Best Ever Albums

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

benpaco — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 20:03:52 GMT

Author: benpaco

Posted: 09/20/2014 00:03

RepoMan wrote:

TDK.

Hey that's what I still use if people need a tape for a car that doesn't have a CD player (it happens and I'm that one cool guy left with a CD to tape recorder). I think I honestly just like the wrapping more on TDK, but that's what I still get if I need one ...

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 15:12:55 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 09/19/2014 19:12

meccalecca wrote:

Same. More minutes, if I remember correctly. Maxell was 60 mins and TDK 90. Of curse the best option was finding a really shitty album on cassette, putting the masking tape over the little gaps on top and recording over Color Me Badd's hit album "C.M.B." with some aggressive hardcore punk.

Haha! I had some creative, witty friends who'd do that. They'd comb the bargain bins for the funniest (read shittiest) albums and then record Slayer or sth over it. Glory years. LOL.

Both TDK and Maxell had 60 min & 90 minute options. TDKs were just cheaper & looked cooler (they were silver on black). But essentially, I just went with whatever was cheapest in bulk that day so I had scores of both until The Flood of 2014.

I made countless mixtapes for girls I was dating, but I seriously doubt they had any aphrodisiac powers. They were just fun to make and super romantic gesture to boot. I still make my wife & kids playlists and some of these can carry a surprising amount of emotional weight. But yeah, there was definitely something extra special about cassette mix tapes. Packaging is everything.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 14:40:41 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 09/19/2014 18:40

meccalecca wrote:

What are you talking about? Gen Xers used mixtapes as a last resort to compensate for social awkwardness and the inability to speak to ladies

we're on the same page there. i'm more talking about the wistful fantasies that those socially awkward kids projected onto the silver screen as they came of age. 😜

Quote:

He should make a mixtape centered around 2 Live Crew's "Me So Horny"

never agreed with you more than right now

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

meccalecca — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 14:28:56 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 09/19/2014 18:28

satiemaniac wrote:

dating before mixtapes is way better, despite what certain high school movies made by Generation Xers would have you believe

What are you talking about? Gen Xers used mixtapes as a last resort to compensate for social awkwardness and the inability to speak to ladies.

He should make a mixtape centered around 2 Live Crew's "Me So Horny"

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 14:25:21 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 09/19/2014 18:25

Precedent wrote:

Looking to get to know this girl better.

Would a mix CD be a good way to "lighten the mood" a bit?

Thinking of putting the poppier side of my top 100 on there, and maybe a Mogwai song or two.

dating before mixtapes is way better, despite what certain high school movies made by Generation Xers would have you believe

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

meccalecca — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 12:44:49 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 09/19/2014 16:44

RepoMan wrote:

TDK.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

WindowAbove — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 12:32:01 GMT

Author: WindowAbove

Posted: 09/19/2014 16:32

I'm retarded, I thought that a mixtape was when a rapper puts out an "album" for free

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 22:30:25 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 09/19/2014 02:30

Looking to get to know this girl better.

Would a mix CD be a good way to "lighten the mood" a bit?

Thinking of putting the poppier side of my top 100 on there, and maybe a Mogwai song or two.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 21:27:13 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 09/19/2014 01:27

meccalecca wrote:

The big question is: Maxell or TDK?

TDK.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

HoldenM — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 21:25:19 GMT

Author: HoldenM

Posted: 09/19/2014 01:25

Skinny wrote:

I don't specifically think of a theme, I just trust my instincts and go with songs that I think will flow well into one another, and then check to see if I was right. Sometimes I'll have to take something out, because it just doesn't fit. But I certainly don't overthink it. You run the risk of ruining it that way.

Same.

Anyway, I came after cassettes, but I've made mix CDs for... everyone. I've made them for parents, girls, friends, school projects, group therapy people, etc. There's something about bringing together all of these songs so harmoniously for someone or something else. Rebranding that art, making it yours, and then sharing it with others. All of these songs that are, in many cases, your own secret, and work one step further as someone else's special insight into what you feel, and how your mind works. It's a certain sort of intimacy that still exists in a veil. Always the perfect gesture.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 15:04:39 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 09/18/2014 19:04

I've made lots of Cassettes and CDs in past 😄 I just put songs I liked on them.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

ButterThumbz — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 09:03:46 GMT

Author: ButterThumbz

Posted: 09/18/2014 13:03

Skinny wrote:

This ^... And yes, I've aborted many a potential mix because I've overthought it.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

Skinny — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 08:54:01 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 09/18/2014 12:54

I missed the whole cassette age, really. My dad used to make mixtapes for the car (and I assume for people, in his younger days), but I was brought up pretty much exclusively on CDs. That said, I would often be making mix CDs for people, and for myself. Friends still ask me to put together folders or playlists for them, and I'm virtually never without a new mix CD whenever I visit a particular friend who still relies on his shitty all-in-one player to listen to music, and I still put together a year-end mix CD (or several) for less musically-inclined friends and family, but there is less romance to it these days. That said, I'd still never put a mix CD together without listening through it all first, often several times, to make sure it's as well sequenced as possible. As to whether or not there's an art to it, I just don't know. I don't specifically think of a theme, I just trust my instincts and go with songs that I think will flow well into one another, and then check to see if I was right. Sometimes I'll have to take something out, because it just doesn't fit. But I certainly don't overthink it. You run the risk of ruining it that way.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

meccalecca — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 08:42:35 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 09/18/2014 12:42

The big question is: Maxell or TDK?

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

Mercury — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 00:44:35 GMT

Author: Mercury

Posted: 09/18/2014 04:44

Mixtapes were the shit got me maybe 15 or 12 years ago. CDs mixes just never had the same magic as making a little cassette full of goodies.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

junodog4 — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 22:49:55 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 09/18/2014 02:49

My older brother's friends starting calling me K-Tel because of all the tapes I was making.

I miss the art.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

benpaco — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 22:45:18 GMT

Author: benpaco

Posted: 09/18/2014 02:45

I exist due largely to a masterful mixtape made by my dad for my mom. He apparently made TONS of them, but one in particular he was proud of and sent her, it was a tape that he'd made mashups on by recording two songs at once, or recording the sound of a carousel over Devo's cover of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction". Sent that to my mom and that's part of why they got back together.

In my own life, mixtapes have been huge. I can tell you the exact track listing of the one my first gf gave me by heart, and played that at least 50 times according to iTunes. I can tell you the exact date I received one from my best friend. I pass them on to others each christmas. Just a big thing for me.

Glad they've had a big impact on you, too, meruizh, sorry your first experience was great but if the problem was something that small over a guy as cool as you, she was clearly crazy anyways.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

meccalecca — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 18:08:49 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 09/17/2014 22:08

Mixtapes aren't what they used to be. It was an art form a couple decades ago but has lost a bit of something in the digital age.

When I was a young lad my older brothers made mix tapes for me pretty regularly and those tapes opened up my world to many of my favorite artists. I very fondly look back to a tape from my brother Jason that included tracks from Mr Bungle's debut and Faith No More's Angel Dust. And a cd from my brother Chris was my introduction to Elliot Smith, Cocteau Twins, American Music Club, Mercury Rev, and a bunch of others.

In turn, I was the kid in middle school and high school known for hooking up friends with mixtapes, and introducing my pals to stuff far beyond the scope of MTV and the radio.

I still make my wife the occasional mix, generally themed around a sentimental thought or time period.

I still find myself obsessively making mixes that never come to fruition.

Re: The Art of the Mixtape

NowhereMan — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 16:33:47 GMT

Author: NowhereMan

Posted: 09/17/2014 20:33

Interesting, never really thought of mixtapes as a tool for such endeavours, I tend to use them for working out, commuting, working, etc etc.

The Art of the Mixtape

meruizh — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:56:33 GMT

Author: meruizh

Posted: 09/17/2014 19:56

Although now a days this tradition is being left behind it's still a pretty meaningful gift. There's nothing more personal than a mixtape. It can get communicate feelings or words that you may be incapable of saying or showing.

I've made a few over my life, two specifically to girls. And it's funny how something as simple as a mixtape can have a huge meaning. The first ever mixtape a made to a girl, was actually indirectly the reason she broke up with me later, because she wasn't sure how I deep were my feelings for her. When I gave her the mixtape, she asked if she had to listen to an specific song, I said no (I just made a mixtape, didnt know there could something greater than just music). Time went by she recall this event, as the moment she gave up on me.
I made no more mixtapes for fucking no one after that haha. Until...

The second one, was made a week ago. She doesnt care much for music, but still enjoys quality music. As I was making it, I recalled my last experience with a mixtape, so I wanted to be bullet proof. These are the things I thought were essential for the mixtape.

Know your target: A mixtape is a very personal thing. You must know at least the bare essentials of their music taste (e.g. whether or not they like rap, or hate The White Stripes)

Select a theme: Mixtapes should always be themed. You want there to be fluidity and cohesion - not just a random collection of songs.

Draft track listings: John Cusack's character in High Fidelity said, "To me, making a tape is like writing a letter - there's a lot of erasing and rethinking and starting again."

Mix it up: It is no good making a mixtape of completely similar tracks. There needs to be some variety.

Ask for feedback: It is good to know what the person thought of their mixtape. It's important to find out which songs they loved, and which songs they hated. This will mean next time you make them a mixtape it will be even better tailored to fit their musical taste

Never underestimate the power of a mixtape: Remember you are using someone else's poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing. If you are making a mixtape for the opposite sex but have no intention of a relationship, do not use songs like "You're Beautiful", "Sexual Healing" or "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" - it will probably send the wrong message.

Hope everyone gives their thoughts, experiences or anything at all in this subject.