who wants something fun? i made you guys a mixtape! or mix-cd! or whatever the kids are calling these things these days.

Glenn Fitzpatrick Presents: “The Unlucky Gambler” – 61.11 MB zip

i thought up the idea while i was at work and was listening to some songs by the kingston trio. it’s got the songs, a larger version of that album cover image, and the tracklisting and story that the songs tell. you can also read the story behind the cut, or skip the story if you want to listen to it and imagine what’s happening in my little story yourself. the story!

The CD opens with the protagonist in prison:

1. It Takes A Worried Man – Cisco Houston

The protagonist then tells how even though he is a professional gambler, he has never really had good luck:

2. I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow – The Soggy Bottom Boys

Flashback! We learn that the protagonist is a professional traveling gambler; it seems his luck is starting to change:

3. Rambling, Gambling Man (As Gil Houston) – Cisco Houston

He then catches a train to his next gambling destination:

4. Calling Trains – Utah Phillips

5. Up Country Blues – DeFord Bailey

6. Here Comes the Santa Fe – Riders in the Sky

A new character enters the story! Sadie “Sally” Brown tells her mom how she wants to marry a gambling man. She hears the train arriving at her small town in the Southwest and happens to meet the gambler when he arrives:

7. Roving Gambler – Cisco Houston

8. Nickel Plate Road No. 759 – Utah Phillips

The protagonist and Sadie are soon engaged to be married; it seems his luck has definitely improved!

9. Sadie Brown – Jim & Jean

Oh oh, it seems our protagonist still can’t stop gambling and soon loses all of his (and Sadie’s!) money:

10. A Game Of Cards – Frank Zappa

11. Jack Of Diamonds – Michael Martin Murphey

And then he starts boozing and fooling around!

12. Whiskey And Wimmen – John Lee Hooker

13. Drunken Hearted Man – Robert Johnson

He can’t return home and admit what he’s done, so he leaves the town and Sadie behind:

14. The Girl I Left Behind Me – Rex Allen

He continues his gambling, boozing, and womanizing, and soon he is set up!

15. Mexicali Blues – The Grateful Dead

After the murder, our protagonist is on the run yet again and tries to flee the country. However, he is soon caught in Mexico and tossed into jail:

16. The Tijuana Jail – The Kingston Trio

Eventually he is sent back into Texas to stand trial:

17. Bad Man’s Blunder – The Kingston Trio

Sentenced to 99 years smashing rocks in prison, our gambler reflects on how he ended up like this:

18. Po’ Lazarus – James Carter & The Prisoners

19. Dark as the Dungeon – Johnny Cash

20. Bad Luck Blues – Doretha Thowbridge

21. There But For Fortune – Jim & Jean

Cover photo for album taken by Peter Megyeri ( http://www.flickr.com/people/mpeterke/ ), modified under a Creative Commons BY-NC license.

of these songs, my favorite is “bad man’s blunder”. and yes, i really did find something by frank zappa that’s on topic and fits perfectly in my story! give the album a listen and i’d like to see what you think! 😀

eta: i also like how the album is about gambling, has 21 songs, and track 11 is “jack of diamonds” 😀 fully unintentional!