Now That's What I Call Softcore!

My passion for what I call Softcore - West Coast soft rock and dance music spanning the '60's, '70's, '80's, '90, and '00's,  has been revitalized, not sure why. It's not like it ever left, but it was definitely dormant.
Anyway, here is a mix of new and old Softcore, inspired by John Sebastian's  "Theme from 'Welcome Back, Kotter'." Jim Lewis, a friend of mine who lives in Austin, Texas, recently produced an album by the great singer-songwriter Michael Fracasso. When he emailed me some songs from the album, he mentioned that one of the songs (my favorite, as it happens) was written in 10 minutes, in the studio, while waiting to begin recording. That reminded me that Sebastian said, after "Welcome Back" had become a huge hit, that it had taken him less than an hour to compose.
Honestly, "Welcome Back," doesn't hold up that well. Maybe I've heard it too often. However, it's a bonafide member of the Softcore Hall of Fame, and deserves to be a part of the mix.
More interesting to me are Paul Westerberg's "Dyslexic Heart," Looking Glass's "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne," (the far-superior follow-up to their hit, "Brandy,") and Monsterbuck's "Felicity."
The playlist:
1. "Lalena"  Donovan
2. "Stand Tall"  Burton Cummings
3. "Felicity"  Monsterbuck
4. "Come On Get Higher"  Matt Nathanson
5. "Make You Mine" Breakbot
6. "Out In The Country" Paul Williams
7. "Sundown, Sundown" Calexico Feat. Valerie Leulliot
8. "Welcome Back" John Sebastian
9. "Southbound" Lake Heartbeat
10. "You Take My Troubles Away" Rachael Yamagata & Dan Wilson
11. "Wolves"Josh Ritter
12. "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne" Looking Glass
13. "Temptation Eyes" The Grassroots
14. "Dyslexic Heart" Paul Westerberg
15. "Lucy"Julian Lennon & James Scott Cook
17. "The Senile Rings" Alsace Lorraine
18. "Flying On The Ground Is Wrong" Buffalo Springfield
19. "Blue Moon"  Big Star

The Mix
Now That's What I call Softcore!