and online. For example, I just picked up the Sinatra CD below from Target this past week for $9.99, and a great Bille Holiday compilation for $2.99 recently off of Amazon downloads.
Buy used CDs. I’ve found that you can often pick up copies of well-known albums for only a dollar or two (sometimes even under a dollar) under the “used” category on Amazon. I’ve never had any problems with scratches or other damage, and the total cost (even after you include a couple of dollars for shipping) ends up being very, very low.

I’ve included a few great compilations to consider below—the links are to the profile of the physical CD, but it should be easy to find the digital download or used CD pages for each. For other classic songs for a classy event, check out our playlist of 30 Hand-Picked Songs for a Classic Cocktail Party.

-Trey

30 Hand-Picked Songs for a Classic Cocktail Party

Trey — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:25:58 +0000

Throwing a cocktail party is a nice way to have a good time and enjoy a classy atmosphere that most of us don’t experience every day. Music can be a key aspect of this kind of event, but it’s also something that can be easy to overlook. Here are 30 hand-picked songs (in no particular order) that can help make a classic cocktail party a success:

Check out the Amazon application below the list for a sample of each song.

Frank Sinatra: The Way You Look Tonight
Frank Sinatra: Luck be a Lady
Frank Sinatra: Fly Me to the Moon
Frank Sinatra: Theme From New York, New York
Louis Armstrong: What a Wonderful World
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Dream a Little Dream of Me
Louis Armstrong: La Vie En Rose
Bobby Darin: Beyond the Sea
Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole: Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful Worl
Harry Connick, Jr.: It Had to be You
Harry Connick, Jr.: Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off
Harry Connick, Jr.: A Wink And A Smile
Harry Connick, Jr.: We Are In Love
Mel Tormé: That’s All
Mel Tormé: Blue Moon
Elvis Presley: Can’t Help Falling In Love
Dean Martin: Ain’t That A Kick In The Head
Dean Martin: Return to Me
Nat King Cole And Natalie Cole: Unforgettable
Nat King Cole: Stardust
Robbie Williams And Frank Sinatra: It Was a Very Good Year
The Penguins: Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)
Ben E. King: Stand by Me
Michael Bublé: Save The Last Dance For Me
Michael Bublé: You Don’t Know Me
Michael Bublé: Sway
Michael Bublé: Wonderful Tonight
Michael Bublé: Come Fly With Me
Etta James: At Last
Billie Holiday: The Very Thought of You

GCS Recommends: Sinatra – Nothing but the Best

Trey — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:48:01 +0000

What it is: Some of the best jazz music, ever.

When it comes music, it doesn’t get much classier than Sinatra—and any one of the popular greatest hits packages that exist would provide an excellent overview of this classic crooner. We’ve chosen Nothing but the Best, because it provides a great overview on one cd–and as one of the most recent Sinatra releases, it can usually be found in stores.

Why it matters:

Sinatra’s music can add an air of casual sophistication to any event—it’s relaxed, upbeat, and not too formal. It’s also instantly recognizable—who doesn’t know Fly Me to the Moon or Luck be a Lady? Sinatra is best suited for the kinds of occasions where ties and cocktail dresses are present, but it can add that kind of classy ambiance to any type of event—ties, dresses, or not.

How to Pick a Playlist When Hosting an Event

Trey — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:20:34 +0000

We all have our own preferred music, but the bands we rock out to in the car or gym don’t always play as well at a dinner party or other formal event. Of course, it’s entirely possible that Linkin Park or Incubus will go over great with the baby boomers–but it’s probably better to pick something a little more subtle until it’s just friends left.

So how do you pick an event playlist when it’s hard enough to stay on top of the genres that you already know and listen to every day? It’s not an easy task–but as someone who really loves music, I’ve spent what many might consider too much time contemplating the issue. Let me try to spare you the agony of going through the same thing by offering a few simple suggestions.

Before considering what specific music to play at any event, it’s important to first understand the intent–what role is the music intended to play? Typically, music isn’t the focus of the event, and if anything (content, style, volume, etc.) ends up mismatched it can become distracting fairly quickly. No matter the type of event, music typically should be geared towards two objectives:

It should helps guests enjoy themselves
It should make guests feel comfortable

You do want your guests to feel relaxed and have good associations, right? :) So with those two objectives in mind, let’s consider a few factors:

This should go without saying, but the formality of the music should correspond with the formality of the event. You wouldn’t play classical music at a BBQ–neither would you play Lynyrd Skynyrd at a black tie dinner (exceptions abound, of course).
The majority of the music should be consistent with the overall mood you’re trying to set–if it’s fast and upbeat, play uptempo music about two thirds of the time and let off the gas for a bit by throwing in some more relaxed fare as well. Similarly, if you’re hoping to have a relaxing evening, still remember to include some faster tunes about a third of the time. You have to vary it up–if it’s all fast-paced or mellow you’ll either wear people out or bore them to death. There has to be enough variation to give your guests a break and keep them interested.
In all cases, the music should be upbeat and generally positive, regardless of the tempo. ”Downer” lyrics are almost always something to avoid (so resist the temptation to play Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt, no matter how great it is). Give your guests positive associations with the event!
Remember that certain genres just aren’t suited for more formal affairs. I like hard rock as much as anyone out there, but it’s better suited for playing cards or pool, and not necessarily having a quiet conversation with a boss or explaining something to your neighbor’s kid. Maybe it’s rap for someone else. Just remember, if the music is something you couldn’t play for a elementary school class or your mother, it’s probably best to leave it out. Again, there are exceptions to everything–but the general principle applies. If you want guests to feel comfortable, keep it safe until it’s just close friends left–then feel free to rock out.
Consider your audience. If you want your guests to feel comfortable, pick something that’s not too much of a stretch. It doesn’t matter how great the playist is, if your guests are expecting something else it’ll put a damper on things.
If you’re confident in your song selections, feel free to play music that you know others have never hear but you know they’d like. Otherwise, it’s best to go with what people know–especially classic songs with which people have a positive associations. For a formal dinner, this might be Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon. For a BBQ, maybe it’s Jack and Diane or Hotel California.
Finally (and this isn’t specific to your playlist), don’t sweat it too much–and pay as little attention as possible to things like music after your guests arrive. Anything intended to enhance an evening should do just that–and the last thing you want to do is constantly be changing things, talking about how hard you worked, or worrying about whether people are enjoying or noticing the details. Just relax and don’t sweat the small stuff–there are much more important aspects to the evening than things like music. The easiest way to ensure your guests won’t notice something you regret is to not draw attention to it. Nothing makes guests feel more uneasy than a host who obviously isn’t comfortable in their own environment. Lead the way in relaxing and having fun!

For specific recommendations geared toward certain genres or events, keep checking back–we’re working on lists of our personal favorites. Feel free to post your own thoughts or recommendations in the comments!

-tg