Sharelist #4–30 Years Later
30 Years Later, by Kent
February 28, 2021 — Paying Joey Winfield $20 for 4 Led Zeppelin cassettes on the bus was the best money I ever spent (aside from the vasectomy). It was my break from whatever was on the radio and the shitty records my parents had (“Dancing on the Ceiling” was a family favorite). The year was 1991, and I was waking up to a new world. I didn’t have an older sibling to show me what was good (Almost Famous style) or a family that would let me listen to anything that might lead me astray. Pour Some Sugar on Me gave me the tingles, and I snuck in MTV whenever I could at Granny’s house. I remember buying OU812 by Van Halen on cassette at some point, but 1991 was different. I was awake.
I don’t have a song by song liner, just an overall theme I tried to follow, keeping 1991 in the crosshairs.
1. It starts out a little angry, and let me tell you, I could have made this so angry. The throttle is way back for what I was feeling in 1991. I tried not to choose the obvious from Ten, Metallica Black Album, Nevermind. There’s a bunch of rock songs, not all that I knew about back then (Gish, Pixies, The Farm, My Bloody Valentine) . It was fun to see what songs actually came out in 1991 (some were on albums from 1990 but the singles were still popping in ’91, like Hunger Strike, Silent Lucidity, Wind of Change). There were many albums where I had a hard time choosing just one representative. Out of Time, Achtung Baby (One didn’t make the cut and I’m not sure how), Pocket Full of Kryptonite, Low End Theory, Use your Illusion, Girlfriend, American Music, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, some I couldn’t just pick one and 2 songs made it. Some I could have put the whole album on there. 1991 fucked me up.
2. I tried to transition into and out of the rap category for anyone who doesn’t enjoy it or have memories like I do. I even included New Jack Hustler, because New Jack City was the first R movie I saw at a theater. Still remember going to my first high school basketball game and Cypress Hill was blasting. I left off NWA because they were already falling apart.
3. It ends a little easier, maybe there’s a song or two you haven’t heard in a long time. Just know 14 year old Kent had a soft side too.
I guess this playlist is a sample from the first year I really grew my musical tastes. It’s way off from what I thought I would do for my first effort here, but the idea just wouldn’t go away. It’s not a “best of”, but it’s music that I got down with then and can still get down to now. It’s not exhaustive, but it’s sentimental. I left off the pop hits (mostly), country music (entirely), and slow jams (sorry I Wanna Sex You Up). I know there’s good shit I missed, and I know it’s long, sorry for that. Break it up if you need to, or skip whatever, it won’t hurt my feelings. Just know it was about 4 hours at one point. I doubt there’s anything new here, but maybe it will lead you to look for some songs you haven’t heard in a while. Personally, I love the algorithm leading me down the primrose path.
Hope you enjoy.
