Mixtape Monday "J"

"SHOCK!..." is the first word heard when HERC pressed Play on the mixtape "J" after an initial brief drum cadence before a full drum breakdown.  The song is the album mix of Big Country's "In A Big Country" which is infinitely superior to the lameness of the Radio Edit. 

Hello and welcome to the musical stylings of the ninth tape in HERC's alphabetical mixtape series for the woman who would become his wife.  (It should be the tenth in the series as J is the tenth letter of the alphabet but tape "C" has thus far eluded HERC's extensive search and recovery process.) The "J" tape finds HERC back to his eclectic ways, mixing pop, dance and rock tracks into a sonic stew for his sweetie.

This mixtape has more than a few of MRS. HERC's favorite songs.  Actually, upon the recent relistening to the tape, she was unable to name just one song.  (Sorry, Chaka.)  HERC didn't realize it at the time but Molly Hatchet's "Satisfied Man" is nearly a carbon copy of ZZ Top's Eliminator-era sound, isn't it?  HERC's only production note after the thirty-year reunion listen (he thinks this tape was dubbed in January 1985) was "Why didn't I use the Henley dance mix?" which can probably best be answered, "Because it wasn't out yet."

HERC also commented that David Lee Roth's cover of the Beach Boys classic loses all of its charms without the accompanying video. Clicking on any song title in the below chart EXCEPT "California Girls" will take you to a review of the song's parent album.

			SIDE A		42:54
	1983		In A Big Country	Big Country	04:44
	1983		Fight Fire With Fire	Kansas	03:40
	1984		Girls With Guns	Tommy Shaw	03:10
	1982		Rock This Town	Stray Cats	03:27
	1984		Ghostbusters	Ray Parker Jr.	04:06
	1981		(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing	Heaven 17	04:21
	1984		Let It All Blow	Dazz Band	03:58
	1984		All She Wants To Do Is Dance	Don Henley	04:29
	1984		This Is My Night	Chaka Khan	04:41
	1984	*	Easy Lover (Extended Dance Remix)	Philip Bailey with Phil Collins	06:18
			SIDE B		44:32
	1984		Why!	Bronski Beat	04:04
	1983	*	Breakdance (Extended Remix)	Irene Cara	05:27
	1984	*	Dancing In The Dark (Extended Remix)	Bruce Springsteen	06:09
	1982		No One Like You	Scorpions	03:57
	1984		Satisfied Man	Molly Hatchet	04:59
	1982		Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)	The Flirts	03:43
	1984	*	Sugar Walls (Dance Mix)	Sheena Easton	07:00
	1981		We Got The Beat	The Go-Go's	02:30
	1985		California Girls	David Lee Roth	02:52
	1983		Send Me An Angel	Real Life	03:51