Mixology: Too Cool for Humans

Mixology is a recurring feature in which I take a look at one of the many mix tapes I made over the years. Some are better than others, but all of them are fun to revisit.

Too Cool for Humans (winter '91)

This tape's origins are a bit fuzzy to me, partly because unlike most of the mixes I made, I never wrote the songs or date on the inlay card. I got all artsy-fartsy and cut out a cool looking picture of an eskimo fishing while a deer sits next to him, using it as the "album art." I think it was from a vodka ad in an issue of SPIN.

So I'm just guessing at the date. I was living in Beverly and all the songs are from '91 or earlier, so I think I made it while I was renting a place in an old Victorian in Centerville. It was built in the 1600s and was fairly spacious, but the old odd-sized windows let in a lot of cold air in the winter. My girlfriend and I only stayed there about nine months before moving across town to the very house I live in now.

Pretty clear dividing line on this tape: Alt-rock (except for John Lee, I guess) on the first side, harder stuff on the second before circling back. Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend album had just come out and "Divine Intervention" was getting a lot of local airplay. That song just blew me away. Side B got a little silly with the run of Cult/VH/Extreme, but it redeemed itself with the subsequent songs. Fishbone got some love on this mix; their The Reality of My Surroundings album from '91 was their peak, IMHO. U2 was also at the pinnacle of their recorded career with Achtung Baby, which is a ridiculously great album. Strong collection for the most part. One sidenote: This mix was recorded over a 1989 Rolling Stones show that I had recorded off WBCN; I never listened to the concert and must have needed a tape, so there you have it. There's a little clip left over at the very end of the mix.

Side A
Divine Intervention - Matthew Sweet
Even Better than the Real Thing - U2
Low - R.E.M.
Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs are Taking Over) - Elvis Costello
Obvious Song - Joe Jackson
Union, Jack - Big Audio Dynamite
I Took a Fall - Bim Skala Bim
Stripped Me Naked - John Lee Hooker
Big Sky Country - Chris Whitley
Everyday Sunshine - Fishbone
Love and Happiness - Living Colour

Side B
Jesus Christ Pose - Soundgarden
Sad But True - Metallica
Earth Mofo - The Cult
Poundcake - Van Halen
It's a Monster - Extreme
Get Down, Make Love - Queen
Sunless Saturday - Fishbone
Head in the Sand - Hoodoo Gurus
Highway Girl - The Tragically Hip
Ultraviolet (Light My Way) - U2
Girlfriend - Matthew Sweet
I Want to Hug You - John Lee Hooker




Girlfriend:


Sunless Saturday (directed by Spike Lee, methinks):