On an average week, most of my Friday afternoon is spent resisting the urge to count the minutes until the weekend and getting the last of my work done before ‘unplugging’.

Last week’s five ran the gamut from the ‘so unusual’ Cyndi Lauper to Pantera with a detour through Compton. It also seems like the Ickmusic crowd likes to share right along. If you missed last week the premise is this I’ll share the first five tracks that comes up in my shuffle (and some thoughts, anecdotes and defenses, you know in case a Panic! At The Disco or Poison track comes up) with all of you.

In turn, feel free to add your random ‘Friday Five’ in the comments and be honest! We all have those guilty pleasures…

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire (from The Legend of Jonny Cash)

Growing up my definition of “Country” music was the likes of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr. and Johnny Cash. I would listen to them on every family road trip and around the house and still listen to this day with the same reverence for what are really some of the greatest songwriters and performers ever to grace a stage.

[audio:RingofFire.mp3]

2. Great Big Sea – Sweet Forget Me Not (Graceful And Charming) (from Courage & Patience & Grit)

I was actually fortunate enough to see Newfoundland and Labrador’s favorite son’s on this tour at The Town Hall in NYC. The studio version of this song was actually part of the music played as a prelude to my wedding ceremony. Part of a collection of traditional Newfoundland songs this is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.

[audio:SweetForgetMeNot.mp3]

3. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Pretty Little Ditty (from Mother’s Milk)

I hate that this tune was forever ruined by it’s inclusion in the Crazy Town track “Butterfly”. It’s one of those tracks where you almost feel like a fly on the wall while they band is doing what they do best.

4. Pink Floyd – Coming Back To Life (from The Division Bell)

I remember what a big deal this record, which turned out to be the bands last, was at the time of its release. I was managing a record store and recall that it was one of the first times that I had to deal with an actual line to buy a single release. While not my favorite track from this album, I always connected to this tune.

5. Black Flag – Louie Louie (from Duck and Cover)

Henry Rollins singing “Louie Louie” is an instant classic and not to be missed!

[audio:LouieLouie.mp3]

So now it’s your turn, what comes up in your shuffle?

On an average week, most of my Friday afternoon is spent resisting the urge to count the minutes until the weekend and getting the last of my work done before ‘unplugging’.

I also find it’s the day I’m most likely to hit ‘shuffle’ on my iPod / iTunes. You can learn a lot about someone through what they’ve got in their music collection and I figured that I’d share the first five tracks (and some thoughts, anecdotes and defenses, you know in case a Spice Girls or N*Sync track comes up) with all of you.

Feel free to add your random ‘Friday Five’ in the comments and be honest! We all have those guilty pleasures…

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. Cyndi Lauper – The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough (from Time After Time – The Best Of)

I’ll make a admission here, I never loved “The Goonies”. I don’t look back fondly or reminisce over the ‘Truffle Shuffle’. That said, I always kind of liked this song. It was a top 10 hit for Cyndi in 1985 and I recall it getting more than it’s share of airplay.

2. The Clash – The Guns of Brixton (from London Calling)

I was a late-comer to The Clash. I connected with the singles (“Rock the Casbah”, “London Calling” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”) when I was younger but it was not until my early Twenties when I picked up the London Calling CD that I really understood how influential and amazing they truly were.

3. The Toasters – Too Much Happening (from New York Fever)

Before the late 90’s ska explosion there was The Toasters. The first and the longest running group in the third wave of ska they embodied the ‘rude boy’ image to me. Being a short train ride from NYC I’ve had the opportunity to see them live many times over the last 15 years and they always put on one of the most energetic shows I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

4. N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton (from Straight Outta Compton)

How do you go from Cyndi Lauper to Ice Cube in less than three tracks…? I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard this record, sitting on the long bus ride home a friend had copied the cassette from his older brother. We sat and listened. From the first verse to the very end this was like nothing we’d ever heard before and I was hooked.

5. Pantera – Walk (from Vulgar Display of Power)

Re! Spect! Walk! ‘Nuff said!

So what comes up in your shuffle?