Man, the Compilation, that was the coda to my first bedroom symphony, the finale of the tunes I birthed at home. A mixtape of my hits, the soul of my initial four albums, sprinkled with some secret instrumentals and a dash of fresh jams.
Started the ride with “Nacirema,” a twisted flip of “Do a Little Love” from my “Wounded Son” joint – played it backward, caught that strange galloping guitar vibe that snags your soul.
Then, “Squirrel Bait,” an instrumental spinning that 12-bar blues mojo, a vibe reminiscent of “Misunderstood Misconceptions” from “Passing of the Sand.” Crazy thing, I dreamed of this tune on a New Coke commercial. Don’t ask why; it’s just the way the jazz flowed.
“Mountain Love,” a melody spun from a summer fling in the western wilds during a field bio class pre-college. But, man, she had a man already, and our love story faded fast. So, I poured my heart into “Why Don’tcha Need Me” and “I’ll Understand.” The latter, touched by Lennon and Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” and Pachelbel’s Canon, of all jams.
And, hey, don’t let “33 Second Heartache” slip your mind – a redux, pumped with new guitar echoes and vibes. Got that flavor with a fresh pedal, earned with hard-earned dough from washing dishes at Lou Malnati’s in Peoria. That pedal, man, my golden ticket to new sounds, new realms.
But, man, that was just the beginning. After that, I joined a band in college and got heavily influenced by REM and their hit “The One I Love.” I had first heard of them through a friend with their album “Fable of the Reconstruction” in ’85, but it was in ’87 that their mysterious lyrics and underground sound took over me and shook me up for good. The road of music-making was just getting started, and I was ready to keep on rollin’.
