I put this mix of music together in December, 1987 as a Christmas and birthday gift for my best friend, Richard Elias. This was my very first Christmas away from home, and I was feeling very sad at the time. I really missed him. This mix of music is, in a way, a chronological look at our friendship since high school. When he listened to the tape, he told me it hit him like a freight train. I figured it might. Our friendship only got stronger over the years, and damn, I miss him now more than ever. He’ll always be in my heart.