I rocked in 1998, aka Mix Tapes from the Past
I don't know how everyone else in the world feels, but I for one feel very comfortable with myself these days. As humans, it undoubtedly takes us all some time to figure out exactly "who we are" and what are likes and dislikes are. On the whole, i think i've got myself figured out. And I like it.
I know what i like, and i like what i like, and i'm confident that the stuff i like is good.
But when do we first learn who we are?
When does it first start to show?
For me, I think high school is clearly when it started, but in high school i definitely still had a whole world of learning to do.
College is where the real growing up started taking place.
And in my mind, by the time I graduated, I had a pretty good grasp on some things (music, movies, etc), while admittedly still had lots to learn about other things (like women).
That's neither really here nor there though.
What I'm talking about is music.
Music is good.
I've loved it for a long long time.
This crzy lady that lives on the complex stopped by the other day, and out of nowhere just said "Music is the only thing that makes people happy....except when it's polka".
I don't know about that, but I know I like music, and it's a pretty important part of my life.
My tastes are pretty eclectic, and there's few who like everything that I do, and that's ok. I love 80s music. I love classic country music. I love Americana music. And I love Run DMC.
Over the years I have made countless mix tapes in an effort to spread the word about artists I like, or impress girls, or probably more specifically to try to persuade girls that i was interested in to like the same kind of music as me.
At the ripe old age of 30, I would consider myself to be an expert on the almost lost art of making a perfect mix tape. Burned CDs don't count. That's too easy. Mix tapes were where it was at. There's lots of rules to it, that i won't go into right now, but it's more than just putting songs onto a tape. There needs to be some sort of flow, and often some sort of theme.
Do you ever wonder if you were really as cool as you think you were at a certain age?
I do.
I'm of the personal opinion, that by my senior year in college, I had good taste in music. That's hard to judge in 2006 though, unless you were on The Real World or something, and had cameras following you around, and you could just watch the footage.
Or, you could just stumble upon the evidence and analyze it yourself.
At Christmas, when I was back home, I found a big old bag of cassette tapes that I thought had been lost. The wonder truck only has a tape player, so this was pretty exciting. It was a bag of some of my best tapes. And in the bag was a blank tape labeled "Lots and lots and lots of Rock".
Some time later, I put the tape in the truck stereo, and i was transported back in time, and it made me happy. I rememebered the tape. I made it at some point in time in 1998, for a girl that i was going out with. I was still a relatively inexperienced mix-tape-maker, but know that i had made at least one, and probably 2 or 3 tapes before this one. But this "rock" tape was definitely, at the most, the 5th mix tape of my life. For some reason, i made a copy of it for myself.
I was on a long road trip and listened to the entire thing, and it was awesome. It made me happy.
The songs on there were great. Sure, there were a couple that were totally out of place, and one or 2 that i'm a little embarrassed were on there. I definitely didn't abide by certain rules that i have for myself in making mix tapes now, but in a way, i like the innocence. I just put down whatever i wanted, and on the whole, it had a real good flow to it. I'd never make a tape these days with some Americana, some pure 80s pop, and some classic 70s songs. I'm too snobbish to do that. Americana and 80s---sure. i'd put those on tape. But my days of putting classic rock songs on mix tapes are long gone.
My favorite part about listening to the tape was trying to figure out what would come next.
About 60 minutes into the tape, I had recorded a killer block of really rockin songs. And as i was driving---i swear this is true--- i said to myself, in 2006----"shoot, I should have put My Name is Jonas on during this block of songs". and no sooner had i said it, then the next song came on, and that's exactly what it was. No lie.
Holy crap. it was a little bit mind blowing.
the 1998 version of me, and the 2006 version of me were thinking the exact same thing. 8 years apart, the same thing. Most people probably won't understand it, but for music freaks, and specifically for music freaks who are mix tape makers, you can sort of hear in your head what song should come next. It sounds strange, but it's true. Certain songs just naturally should come after other songs, and certain songs should never follow certain songs.
I know that.
And the 1998 version of me knew it.
I was glad the 22 year old me was smart.
He made me proud.
Without further ado, here it is. The songlist for the lost classic mix tape "Lots and Lots and Lots of Rock" circa 1998 by Chad Hutchinson:
Side One:
1. Eyes on the Ceiling (Pete Droge)
2. There she Goes (The La's)
3. Old Apartment (Barenaked Ladies)
4. Outta mind outta sight (Wilco)
5. Bizarre Love Triange (Frente)
6. Sample in a Jar (Phish)
7. Photograph (Camper Van Beethoven)
8. It's a Shame about Ray (The Lemonheads)
9. Lodi (CCR)
10. Do ya (Electric Light Orchestra)
11. Put the Message in the Box (World Party)
12. Emotion in Motion (Ric Ocasek)
12. Turning Japanese (The Vapors)
13. Love is all around (Joan Jett)
14. Judy is a Punk (The Ramones)
Side Two
1. You spin me Round (Dead or Alive)
2. One Week (Barenaked Ladies)
3. I love Rock and Roll (Joan Jett)
4. So much for the Afterglow (Everclear)
5. Sister Havana (Urge Overkill)
6. My Name is Jonas (Weezer)
7. Don't Look Back in Anger (Oasis)
8. Sun Maid (Soul Asylum)
9. Fall on Me (REM)
10. It's Tricky (Run DMC)
11. Fire, Water, Burn (Bloodhound Gang)
12. Am i wrong (Love Spit Love)
13. License to Kill (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
There it is. Download those songs off the internet, burn them onto 2 cds, and make yourself a great mix tape. Watch that spacing in between, because the last songs on each side barely fit.
Final thoughts on the tape:
What a blast! a total flashback to times long gone. some of those songs i hadn't heard in ages. some i had to even look up to see what the titles were. i have no idea how a phish song got onto the tape. i've never been a phishhead at all. my college pal Adrock used to listen to Phish all the time, and apparently at some point i got a used version of the cassette, and somehow thought it would go good on the tape. i feel a little embarrassed that theres 2 barenaked ladies songs on there, but i still love "Old Apartment" to this day. The only song that i wish wasn't there was "emotion in motion" by Ric Ocasek. what a silly song to put on there! i was obsessed with that song for a bit, and obviously was trying to have at least 1 song with extra "meaning" on the tape. it doesnt' fit. i'm sorry it's there. but whatever.
the rest all sometimes odd, but all okay.
and that song is still okay too.
it was great to hear them again.
I rocked in 1998
|
