Variety Tapes

This is a variety tape that dates back to the eighties–the height of the mixtape era. What a strange bunch of songs to put together. Very classic mixtape construction from me on the B-side, but the A side is very off-balance.  Hip Hop and very hard Industrial rock will do that to your mix. The easiest solution is to avoid these hard-to-mix songs entirely–which I usually did.  I made this in September of ‘88. I was working at Montgomery Ward and had very little money to blow on records. I don’t think I had taken the CD plunge at this point. I’m sure of it, in fact. The CD era came slightly after this. I was still living on Lincoln and Diversey in Chicago. Most of these records were purchased at WaxTrax which was a few blocks down the street.  I still like most of these songs. I used the classic ‘fade out trick’ at the end of this tape of picking an instrumental (from The Style Council’s underrated piano heavy album of the same year). It was a function of my desire to fill every inch of recordable material with music.

This late 80’s tape demonstrates the concept of mix, tossing about Industrial with Hip Hop, the listener is not permitted to get comfortable with one genre before being shocked into another.

Side A:

Biting my Nails Renegade Sound Wave
I will Refuse Pailhead
Unshakable Dessan
Hot with Fleas Severed Heads
You’re Gonna Get Yours Public Enemy
We shall cleanse the World Revolting Cocks
Don’t Blow Your Top KMFDM
Pimpin’ ain’t easy Ice-T
The Power Of Independent Trucking Big Black
Rigor Mortis A Split Second

Side B
Shadowplay Joy Division
3rd Uncle Bauhaus
Do Nothing Specials
Dreams never end New Order
Poor little girl X
Rock n Roll Velvet Underground
Christine House of Love
Bring it down Redskins
When you come Crowded House
Brilliant Trees David Sylvian
The Piano Paintings The Style Council
Come to the Surface The Style Council