I like setting iTunes to random. I have 7 days worth of music (or just under 9.5GB), so I can get a whole lot of random. But I also like patterns. I’ve found the greatest thing to do to make interesting yet random playlists.
It’s actually an idea I got from someone I worked with in Victoria. She was talking about her brother has really bad insomnia. She and her family have taken to giving him tasks to do to tire him out, or give him something to do rather than stare at the walls. She’ll say something like ‘find all the songs you can that have a whistling solo’ or ‘songs with cowbell’ or whatever.
While I don’t have the time he does, I really liked the idea. Unfortunately, to create a cowbell playlist, I’d have to listen to every song I have (so far I have Honky Tonk Woman by the Rolling Stones), but I’ve made some easier ones. I generally go by title, so I have the ‘Colours’ playlist, the ‘Numbers’ playlist, I just made the ‘Weather’ playlist, I have ‘Days of the Week’, and that’s it so far. It’s great, because there’s a theme, but it never gets restricted to just one genre or artist. the only thing that restricts that is my music collection. One day, I will make the cowbell list. I need to remember to add songs when I hear them.

A few examples:
Weather
Raino – Chilliwack
Full Force Gale – Gordon Lightfoot
Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers
Greased Lightning – John Travolta (hee hee)
Raining in Baltimore – Counting Crows

Numbers
One Week – BNL
Mambo #5 – Lou Bega
Seven Seas of Rhye – Original Cast of We Will Rock You
634-5789 – Wilson Pickett
200lbs of Pure Love – the Red Elvises

Ecclectic and fun, or I think so anyway.

Know any songs with cowbell? I know BTO and the Guess Who have some, but my music library is sadly lacking their songs.

Speaking of BTO, you must listen to ‘Taking Care of Christmas’ sometime in the upcoming holiday season.