Our Bands Could Be Your Life

Jenny has never read Our Band Could Be Your Life.



Our Bands Could Be Your Life

1. Black Flag, "Nervous Breakdown"
2. Black Flag, "Rise Above"
3. Black Flag, "Gimme Gimme Gimme"
4. Minutemen, "History Lesson - Part II"
5. Minutemen, "This Ain't No Picnic"
6. Mission of Burma, "That's When I Reach for My Revolver"
7. Mission of Burma, "Academy Fight Song"
8. Minor Threat, "Straight Edge"
9. Minor Threat, "Minor Threat"
10. Hüsker Dü, "Don't Want to Know if You are Lonely"
11. The Replacements, "Can't Hardly Wait" (Tim Version)
12. Sonic Youth, "Teen Age Riot"
13. Sonic Youth, "100%"
14. Sonic Youth, "Kool Thing"
15. Butthole Surfers, "Human Cannonball"
16. Big Black, "Kerosene"
17. Dinosaur Jr., "Freak Scene"
18. Dinosaur Jr., "Start Choppin'"
19. Dinosaur Jr., "Feel the Pain"
20. Fugazi, "Merchandise"
21. Fugazi, "Repeater"
22. Mudhoney, "Touch Me I'm Sick"
23. Mudhoney, "You Got it (Keep it out of My Face)"
24. Beat Happening, "Indian Summer"

Jenny, who reads more than nearly anyone I know and loves punk rock enough for me to wish I knew her in high school, has never read Michael Azerrad's terrific account of punk and indie in the 1980s. Now that she has a birthday coming up (and is coincidentally visiting New York City this week,) I'm getting her a copy, plus a corresponding mix tape.

Rather than make a generic Best of Our Band Could Be Your Life, I tried to sculpt something more Jenny-centric. She probably already has Zen Arcade and You're Living All Over Me, but maybe not Candy Apple Grey or Bug. I hate to boil the entire Butthole Surfers' discography down to one song, but I'm guessing she'd enjoy "Human Cannonball" more than "Sweat Loaf." For some bands, like Sonic Youth, I'm providing the standard intro tracks, but for the Replacements, whom Jenny loves as much as I do, I had to dig deep and find a rarity. I like how "Can't Hardly Wait" sounds without a horn section.

Happy birthday, Jenny. Maybe the next mix will have "The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave."