I have to give ChelseaGirl some deep, wet kisses for pointing me to this site; the oddly named gentle indifference.

“A compact disc-length compilation of relevant music from each calendar year dating back to 1960. Updated every Monday.”

I just pulled down 1968:

1. All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix – 4:00
2. White Room – Cream – 4:57
3. Piece Of My Heart – Big Brother & The Holding Co – 4:14
4. I Say A Little Prayer For You – Aretha Franklin – 3:36
5. The Way Young Lovers Do – Van Morrison – 3:18
6. I Heard it Thru Grapevine – Marvin Gaye – 3:10
7. I Wish It Would Rain – Temptations – 2:53
8. The Weight – The Band – 4:33
9. Mrs. Robinson – Simon and Garfunkel – 3:50
10. Stand By Your Man – Tammy Wynette – 2:41
11. Israelites – Desmond Dekker – 2:36
12. Say It Loud, I’m Black And I’m Proud – James Brown – 3:02
13. Everyday People – Sly and the Family Stone – 2:22
14. Days – The Kinks – 2:52
15. For Once in My Life – Stevie Wonder – 2:50
16. La La Means I Love You – Delfonics – 3:23
17. Crimson and Clover – Tommy James & The Shondells – 5:28
18. With A Little Help From My Friends – Joe Cocker – 4:55
19. Jumping Jack Flash – The Rolling Stones – 3:44
20. Hey Jude – The Beatles – 7:02
21. (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay – Otis Redding – 2:45

Which you can download here (Sorry, it’s sendspace – i don’t like sendspace but these mixes make it worth the trouble).

Even if you don’t download them, these are fantastic playlists. They’re pretty much all must-have songs from each year.

I’ve got bza’s mixes from 1970-1973, and just pulled down ’66-69. And I have to say, to a one they’re all brilliant. Alas, he doesn’t keep the others available for download so I can’t get the post-73 ones; I’d love to see what he’s got for the late ’70s and the 80s. But oh-my-god are the ones I have great. Keep on going, bza, these fuckin’ rule.