Mix Tape Mafia

This episode was delightfully sponsored by Daizy's Social Sodas. Have one and you'll understand why. Songs with high or low in the title!

Abracadaba... It's time for a mix tape full of all the best songs about MAGIC! (or, you know, some sort of mention or stretched reference)Settle in for some fancy cuts from Steve Miller Band, Olivia Newton-John, America, Smashmouth, Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, and more!

We're following up our awesome movie theme songs episode with of course, Best TV Theme Songs! We each present our top ten and add together rankings to establish an official group ranking for the ten best TV theme songs. Plus a few extras...So welcome back, and join us as we move on up to the east side, where everybody knows your name! What would we do, baby, without the gobsters?!

It's a microwave episode! Pat Benatar kicks things off by coming on like flame and then turning a cold shoulder. Then we indulge in a great playlist of songs with either fire or ice in the title.

It's Lights, Camera, Action in Bean Bag Studios, as we assemble a mix tape for you of the best all time Movie Theme Songs! There are a few rules that we discuss, on what qualifies and what doesn't, but in the end, this is an absolute blockbuster Spotify playlist for you.

This week we compile a mix tape of our favorite songs that famously got "chopped up" or shortened for radio play, sometimes cutting long intros or even removing full verses from the album tracks. (this episode was originally an hour and a half long but we cut it down to 1:05)

In this episode, we assemble a mix tape of the best songs recorded as live versions. These are songs where the most famous/recognizable version of the song was the live version, or a live version became a much bigger hit or much better version than the studio recording.

More of the up and more of the down. Good stuff.

A unique playlist where we go back and forth with songs that have the word "Up" in the title and songs that have the word "Down" in the title. Better than you might think...

We kick off the episode with a coronation of the one man who had the most hit songs (5) as the lead singer for five different groups, plus a solo act... he's the lead singer version of Michael McDonald. Then, it's the Billy Squire game! The interim producer thought he only knew The Stroke, and we make bets on how many Squier songs he'll actually know. Finally, the main attraction... an analysis of the top 5 songs on each of our Spotify Wrapped lists for 2024.

As is sometimes the case, part 2 is even bigger and better than part 1... more Key Changes, and this playlist that we asssemble for you is quite honestly, epic.

It's a jam-packed part one of our favorite Key Changes! 

This week's episode includes some all out diamonds in the rough, and some lumps of coal.  "Not My Day Job" features our curation of a bunch of songs from people who are famous for something OTHER than singing.  You'll recognize some and we'll reveal some other new mysteries.  These are famous actors, comedians, athletes, etc., who just happened to get the itch, thought they could sing, and used their stardom to record a song or two.  And a few of them actually got a decent amount of airplay!  We'll give them all some time on the podwaves tonight...

We hash through the best songs that have either "Angel" or "Demon" in the title. This is an interseting playlist, but before we put that mix tape together for you, we've got the debut of our Bean Bag Studios Suno Songs! And we listen to the "Drunk Speed Mafia," aka, the Mix Tape Mafia at 0.5 speed! Hilarity ensues.

We had so much fun a few episodes ago with our "Burying the Lede" songs that we needed to bring back the theme with a twist!  We are curating the best mix tape playlist of all songs that contain the name of the album that they are on... but they are NOT title tracks!  You'll catch on quickly...

It's a lost episode!  Recorded back in the spring of 2024, we're finally bringing you the game of Life - a Mix Tape Mafia curation (and creation!) of what WE consider the best songs with the word "Life" in the title. It's now or never, we're in the fast lane, and it's a highway, so hang on for the ride.  We've even got a few "shandy" nominees, and a handful of guilty pleasures.

It's a special episode all about Food!  We're playing songs with food in the title AND we're stepping into the Pappy's Products test kitchen as we introduce and review FIVE new products inspired by various songs throughout the night. Grab your popcorn and your shopping list and get ready to crunch, munch, and dance!

We've got an awesome episode where we dive into the best songs where the title is NOT in the chorus or the hook of the song. Instead, the artist has "buried" the title somehwere deeper in one of the song's verses or elsewhere. This is one of those episodes where you only the Mafia can give you the proper deep dive that this Spotify mix tape deserves.

Tread carefully... Perhaps, we could have called this episode "Creeps & Peeps," since the majority of these songs ended up being creepy older dudes singing about their lust for underage girls. SO, we are by no means endorsing the messages behind some of these tunes. But we thought it would be interesting to explore some of the hit songs that we all used to like, but they certainly haven't aged well. It could be politically incorrect references to race or gender identitiy, or it could be, you know... grooming and statutory rape. Either way, you couldn't write these songs today. But we've got a tightly packed 37 minutes of comedy gold, as we lean into the cringiness of it all.

To kick off wedding week, the boys are in studio to curate the best (and worst!) dance songs that you're bound to hear at most weddings. They work through the bangers for you, building an incredible spotify playlist that includes both the dance floor fillers AND the dance floor EMPTIERS!

Did you ever hear a song and think it sounds exactly like a certain artist, but it's actually just some random singer or band you've never heard of? Well, we have a theory that nobody's disproven yet, so it must be true––the random singer was just part of the cleaning crew in the recording studio where the famous band played and just took it upon themselves to steal the sound, essence, or snippets leftover on the cutting room floor. They laid down their own record and voila!  With that, we give you one of our greatest episodes... "Sweeping the Studio!"

Be Human. Be Kind. Be Both. We've got a tightly packed 35 minute playlist to put together for you of our favorite songs that contiain the word "human" in the title. Let us know if you agree on the "human nature" of this mix tape! Featuring: Michael Jackson, Human League, Billy Joel, The Killers, Van Halen, Christina Perri, and more!

We're back in studio and this time we're just taking it easy... quite literally. It's time for a playlist composed of all (what we deem to be) the best songs with the word "easy" in the title. If you like a little 80s duet from Phil Collins & Philip Bailey, maybe some commodores, a little Sheryl Crow, Jason Aldean, or the Eagles, you're going to enjoy this mix tape! This episode also features quite a bit of new  tunes and hidden gems that you may not be familiar with, but will likely end up in your Spotify rotation.

¡Hola, el nación de gobsters!  The Mafia is putting together a sneaky fun mix tape of our favorite songs that feature a foreign language word or phrase in the lyrics. The 80's will be heavily represented by the likes of Mr. Mister, After the Fire, and a debate over Madonna's best song that includes spanish words in it. We may also get a few guilty pleasures from the 90's and 2000's. Faisons du rock and roll!

The boys are back with another elegent entry into our array of episodes inspired by songs that feature a uniquely specific instrument. Violinterludes is an elegent colllection of our favorite songs that feature a violin or strings section. We'll hear from The Verve, U2, Dexie's Midnight Runners, Taylor Swift, Guns 'N Roses, Evanescence, and more!

It's the best songs with a cliché or idiom in ther title. We often get stuck between a rock and a hard place on these playlists but when all is said and done, you'll get the best of both worlds because you aint seen nothing yet.

It's a special 100th episode and it's a crossover celebration with the 200th episode of Cheesesteak & Chowder. We reflect on some of the great moments in the first 200 episodes of C&C, along with some of our greatest Mix Tape Mafia songs, playlists, and Titanium Jackets from the first 100 episodes.

It's one of your favorites... an "off the cuff" epsiode and we're day drinking to boot. Jason and Anthony dive into the best songs where they spell out words (or acronyms) in the lyrics. We hear from John Mellencamp, Aerosmith, Men Without Hats, BUSH, Aretha Franklin, and more! M.A.F.I.A.!

This is a mix taps with all the best songs where they sing "na na na," sha, la, la," "do, do, do..." and the like. Tears for Fears, Bryan Adams, Fall Out Boy, Bon Jovi, P!nk and lots more! Let's get stoopid with this nonsense.

Without "part threes" we might not have Return of the Jedi, Christmas Vacation, or Balboa and Creed jumping, splashing, and embracing on the beach in Rocky 3. Will the third and final installment of "Pre-Chorus" be the best one? Certain members of the Mix Tape Mafia may believe so! Dive back in for some Mike & the Mechanics, Night Ranger, Simple MInds, and a whole lot more from the 80's. Plus, some Bruno Mars, Fitz & the Tantrums, Bee Gees, and gobs of bangers.

As we said, the "Pre-Chorus" playlists are so epic, that you knew we'd back with more. Here's part 2 of 3 for some of the best songs featuring a great pre-chorus. We bring in a little Garbage, Meatloaf, Survivor, 38 Special, Van Halen, Tommy Tutone, Journey, and tons more.

It's been a while since we had a mix tape so epic that we had to split it up into multiple episodes. We give you part 1 of "Pre-Chorus," a playlist near and dear to all of our hearts, especially the interim producer! We nomiate and assemble the absolute best songs that feature a strong pre-chorus... that energetic component that departs from the verse, and builds momentum that leads into the chorus of a song. We've got MJ, Dua Lipa, Alanis, Van Halen, some Mix Tape Mafia faves, some new plays, and we even hand out a Titanium Jacket!

Jason and Anthony are joined by 2N Jenn and her daughter Tori, for a multi-generationsl epsiode of all the best sing-along songs. This is an exceptional mixtape of the best songs that everbody chimes and belts out together whenever they come on.

Jason and Anthony are rocking with the OG MTM to bring you an incredible playlist of the best songs affiliated with specific sports teams. Call them hype songs, anthems, victory tracks, whatevs. But we know wehter you're at the stadium, arena, park, or just reliving your favorite championship run, these songs will evoke all the feels of some of what makes sports great.

From Jet Airliner to Little Red Corvette, this is playlist that travels well, with all of our favorite songs that feature a vehicle in the title. Plus, as always, one (or two) shandys!

A banger playlist coming at you courtesy of Eddie Money, Leon Bridges, One Republic, a chick named Lavigne, a dude named Levine, and a whole lot more -- best songs with "Home" in the title!

The Mix Tape Mafia is back and we've got a great playlist that is actually 3 set lists in 1. Jason, Anthony, and Hunter have created their best 7-song playlist for their respective hometowns. Seven songs each from artists who hail from Boston, Philly, and New York, respectively. Then, everyone gets a "one-upper" play - one song to add for each of the other two lists.

We create the perfect mix tape with all the best songs about "making a change." Featuring REO Speedwagon, Sick Puppies, Chris Stapleton, Huey Lewis & the News, Augustana, Billy Joel, Exposé, and more!

We wish we could back and recover the lost recordings that were destroyed in the great coconut water incident of '23... but we can not. We've recently sent kids off to college and have been nostalgic about turning back time. Sooooo... here is a great episode constructing a playlist of all the best songs that talk about harkening back to the good old days!

What can we say about the mopiest of the breakup tunes? It's a re-record, so you get a shortened version, but listen along and we'll explain. Still a great mix tape of awesome mopy breakup tunes.

In what may be one of our sappiest episodes ever, we lean way into the heartstrings of the dads and grads season, as we come up on Father's day and all three of us as parents of high school graduates. This is the ultimate playlist for all those sappy songs that talk about sage life advice, parent-child relationships, regrets of lost parents, etc. etc.

We've got Dance Fever! NO, there's no Deney Terrio or Adrian Zmed on this episode, but we DO have a sneaky good playlist that we explore with all the best songs that feature the word DANCE in the title.

Do you like your mix tapes wit or witout? Well no worries (and no onions) here, because we've got both for you! We discuss, debate, and nominate the best curated songs that contain either "with" or "without" in the title.

It's the follow-up to our NIGHT Fever episode, with the best songs featuring the word "Day" in the titlej

It's the first of our two-part "Night & Day" episodes!

Street, Avenue, Boulevard, Lane... you get the gist. It's the Mix Tape featuring songs whose titles contain a word for a street. Where we're going, we don't need roads!

All the best songs, and one or two of the worst... with the word "Hold" in the title.

We're back with storytellers part 2 - the sequel (act 2?) to our format-shattering episode that has everybody in gobster nation talking. It's the final half of our baker's dozen deep dives into the best songs that tell a story. We've got Heart, Harry Chapin, Meatloaf, Bon Jovi and more! Have a listen, it's a real page turner!

It's the first of an epic two-parter as we build a mix tap of the best songs that spin a tale or tell a story, if you will. We've got 12 grand slam bangers, but you only get the first 6 in part 1 because we need to take a deep dive into the lyrics and storylines of each one. We've got some strict criteria for this one. Not just any jabroni singing about the different people he sees in the park or at a bar is going to qualify. These are only the premium of the premium when it comes to tell a full story with a complete character arc through the lyrics of an unforgettable, emotionally charged song. Come on board for a tale of a tune with Brandy, Taxi, Same Old Lang Syne, The Gambler, The Coward of the County, and Escape (The Pina Colada Song).

In one of our cheesiest and guiltiest pleasure episode ever, we dive into all the best super cheesy duets from the 70's and 80's. As you can imagine, Peter Cetera is heavily involved. So is Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Kenny Rogers, and all kinds of super fun cheeseball movie love themes and the such.

To celebrate 75 episodes of Mix Tape Mafia, we selected some of our favorites of the first 75 episodes. Then we play two of the best from each of those episodes and try to determine THE BEST song from the episode. Quite a fun exercise and trip down memory lane for us and our loyal listeners in gobster nation. It's also a great entry in for any new listeneres out there who want to get acclimated with the magic of the mix tape mafia, and get some great suggestions for earlier episodes to go back and catch up on.