College football kickoff special: the 'NCAA Football 06' soundtrack
College football kicks off tonight! Halleluiah! South Carolina hosts North Carolina at five o’clock on ESPN. Kicking off at six o’clock is an in-state rivalry on the Big Ten Network: Indiana State against Indiana. Also at six on BTN, Minnesota hosts UNLV. And Fox Sports 1, the newbie, will broadcast Utah State-Utah at seven. (The first college football game aired by the sports-related kin to Fox News is between a bunch of Mormons. They are not all Mormons, but it does seem kind of fitting, no?)
Anyway, I thought I would post a little treat to toast the new season. I have been glorifying the soundtrack to NCAA Football 06 and wanted to post links to each song for those who never played the game. (In an earlier version of this post, I embedded each video. Needless to say, it took way too long to load.) Though none of the songs have a connection to sports, I think most fit well within the pop cultural canon of college football — or at least that is the impression they gave after listening to them for years. They also offer a little spice of nostalgia as well. Many of the songs are from the late-eighties and nineties and hark back to when I was growing up and first experiencing the game day revelry around Kinnick Stadium. It also reminds me of college rock from the same era.
And as much as I like to joke about it, the soundtrack did not come from Kirk Herbstreit’s personal music collection. At least I assume.
On to the soundtrack, presented in alphabetical order by band. Enjoy!
Bad Religion, “Atomic Garden”
Meh. This is not the best song on the soundtrack, but I need to include it for posterity.
The Clash, “Train in Vain (Stand by Me)”
No doubt my least favorite song on the soundtrack. Lame! Plus, I have never been a big fan of The Clash.
De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”
The lone hip hop offering — and probably the best hair among all the included musicians.
Guided by Voices, “Teenage FBI”
This is probably my favorite. Here is a link to a live performance on an Australian music show.
Jawbreaker, “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault”
Another one of my favorites.
Lagwagon, “Know It All”
Lush, “Ladykillers”
It has been a long time since I heard this one and I forgot how much I liked it. Plus, I love the irony of its selection.
Mother Love Bone, “This Is Shangri-La”
The sad thing about Mother Love Bone is that the lead singer overdosed on heroin and died right before the band’s debut album was released.
The Mr. T Experience, “More Than Toast”
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, “Kill Your Television”
Awesome song. This is probably my favorite track.
NOFX, “Jeff Wears Birkenstocks?”
Pixies, “Debaser”
I love this song. It was probably my favorite when I first started playing the game.
Superchunk, “Hyper Enough”
Another great song.
The Pietasters, “Out All Night”
Ska. Does anyone else remember that strange, confusing time around 1998 when ska and swing dancing were all the rage? What the hell was that all about?
Therapy?, “Nowhere”
Not only is “Nowhere” a great song, the effects in the music video are pretty stellar.
Anyway, I thought I would post a little treat to toast the new season. I have been glorifying the soundtrack to NCAA Football 06 and wanted to post links to each song for those who never played the game. (In an earlier version of this post, I embedded each video. Needless to say, it took way too long to load.) Though none of the songs have a connection to sports, I think most fit well within the pop cultural canon of college football — or at least that is the impression they gave after listening to them for years. They also offer a little spice of nostalgia as well. Many of the songs are from the late-eighties and nineties and hark back to when I was growing up and first experiencing the game day revelry around Kinnick Stadium. It also reminds me of college rock from the same era.
And as much as I like to joke about it, the soundtrack did not come from Kirk Herbstreit’s personal music collection. At least I assume.
On to the soundtrack, presented in alphabetical order by band. Enjoy!
Bad Religion, “Atomic Garden”
Meh. This is not the best song on the soundtrack, but I need to include it for posterity.
The Clash, “Train in Vain (Stand by Me)”
No doubt my least favorite song on the soundtrack. Lame! Plus, I have never been a big fan of The Clash.
De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”
The lone hip hop offering — and probably the best hair among all the included musicians.
Guided by Voices, “Teenage FBI”
This is probably my favorite. Here is a link to a live performance on an Australian music show.
Jawbreaker, “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault”
Another one of my favorites.
Lagwagon, “Know It All”
Lush, “Ladykillers”
It has been a long time since I heard this one and I forgot how much I liked it. Plus, I love the irony of its selection.
Mother Love Bone, “This Is Shangri-La”
The sad thing about Mother Love Bone is that the lead singer overdosed on heroin and died right before the band’s debut album was released.
The Mr. T Experience, “More Than Toast”
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, “Kill Your Television”
Awesome song. This is probably my favorite track.
NOFX, “Jeff Wears Birkenstocks?”
Pixies, “Debaser”
I love this song. It was probably my favorite when I first started playing the game.
Superchunk, “Hyper Enough”
Another great song.
The Pietasters, “Out All Night”
Ska. Does anyone else remember that strange, confusing time around 1998 when ska and swing dancing were all the rage? What the hell was that all about?
Therapy?, “Nowhere”
Not only is “Nowhere” a great song, the effects in the music video are pretty stellar.
