With the Olympics about to start, and another basketball “Dream Team” ready for action, I couldn’t help but think about one of the best summers of my life – the Summer of ’92. I was 15 years old and starting to discover classic and indie rock, while still keeping a foot in the pop world. For this week’s Mix Tape I put together a compilation of tunes that captured my attention that fateful summer.
If you listened to rock radio during the Summer of ’92 for an hour, odds were you’d hear Tom Cochrane’s incredibly catchy one-hit-wonder Life Is A Highway. You’d also be likely to hear the Nine Inch Nails classic Head Like A Hole. GN’R were still a top the rock world that summer thanks in part to the epicness of November Rain which showed the band’s range. From there, we’ve got L7’s most famous tune, Pretend That We’re Dead, the song that introduced Cracker to the world, Happy Birthday to Me, and the Beastie Boys “comeback” hit So What’cha Want.
One group I discovered that summer which I still love is Toad The Wet Sprocket and for me it all began with All I Want. I also started to listen to the Grateful Dead in ’92 thanks in part to the release of Two From The Vault, so I’ve included the memorable Saint Stephen from that set. Finally, I’ll end with two radio staples – Give It Away by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bobby Brown’s Humpin’ Around.
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A great Summer it was. I graduated h.s., saw my first Dead show (Rich Stadium/Buffalo), went to Lollapalooza @ SPAC, and also saw Metallica and Guns N Roses at Rich Stadium (quite a different crowd/vibe than the Dead show). Life changing for sure, but not quite as impactful as the following Summer, when I discovered Phish.