Execution Of Innocence playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4nkQ3yHegGH0zKqZAqLV9f?si=gjSjNE7GTWmHmU_M-GZ7Mg
This not the entire collection of songs as there were a few versions. This is what Steve and I can collectively remember being on some of the different versions.
It’s 2002 and Mix CDs were all the rage. Friends were burning each other the newest albums or illegally downloading songs through their preferred pirate music downloading program (Limewire 4 lyfe)
I think this year was the year I listened to every metal/punk/rock album released... or it at least seemed that way. Nothing was off the table and I gave everything a chance. I was in pursuit of discovering my musical taste. Since Steve and I went to different high schools, we had separate sets of friends. This meant we were both bringing each other new songs shown to us from our other friends through school. Depending on whose house we were at, the host would eagerly show the other what they’re currently listening too, in the hopes that the other would love the song as much as what he does.
It got to a point where we both were trying to show each other so much new shit we needed a system, a way to show each other the best of the newest songs we were listening too, a chart like the Arias, updated periodically and most importantly it needed a cool as fuck name...
We decided that we would keep our individual “favourite songs” list, update it when we discover new songs (or stopped liking a song as much) and every so often (like once a month) we’d put our top songs onto a CD. You could fit around 20 songs onto a CD, this was before people had CD players that could play MP3 cd’s, so it was a decent chunk of music. We just needed a name for our collection of songs...
Execution of Innocence.
Yeah, look we were young teenagers. Thinking about it now it’s quite an accurate description of what was happening in our lives at that time. First loves, parties, drinking, getting into trouble...anyway back to the music.
I remember Steve writing out his list, 1 through to 20 odd, with all his songs in order, on a piece of ruled paper. I think I followed suit and made my list. It was serious stuff this! I’d play all the songs and depending on how much I loved them I’d scribble out the song and move it up or down on the list.
I can’t remember who decided but it was decided we should try and make a cover for our compilation CD. We came to the agreement that we would draw the South Park version of the wrestler Undertaker.
Ok, this is all getting a bit embarrassing, but hey... In for a penny, in for a pound! I recall sitting on my bedroom floor opposite Steve drawing out our covers. I used to draw a lot back then so I found it a lot easier than Steve. He wasn’t confident in drawing at all and was self-conscious of how it would turn out. I remember being slightly taken aback as he is usually quite a confident fella. All though I’m sure we had shown each other our flaws before this moment, it’s one of the earliest that I can recall. It’s not very often for young teenage boys to show their flaws, especially to their friends. After some encouragement and some “tips” from me, he ended up doing a great job. Once completed we were ready to burn our CDs. I think we kept our lists private until the unveiling, but I can't be sure. I do however remember showing each other the albums with pure excitement. We’d sit and discuss the reasons we had chosen each song and why it was placed at that number. Sometimes the lyrics translated to something going on with our lives, others was because of a certain moment in a song and sometimes it was just because they were bangers. There was always a song or two on the other CD that you had never heard before. This all took place back in the Limewire days as I said, so sometimes you wouldn't get the song that the file you were downloading was named. I had tried to download My Plague by Slipknot and when I played it, it was a completely different song. It was a song we named Feel The Pain, as it was one of the main lyrics. We never, EVER found out who the band was or what the song was called! I remember him singing that one lyric, there was like a Jonathan Davis-Esque scat in the breakdown section, and that's all I can recall. It was a pretty rocking song sitting firmly in the nu-metal genre. If that sounds familiar to you, please let me know so I can investigate!
Note: Speaking to Steve about this blog, he recalls this slightly different. As he recalls, he based his Execution Of Innocence around the idea of picking his favourite bands "Enter Sandman". Essentially he picked all the top hits of each of his favourite bands as his first edition. I believe this to be correct as when he helped me create the playlist, he mainly recalled his first CD, which was all the hits. The songs I remember him & I picking were newer songs, so I believe my account is of the second editions of EOI. He also remembered the Jay & Silent Bob intro's which are also included in the playlist above!
I’m not sure why Execution Of Innocence stands out in my mind, I barely remember the songs that featured on them. Looking back at it, it was a very kid-like thing to do, but it was fun. It made me analyse the music I listened to, to try and figure out what it was that made those songs resonate with me. It also may have something to do with the act of sharing that information with others. The way a song affects you may not affect another person the same way, and I loved hearing his reasons as much as I loved sharing them.
Maybe subconsciously, Execution Of Innocence has played a role in me starting this blog.
And maybe, just maybe we were fucking cool...
...Nah!
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