A Journey Through Mustard's CD Booklet (Part Three)

May 28, 2025

Last week Mustard began to share with you their CD booklet. They never expected the reception this series has received. It has been a lot of fun to journey through time and see what albums are still in their physical possession. There are many CDs that Mustard used to own but have been lost somewhere in time.

Mustard does not have the best memory but they are considering doing an article about those CDs and share some fun stories about each. If you are interested in reading that let Mustard know.

With that said let’s check out the final pages of their CD booklet.

Page One

Hannah Strumner - self titled debut album

Hannah Strumner is an independent singer-songwriter Mustard has had the pleasure of interviewing on two occasions. They were kind enough to send Mustard a physical copy of their debut album. This CD was joined with a nice note from Hannah saying thank you for all the support. Mustard is always grateful to receive merchandise like this directly from the artist.

Steely Dan - Gold (Expanded Edition)

Steely Dan is a band that Mustard loves but does not listen to it enough. In an attempt to listen to them more they bought this compilation album featuring their most popular hits. If anyone has any recommendations on where to start with Steely Dan Mustard would love to give their discography a proper listen.

Page Two

Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks

Another Gogol Bordello album. As Mustard in the second part of this series - they were enamored by Gogol Bordello. If they had to choose an Gogol Bordello album to throw on and experience - it was Gypsy Punks.

Will Smith - Big Willie Style

This album has some real gems on it. Mustard does not remember where or when they bought it but this is an album they would throw on occasionally.

Before becoming a semi-sentient condiment Mustard worked at a pizza place. One day working the morning shift Mustard and another coworker decided to play Will Smith’s “Miami” on loop for 2 hours. That day we had somehow convinced one of our other coworkers that the song was 2 hours long. They believed us. Or they were just going along with it. Mustard is still unsure. Nonetheless it was a pleasure listening to “Miami” on repeat for 120 minutes while making pizza dough from scratch.

Our kitchen, on the weekends, also played a lot of Christian Rock despite none of us being really religious. This song remains stuck in their bottle cap:

Page Three

Eric B & Rakim - Paid in Full

An absolute hip-hop classic. Like others in their collection they bought this because they needed it in their collection but did not fully appreciate it until later on. There is not a skippable track on this album.

MC Frontalot - Solved

If you are looking to learn more about the Nerdcore hip hop scene there is no one better to start with than MC Frontalot. MC Frontalot is considered the genre’s final boss and for good reason. They have not done much since but this album features some real gems such as “Victorian Space Prostitute” and “Captains of Industry.”

Mustard is curious to see how active the Nerdcore scene is. Perhaps they could do a future newsletter about the Nerdcore scene/genre.

Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth/All The Beauty in This Whole Life

It has been established that Mustard loved Rhymesayers Entertainment. Brother Ali was an artist they listened to a lot when they were feeling down. Ali always lifted them up and made them feel better. There is such an underlying positivity to Ali’s lyrics that you don’t see or hear often within hip hop.

Page Four

George Carlin - Jammin’ in New York

As mentioned previously George Carlin is Mustard’s favorite comedian. They are pretty positive they bought whatever album of Carlin’s they could find. Mustard usually would choose a show of Carlin’s at random and throw it on during their commute to work.

90s Mix

Mustard is pretty positive this is a burnt CD of a 90s compilation of the same name that their best friend had. Mustard enjoys 90s music but it is not music they have an attachment too.

Nas - Illmatic

For the longest time this was Mustard’s favorite album. Mustard studied and listened to this album whenever they could. As a condiment interested in hip hop beef they always preferred Nas over Jay Z lyrically. Nowadays they still the same way. Like other entries in this series Illmatic is another hip hop classic they needed to own.

Star Wars - The Force Awakens Soundtrack

Mustard enjoys the world of Star Wars. At the time, they, with what felt like everyone, was super excited for the return of Star Wars. The Force Awakens was an experience. If they had a long commute they would throw on this soundtrack and pretend they were within the Star Wars universe.

Mustard lore: Mustard proposed to their better half in front of Kylo Ren at Walt Disney World. The choices were between Kylo and Chewbecca. They choose Kylo Ren. After they said yes we proceeded to meet Chewbecca. Chewbecca was pissed when they were informed that Mustard proposed with Kylo’s blessing and not theirs.

Page Five

Hans Gruber & The Die Hards - With A Vengeance

This album is absolutely insane in the best way possible. There is no other band like Hans Gruber & The Die Hards. They are a modern ska band apart of the Ska Punk International roster that put on one of the most incredible live shows you will ever see. If you listen to any album from this collection - make it this one. They want to hear your thoughts.

Taylor Swift - Lover

This is not Mustard’s favorite Taylor Swift album but it is one they own. Mustard needs to determine which era of Taylor Swift they most identify with.

Amon Armath - Berseker

This album got Mustard through a lot. Before becoming a semi-sentient condiment on the world wide web they were a teacher (not a very good one.) At the time they were teaching middle school and had no idea what they were doing. It was not a healthy environment and each day was an obstacle. At the end of each work day on their commute they would listen to this album. It helped them de-stress and feel better after a long day.

Page Six

Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid

Mustard was still in college when this album came out. They remember listening to it consistently and remember introducing one of their friends to Aesop Rock. Their friend did not listen to a lot of hip hop but they were absolutely hooked and wanted to know more about Aesop Rock. If you are not listening to Aesop Rock - change that now.

Metallica - The Black Album

Mustard was first introduced to Metallica thanks to ECW professional wrestler The Sandman. The Sandman often came out with a beer and smoking a cigarette. His entrance music was Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” Even though they no longer watch World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Here is their fondest memory of the song:

Now Mustard listens to “Enter Sandman” in the lobby every time they play Fortnite.

Childish Gambino - Awaken, My Love

Mustard loves this album. Community is Mustard’s favorite television program. At this time they were obsessed with all things Donald Glover. They remember this album being really polarizing but it grew on them a lot over time. As they type the melody of California begins to play in their bottle cap.

This completes the journey through their CD booklet. Physical media is so important to maintain and hold onto. Digital media, while convenient, lacks the intricacies and feeling of purchasing a physical CD. One of Mustard’s favorite things about CDs was the artwork and booklet that came with each. It made it a more immersive experience.

As always they wonder:

Are any of these CDs in your personal collection?
Which album intrigues you the most?
Do you play Fortnite?