Today is a special day around here. Today marks eating/sf’s 200th post AND Musical Pairings’ 100th post! Kasey and I are both pretty excited. Nonetheless, I swear I’ll keep the self congratulations brief. Still it is pretty cool to see how things have changed around here. My average daily readers have multiplied by about 70 times what they were when I first posted. We’ve updated the way we post content, created a banner, polished our pictures and have kept our readers well stocked with approximately 200 recipes and 100 musical pairings. Seriously, you have no excuse if nothing sounds good for dinner or your iPod is starting to sound a little stale.
To mark our milestone posts, both Kasey and I wanted something celebratory. For her part, Kasey is posting a recent recipe for preparing a delicious batch of fluffy, moist red velvet cupcakes. I definitely recommend trying out this recipe next time you host a group of friends. After all, red velvet cupcakes are both tasty and festive, which means they are a great way to mark an occasion. For my part, I wanted to post a classic to mark my 100th post. I chose the Rolling Stones’ masterpiece, one of the greatest rock albums that will probably ever be recorded, Exile on Main Street. The album opens with one of the most potent opening tracks on any album: the menacing and gritty “Rocks Off.” The Stones follow this with the explosive, erupting slice of Southern rockabilly “Rip This Joint”: a track that couldn’t have sounded more like the theme to an iconic, mythical 60’s American rebel if it was actually recorded by an American band. “Shake Your Hips,” “Casino Boogie,” “Sweet Virginia,” “Torn & Frayed,” “Let it Loose,” “All Down the Line,” “Stop Breaking Down,” “Shine a Light,” and “Soul Survivor” are all worthy of the titles classic and masterpiece. Only one other band in history has ever recorded a two disc album with this many great songs (I’m referring to the Beatles’ White album, of course). Most of the tracks on Exile on Main Street are songs you’d probably recognize even if you’d never actually listened to the album (which I wouldn’t admit publicly if that applied to you). Yet, despite the fact that these songs have ubiquitously saturated every part of American culture, these are songs that never grow old and stale. Personally, I’m sure I’ve heard “Shine a Light” a hundred times – both intentionally and unintentionally – and yet it still gives me goose bumps. If you have any doubts – just go listen to the album.
I wanted to mark post No. 100 with one of the greatest albums of all time. I’d recommend picking up or pulling out your copy. Drop the needle to the wax. Find a comfortable seat to relax in. Enjoy a red velvet cupcake and “make every song your favorite tune.”
The Rolling Stones – Shake Your Hips
The Rolling Stones – Shine a Light
