Today I tackled the last of the tapes from Larry Boyd, a mix tape labeled “Alternative & Otherwise from the ’80s.” Twenty-three tracks from sixteen and a half bands/performers. (The half is Bonzo Goes to Washington, which existed only inasmuch as it’s the name the guys who made “Five Minutes” put on their recording.)

I’d never heard of several of these — the Mentors, Swans, World of Skin, Live Skull, Frightwig, Big Black, Holy Cow, the Proletariat. I’d only encountered Dinosaur under their later name, Dinosaur Jr. (They had to change it when they started selling overseas — there was a British band called Dinosaur that had dibs on the name.)

LL Cool J I’d certainly heard of, but I’m not sure I’d actually heard any of his numbers. Likewise Schoolly D.

Public Enemy I knew, of course — I was just playing them last night.

I knew Butthole Surfers and Motorhead and Killdozer and Henry Rollins, but hadn’t heard these particular songs. I think; I might’ve heard “Orgasmatron” before. Not a big Motorhead fan.

Frightwig is a lot of fun, but nothing very special musically.

I like World of Skin rather a lot. Gloomy chick singer — what a shock!

And Holy Cow takes the prize for most depressing, but is also extremely listenable: “Work work work work work work work work eat sleep work work…”

Nothing else stands out as anything all that very special, but nothing on here sucks, either. (LL Cool J’s “I Need A Beat” is probably the weakest.) It should be a good album to play when I’m feeling misanthropic.