I made three mixtapes for Michael & Elisabeth Mainelli’s wedding, which were used at the informal party on the Sunday after the formal wedding. I kept track listings (dated 12 May 1996) and can therefore recreate the experience, 25 years later, mostly in embedded YouTube form. Occasionally such embeds get moved, removed or delisted, but you should be able to hear most if not all of them.
Here’s Tape Three, which I called “The Cynical Wedding Tape”. Side A continued the theme of a dance party mix from Tape Two, but all the tracks have an element of cynicism towards romance. Side B was intended to be an “after the main party” cynical selection, which I named “Sit Around & Think About It”.
A couple of the tracks on this tape have not yet found their way to YouTube in a suitable form (e.g. Ben Murphy’s recording of my own lyric, The Ultimate Love Song). I have uploaded MP3s of those tracks, so you can still hear them…if you dare.
Cynical Wedding Tape Side A: Dance
Que Pasa / Me No Pop I, Kid Creole & the Coconuts
Don’t Leave Me This Way, Thelma Houston
Money, Flying Lizards
I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Gladys Knight & the Pips
Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely, Main Ingredient
Why Do Fools Fall In Love?, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Persuaders
I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor
Mistra Know It All, Stevie Wonder
She’s Gone, Hall & Oats
One Day I’ll Fly Away, Randy Crawford
Will You Love Me Tomorrow?, ShirellesCynical Wedding Tape Side B: Sit Around & Think About It
The First Cut is the Deepest, PP Arnold
Falling In Love Again, Temperance Seven
Don’t Get Married, Roy Bailey & Leon Rosselson
Ever Fallen In Love With Someone…, Buzzcocks
Freebird, Lynard Skynard
It’s All Over Now Baby Blue, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
I Used To Love Her But It’s All Over Now, Rolling Stones
Born To Shop, Guns ‘n’ Charoses
Single In Spring, Roy Bailey & Leon Rosselson
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Neil Sedaka
The Ultimate Love Song, Ben Murphy