The much-anticipated sequel to the excellent Freedom Rock I, this mixtape was recorded during my second year in college, while everyone else in the dorm room was busy studying. They may have all gotten degrees, but I gained lifetime of listening enjoyment from Freedom Rock II!

It’s a fun mix with some wacky contrasts in music, moving from The Beatles to Sonic Youth and even tossing in a little Pink Floyd for good measure.

Side A

00:00:05 - Drowning Man - U2

00:04:11 - Mother of a Girl - Violent Femmes

00:06:51 - Norwegian Wood - The Beatles

00:08:54 - Autumn Sea - Robyn Hitchcock

00:13:17 - Doctor Robert - The Beatles

00:15:34 - Debaser - The Pixies

00:18:23 - Purple Toupee - They Might Be Giants

00:20:58 - You are the Everything - R.E.M.

00:24:40 - Total Trash - Sonic Youth

00:32:14 - Picasso Visita etc. etc.

00:35:34 - Running to Stand Still

00:39:49 - Wave of Mutilation - The Pixies

00:41:53 - Mile High Club - Adam and the Ants

Side B

00:44:41 - They'll Need a Crane

00:47:11 - Nightmares - Violent Femmes

00:50:41 - A Sort of Homecoming - U2

00:56:06 - Hairshirt - R.E.M.

00:59:57 - Here Comes Your Man - The Pixies

01:03:15 - Pretty In Pink - Psychedelic Furs

01:07:13 - Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths

01:08:56 - Teenage Riot - Sonic Youth

01:15:49 - Ana Ng - They Might Be Giants

01:19:08 - Hero's Return - Pink Floyd

01:21:44 - Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles

01:24:38 - Lead a Normal Life - Peter Gabriel

My friends were probably glad to see me putting together a new tape back in the snowbound last days of 1991. After months of sitting around moping with last week's sad mix, I guess I went back to stage 2 of dealing with grief.

It's angrier than my usual mix, with lots of heavy distortion from the Pixies, Jesus and Mary Chain, Hüsker Dü, along with some straight up rock.

The label faded over the years cause I used a crappy marker, but yes there really was a middle-finger emoji in the title.

Mean Time Between Failure (1991)

I made this notorious playlist during a dark spell in the fall of '91. When it started, I labelled it “Music for the Bad Times”. My friends called it The Suicide Tape. I always called it MTBF for short.

Whenever I was feeling down, I'd pop it into the tape deck and wreck everybody else's mood too. It's a morose mix for when you feel bad, but not bad enough.

So go grab a bottle of wine and the high school yearbook, it's time for a stroll down Bad Memory Lane.

Side A

00:00:05 - You Cause as Much Sorrow - Sinead O'Connor

00:05:07 - Half A World Away - R.E.M.

00:08:35 - Two Of Us - Beatles

00:11:58 - The Teardrop Collector - Love and Rockets

00:16:08 - Circle - Edie Brickell & New Bohemians

00:19:21 - Yes, I Am Blind - Morrissey

00:23:03 - Taste of Cindy (Acoustic Version) - The Jesus and Mary Chain

00:25:01 - Cherry-Coloured Funk - Cocteau Twins

00:28:11 - Sounds Great When You're Dead - Robyn Hitchcock

00:31:31 - There She Goes Again - R.E.M.

00:34:20 - Running to Stand Still - U2

00:38:33 - I Am a Rock - Simon & Garfunkel

00:41:22 - Prayers For Rain - The Cure

Side B

00:47:30 - Cry Baby Cry - The Beatles

00:50:06 - Upside Down - The Jesus and Mary Chain

00:53:05 - Low - R.E.M.

00:58:01 - How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths

01:04:48 - Stephanie Says - Velvet Underground

01:07:37 - Black Boys on Mopeds - Sinead O'Connor

01:11:31 - You Don't Love Me Yet - Bongwater

01:16:47 - About You - The Jesus and Mary Chain

01:19:18 - Back To The Old House - The Smiths

01:22:22 - Jane Says - Jane's Addiction

01:27:11 - Not So Fast - Daniel Ash

01:30:37 - We Walk - R.E.M.

01:33:39 - The Obvious Child - Paul Simon

01:37:50 - Perfect Blue - Lloyd Cole & The Commotions

This is the first mix-tape I made, and it holds a special place in my heart. I made it at my dad's house in '87, after he'd gotten a new hi-fi setup which included the first CD player I'd ever had a chance to play around with.

In the summer of 1987, everybody was listening to U2 and R.E.M., and you'll find plenty of that here. There's also the obligatory nod to XTC and The Beatles. There are also some of my favorite tracks from Peter Gabriel and INXS, who didn't find much room on mhy other mix tapes. Which is a shame, I'm a bigger fan of them now than I was even back then.

The only mistake here is that I chose a 60-minute tape. Rookie error smdh :-/

Jeff and Mark will be happy that Rush finally makes an appearance (still no Free Bird, sorry!)

B-Sides

00:00:10 - Another Satellite - XTC

00:04:22 - Trip Through Your Wires - U2

00:07:55 - Love Is (What I Say) - INXS

00:11:30 - Dying - XTC

00:13:56 - No Self Control - Peter Gabriel

00:17:52 - So. Central Rain - R.E.M.

00:21:08 - Good Morning, Good Morning - The Beatles

00:23:49 - Don't Change - INXS

00:28:17 - Flying - The Beatles

A-Sides

00:30:39 - Lead a Normal Life - Peter Gabriel

00:34:53 - Synchronicity II - The Police

00:39:54 - Manhattan Project - Rush

00:45:01 - I Am the Walrus - The Beatles

00:49:35 - Seconds - U2

00:52:47 - Fall On Me - R.E.M.

00:55:39 - A Forest - The Cure

01:00:35 - Bonus

Hooked On Classics vol. 1 (1990) - I made the first "Hooked" as a sort of anti-Mix Tape: Each band got a three-song set, usually a song I was familiar with and then a couple of album songs that I wanted to get to know better.

It's sort of like two-fer Tuesday on 96 Rock except it's three and also it doesn't suck.

00:00:00 - Side A

00:00:13 - Stand and Deliver - Adam and the Ants

00:03:47 - Mowhok - Adam and the Ants

00:06:59 - S.E.X. - Adam and the Ants

00:11:02 - Cloudburst at Shingle Street - Thomas Dolby

00:16:47 - Europa and the Pirate Twins - Thomas Dolby

00:20:07 - Radio Silence - Thomas Dolby

00:23:58 - Jason and the Argonauts - XTC

00:30:08 - Runaways - XTC

00:34:42 - It's Nearly Africa - XTC

00:38:38 - She Floated Away - Hüsker Dü

00:42:17 - Standing in the Rain - Hüsker Dü

00:46:05 - Side B

00:46:08 - Charity, Chastity, Prudence, And Hope - Hüsker Dü

00:49:23 - I've Got A Match - They Might Be Giants

00:51:58 - Purple Toupee

00:54:36 - Stand On Your Own Head - They Might Be Giants

00:55:45 - Pretty Pink Rose - Adrian Belew

01:00:30 - Young Lions - Adrian Belew

01:04:14 - Bird In A Box - Adrian Belew

01:07:25 - La La Love You - The Pixies

01:10:24 - No. 13 Baby - The Pixies

01:14:17 - Gouge Away - The Pixies

01:16:58 - Doctor Robert - The Beatles

01:19:13 - Girl - The Beatles

01:21:47 - Oh No! - Camper Van Beethoven

01:23:41 - The Day That Lassie Went To The Moon - Camper Van Beethoven

01:26:54 - I Don't See You - Camper Van Beethoven

01:29:18 - Deep One Perfect Mo-- - The Jesus and Mary Chain

01:31:51 - Bonus Track - Hooked On Classics

Freedom Rock I (1989) - "Is that Freedom Rock, man? Well, turn it up, man!" This was the first tape of the, erm, highly-successful (?) Freedom Rock series.

As the 80s wound down, I was apparently left with only a couple of XTC tapes and my spanking new Adrian Belew CD, at least judging by this playlist.

It's a goofy mix of 60s and 80s tunes that aptly reflect what I was listening to at the time...

Earth Side

00:00:09 - Hold Me My Daddy - XTC

00:03:57 - 1967 - Adrian Belew

00:09:19 - Punk Rock Girl - The Dead Milkmen

00:11:57 - Don't Stand So Close To Me - The Police

00:15:58 - Uncorrected Personality Traits - Robyn Hitchcock

00:17:42 - So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star - They Byrds

00:19:46 - You're My Drug - The Dukes of Stratosphear

00:22:59 - Like Cockatoos - The Cure

00:26:34 - Cecilia - Simon & Garfunkel

00:29:27 - Mayor of Simpleton - XTC

00:33:26 - Johnson's Aeroplane - INXS

00:37:17 - Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly & The Crickets

00:39:37 - Trip Through Your Wires - U2

00:43:10 - Words of Love - Buddy Holly

Moon Side

00:45:16 - Just Like U Said It Would B - Sinead O'Connor

00:49:43 - Dead Set On Destruction - Hüsker Dü

00:52:41 - Bad Days - Adrian Belew

00:55:41 - Poor Skeleton Steps Out - XTC

00:59:10 - Shake, Shake Senora - Harry Belafonte

01:02:52 - Little Lighthouse - The Dukes of Stratosphear

01:07:25 - She's a Mystery to Me - Roy Orbison

01:11:40 - Hawkmoon 269 - U2

01:18:02 - I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better - The Byrds

01:20:36 - Crazy - R.E.M.

01:23:39 - Peaceable Kingdom - Adrian Belew

There's No Other Tape! (1992)

I made this list to impress a girl I was taking to see Blur in concert at Center Stage in Atlanta. She stood me up. I may have lost my date, but I gained a trusted companion in one of my favorite mixtapes!

This one is very, very 90s. There are some real gems on it that you don't hear much any more, and a few 60s favorites that I pulled off some beloved LPs.

00:03:35 - Save It For Later - The Beat ()

00:03:41 - I Know It's Over - The Smiths ()

00:09:32 - Sunless Saturday - Fishbone ()

00:13:52 - Thick as a Brick (pt. 1) - Jethro Tull ()

00:17:01 - One Tree Hill - U2 ()

00:22:16 - I Want Candy (original) - Bow Wow Wow ()

00:25:01 - Do You Believe In Shame - Duran Duran ()

00:29:24 - Little Girls - Oingo Boingo ()

00:33:08 - To Be a Lover - Billy Idol

00:37:00 - Head On - The Jesus and Mary Chain

00:41:08 - Where the Hell is Bill? - Camper van Beethoven

00:43:14 - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Devo

00:45:57 - Superman - R.E.M.

00:48:50 - Day By Day - Generation X

00:51:03 - Rain - The Beatles

00:54:03 - All I Want - The Lightning Seeds

00:56:52 - Little Man, What Now? - The Smiths

00:58:40 - Grey Cell Green - Ned's Atomic Dustbin ()

01:02:25 - There's No Other Way - Blur

01:05:50 - Rise - Public Image, Ltd.

01:12:10 - Under the Milky Way - The Church

01:17:11 - Best Friend - The Beat

01:20:05 - Young Manhood - The Swans ()

01:23:45 - Get Outta London - Aztec Camera

01:27:28 - (All I Have to Do Is) Dream - R.E.M.

01:30:07 - Here's Where the Story Ends - The Sundays

01:33:57 - See a Little Light - Bob Mould

Traveling Tunes (1988) - a mix tape I made in preparation for a road trip with my buddy, during which a series of bizarre adventures ensued (and a close call with Ted Bundy)

Sometime in the late 80s, Dave and I found an aerobics record in his parents' collection and decided to base a tape around it. The theme of the tape sort of fell apart ("AEROBICS IN HELL!") but what’s left is a good mix of 80s alternative and pop (along with a couple of goofy samples we dubbed in)