Fall 1997 – Spring 1998
11th grade wasn’t quite the musical info dump that 10th grade was.
But I found myself digging into and expanding upon the discoveries that I’d made the year before.
I was expanding my perspective in other ways as well, in ways I could not seem to do in 10th grade:
Which is perhaps why I started to open up to different styles and eras beyond 70s-90s-punk around this time. I had boasted a reflexive dislike of the Beatles for years as a teenager, partially because I heard them around the house all the time ever since the Anthology 1 compilation had been released.
But you know, once I heard certain songs from Sgt Pepper, I felt like I could finally turn on and tune into what those merry pranksters were sending out. Maturity, I guess..
This mix was a lot of fun to make. I wanted it to be like experiencing my musical memories as if walking through a fun house, full of surprises and odd turns.
And here’s a supplemental mix of bands that didn’t make the original cut.
This one is more a simple collection of songs than the main mix, but it’s simply irresistible:
Party Like It’s Class of 99
Fall 1998 – Spring 1999
When I first entered high school, I was a shy, nerdy kid, still reeling from the trauma of 8th grade bullies.
By my senior year, I was much more comfortable in my own skin.
I was also fairly popular, at least considering my status as one of the “freaky-looking” kids.
My senior year of high school was also marked by a newfound obsession with raves and electronic music. Yes, I was sneaking out at night and going to clubs or outlaw parties at old warehouses, where tetanus shots are probably a necessity.
But I was still also listening to punk and goth in my off time, and was even opening up to more pop songs and classic psychedelia.
I did my best to strike that balance on my Phono Album for this year, while still sounding decent as a mix. I’m not sure if it’s a resounding success, but it’s enjoyable! At the very least, it’s a bit more representative of the sounds of the mid to late 90s.
And, here’s the bonus mix. A lot more rock in this one:
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Bonus beats for Senior Year! Some of the DJ mixtapes I was constantly listening to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnOAogp2rZc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLCIPivXo0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbpDG2nwJ38
Oh, and here are the links to the actual Phono Album mixes!
11th Grade: Main Mix
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmzqYLiKrHIUaSVpGBy3LNh9F-bnMCgWX&si=nx79pWx6U5rngpD0
11th Grade: Bonus Mix
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmzqYLiKrHIUNRYwHTzcA3P6cIB060iQo&si=wTaURT9NkitYKENL
12th Grade: Main Mix
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmzqYLiKrHIWu9YpfDUMaM0PGWW0o7csl&si=4CafeXbLVrgRfBmd
12th Grade: Bonus Mix
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmzqYLiKrHIXqpt68eB27PVsBO4RN1tWz&si=uLAIKCfevovR0G_8
ALL!!!
YES ALL!
Nobody is really retired. While I wait for Paddy McAloon to release an album that was announced in 2019(to be fair, he has health issues), maybe Girls Against Boys will reunite. For momentum, Kelly Clarkson has to cover “Disco Six Six Six”. House of GVSB rocks. Freak*On*Ica: Is that a pun for electronica? It’s more dance-oriented, but was it really the complete fail that critics said it was? I’m not sure when the term “indie cred” died, but graduating to a major was met with extra-scrutiny during this era. Are they going to sell-out? Are they going to sell-out? Freak*On*Ica sounds more accessible. NIN-light? But if those two albums came out now, I think Freak*On*Ica would fare better. CMJ liked it. I had no idea it was universally panned. As for House of GVSB, it’s hard to pick a favorite among the first four title. I’m listening to “Disco Six Six Six” right now. I can hear the Hungry Ear cashier judging me: “You never heard of Girls Against Boys?”
Considering that Goo, Doolittle, and the Jesus Lizard’s Shot were all considered to be sellout albums…probably someone thought as much about Freak*On*Ica. But that’s not saying much. It’s just purism for purism’s sake. A way to flex the orthodoxy muscles without religion. GVSB never released anything that remotely compromised their aesthetic.
But of course, a reunion could change things. I wish Indie Cindy never happened. Then again, a Kelly Clarkson cover would be cool. I look for Tom’s write up in the future.
Oh, wait. I have to pick my phone off from the rail floor. I forgot that Doolittle was meant to crossover. “Here Comes Your Man” was their “The One I Love”. Obviously, I was alive and cognizant in the late-eighties, but my re-up point was Bossanova, because I didn’t like Surfer Rosa, and passed on Doolittle. “Velouria” had a bigger impact on me than “Here Comes Your Man”. What was I thinking? The latter was a jam. I’m sure “Monkey Goes to Heaven” made it onto MTV, but I missed it. Probably, Frank Black miscalculated his popularity, dissolving The Pixies. His first two solo outings were a lot of fun, but nobody cared. In my opinion, the highlight from this period is “Speedy Marie”.
I like Freak*On*Ica. All I’m saying is that when Kevin Parker made the transition from guitar to keyboard as his musical aesthetic, fans and critics saw the move less as careerism than evolvement.
Bad take: I thought people hated Everything Now, because Arcade Fire left Merge. I like to misappropriate Andrew Sarris’ auteur theory by applying it to other medias, thinking that minor or bad Win Butler is better the occasional transcendent albums from musical artists of lesser acclaim. But then I realized, nobody cares about indie cred. It makes me happy when I hear “cool” songs in TV commercials. That whole “rock and roller cola wars” line dates “We Didn’t Start the Fire”. (Auteur theory applies to Bob Dylan receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature. Not all of his albums are 10s.)
Anyway, I got real excited when you mentioned Girls Against Boys. It reminded me of happier days.
So we’ve gone from Kids Praise to Christian Death in just a few short but monumental years. Sounds about right. I am not familiar with much of this music and it definitely intrigues me, but there are some connections. “Ashes to Ashes” is probably a top 3 Bowie song for me, though I don’t run nearly as deep as you into his catalog.
And I love how “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” by Louis Armstrong just slips right in there. How could it not?
I am more familiar with the Big Star cover of “Femme Fatale” than Lou Reed’s original. Great song.
Your artwork is really good. The last frame of that cartoon feels purposely vague, or I’m just too dumb to get it.
I did skip the 4th-6th grade chapters, but yeah, hormones are interesting. Even as a kid though, I had other teenagers in the house. My older sisters were playing stuff like Metallica and the Beastie Boys, while my mom was playing CCM. So even my early childhood was kind of schizophrenic.
All of the art consists of fragments of larger comics, so there’s no too much to get from that panel. It comes from a 10th grade memory, where we all thought we’d go on an unforgettable journey, but nothing happened. 😀
I thought it was either drugs or a hook-up.
It was bum acid. I swore I kinda sorta felt something, but…
Yup. That second and third panel stand-out. A portion of the guy’s knee is in the latter. That suggests a pan to the right. Cool. Without it, the reader would think he’s looking at a master shot.
KMFDM, Bad Brains, Adam & The Ants, David Bowie, Minor Threat, Angry Samoans, Dead Kennedys, Cramps, Clash, X, The Specials….
Man, now you’re speaking my language!
C’est du putain de punk!
Considering the general flow of your listings, I’m surprised there’s no R.E.M. on these.
You’re a little ahead! Wait til next time… 😀
That’s about the age that I was when I began my fascination with Lou Reed. He did some wonderful stuff, some disappointing stuff, and some simply maddening stuff. But the chance for a lyric like “You made me forget myself. I thought I was someone else, someone good” or “What’s good? Life’s good, but not fair at all” means that I have waded through it all.
Such a perfect comment…
I was just listening to Little Fluffy Clouds last week. Nice change of tone from the rock. For a while The Orb were an actual regular top 40 act here. Little Fluffy Clouds was their peak but this was their best Top of The Pops performance. Stand still pushing the occasional button or sit down and have a game of chess while your track plays? No contest.
https://youtu.be/-jZxufm48Do?feature=shared
Those are some sound variations, mate.