While I was doing some much needed de-cluttering, I came across a cache of audio cassettes. Most of them were pre-recorded detritus from the remainder bins of long lost chain record stores, but among them were the real treasures – the homemade music compilations or mix tapes. I threw a few on a tape player, and, despite the hiss, I realized how much I missed tape compilations.
The most brilliant were made by my brother Brian Bubonic. Occasionally, he would drop one in the mail, and I would play it to death. Drawing from his encyclopedic knowledge of music and his vast collection of vinyl and CDs he would craft these incredible concoctions consisting of everything from big bands to death metal that would fit precisely to the length of the tape. Sometimes he would pad them out with sound effects or comedy bits. Brian couldn’t stand dead air.
Pictured above is Confuse Yo Neighbors which he made some time in the late 80s if I remember correctly (He didn’t date these.) It was a great mix then and it is now although I don’t think it will survive many more plays on a tape player!
