June 28, 2012

The Collection Vol. 17 (Spring 1999)




Side A

Korn-Freak On A Leash
Hole-Awful
DMX-The Prayer
Redman-Da Da DaHHH!
Notorious B.I.G. feat. Puff Daddy & Mase-Mo' Money Mo' Problems
The Lox-Not To Be Fucked Wit
Madonna-Drowned World/Substitute For Love
Barenaked Ladies-Call and Answer
Lauryn Hill-Every Ghetto, Every City
Beastie Boys-The Negotiation Limerick File
Madonna-Little Star

Side B
Slick Rick-Bedtime Story
New Radicals-Someday We'll Know
Busta Rhymes feat. Janet Jackson-What's It Gonna Be?
Fatboy Slim-The Rockafella Skank
En Vogue-Giving Him Something He Can Feel
The Allman Brothers Band-In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
Blaque-808
Jimi Hendrix Experience-The Wind Cries Mary
Underworld-Push Upstairs
Godsmack-Whatever
Metallica-The Unforgiven

For the most part, my mixtapes were enjoyed in a solitary fashion, which probably explains why I was always so eager to share them at a moment's notice. It's a habit that still sticks with me today, but I do it more out of necessity now. Back then, it was more opportunistic and anticipatory. If I knew there was going to be a gathering of some sort, I would bring at least a few tapes in my pocket, regardless of how bulky they made my pants look.

On this occasion, my friends went to a party that one of their classmates was throwing. I remember being quite fond of this classmate because she knew who Sublime were and had the Hooverphonic album on cassette nestled in the back of her car. I thought we had an instant connection. It didn't take much to impress me back then.

Growing up on the West Side, I always cherished those moments whenever I found someone who listened to music outside of the normal hip hop and R&B that dominated the neighborhood. This was rare territory and I was instantly smitten.

I would have loved to have been able to sit down with her while one of my mixtapes played and just find out more about her, but that never became a reality at the party. I mostly stuck with my friends and when there was a desire for a change of pace in the music, I brought up my mixtape, which I had already queued up ready to go starting with DMX and ending with The Lox.

The hosts allowed me to play my tape and my friends felt more comfortable that they were listening to music that they recognized. Of course, I ran like hell to stop the tape once the opening of the Madonna song came on, but overall, no one complained since the crowd got some Biggie out of it.



Song whose artist and title remained a complete mystery to me until about two years ago: The Allman Brothers Band - In Memory of Alice Reed

It was hard enough trying to find the title of a song back in the late 90s, especially since the Internet had yet to enter its 2.0 phase. Resources were limited (hello Alta Vista) and you had to either hope you'd hear it again or knew someone that already did. The few occasions where I recorded a song without having heard it before would usually come from the oldies or classic rock stations. There would either be something about the groove or the guitar sound that let the record button give way to my instincts. When this happened, I could make a halfway decent guess as to who the artist was by using context clues and lyrics from the song, but with "In Memory of Alice Reed" being an instrumental, I was clueless, hence why its spot on the tracklist has still remained blank thirteen years later.




Another song that came highly recommended by my brother: The Lox - Not To Be Fucked Wit

I just remarked to a friend the other day that the late 90s was an amazing time for hip hop. You could walk into a record store each week and expect to find a CD worth buying and not even have to think hard about it. There was a lot to be excited about at the time and it was simply an abundance of product to be bought. My brother was one of those guys who bought a CD seemingly every week, which meant that nearly each week or every other one, he had a new favorite song to share with me. What really appealed to him on this track was just how matter of fact the chorus was stated: "Who's not to be fucked wit?/That's me." It was grimey and straight to the point, like a lot of stuff coming out of New York at the time. I couldn't see the appeal at first because I felt it moved too slow to me, but after a while, I was able to see it for how hardcore it was.




Song that ignited maternal feelings that I never knew were there: Madonna - Drowned World/Substitute For Love

I liked my songs emotional. That's nothing new. If the singer laid it all on the line and the lyrics resonated with me, I was pretty much all for it unless the guitars were too heavy. When it came to "Drowned World," I had nothing in common with it. I didn't have countless lovers all over the globe and I certainly wasn't a parent, but having known the Madonna persona for so long, it was shocking to hear her open up so much. I want to say that I might have been close to tears for one listen.




Song I have a hard time believing I liked considering how the band turned out: Godsmack - Whatever

My affinity for Alice In Chains might be the only reason I ever liked this song. It's not like I had huge expectations for this band at all, but I started to dread the words "new Godsmack album" in later years because seemingly everything after lacked the tunefulness of "Whatever." Their presence makes me frown nowadays, but for one brief moment in time, I was happy to hear a Godsmack song on the radio. Even as I was listening to it for this post, I couldn't help but think how crunchy the hook for this song was as I tried to contain myself from starting a mosh pit on the train.




Song that was so simple on the surface that I didn't realize how great it was until later: Fatboy Slim - The Rockafella Skank

For the longest, I used to think this song was just typical electronica goofball junk. That whole refrain seemed too jockish for me that I couldn't even look past the beauty of how the song built to a great climax. The surf guitars probably came off as corny to me and I couldn't take it seriously, until Entertainment Weekly included in their music year-end list for 1998. For what I thought was a sub-standard song, I was initially shocked to see it on their list, but they described how it gave you a buzz and the next time I listened to it, I finally understood. I was so thrown off by a few elements that I really didn't pay attention to the sum of all the parts. Even now those parts that I was dismayed with are essential for me. The buzz hasn't faded since.




Song that caused a brief confusion about drum machines: Blaque - 808

By the time I had gotten well acquainted with the Beastie Boys' "Super Disco Breakin'," I was pretty sure what an 808 sounded like, thanks to them loudly proclaiming such. Then this song came along and I didn't hear anything resembling what I thought to be one on this track. I definitely heard a drum machine, but it sounded way too sleek to be the old school sound that the Beastie Boys were referencing. I just came to the conclusion Blaque were banking on the fact that their listeners already knew what an 808 was and thought it would be cool to draw a comparison to that and their lovin'.




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