Friday 8-Track

Today's list is all about my awkward and formative years, the 90's. It's like high school all over again.

Soul Asylum - "Somebody to Shove" - Grave Dancers Union

After toiling in near-anonymity for several albums, I would say that this was a deserved hit for Soul Asylum. With Husker Du, Soul Asylum, The Replacements, The Jayhawks, and Prince I would say that Minneapolis has had a pretty cool and varied scene over the years. I think "Black Gold" is the better track off of this album but since I dropped the tune yesterday...

Presidents of the United States of America - "Peaches" - Presidents of the United States of America

Is there a better song about cunnilingus (other than the second half of "Put It In Your Mouth)? Very doubtful. I think these guys are unfairly overlooked as just a "gimmick" band because they wrote good pop music. And this filthy little ditty..."I poked my finger down inside, make a little room for it to hide, nature's candy in my hand or can or a pie."

Belly - "Feed the Tree" - Star

This one just screams 120 Minutes. Could Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly have gone in more different directions after Throwing Muses? This one is for my boy Jay who always has this disc lying around somewhere.

Pearl Jam - "Animal" - Vs.

A buddy of mine laughs at me because have a habit of abandoning artists, definitively, after their first couple of albums and Pearl Jam is one of those band. Call me crazy but I think they picked with their second album and this is one of the best tracks. I was just blasting this (loudly) in my car the other day and from the intro that drops in as soon as "Go" ends to the screams that Mike McCready digs out of his axe during the outro, "Animal" is a fantastic rocker. Dig it.

Ned's Atomic Dustbin - "Grey Cell Green" - God Fodder

Mix together nonsensical lyrics, Madchester beats, two (!) bass guitars, and a lot of dreadlocks and you get one of the more interesting blips on the 90's radar. I pulled this album out as an experiment yesterday and I have to admit that it hasn't aged too badly. I'm pretty sure that this and "Kill Your Television" will make their way into my next playlist for the gym.

Paul Westerberg - "Waiting For Somebody" - Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

I could not put this list together without something from the Singles soundtrack. I remember dubbing a friend's CD of this, freshman year of high school, onto a TDK-90 that I could rock on my Sony Sports Walkman (I still have the Walkman and the Panasonic CD Player Boombox that I used to make the dub). This was long before I knew anything about Westerberg or the Replacements.

Seal - "Crazy" - Seal

If I could only ever hear the first 30 seconds of this song that would be enough. That oscillating synth part in the outro that introduces the first verse is sooooo sweet. Remember when everyone had some theory about what was going on with Seal's face? Was it a tattoo or some ritual scarring? I was so gullible.

Big Audio Dynamite II - "The Globe" - The Globe
Soup Dragons - "Divine Thing" - Hotwired

For whatever reason these two songs are inextricably linked in my mind. Similar beats, similar tempo, and from that same mixed-up "alternative" era. I am always surprised that Mick Jones went on to this kind of thing but after you are one of the biggest icons in punk, I can see how one might be in search of a change of pace.