Another special edition of the mix tape. This is simply a 15-song sample of what plays on my Pandora channel. Half of these songs I had never heard before, but my personal highlights are 'Islands' by The xx, 'I Could Say' by Lily Allen and 'I Get Around' by 2Pac. I am just lucky there is no Sam Kinison or showtunes on this 'tape'.

'To Dave, From Sammy, Surprise Summer 2005 Mix'

Bonus Mix Tape Night! A mix tape submitted by reader David K. Granted, since it was made in 2005, its not a tape, but an eclectic mix nonetheless, with artists ranging from Mindless Self Indulgence to Sheena Easton. And if the lyrics 'My baby takes the morning train, he works from nine to five and then, he takes another home again to find me waiting for him...' don't bring a grin to your face, don't consider yourself human anymore. You have a heart of stone. Anyway, highlights from this mix tape include the aforementioned Sheena Easton's work-a-day classic 'Morning Train', 'B.Y.O.B.' by System of a Down, and 'Love on the Rocks' by Neil Diamond. 'There are two types of people in this world: Neil Diamond fans and liars.'

'System Mix! Hollah!!!'

Tonight's playlist comes to us courtesy of frequent reader and drinking buddy Jen F. This mix tape was made because her boyfriend had just bought a new car and wanted to test out the sound system, hence the name of the mix. Highlights include 'Right Thurr' by Chingy, 'Tipsy' by J-Kwon and the most overrated, stupid club song of the 2000's, 'Yeah' by Usher and Lil Jon.

'The PB Mix Tape'

I don't know if a lot of peanut butter was being eaten when this was done, someone was watching 'American Psycho' (for Pat Bateman) or their boyfriend/girlfriend's initials were P.B. Some things are better left unanswered, such as the presence of not one but two Nickleback tracks on here. Highlights: 'You're Makin' Me High' by Toni Braxton (I have fond memories of this song from high school, wink wink), 'Turning Japanese' covered by No Use For A Name and 'Lullabye (The Divorce Song) by everyone's favorite singing comedian, Stephen Lynch.

'The 88 Mix Tape'

The first mix tape is from my own personal collection.  Technically not a tape, it is a mix that is clear that I had no idea how to make a mix tape.  Clearly, I was in a hip hop mood as there are lots of Biggie songs on this list, all songs you've heard before.  Highlights:  'Unite' by Beastie Boys, 'Southern Hospitality' by Ludacris and 'Frolic' (theme from Curb Your Enthusiasm) by Luciano Michelini.

Let's Make a Mix Tape

There are rules, per Rob Gordon:

'Now the making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art.  Many do's and don't's.  First of all, you're using someone else's poetry to express how you feel.  This is a delicate thing.  The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up is hard to do, that takes ages longer than it might seem, you gotta kick it off with a killer, to grab attention.  Then you gotta take it up a notch, but you don't want to blow your wad, so then you gotta cool it off a notch.  There are a lot of rules.  Anyway....'

We've all been making mix tapes since whenever we felt the need to express something with someone else's words that we could not think up ourselves.  It's funny.  I still have in a box somewhere in my estate most if not all of the mix tapes that all of my ex girlfriends made for me, some as far back as 23 years ago.  I have no idea if they still play, but the spirit of the tape might be why I hold on to them.  These girls spent hours sitting next to a radio just waiting for 'What It Takes' by Aerosmith or 'Everything I Do' by Bryan Adams to be in the next block of music so they could record it, then write a heartfelt note, decorate the cassette labeling and pass it to me in school the next day.

Later, the CD-to-cassette tape made it much less of a time waster to make these mixes for your boyfriend going off to college, a friend you met on a beach vacation, or a cheerleader that you knew through a friend of a friend that went to a different school.  The advent of Napster and Limewire and other file sharing networks made the mix tape a lost art.  You downloaded whatever you wanted.  No waiting, no dedication, just a search bar and the world of music at your fingertips.  Making a mix tape is a lost art these days.  I will be documenting these tapes/CDs as a way to remember the past, discover music, and embrace the ridiculousness of how these were put together.  Enjoy. Once again, these are actual mixes made by actual people. I have tried to get back story if possible. Email me your mix tape list and the genesis for it at lajb31@gmail.com.