Oliver: Long-lost playlist prompts musical mystery tour in the way-back machine

The piece of looseleaf paper was attached to a clipboard under some plastic quilt pattern pieces. A long-overdue reorganization project had uncovered what appeared to be a music playlist.

The sheet had a list of songs and artists, but not much more.

That I had been the one to put together the list was obvious, since it was in my handwriting. However, the loopier, more-rounded writing style was a version of me from more than a few years ago.

Back in the day, I had been one of those music lovers who would put together mixed tapes for just about everything. And when I say “tape,” that’s exactly what I mean: Cassette tapes were the medium with which I started.

At the very beginning, it was recording songs off the radio. The sound quality wasn’t always the best, but even bad-quality recordings were better than nothing.

Then the double-cassette recorder came along and made things a bit easier. Except that it took a good amount of effort to get to the desired song and to listen along to turn it off at the precise moment.

Each mixed tape then received its own name, usually a reflection of what the playlist intended to do. One of my favorites, “Dance Mix,” spawned a sequel named “Dance Mix’s Sister.”

When CDs and MP3s came along, things became easier. But not as easy as it became to re-create the list on Spotify. Progress.

That this newly discovered playlist had no name was a bit curious.

Looking at the list of 26 songs really didn’t reveal an overall theme. It wasn’t a list of my “favorite” songs because it was missing some key artists. I had a mystery on my hands.

Yet, in taking a closer look, it did offer some interesting insights into the time that it was created. Or the time I think it was created, since I didn’t bother to timestamp the list, either.

As near as I can tell, the list was made around 1996. I know that because the latest date of release on any of the songs was 1996. A few more of the songs were of 1995 vintage.

Some of the songs were from a time when I used to write album reviews for the Northwest Herald. Those were the days when we did that sort of thing in-house, and I happily participated so I could get my hands on new music. That was evident from the playlist inclusion of Jeffrey Gaines (“I Know a Man”), The Corrs (“Forgiven Not Forgotten”) and Fuzzy (“Sleeper”). If you’ve never heard of any of them, well, I’m not surprised. Still, they made enough of an impression on me to be included.

Not so surprising, given the 1996 date, was that Alanis Morisette and Oasis made the cut. That “You Oughta Know” was not on the list was evidence of my desire to not be obvious.

Then again, amid those 1990s gems, there were a few throwbacks that might cause one to wonder what I’d been drinking when I put this list together.

Of course, if you know me, then you might be able to understand why something like “Stompin’ at the Savoy” by Benny Goodman might be included. My father used to be a clarinetist, as was I, and he used to play in big bands, so I have an affinity for that genre.

That I would include a 1974 song by Bob Seger (“Get out of Denver”) probably had to do with the fact that my husband, Tony, had it in his collection. That, and I love Bob Seger. The same could be said about the inclusion of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and “Chain of Fools.” Tony had them and I liked them, so in they went.

A couple of songs from the 1980s were included: “All Fired Up” by Pat Benatar (1988) and “Sweet Dreams” by The Eurythmics (1983). No telling why they made the cut over others.

The rest of the selections were definitely early 1990s picks that came from albums that I no doubt bought and had been enjoying. Artists included Crowded House, U2, Tears for Fears, REM, Paul Simon, Belly, Tom Petty, Los Lobos and Mark Knopfler.

If nothing else, it was a snapshot of what I was listening to at that time. Any rationale beyond that has been lost to the passing of the years.

That’s why I decided to name the re-created playlist on Spotify “‘90s mixed tape.”

Rock on.

• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.