Music recommendations

[juliebeth]

In my bid to get fit and lose 70 pounds I'm looking for some music recommendations to put on my iPod for the aerobic phase of my fitness program.  I spend upwards of an hour on my Schwinn AirDyne, and I need some new music to keep me going.  Bear in mind that I'm 51, have not listened to the radio except for NPR for 20 years, and cannot stand Rap

Comments

[jewelsong]

When you get your playlist please post it! I could use it for the very sa,e purpose!

[juliebeth]

Will do! I do have some stuff already, but you can listen to some things only a few hundred times, then it gets old. We're talking Trainspotting soundtrack, Elvis Costello, a bunch of 60's oldies, some Divine Comedy, and Sexyback. Oh, and Bat out of Hell.

[ann_septimus]

My workout playlist looks something like this:
Queen
T. Rex ("Children of the Revolution" is a great pump-up song)
Avenged Sevenfold (for a band marketed as "metal", they're amazing -- super talented and they draw from everything from musicals to opera to chant to country to good old straight-up rock)
Paramore and Bif Naked (because every girl needs some growly-poppy up-with-chicks music sometimes)

:-)

Also: the Trainspotting soundtrack is pure awesome.

[juliebeth]

I do have some Queen on CD (saw them in concert in '75) and I do have some T. Rex via the Billy Elliot soundtrack: thanks for the reminder, I'd forgotten about that! :) I'll look up some of those other bands, too. Thank you!

[sixth_queen]

I did a ton of aerobics in my day, and -- for me anyway, your mileage may vary -- it's more important to get fired up than it is to pay attention to melody or lyrics. You need anything with a good 4/4 beat, as in, not the LotR soundtrack (unless youre stretching.) Country is probably out too.

My suggestion is

1. ABBA, if you can stand it. Or, the alternative British Invasion music from the mid-80's. MTV was full of it.

2. Give Rap a chance! I hated rap too, but our step aerobics class used it and it works! Nothing made me pump like Who let the dogs out. Don't use R&B or hip hop, you need non-violent early 1990's rap, like Will Smith, Run DMC etc. If rap is too hardcore, try dance/rave.

3. Non-vocal Industrial from the late 90's. It can be screechy, but it fires you up. You can probably find some old cheap industrial compilations.

Ask the nice people at the record store. Or you can check out a bunch of stuff at the library and test it in a CD player before you buy iTunes.

[juliebeth]

I forgave ABBA when I saw Muriel's Wedding back in the 90's. Back in the day, you wouldn't be caught dead listening to them.

Rap does have the good beat needed to get motivated, I agree. I just got exposed to so much of the nasty hardcore stuff at my now former job (airmen just out of Basic training, a few fresh out of the 'hood) I steer clear of it.

I might have some Industrial via an old soundtrack or two.

Thanks!

[vespican]

I'd suggest just about anything with a good strong driving beat. If you lean towards COUNTRY at all, I'd suggest Kentucky Headhunters.
Dave

[juliebeth]

I'm not fond of what passes for Country these days, but I do like some of the Mavericks' stuff. I don't know what category they're in. I have heard of the Kentucky Headhunters; I will check them out. Thanks!

[golden_berry]

A lot of U2 songs have a good tempo for cycling or anything aerobic. Ditto the Hollies. 'Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress' or 'Bus Stop' or 'Carousel' perhaps?

If I ever make it back to the gym, I'll try to listen to what they play there. ;)