Mixology: Pure Chewing Satisfaction

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

Pure Chewing Satisfaction (5/4/93)

Nineteen years ago, I was living at this very address, but not for much longer. By July, I moved out and embarked on a fairly lousy nine months or so of solo existence. Not coincidentally, this stretch of time also marked my most prolific period for making mix tapes. It took my mind off other things and gave me something to listen to in the car.

Fortunately, there was plenty of good new music out at the time. It was the period just after the big grunge releases had hit--Nevermind, Ten, Badmotorfinger, Dirt--and there was a lot of interesting stuff happening. I was particularly digging new albums from Cracker (David Lowery's first post-CVB record), Dinosaur Jr., Sloan, Buffalo Tom, Mudhoney, Sonic Youth and Living Colour. Plenty of guitars all over each album, but all were very different and presented a promising future for alternative rock. Of course, the next wave of bands included the likes of Bush and Silverchair, so that didn't turn out so well. I was also enjoying new albums from some of my favorite Canuck bands like The Tragically Hip and The Pursuit of Happiness.

Call this mix the rock before the storm. I knew the future was uncertain, but I didn't know how shitty things would be until I actually got there. That axiom unfortunately applied on several levels. But in May 1993, I was still quite unaware of how things would work out.

Side A
Fifty-Mission Cap - The Tragically Hip
Cigarette Dangles - The Pursuit of Happiness
Underwhelmed - Sloan
Purr - Sonic Youth
Drawerings - Dinosaur Jr.
This Little Pig - Living Colour
April Fool - Soul Asylum
Staples - Buffalo Tom
St. Cajetan - Cracker
Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
Buttercup - Brad
Dear Ol' Dad - Blind Melon
Let Me Let You Down - Mudhoney

Side B
Don't Fuck Me Up - Cracker
In Her Dreams - The Pursuit of Happiness
Locked in the Trunk of a Car - The Tragically Hip
Lemonzinger - Sloan
I'm Spun - Mudhoney
Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit - Sonic Youth
Hide - Dinosaur Jr.
Half Ass Monkey Boy - Mother Love Bone
My Fingers - Brad
Change - Blind Melon
Bi - Living Colour
Believe - Lenny Kravitz
Live Another Day - Stevie Ray Vaughan