33 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would eventually become a nearly 20 volume collection of mix tapes, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD. Today, we revisit those mix tapes for the fourth time and see how, or if, the soundtrack of my youth still resonates in today’s digital world and how much has changed over the past four years.
I got my first CD player, and my first CD, for Christmas in 1991. My sister and I were going to Florida to celebrate Christmas with the grandparents, so we celebrated at home early. In order to enjoy my new gift while I was gone, I added two songs from that CD, Poison’s Swallow This Live, to this collection.
My CD collection grew slowly, being a poor high school student. When I left for college that next August, I had added five CDs to the collection: Def Leppard’s Adrenalize, the so-called Black Album from Metallica, Use Your Illusion II by Guns N’ Roses, Boyz II Men’s Motownphilly, and C.M.B. from Color Me Badd. In college, things started to grow more quickly and, once I got out of college and had some real disposable income, things went a little crazy. I have CDs where not only is there not a song on there that I like, but there isn’t even a song that I know.
That slowed down a bit as technology advanced, replacing physical media with digital downloads and, eventually, streaming. I can count on one hand the number of CDs I’ve bought in the last eight years. The question now is what do I do with 30+ years’ worth of CDs that are never used? Everything is ripped to my computer and the only CD player I have now is that computer. Plus, I could use the space that a cabinet full of untouched CDs is taking up in the office. Something to consider as I remake my workspace now that I am a full-time remote worker.
Volume 5 takes us from the end of my junior year of high school, through the summer, and all the way to spring of my senior year, from mid 1991 through early 1992, and once again features a healthy dose of hair metal and pop.
Side A
Firehouse – Don’t Treat Me Bad
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 11/12/2021
Peaking at #19 on the Billboard charts, the first hit from Firehouse picked up nine new listens over the past four years.
Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up
iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 12/12/2021
Featured on the soundtrack for New Jack City, the first single from the R&B boy band, which I had on cassingle, added five new spins since 2019.
Boyz II Men – Motownphilly
iTunes stats: 26 plays, most recently on 8/20/2021
The debut release from the Philadelphia crooners, which hit #3 on the Billboard charts, had a healthy seven play increase since last we checked.
Mötley Crüe – Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
iTunes stats: 43 plays, most recently on 9/27/2022
The fourth single off of Dr. Feelgood, originally recorded off 103.5 The Blaze, gets a nice thirteen listen increase thanks to its use at Guaranteed Rate Field after strikeouts from White Sox pitchers.
Slaughter – Fly To The Angels
iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 11/4/2021
Six new plays for the second single from the band’s debut album, which peaked at #19 on the Billboard charts.
Boyz II Men – It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye
iTunes stats: 62 plays, most recently on 12/31/2021
Originally written for the 70s film Cooley High, the cover, originally recorded off the radio from Hot 94.7, saw a fourteen-spin increase over the past four years when you count both the radio and album versions.
Salt-N-Pepa – Let’s Talk About Sex
iTunes stats: 25 plays, most recently on 7/22/2022
The tune, nominated for the 1992 Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy, increased its play total by eight since 2019.
