Slowly Going Bald

It's been a while since I posted a track list for a mix CD here. I haven't put together a new one in a while, and have been listening to either new (to me) music or revisiting old compilations I made in college. It's in the spirit of excavating the past that I present a mix album made by my friend when he was in either 8th or 9th grade. He made a mix known as his Awesome Tape, back when compilations required recording from CD to tape in real time or doing the same with the radio, sitting next to it with your finger on the Record or Stop button, waiting for the song to come along. He unearthed the tape when we lived together our senior year of college, and I took it upon myself to assemble the track list and burn it to a CD so we could continue to enjoy the mix without suffering the eventual lag and breakdown unavoidable with cassettes. The only change to the CD version of the mix is the omission of an Eagles song from their live reunion album, which though reflective of my friend's (and my) tastes at the time nevertheless felt a little out of place with the rest of the lineup. But the remainder is authentic, and I think it stands as a solid mix of mid-1990s alternative rock. Without further ado, here it is: Clay's Awesome TapeCD. Don't fight the nostalgia.

Clay's Awesome CD
1. "Sister," The Nixons — A good starter track. I used to think it was just a nice little love song, but it's actually about singer Zac Maloy's sister, which is kinda creepy. An old roommate of mine (not the guy who made this CD) would shush me whenever we heard this track or STP's "Interstate Love Song."

2. "Skin and Bones," The Hazies — Really good alternative rock.

3. "Til I Hear It From You," Gin Blossoms — One of the band's better-known tunes, and one that didn't appear on one of their albums but rather the soundtrack to Empire Records, itself a flawed but awesome snapshot of the era. I'm a total sucker for good 1990s pop, and this song — this band — are right up there.

4. "Hey Jealousy," Gin Blossoms — A classic. I still listen to this album regularly.

5. "Found Out About You," Gin Blossoms — Another amazing song, and plenty dark.

6. "Mr. Jones," Counting Crows — The quality of August and Everything After is beyond dispute.

7. "Round Here," Counting Crows — See No. 6.

8. "Under the Bridge," Red Hot Chili Peppers — This was the last song (to me) that the Chili Peppers put out before slipping into a weird abyss of unpopularity for a few years in the middle of the decade.

9. "Far Behind," Candlebox

10. "Red Headed Stepchild," Golden Smog — Another great example of the cross-breeding between country, rock, and pop. Band members from this edition included guys from Soul Asylum, The Jayhawks, and Wilco.

11. "Runaway Train," Soul Asylum

12. "With or Without You," U2

13. "One," U2

14. "Shame," Matchbox 20 — Liking Matchbox 20 now falls somewhere below kicking kittens on the social acceptability scale, but that's just because they only put out one good album. Plus it came out when I was like 14, and really, at that age you're not listening with your head. Whatever: This is still a good song.

15. "Hang," Matchbox 20

16. "Molly (Sixteen Candles)," Sponge

17. "Name," Goo Goo Dolls

18. "Competition Smile," Gin Blossoms

And because there was no iTunes link for the Hazies tune: