Songs or Albums you'd play at a coffeehouse

A friend of mine has a coffee house and he keeps asking me for music because costumers seem to love every album/songs I sent his way. I didn't take too much risks, mainly soft music - vocal jazz, folk, funk, a little bit of soul,rare groove - trying to keep it with a subtle edge so middle aged costumers don't get offended and young costumers don't get bored to death.

However I already gave him over 4 gb of music and I ran out of ideas. So hear ILM, what albums or songs would you play at a coffehouse. Something that's not too abrasive for the average listener and hopefully get him interested in asking who's playing.

Jorge Ben 24/7

Joni Mitchell - Court & Spark

Miles Davis - Blue In Green!
Julee Cruise - Falling (if it's a mystery-noir coffee shop)

Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life

enya !!!! ok i'm sorry but i would really like to hear enya if were having a relaxing day to myself and ambled into a coffeeshop to read

let me say, let me say, let the venti mocha flow/let me read/let me feed on a piece of bi-sco-tti

here's a mix I made in March that is all 'feel good' (you can stream or download it)

Gastr Del Sol - Black Horse
Howie Beck - Flashover
Lou Barlow - Home
Nada Surf - Fruit Fly
John Shough - Out to Sea
King Creosote - Turps
The Sea and Cake - An Echo In
Isidore - Sanskrit
Arthur Russell - That's Us/Wild Combination
Those Bastard Souls - Telegram
Arizona Amp And Alternator - Blue Blue Marble Girl
Aimee Mann - Goodbye Caroline
Howie Beck - Don't Put Your Arms Around Me No More
Sin Ropas - Crumbs
King Creosote - Saffy Nool
Nada Surf - Blonde On Blonde
Phish - Brian and Robert
Archer Prewitt - Sister Ice
Nick Drake - All My Trials

the only caveats is that the King Creosote song can get on some people's nerves if you point out the whistling sound. good replacements are King Creosote - 'homeboy', or King Creosote - 'you've no clue do you'. and the last three songs combination is has a "this mix is ending" sort of feel to them. a more radio friendly Lou Barlow song choice would have been "holding back the year"

but all in all this is pretty solid coffee house music (that isn't jazz)

(erm the King Creosote song with the whistling is 'Turps'. I forgot that I have two of his songs on the mix)

Yeah all of Arthur Russell Calling Out of Context would sound good to me.

'you and me both' on that album ranks up there next to 'that's us / wild combination' for me. both of which are catchy and radio-friendly

Jorge Ben 24/7

^^^seconded

everything but the girl - eden

Also Rotary Connection/Minnie Riperton is a straightforward goto.

Jorge Ben 24/7

^^^seconded

― has arlen specter never heard clarence thomas's laugh? (Shakey Mo Collier)

Heh, already playing a lot of Jorge Ben over there ;)

Thanks for the recommendations so far, some truly great artists that I had overlooked. I had around 27 hours of music but I'll try to post a brief of what I've been playing in the following days in case it proves useful for anyone else in the future. Keep em coming.

Oh, and Franco/Tout Puissant OK Jazz would be perfect.

Here's a small playlist of what's been playing:

Air - Heaven's light
Air France - Beach party
Antena - Camino del sol
Al Green - I'm glad you're mine
Alicia Keys - You dont know my name (reggae remix)
Allen Toussaint - St. James Infirmary
American Analog Set - punk as fuck
Baden Powell - mais ne rigole pas
Badly Drawn Boy - Promises (beyond the wizard's sleeve remix)
Bebel Gilberto - So nice
Ben Harper - Walk Away
Beth Gibbons - Romance
Bia - Caminhar
Bill Withers - aint no sunshine
Bjork - Come to me
Black Sabbath - Planet Caravan (dj steef edit)
Boards of Canada - peacock tail
Brenda Lee - Sweet Nothin
Bright Eyes - Lua
Buddy Rich - The beat goes on
Caetano Veloso - Lady Madonna
Caribou - Irene
Carla Bruni - Raphael
Christine McVie - and that's saying a lot
Chuck Berry - You Two
Darondo - Didn't I
Dean Martin - Sway
Death Cab for Cutie - Photobooth
Devendra Banhart - Baby
Dusty Springfield - Spooky
Ella Fitzgerald - a tisket a tasket
Federico Aubele - Esta Noche
Feist - Tout doucement
Flying Lotus - Auntie's lock
Gil Scott Heron - We almost lost detroit
Honey is cool - Twinkle
Hope Sandoval - Drop
House of love - beatles and the stones
Jack Johnson - Cocoon
Jazzhole - Enjoy the silence
Jenny Lewis - Happy
Joe Strummer - Mondo Bongo
John Mayer - Vultures
Jolie Holland - Sascha
Jose Gonzales - killing for love (lindstrom remix)
Jose James - Velvet
Kenny Burrell - moon and sand
King Biscuit Time - I walk the earth
Kings of Convenience - Misread
Kinobe - Slip into something more comfortable
Koop - tonight
Little Joy - Unnatainable
Marcos Valle - Parabens
Marlena Shaw - Woman of the ghetto
Maria Rita - dos gardenias
Menahan street band - home again
Mount Kimbie - Maybes
Nina Simone - See-line woman
Nouvelle Vague - making plans for nigel
Nujabes - mukomi
Paris Combo - señor
Paul Desmond - Samba de Orpheu
Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
Peggy Lee - Big Spender
Phantogram - When I'm Small
Piers Faccini - If I
Pinback - Loro
Prince Fatty - Milk & honey
Q Lazzarus - Goodbye horses (krikor edit)
Quantic - Mishaps happening
Rachel Portman - Minor Swing
Ruben Gonzales - Melodia del rio
Ryan Adams - Desire
Sam Cooke - Lost and Lookin'
Sara Tavares - Lisboa Kuya
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - How Long Do I Have To Wait For You?
Shirley Horn - Return to paradise
Smoke City - With You
Smokey & Miho - Blue Glasses
Soda Stereo - en la ciudad de la furia (unplugged)
Squirrel Nut Zippers - put a lid on it
St. Germain - Sure thing
Taken by trees - to lose someone
Teenage Fan Club - It's all in my mind
The Clientele - Reflections after Jane
Quantic Soul Orchestra - Terrapin
The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning
The Wood Brothers - Chocolate on my tongue
The Zombies - Summertime
Tim Buckley - So Lonely
Tim Maia - I don't know what to do with myself
Timmy Thomas - Why can't we live together
Tom Jobim, Elis Regina - Só Tinha de Ser Com Você
Trippynova - Sun is Shining
Vetiver - Been so long
Yo La Tengo - Season of the Shark
Zero 7 feat. MF Doom - Sommersault

note: I know some of these are way too milquetoast for ILM (specially Ben Harper, Jack Johnson & John Mayer) but I suppose they work alright in a coffehouse context but dont worry I plan on removing them completely from the playlist once it's big enough. I just wanted to give an overview of the kind of music that I've been sending over there.

Albums
The Sea and Cake - The Biz
Archer Prewitt - Three
Jim Guthrie - Now More Than Ever
Albums
The Sea and Cake - The Biz
Archer Prewitt - Three
Jim Guthrie - Now More Than Ever

Songs
Stereolab - Cybele's Reverie
Karate - With Age
Silver Jews - People
XTC - Making Plans for Nigel
Kevin Ayers - May I?
...

nothing but the beatles

I was so tempted to put 'The Beatles' as the first answer for the lols, but really didn't want anyone to think I was serious.

The Moody Blues - Visions of Paradise
Sun Kil Moon - Glenn Tipton
God Help The Girl - Funny Little Frog
Aztec Camera - Oblivious 12'
Taj Mahal - Lovin in my Babys Eyes
Jethro Tull - Inside
Midlake - Roscoe
Art Garfunkel - Waters of March
Beck - Strange Invitation
Teitur - Louis Louis

Isn't there a law or something that coffeehouses have to own a copy of Kind of Blue?

Pat Metheny - Zero Tolerance for Silence

Blue Note Blue Break Beats box set is the most coffee-shop sounding comp ever. It's also awesome.

Can, Bring Me Coffee or Tea

> Pat Metheny - Zero Tolerance for Silence
> ― Puyol Live in a Yellow Submarine (Noodle Vague)

i gave up around 4:oo

Can - "Future Days"
Donovan - "Legend of A Girl Child Linda"
Syd Barrett - "Terrapin"
Spacemen 3 - "Walkin' With Jesus"
Bruce Haack - "Blow Job" (well ok maybe not really)
Citified - "Weddings"
Boards of Canada - "Chromakey Dreamcoat"

Most anything off Nixon or How I Quit Smoking by Lambchop.

Fresh Moods - livechange / u gone
Groovecatcher - turquazure
Max Melvin - seaside
Nicola Conte - karma flower
Bebel Gilberto - aganju (latin project mix)
Max Raabe - you're the cream in my coffee (heh)
Julie London - black coffee
Nancy Sinatra - sugar town
Sophia Loren - zoo be zoo be zoo
Serge Gainsbourg & Michèle Arnaud - les papillons noirs
Saint Etienne - spring
Holden - madrid
Kylie Auldist - no use
Brenda Boykin - hard swing travelling man & let love lead the way
Micatone - sweet child
Tricatel Inc. - alegria
Emilio Santiago - nega dina
Ben Onono - tatouage bleu (avec Chet)
Chet Baker - i remember you
some Cole Porter songs: Anything goes, You do something to me, Just one of these things
The Style council - paris match & blue cafe´
James Taylor Quartet - indian summer
Rue du Soleil - missing & la francaise
Minus 8 - elysian fields
Nightmares On Wax - les nuits ; you wish
Ott - 382 seaside ; the queen of all everything
Rosalia De Souza - luiza manequim
Sunlounger - another day on the terrace
Sushi Club - koi
Marino Marini - guaglione
David Snell - international flight
Sven Libaek - misty canyon
The Cheepskates - run better run
Zappa - anyway the wind blows or the steroid version by Supermoko Ultrabeaver
Doris Day & Rock Hudson - pillow talk
Rita Pavone - il ballo de mattone & datemi un martello

Irene Kral - Goin to California (Gilles Peterson Digs America Vol. 2)
RAMP - everybody loves the sunshine
John Barry - you only live twice (instrumental)
Ludovico Einaudi - passaggio
Vince Guaraldi - linus and lucy
Eliane Elias - oye como va
Pit Baumgartner - booboomca
Angie Passarella - echoes
Hardage feat.Jocelyn Brown - beautiful day
Nicola Conte - bossa per due
Zen-Men - hold me
Slackwax - night out
Imam Baildi - Den Thelo Pia Na Xanartheis
Bebel Gilberto - simplesmente
Stephane Pompougnac - morenito and clementine
Pete Gust - Nightlife
Opus III - alzir
Sounds From The Ground ft. Colein - lean on me
Espresso Del Lago - ballet or sauna
Thomas Siffling & The Public Sound Office - breeze
Deja-Move feat. Nneka - it's all up
Science For Girls - you'll never know
Sarah Vaughan - lullaby of birdland
Centovalley - major lake
Fresh Moods - solarcell
Blue Pistol Project - guess
Luis Junior - urban woman
Hird - getting closer
Patti Page - old cape cod
Asle Bjørn - fyresvatn
Airport Lounge - love is a light
Da Cruz - tou na torcida
Marga Sol - serenade (katoey rmx)

(my excuse: some bad nightshifts + symptoms of insomnia)

Moreno Veloso - Deusa Do Amor
St. Vincent - Human Racing
I Am Kloot - To You
Mas Rapido - Christopher Robin's Dead
Captain Beefheart - Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles
Sloan - Coax Me, The Rest of My Life
Quasi - The Poisoned Well, Master & Dog
Pinback - Grey Machine
Grateful Dead - Sage & Spirit (short instrumental with flute)
Mori Stylez (good jazz fusion covers) - Brotherhood Reincarnated, Reincarnation of a Lovebird
Col. Bruce Hampton & The Fiji Mariners (funky/jazzy) - Nowhere is Now Here

DUKE ELLINGTON

Carcass-Heartwork

Sorry, that was for the Metal Poll thread, wrong thread.

would rock to coffeehouse carcass

Jon Lucien - "Would you believe in me?"

one of the better Arto Lindsay albums would work nicely

Steely Dan, natch.

Every coffeeshop here plays Beirut all the time and it works well. Lali Puna would be good. I am middle-aged btw.

I Am Sitting In A Room - Alvin Lucier

late eighties i played Severed Heads and 500ft Jesus in a crammed bar. when the owner stopped the tape, about 50 people applaused :)

Shuggie Otis :)

i don't think we should recommend songs for the sole reason that they sound like stereotypical coffee shop music

a lot of times I hear jazz or bossa nova at a coffee shop it's real boring song choices

> Shuggie Otis :)

i was already 18 :D

> a lot of times I hear jazz or bossa nova at a coffee shop it's real boring song choices

yes.
but you need at least some music with recognition factor before you can bring in 'a touch of color'.
i mean, it's still a coffeehouse and the highest possible attention i'd want is some customer asking "whats that song?".

kinda obvious maybe

the last few dylan albums
sam cooke -- night beat
paul simon -- rhythm of the saints
otis redding -- love man
leonard cohen -- recent songs
abdullah ibrahim & johnny dyani -- the pilgrim
bill withers -- live at carnegie hall
radiohead -- in rainbows
stones throw -- ten years
toots and the maytals -- funky kingston/in the dark
robert forster -- the evangelist
neu!
jacques dutronc
milton niscimento
hamza el din
war
clara nunes
brian ferry
studio
meanderthals
the o'jays
ali farka toure
camera obscura
cesaria evora
nico
psapp
iron & wine
gillian welch
the meters
magnetic fields

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDyuVxyJt2w

I was thinking. Are there any good internet radio streams that play this sort of music 24/7?