I loved mix tapes when I was in high school. I'd make them for the bus trip to school, or for my bedroom at night, when everyone was asleep and all I could see from my window were the distant ships circling Hong Kong. I spent a lot of time with them, and I started to believe eventually that they were a part of me. I was part of the last mix tape generation.
My 18-year-old essence captured on tape:
Morrissey - Everyday is Like Sunday
Belly - Feed the Tree
One Dove - White Love
Blind Melon - No Rain
The Cure - In Between Days
James - Sometimes
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence
Erasure - Oh L'Amour
Cocteau Twins - Bluebeard
Blur - Clover Over Dover
Suede - Animal Nitrate
The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go
The Breeders - Cannonball
Shed Seven - Mark