1986

Mix cd project that I'm a part of has different compilers working on tracks off albums from various years. My assignment is 1986. Which means that I've been listening to a lot of music from 1986. Which has turned out to be a surprisingly good experience. Here's my mix:

1. Kiss -Prince (from the album Parade)
2. The New Style -Beastie Boys (from the album License To Ill)
3. Don't Dream It's Over -Crowded House (from the album Crowded House)
4. In Your Eyes -Peter Gabriel (from the album So)
5. Lives In The Balance -Jackson Browne (from the album Lives In The Balance)
6. Brilliant Mistake -Elvis Costello (from the album King of America)
7. Wild Wild Life -Talking Heads (from the album True Stories)
8. She's An Angel -They Might Be Giants (from the album They Might Be Giants)
9. Begin The Begin -R.E.M. (from the album Life's Rich Pageant)
10. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out -The Smiths (from the album The Queen Is Dead)
11. Back In The High Life Again -Steve Winwood (from the album Back In The High Life)
12. The Way It Is -Bruce Hornsby & the Range (from the album The Way It Is)
13. Guitar Town -Steve Earle (from the album Guitar Town)
14. Graceland -Paul Simon (from the album Graceland)
15. Stuck With You -Huey Lewis & the News (from the album Fore!)
16. Danger Zone -Kenny Loggins (from the Top Gun soundtrack album)
17. Livin' On A Prayer -Bon Jovi (from the album Slippery When Wet)
18. It's Tricky -Run-D.M.C. (from the album Raising Hell)
19. Walk Like An Egyptian -The Bangles (from the album Different Light)

1986 marks the year when I really started buying my own tapes and listening to something besides my parents' music. That makes my memories of the music of '86 particularly sharp and meaningful. In some ways, my parents' influence on my musical taste was evident (Graceland/The Way It Is) in others we were in very vocal disagreement (Raising Hell/The Queen Is Dead). It has been a lot of fun to take this look back and to remember...