Rewind Replay Remember

You kids don’t know how easy you have it.  In my day, if we wanted to hear a song we loved, we had two choices: buy the album or record the song off the radio.

Buying the album was the easy way out, but we didn’t have the disposable income to go buy every album under the sun just because we liked one song.    Of course, that changed towards the end of the 80s when the “Cassingle” was introduced.  But had to be the song you wanted.  If it was buried towards the end of the album the chances were you would never get it in that format.  So, that leaves you with option two; record it.

Recording was a bitch, even with one touch recording.  If you had the time and tape, you could set up the radio to just record an hour’s worth of music and then just hope to find the song you liked.  Again, it had to have been released on the radio, but it was doable.  Problem was, most songs had incessant DJ chatter over the beginning or end of songs which usually took up the instrumental opening of most songs.  OR… they’d lower the volume of the song at the end and cut it short.  

Then, came mp3s and iPods and iTunes and YouTube.   Now, you can get to any song, any version, live or acoustic recordings, and even mash-ups all at the click of a mouse.  The precision timing of a record/stop movement on a boom box equipped with a TDK DNR 90 minute cassette is a lost art form.  Go ask your mom and dad and get off my lawn.

But to that point, did you ever have a song that you wore out with repeated replays?  Was there one song that forced you to break out the No. 2 pencil and do reconstructive surgery on the wheels of a Maxell or Memorex, because of continual rewind and replays, over an evening of dark sunglass brooding due to a case of heartbreak or unrequited love?

I remember setting up one tape to record every time I heard Bryan Adams’ “Everything I do”.  That way, I could just run through 30-45 minutes worth of Michael Kamen/Canadian Pop Rock God influenced cheese to fulfill my inner dork.  Eventually, I had one or two versions intact among all the DJ chatter and overlapping of other songs.    After a marathon session of gaming on my Apple IIC on a lonely Friday night, I’d set the boom box to just play that one tape and I’d slowly doze off into dreamland.   Of course, the harsh reality of the world would snap itself with the end of the tape and that distinctive “CLICK” of the end of the tape.

Other times, I’d just turn on the tapes and just relax, trying to focus on the music.   In a teenage state of constantly over analyzing the universe, I’d want to focus on every note and every word of a song.  Ultimately, my mind would drift off and I wouldn’t realize that the song was over and I missed it.  So, I’d reach up from my horizontal state, and with one finger, REWIND, REPLAY, and REMEMBER.

When I graduated high school, I found another song to replace Bryan Adams…  I already had the Robin Hood soundtrack on CD by then and could simply just choose “Repeat One” on my boom box.   So, the need to focus on capturing that one song was no longer an issue.   So, I obsessed on one song that sort of became my anthem of change.  It was an anthem of letting go.  It was the song I used in order to deal with life’s changes.  I was a freshman heading 600 miles to school, trying to find my way to an "Ordinary World".

Yes, roll your eyes, Internet.  Roll your eyes at the concept of an 18 year old male, stuck in love, and 600 miles away from his high school girlfriend, listening to an early 90s Duran Duran song on Cassingle.  The other songs were an acoustic version and Save a Prayer, by the way.  I wore that tape out so much that the cardboard sleeve disintegrated before Sophomore year.  My Walkman hated me for always piping that song through my foam covered earphones again and again as I rode my bike through the quiet campus in Myrtle Beach.   And when we broke up in 1995 and I would find myself wrapped like a cocoon in my dorm at Pitt, single and lonely, I’d reach up and click, with that one finger, rewind, and then replay.  It was so I could remember.

I heard it today on the Lite FM station, coming into work.   I wish I had a rewind button on the radio, but I didn’t.  I just tried to sit there and be absorbed in the,  now, 38 year old’s anthem for coming to grips with the world of change.  Slowly trying to get his life in order and learning to survive with all that has gone down.  I know I haven’t REALLY talked about it and it’s just not time yet.   There are things to consider.   People.   Privacy. 

But for now, I do what I can.   

Rewind.

Replay.

Remember.

And remind.

Walkman Turns 30 and Makes Teen's Head Explode

That title makes it sound like this came out of the Weekly World News. You would almost expect to see the decimated skull of a teen wearing head phones in a picture next to an update on Bat Boy. And the title doesn’t really denote any physical harm to the little whipper snapper. He didn’t get rocked to death. In fact, the only thing harmed was the hope that the next generation will be able to take care of us old fogeys. All of this is over the 30th birthday of the Walkman and how a 13 year old couldn’t figure one out. Oh, how my generation gently weeps.

The basics of the story, which you can click on above to open in a new window, leaving your current reading enjoyment of my blog intact, is that a 13 year old was handed a Walkman and asked to try it out against the current technology or the iPod and other Portable Media Players. The youngster was first put off by the size of the Walkman compared to the iPod Nano or Shuffle. Secondly, that all too familiar squeaky sound from the rollers turning the tape and the push button functionality made him feel like the monolith standing before primitive man, motionless, but trying to nudge them towards picking up a bone with a thought. But that notion became reversed when it took him three days to realize that there was a Side B to the tape. Now, who is flinging pooh, junior? His retort was that it didn’t hold nearly enough music compared to the iPod. This is the biggest slap in the face of music and technology since Limp Bizkit used a Speak and Spell to cover The Who’s "Behind Blue Eyes". If that kid ever loses his ball in my yard, he’s not getting back. Go cry to Fred Durst about it.

The Walkman was from a different time than the iPod. For all you young readers out there…first of all I commend you for taking the time out of your busy schedule of texting to read this…you have to remember that until 2001, we had no choice but to listen to our music on physical media. Whether we rocked out to a minidisc, a compact disc, or a TDK 120 minute cassette tape with DNR, we still had to open the player and stick something in it. You can imagine my frustration the first time I got an iPod and wondered how to open the damn thing. Oh and by the way, TDK and DNR are not txtspeak, that’s the name of the company and Dolby Noise Reduction. Regardless of how new technology may appear to be cool, let’s take a trip down memory lane and see a real trendsetter, the 13 year old Mongo on his 10 speed.

In my youth, I had a paper route. Actually, I had two paper routes combined into one. Starting from my house, I went in one direction, travelling 2.1 miles in a loop around half of my neighborhood. Then, I returned home, grabbed a second set of papers and headed in the opposite direction, travelling 1.7 miles in a loop around the other the half. In total I had roughly 60 papers to deliver and it took about an hour and a half to complete. I did this every weekday afternoon and Saturday mornings at 6:30 AM for nearly six years. To date, it is my second longest tenured job, though I am not too quick to include it on my resume.

To put this into perspective, I had 90 minutes of banal peddling, stopping, dropping off a paper; peddling, dropping…you get the idea. So, what better way to pass the time than by putting together the most awesome mix tape ever for riding your bike to? I labored intensively night and day toggling record and play on my dual cassette deck boom box, my fingers synced better than a twelve year old texting his five best friends, simultaneously. I rifled through my brother’s tape and CD collection to find the right mix of peddle pushing, fist pumping, kick ass mullet rock and 80’s movie soundtrack pop songs that could fill my TDK tape. Then, the coup de grace, knowing that the clip on a Walkman was near useless, I MacGyvered a way to strap my it to my leg with some parts from a book bag, Velcro and a little help from Doug Masters in Iron Eagle.

With my tunes at the ready, I strolled out of my house like an astronaut taking that slow motion strut along the catwalk, heading for the space shuttle on my way to destroy the Earth threatening meteor. I mounted up, pushed play, and left my driveway in the dust along with my Walkman which had slipped its bonds and fell off my leg. Hoping for the best, I tossed the now scuffed tape player into my paper bag and went about my way. The soundtrack gems of Roger Daltrey from Quicksilver, Queen from the aforementioned Iron Eagle, and John Parr from St Elmo’s Fire kept time with my feet as I rode along my route, delivering the news.

When I became old enough to drive, laziness kicked in and I started to take the family car on my route. Now, I could ride in Oldsmobile style, utilizing the factory equipped AM/FM cassette radio, free from earphones. I could share my music with the rest of my hood and not get my legs nipped at by the neighbor’s dog. Once I began college, I then upgraded to a DiscMan because I still did not have a car with a CD player already installed. I had to use the adaptor tape plugged into my tape player and headphone jack. I still used the Iron Eagle method of strapping my player to my leg because at the time, the car did not have a suitable storage are for me to put my DiscMan in and the skipping made it impossible to enjoy music if I laid it on the seat.

How could this be considered inferior to the iPod? I ask you. What do these kids know? Who doesn’t like to jog around town with an 8 Track sized block of plastic and printed circuit boards strapped to their arm, the weight of the Walkman shifting your balance, causing a curvature of your spine? That’s what chiropractors are for after all.

So, the next time some adolescent eyes you eye up because you are toting a Walkman, clipped to your belt, take his iPod and toss it against the wall. Then laugh because if the same thing happened to you, all you need is a set of jeweler’s screwdrivers, a solder gun, and an eraser topped pencil to fix your Walkman and rewind your tape. Tech support in the 80’s consisted of three techniques, bang on it, blow in it, or buy a new one for less than 40 bucks. Try that with an iPod besides the shuffle. And while you’re at it, go smack Fred Durst.

The Great American Mix Tape #4 Side B

On Side A I extolled the virtues of masters of the Maxell. What I failed to realize is that tape is a dead art form. As much as I would love to shout from the rooftops for everyone to grab a TDK 120 minute tape and Wang Chung tonight, I have to face facts. Unless, you're driving a pre 21st century car, you probably don't have tape deck capability. I give you kudos if you purposely installed a tape deck in your vehicle. Otherwise, the odds of you being able to listen to a mix tape, while driving, is slim to none, and slim just got off at the last exit. Even as we raced towards the horizon of the 21st century, ripping CD's onto our hard drives or surfing Napster and Kazzaa only to be shut down by the RIAA in favor of legally downloaded music, I still held onto the last bastion of mix tape mania. My 97' Chevy Cavalier had a non functional tape deck so I sprang for a $100 Sony stereo and CD changer installed in the trunk. While most people were buying generators for the impending doom of Y2K, I was prepared for tapes to disappear by just popping 10 of my favorite CDs into the magazine and hitting random.

While Y2K barely affected the world, the cassette tape slipped into oblivion and now hundreds of great road tunes languish in a box in my spare bedroom. I had to embrace the digital age and allow myself to work in the medium of mp3s. I will also allow all of you to do so as well. It's OK, really. I permit it. HOWEVER, don't think that gets you off the hook for quality. Just because you can burn hundreds of song files onto a CD or make a playlist that goes from here to infinity doesn't mean you can get lazy. I still expect the same thought out planning to be put into a playlist as you would into a mix tape. Truth be told, I actually like the ability to make playlists and mp3 CDs more than creating tapes. I would spend roughly 3 hours putting together a 90 minute mix tape. Once you gather all the source music and set up the equipment, you pretty much had to listen to the entire thing while you made it. Unfortunately, after spending an afternoon putting together a masterpiece, I was tired of listening to the songs. Some mix tapes would go unplayed for a few days after completion to allow myself a chance to get the songs out of my system. CD burning alleviated a lot of this with the ability to just drag and drop. Still, in the early days of CD burning, there was a substantial wait time for the completed project, not to mention "one and done" finality or the disc could get screwed up. I have a stack of CD's labeled "Bad" on a spindle next to my computer. This is my CD mix graveyard. With iTunes or other mp3 managers I can just drop and drag my files from folder to playlist in less than ten minutes and if it's not the end of the world if I don't like my selection.

Now that we have the ability to put together a playlist, let's apply technology to philosophy and create a kick ass, skull cracking, blood boiling, head banging playlist. Wow, does that sound limp. It's like replacing Shell Shock with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It goes from being a serious issue to a clinical afterthought. However, I refuse to let technology deter the quality of a good idea or story. This new fangled way of creating a "digital mix tape" will only serve to support the foundation of good music choices, not overrun it. I will not make The Phantom Menace, I will construct The Empire Strikes Back.

On Side A, I also gave a little insight as to how my list of songs could fit into a mix tape. Since we are forgoing the essence of the magnetic medium we are free to make a playlist as long or short as we want. We can envision a three song trip or one that spans the entire space of a 80gb iPod. It's truly up to you. I do feel the need to stress a safety concern. If you choose poorly and find yourself skipping songs on a list because they don't fit into your overall oeuvre of auditory delight, you may put yourself at risk of an accident. Just because it is not a cell phone, doesn't mean it is not distracting. So, choose wisely. I have outlined a category below and selected a group of songs for each. Whether you have a road trip planned for weeks or simply need to get out of town in a hurry, I have tried to dissect the essence of these songs and figure out where they can fit into your plans. Will it be daytime or night? Is it good weather or bad? Are you on the run or running towards something? These are all valid questions when it comes to planning out your highway hit parade. Here we go.

The Escape, Rescue, or Final Battle
Scenario 1: It's the end of the world as you know it and you need to get the hell out of town before the streets are jammed with people crawling at a snail's pace. Perhaps putting in that Gordon Lightfoot CD was a bad move on their part because now, the aliens are on their way and we're stuck in traffic.
Scenario 2: The bad guys got your girl and you have little time to be the hero and save her. You jump in the hot rod and make your way to the goon riddled hideout with only vengeance in your heart and a song in your car.
Scenario 3: The evil villain has the world held for ransom and it's up to and your trusty sidekick, the iPod to take his ass out. But, first you have to navigate the man streets to get there. Drop your shades into lock position and beat the rush early by having these songs preloaded on playlist, ready to go.

"You Know My Name" Chris Cornell (Casino Royale Soundtrack)
"Shot Gun" Southern Culture on the Skids
"Ballroom Blitz" Sweet
"Sabotage" Beastie Boys
"Spin Me Round" Dope
"Battle Flag" Lo Fidelity All Stars featuring Pigeon Head
"The Kids Aren't Alright" Offspring
"Take a Look Around" Limp Bizkit (Mission: Impossible 2 Soundtrack)
"Bodies" Drowning Pool
"Highway To Hell" AC/DC
"Kickstart My Heart" Motely Crue
"Pump it" Black Eyed Peas
"Push It to the Limit" Paul Engeman (Scarface Soundtrack)
"Pavilion / Venus Isle Reprise" Eric Johnson (instrumental)
"Don't Drink the Water" Dave Matthews Band
"The Final Game" Jerry Goldsmith (Rudy Soundtrack) (instrumental)
"Back to the Future Theme" Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future Soundtrack)(instrumental)
"Rocketeer To The Rescue" James Horner (The Rocketeer Soundtrack) (instrumental)
"Love Missle F1-11" Sigue Sigue Sputnik (You'll remember this from Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
"He's a Pirate" Klaus Bedelt (Pirates of the Carribean Curse of the Black Pearl Soundtrack) (instrumental)
"Mine all Mine" Van Halen
“Lunatic Fringe” Red Rider

The Bank Job or Slapstick Car Chase
Scenario 1: Somehow, you've just been wrongly accused of robbing a bank. Perhaps the teller misunderstood you, maybe the real crooks just left and your identity matches theirs. Either way, you've got to get out quick. Hop in the Hoopty and get gone.
Scenario 2: This could be segued into from Scenario 1. It could be a mad cap race to the finish line or the keystone cops are after you and all you have is a few short cuts and close calls between you and freedom. Avoid capture by calling up this list.

"Excuse Me, Mr.” No Doubt
"Cotton Eye Joe" Rednexx
"Higher Ground" Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Steve's Boogie" Eric Johnson (instrumental)
"Take The Money and Run" Steve Miller Band
"Theme from the Goonies" Dave Grusin (The Goonies Soundtrack)
"Triangles and Cowbells" The Refreshments (Extended version of the King of the Hill theme)

The Ninja Mission
Scenario 1: You're a private investigator or wisecracking reporter determined to bust the case wide open, all you need is stealth and the right music to silently track down that bad guy to his hideout where the evidence is out in the open for you. Keep a safe distance and follow him to the dope.
Scenario 2: You need the supplies to carry out your mission and that abandoned warehouse has all the stuff you need. Don your ski mask and get to sneaking.

"Fletch" Harold Faltemeyer (Fletch Soundtrack)
"Mission: Impossible Theme" U2 (Mission: Impossible Soundtrack)
"Peter Gunn" Henry Mancini
"Axel F" Harold Faltemeyer (Beverly Hills Cop Soundtrack)

She Loves Me
Scenario: Sometimes, you get the girl. Sometimes, the planets align. She chooses you. Now, you're driving high on the love. Get out there and make a fool of yourself.

"Girlfriend" Matthew Sweet
"Follow You Down" Gin Blossoms
"Rosanna" Toto
"Some Kind of Wonderful" Grand Funk Railroad
"I Believe I Can Fly" Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies (Also doubles as a chase song if you are driving in San Francisco catching air)
"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" Jet
"Cold Hard Bitch" Jet
"Electric Dreams" Giorgio Moroder and Philip Oakley (Electric Dreams Soundtrack)
"Slide" Goo Goo Dolls
"Dance Hall Days" Wang Chung
"She" Green Day

She Loves Me Not
Scenario: She doesn't love you anymore. She loves him. Get the hell out of here. You're better off without her. Now go out with the guys and get trashed. Please drink responsibly, designate a driver.

"Snowman" The Clarks
"Separate Ways / Worlds Apart" Journey
"Nothing Compares to You" Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies
"The Bad Touch" Bloodhound Gang
"Sin Nombre" The Refreshments
"I'm Not Okay" My Chemical Romance
"The River" The Clarks cover
"Figured You Out" Nickelback
"Paint it Black" Rolling Stones
"Take on Me" Reel Big Fish cover of A-Ha
"Alcohol" Bare Naked Ladies
"Tempted" Squeeze
"A Little Respect" Erasure
"Who Knew" Pink
"Midlife Crisis" Faith No More
"Tributary Otis" The Refreshments
"Guilty" Matthew Ryan

Miami Vice Style City Drive
Scenario: Whether the sun is setting or has gone for the day, you still drive with your shades on and the top down. The neon blues and the shiny blacks hide the real reason for your trip as you just cruise the streets looking to cause some trouble.

"I Wear My Sunglasses" Corey Hart
"Numb" Linkin Park Also works when mixed with "Encore" by Jay Z
"California Love" Tupac / Dr. Dre
"Classical Gas" Mason Williams

Heading Out West, Slipping Down South
Scenario: Whether it be a high class job out in LA, or reclaiming your southern heritage by heading south to the homestead you will be on the road for awhile and need some appropriate traveling tunes. Also great for the last trip with childhood friends before growing up and becoming responsible

"Life is a Highway" Tom Cochrane
"Interstate Love Song" Stone Temple Pilots
"Take it Easy" Travis Tritt cover of The Eagles from Common Thread Album
"Send Me On My Way" Rusted Root
"Amos Moses" Jerry Reed
"Hell On Wheels" The Clarks
"Sweet Home Country Grammar" Mash up between Nelly / Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Tripping Billies" Dave Matthews Band
"Copperhead Road" Steve Earle
"Boys of Summer" The Ataris cover of Den Henley
"Gin and Juice" Hayseed Dixie cover of Snoop Dogg
"Working for the Weekend" Loverboy
"No Rain" Blind Melon
"Green River" Creedence Clearwater Revival

Pure Straight Up Rock
Scenario: No explanation needed. It's just straight up rock. Who needs a reason to rock out to classic hits on the highway or down to the store for a scratch ticket. Just hit play and drive, baby.

"Smokin" Boston
"Running Down a Dream" Tom Petty
"Don't Stop Believin'" Journey
"Dreams" Van Halen
"Into Your Arms" Journey (instrumental)
"Long Way To the Top" AC/DC
"Who's There" Smash Mouth
"China Grove" Doobie Brothers
"Ants Marching" Dave Matthews Band
"Einstein on the Beach" Counting Crows
"Head Like a Hole" Nine Inch Nails
"Leave the Change" Open Cage
"Shimmy Low" The Clarks
"Immigrant Song" Led Zeppelin
"Falling To Pieces" Faith No More
"Breakfast At Tiffany's" Deep Blue Something

Flip the tape over for Side A:

The Great American Road Trip Mix Tape #4

Side A: Flip over to Side B:

The mix tape, an everyman's soundtrack for life condensed into an hour and a half on one side. When I first got a dual tape deck boom box capable of recording from tape to tape, I went nuts. Up until that point I had to wait by the radio for my favorite song, the record button at the ready. Most early mix tapes in my collection still have the sounds of DJ's long gone book ending those 80's tunes that filled my youth with Dance Hall Days and Endless Summer Nights. I would tuck my Walkman's belt clip securely over my Bugle Boy jeans, grab my ten speed and hit the streets delivering papers around my neighborhood while blasting a collection of my favorite songs into my now deafened ears.

At the age of 17, my parents entrusted me with my first vehicle, a 1984 Pontiac Firebird with bucket seats, pop up headlights, and a broken tape deck. I was devastated. My biggest dream was to pull out of my parents' driveway and hit the road with my mix tape blasting through the neighborhood. I managed to rig my walkman with an adapter that would play through the tape deck without needing the use of the capstan spindles, which wouldn't turn. Using a hand strap from an old duffle bag, I attached the walkman to my leg and I was off and running like Doug Masters from Iron Eagle.

As CD's became widely accepted I began pilfering my brother's collection looking for songs to weave into the tapestry of tunes that carried on this wayward son down the highways of southwestern Pennsylvania into the heart of the local mall. With the availability of recordable compact discs still beyond the horizon, I opted to keep the mix tape alive and spinning with my TDK 90 minute masterpieces. Not convinced that the concept of cassette tapes becoming extinct was a possibility, I honed my two finger recording skills to be able to maximize the entire 90 minutes. This was essential as to not recreate the "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida incident of 1993" in which I miscalculated the space available on side one causing the drum solo to be spread over two sides. Even with the advent of automatic-reversing, there was still an eight second pause in between sides that dropped me out of my driving zone.

Planning the perfect mix tape is an art form that has gone the way of the dodo, just like the skill of handwriting has when it comes to email and word processing programs. The object is to capture a feeling or set the mood for whatever the venue may be when the mix tape is played. Depending on the occasion you may want a big punch for an opening or in the case of a more subtle setting you might want to open slow building up the tension towards a powerful conclusion. In order to be the Michelangelo of the Memorex you have to be aware of important aspects when creating this magnetic piece of art.

Who is it for?
What is the theme?
Will you be able to play it repeatedly without getting tired of it?

That's why the mix tape is such an art form. With mp3's and CDs it's too easy to create a mixture of songs that will have you, or more importantly the person you make it for skipping over songs that don't fit in with other songs. With tapes it's more creative to plan out the song list. You have to be precise in choosing your set. Making snap decisions will cause you to have a huge gap wasted on side one, while you sit there and rack your brain over cutting a great tune because it won't fit on side two. The mix tape should only be attempted by professionals. There have been accounts where entire villages have been decimated over a poorly planned mix tape. I will never get those haunting images out of my head. Who can forget CNN showing the aftermath, complete with a smoldering Buffalo Bills Super Bowl XXVII shirt amongst the rubble. Those poor people, all the victims of a senseless misunderstanding over how to follow up opening a mix tape with AC/DC's “Thunderstruck.” Also, do be extremely careful to not misuse “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” or “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Those two songs should be reserved for long highway trips where you have no stops. It's also a bad idea to put them on the same side, let alone on the same tape. You don't want to waste precious song space with two epic tunes that total around 13 and a half minutes. Keep it simple.

In case you are wondering about that last paragraph, I will explain. You never ever open with “Thunderstruck.” There is no way to correctly follow it up without losing momentum by the fifth song. I suggest saving it for the last song on Side A. If you want to open your mix tape with a great starter song that will allow you to move smoothly into the rest of the list, I opt for a shortened version of Mark Mancina's opening track from the movie Twister. What?!? You've never used orchestral tracks from movie soundtracks on a mix tape? It's the greatest thing since Dolby Noise Reduction. I've been throwing movie tracks onto mix tapes for years. Some of the greats like Williams, Zimmer, and Silvestri are great for a highway drive. After all, what guy in the 80's didn't drive around in his Celica or Camaro pretending to be Sonny Crocket driving his replica Ferrari Daytona, complete with Ray Bans at midnight, loafers without socks, and fuchsia blazer over black tee shirt? There he is, crusing down the main street of town, blasting Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" followed up by Jan Hammer’s “Crockett's Theme.” Now I ask you, how cool is that?

So, there you have it. I suggest you go home and practice putting together a kick ass mix tape. Don’t try to be a hero and go out there 14 inch speakers a blazing. Start small. Work on just one side and test it. These kinds of trials have made the difference between rocking down the highway with a skull exploding mix tape or being stuck at a red light next to a mean looking biker while blasting the Macarena in your AC Delco. Trust me, it won’t be pretty.

Mongo's suggestions for a great mix tape. in no particular order. These are only his opinions and come with no gaurantee. Results may vary.

"Rapture" by Seed
This song was completely unknown to me until a friend from California put it on a mix tape that she sent to me in 94. One of the coolest songs IMO.

"Astrocreep 2000" by White Zombie
My buddy Ray kicked off a great mix tape with this adrenaline charged tune as we rolled out of Pittsburgh and hit the highway.

"Banditos" by The Refreshments
A truly wonderful song from a truly underrated band. Great for fast escapes or quick trips.

"Trademark" by Eric Johnson
Subtle instrumental great for Side B opens or long rides through the plains or dessert.

"Dreamline" by Rush
Great opener from Rush's Roll the Bones album. Good highway tune.

"Couple Days Off" by Huey Lewis and the News
While it may seem passe and cheesy to put HLATN on a mix tape, it's still a great song. I suggest only using on Labor Day or Three Day weekend drives.

"Where's My Thing, Pt 4: Gangster of Boats Trilogy" by Rush
Strictly instrumental and strictly a freeway, weaving through traffic anthem.

"Cliffs of Dover" by Eric Johnson
Side B opener and great instrumental choice. Beat our "Where's My Thing" for the 1991 Grammy.

"Foreplay/Longtime" by Boston
At nearly eight minutes in length, this binary hit could get you in trouble if not used correctly, leave it for Side B to bring back the love.

"Eastbound and Down" by Jerry Reed
Get in your Trans Am, put on your cowboy, and turn on your CB. Great open for long trips on the Super Slab.

"Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler
Strictly for chases or rescues. Don't get stuck in traffic or you'll waste it.

"Humans Being" by Van Halen
The last known track by Van Halen to include Sammy Haggar. Another gem from Twister

"Heaven or the Highway Out of Town" by The Refreshments
Another great pick from them. A good closer for Side B. For the daring, I suggest their "Blue Collar Suicide" as a Side A opener

"Crockett's Theme" by Jan Hammer
City driving at night should be reserved for this synth hit from the Miami Vice soundtrack

"Africa" by Toto
Another good night tune, especially at dusk heading into the city.

"Stone in Love" by Journey
Good Side B opener. Resist using on Side A for fear of the "Thunderstruck" effect.

"Man in Motion" by John Parr
80's movie magic found in this St. Elmo's Fire hit.

"The Price of Love" by Roger Daltrey
The Who frontman mad quite a few soundtrack appearances. This is a good Side B opener.

"Quicksilver Lightning" by Roger Daltrey
Another from the man. If planned out correctly, could be a Side A opener.

"Flagpole Sitta" by Harvey Danger
Keep the momentum alive by using this track somewhere in the middle of Side A.

"Scratch-N-Sniff" by Stevie Ray Vaughn
The late great guitarist gives your Side B a much needed boost

"Be Good to Yourself" by Journey
Another great closer to Side B. A complimentary Side A opener is their "Only the Young" offering from Vision Quest