Now at long last I am tackling the promised cassette portion of my C-bus musical collection. Many of these I acquired from a single person on Instagram one day. He posted a picture and said he was selling them, and I basically instantly commented yep, how much. Done. As an added bonus, he also mailed me a bunch of random stickers to go with these tapes. All in all, a tremendous haul.
It was the top photo in my feed and felt like destiny. And listening to them, this has only further bolstered that impression – even if approximately half I would consider junk I’m really not into. But which half? The answer to that one may surprise you.
As far as this post goes, I laughably, initially thought I could knock this out in a single day. And yet it has unexpectedly turned into one of my more arduous efforts ever. Over a month later, it’s finally seeing the light of day. On one hand maybe this should have been completely obvious, considering the subject matter and task at hand: of course this took forever, because you had to sit there and actually listen to a bunch of tapes. There are no shortcuts. And so even if true, I consider the time spent doing this a neat analogy for the cassette era, period. It says something about that time period versus the one we now find ourselves in, and I do actually feel like I have a greater appreciation for these projects after having no other option, but to immerse myself in them and let these things play. Technically I could have maybe found some of it on Youtube or Spotify or purchased CDs or something, but this seemed kind of stupid and totally flying in the face of buying these puppies in the first place.
So let’s dig into this vast treasure, and see what we’re dealing with here….
The Buckeye Marching Band tapes
I’m not even going to bother breaking these out separately. I mean, would the people who played on the things be able to recognize these by ear? Probably not, unless it was an extremely unusual tune they selected. Additionally, much of the suspense with this post is perhaps eliminated right off the bat, when I reveal now that this is a huge chunk of that half which I’m not really into. So it seems kind of silly to rate these year by year, and I am definitely not the man for the job. Also, watching the band in action, preferably live, as they form their famous bodily arrangements, is a major part of the fun which you are missing here.
Having said that, I do get a kick out of certain song selections. And one crucial element marching bands have going for them, in favor of simple brass bands (for example, the dreadful Lead On! tape I’ll be reviewing down below), would be the drumline. For example, on the first cassette tape depected above, titled “Hang On Sloopy,” there’s a killer drum solo near the beginning of Disney classic Under The Sea. Another highlight is the hilarious yet informative Buckeye Demo, during which the band director explains this became the world’s largest marching brass band in 1934, then runs through every piece in the ensemble and has them demonstrate what they do. Right after that, however, is a dreadfully corny, all vocal version of the inevitable Hang On Sloopy. I would say the same about the very similar I Wanna Go Back To Ohio State, except this is so hokey it’s almost reverted back to cool again – and makes me long for the days when oldtimers actually referred to our city as “Columbus Town.”
Hmm, guess I said I wasn’t reviewing these puppies, yet here I am doing exactly that. Well, I’m giving them one pass apiece, and jotting down any impressions, so take that as you will. And I think I might be sort of getting the hang of this, maybe, despite my reservations! The second cassette, which is called Hey! Buckeyes! has a better track list, at first glance. However I feel confident in saying this was not the best edition of the OSU marching band. Or at least, this tape doesn’t capture that band as well. Maybe it’s me – and again, I’m just zipping through these with a single listen – but the songs all seem to fly by at the same overly peppy tempo. There’s not a ton of variation here, to my ears.
Brass Roots was too warped to even play properly, for the most part, although I can’t say I’m too terribly saddened by this development. The Script Ohio cassette does feature a couple of tunes I enjoyed – a slow, mournful take (though I’m not sure how this is supposed to rally the troops) of I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You, and then a much more exuberant rendition of Lionel Richie’s timeless All Night Long. It’s basically impossible not to love that one in pretty much any form.
I didn’t hear anything on Buckeye Battle Cry! to write an op-ed piece to The Lantern about, despite a few unique selections not found anywhere else. These occasional choral numbers, here and elsewhere, are mostly beyond dreadful. The Pride of the Buckeyes, which has Paul Droste as director, does feature more inspired drum work than I’ve heard on most of the other compilations. And their version of Neil Diamond’s Coming To America sounds suitably majestic, more regal in fact than all the other patriotic classics I’ve heard. Or maybe it’s just that I’m more partial to pop songs of a certain era: Beat It mostly works, too, Eye Of The Tiger most definitely. That last one is especially played with extra gusto. But as I’ve mentioned, even the drums on this NBC Chimes Festival help carry this tune to that same lofty plane.
Buckeye BLOCKBUSTERS! gets off to a strong start with some Star Wars pieces, but then again these were orchestral pieces to begin with, some of the more famous and best of the past fifty years. After that, however, despite the album title, what follows is fairly dreadful. Even the inclusion of some unique, modern pop cuts doesn’t elevate matters any. Sadly, about the most memorable moment from here on out is a hilariously corny vocal take on God Bless The U.S.A. – I would term it good, but at least it stands out from the rest of this quagmire.
Apart from the packaging, the highlight of Buckeye Bandstand is probably an epic rendition of this Barnum & Bailey circus theme. At least I think that’s where I was on this cassette. Funny, but this looks like the oldest of the marching band tapes, yet it might also be the least lame.
Hot Pursuit – Safety Zone
Now we’re talking! This is much more like it. A band composed mostly of Columbus police officers, these cats could cook. While it might seem on the surface like dorky dad rock, I think that’s mostly due to the setting and the target audience: they were quite often playing for elementary students. Therefore had to yuk it up a bit as a result. And then slip in the positive, anti-drug messages where they could, although those are basically never a bad idea. If you saw them at some outdoor festival or something, playing for adults, however, I’m pretty sure you and you buddies would be looking at one another, impressed eyebrows raised, commenting favorably upon their chops.
So they bust out the occasional original (People Get Up) or maybe what amounts to a somewhat obscure, organizational cheer (the D.A.R.E. theme song, essentially). My tape warbles and slows down a little bit during the latter, actually, which somehow enhances this cut, lending it a vague vaporwave sound. Mostly, though, they are known as a cover band, and they deliver the goods in this regard. My favorite is Twist & Shout, in large part due to the intro where the cop on the mic tells these students to take it easy on their teachers, because they’re probably sore, due to “all the twistin and the dancin.” I thought I was going to piss myself the first time I heard this, from laughing so hard. And am still on the brink of doing so, during who knows how many repeat plays.
Even so, their versions of Locomotive and Johnny B. Goode remain the most popular, easily 2-3x anything else. Although you listening to Twist & Shout may change all that:
Hot Pursuit – Back In School
Though the previous selection was highly enjoyable, I consider this a superior album overall. Even if I’ve never been a fan of the song, I expected their version of BTO’s Takin’ Care Of Business would prove most popular on here. It was even the leadoff cut, likely indicating that Hot Pursuit thought the same, too. However, I’m happy to report that Do Wah Diddy Diddy has thus far proven the fan favorite instead. As far as originals (I think, anyway) are concerned, Cruisin’ To The Radio is the best I’ve heard from them. But I think my top cut here is their take on Wipeout, during which their drummer is thoroughly kicking ass:
The cover is decent, as you can see, but not quite as iconic as Safety Zone‘s. Also, though the various schools are listed, where this live album was recorded, it doesn’t state which songs were captured in which school. The nerd/detective in me would really like to know this, for some reason. I could probably piece together some of it based upon vague clues in between-song chatter, if I dug deep enough. For the remainder, it’s going to take the help of you, faithful reader. Only YOU can help prevent incomplete liner notes!
The OSU Tailgate Cassette, Volume One
Calling these “tailgate” cassettes might seem a bit of a stretch, considering these aren’t really party jams or anything. However it’s not too difficult to imagine a pack of middle aged dudes cranking these bad boys at maximum volume from the cab of their pickup truck, in the parking lot before a game, whilst the grilled meats and the ice cold beers are freely dispensed behind it. Plus, well, the subject matter is often OSU and specifically Buckeye football related. So we’ll give the titling a pass.
These are seemingly hodgepodge collections assembled from all over the place, but offer a wide variety of styles from various local bands. And make for some mighty interesting listening as a result. Of the three tapes I own, Volume One has the more intriguing cover art, as I’m really digging this keypie-doll-esque carving out of letters from photos over a plain black background. Or whatever you would call this. Both collections were produced and arranged by John Tatgenhorst, but as I didn’t quite listen to these tapes in the order depicted at my photo up top, I’m getting to this edition only after listening to Volume Two. And writing these blurbs in that order as well. So forgive me if I don’t feel quite like explaining certain aspects all over again, and/or cutting and pasting and editing things I already wrote to go here instead. What can I tell you – at nearly two months invested with this post, this has been way more labor intensive than I ever imagined. In fact all other progress has ground down on this site while I furiously pushed through to wrap this baby up. But yeah, if seeking slightly more detail about some of these acts, by all means continue onward to the next cassette.
As previously noted, I suspect some of these versions were lifted from other similar compilations. But am not quite maniacal enough to compare them side by side. Sticking with some things I know for a fact I haven’t heard before, among the first of these (just playing the tape as-is, wherever it stopped and whatever the side), it’s impossible to ignore or forget Oh Gordon, You’re Our Man. This thing is truly awesome and should be at the top of anyone’s all-time OSU themed playlist. This tribute to one Mr. Gordon Gee sounds like what would happen if you were tasked with composing a tune for Schoolhouse Rocks, but were told to make it about the OSU president. Go Bucks I probably have heard elsewhere, but it’s only really registering now, and is awesome slab of “news broadcast theme song,” circa 1980s, or maybe that would be merely the intro to the sports segment of the news broadcast. Replete with fret burning guitar action in the background.
These High Street Stompers are good at what they do, on for example Down By The Ohio, but this is not for me. I’m finding this material far cheesier than the Hooked On Harmonica tape, for example. This instrumental jam on We Don’t Give a Damn For The Whole State of Michigan is where it’s AT, however! Courtesy once again of the Columbus Jazz Quintet, although on this selection I would single out pianist Phil DeGreg for special praise. And then they follow up with an equally excellent Across The Field, this time highlighting the smooth saxophone of Michael Cox. Round On The Ends And High In The Middle is certainly a title you can interpret any number of ways, though of course it’s supposed to specifically mean the name Ohio. Fortunately for us, with their slick late night grooves, OSU Jazz Ensemble skirts all controversy with their excellent instrumental take.
There is an absurd amount of blank space following the last song on side two, Carmen Ohio. It’s the most extreme example I can recall from any cassette I have ever owned. I’m actually curious to hear the backstory about how this might have happened and why – did he purchase a ton of blank cassettes in advance, and miscalculate the running order at hand? Did one or more licensing deals fall through at the last moment? If anyone knows anything about this gripping mystery for the ages, by all means let me know. Overall, this collection is not quite as good as Volume Two.
The OSU Tailgate Cassette, Volume Two
I always love the archaeological aspect of digging through these old treasures and seeing what kind of connections I might make. So it is that, popping the tape in to begin randomly playing wherever it happened to have been left by the last listener, the first full song I hear (following a snippet of A Buckeye Medley) is The Tailgate Jazz Quintet’s take on Le Regiment. I’m already digging this track and then examine the liner notes, am plesantly suprised to see Jim Rupp listed as the drummer. Jim I’ve actually spoken to on countless occasions as he used to shop at the Wild Oats where I worked and was also employed (might still be, for all I know) at Pro Percussion. He’s a super nice guy and at one point we talked to him about what it might take to restore Matt’s 1973 Ludwig kit to its former pristine glory. If I’m not mistaken I might still have a business card of his around here somewhere as well. As far as I know, though, this is the first time I’ve ever heard any of his actual work – not bad, Mr. Rupp! The whole band cooks, really, and this is already a favorite.
A funky offering called Yeah! by OSU Jazz Ensemble follows, features Pharez Whitted on trumpet, and is also quite the spirit lifter indeed. It Comes Down To Victory, meanwhile, which is evidently an original by The Electric Tailgate Band, amounts to nothing less than good solid fun of the highest order. Featuring some highly entertaining, pep rally worthy lyrics, with backing girls shouting “Go Bucks!” during the chorus, this sounds like something directly out of the 1980s. Specifically the sitcom/amusement park/sports team theme song genre, which is of course perfect, like something they would have played during a Cedar Point commercial or before Cincinnati Reds broadcasts. Totally awesome. Then their version of We Will Rock You immediately follows and is entertaining enough, but not quite transcendent. Much more engaging is when they put their spin on Neutron Dance, with the Buckeye Sisters in full command of the microphones. They also tackle, ahem, Hang On Sloopy, which features an inspired guitar solo and is at least more interesting than most other renditions I’ve heard. Saturday Afternoon Fever crops up twice, to open and then close out this album (as a shortened reprise), and is another of these insanely buoyant originals. If one is able to resist bouncing around in his lawnchair while either of these play, then he is no mere mortal.
A trio of OSU Marching Band selections crop up on side two, which I’m lukewarm on, and are possibly culled from other tapes listed above anyway. You’re A Buckeye is an inspirational epic duet in the grand Disney tradition, performed by The Tailgate Orchestra and Chorus, and simply must be listened to in order to be believed. The High Street Stompers bring out the Dixieland or ragtime or something (I’m not really an expert on these matters) for a couple of tracks, Mack The Knife and Brutus Buckeye Won’t You Please Come Home. That second one was originally a tribute to someone named Bill Bailey, and although this is the name Axl Rose used as a child, I’m going to take a wild stab and guess that wasn’t him. Then we’re back around to A Buckeye Medley, as performed by OSU Men’s Glee Club. As previously mentioned, I do get a kick out of I Wanna Go Back To Ohio State, one segment of it, though overall this is not something I would ordinarily listen to in my free time, to say the least.
Overall, this is a wickedly entertaining collection. And I ended up with two copies of this tape, too! One of which has never been opened! You can even see the faint print of a Buckeye Corner price sticker on the back. Therefore anyone interested in purchasing the unplayed cassette can obtain it from me here.
Go Bucks! The OSU Tailgate Cassette, Volume 3
Actually, the cover on this one might rival Volume 1. It almost resembles a zany baseball card design from the 1970s, one that’s aged better than you thought, albeit in this instance with a deranged Brutus Buckeye terrorizing some other mascot. And from a quality standpoint, it’s right up there with Volume 2.
As far as the song selections, Right to the Heart of the Buckeyes by The Electric Tailgate Band is an absolute can’t-miss moment. It’s like one of those top 40 stabs at rap music from 1986, with a smokin’ guitar solo thrown in for good measure. And of course, totally rad lyrics about cloberring the other teams come game day.
We’ve Got The Moves, another original by these same guys, is nearly as awesome. Some of these other tunes from various outfits I’m beyond sick of by now, but hey, you’ll have that with a project like this. Woody’s Song is like a barbershop quartet number from The Buckeye Blend, and you can probably guess how much you’ll dig it with this description alone. The ETB boys elsewhere deliver credible versions of Gary Glitter, The Heat Is On, Born To Be Wild (the keyboard solo is particularly engaging on this cut), and a YMCA parody they’ve reimagined as (what else) O-H-I-O. And on another song they wrote, Rah Rah Boogie, they compare this particular dance to the macarena – and if this number doesn’t get body shaking, then nothing will! You bet your sweet bippy!
The Tailgate Glee Club somehow delivers a tropical take on High In The Middle, albeit one you might have caught on a PBS show for children. Even while they openly court controversy by declaring that John Cooper’s coaching is “hot these days.” Talk about a riot starter. The under-represented Buckeye Sisters also deliver a spirited rendition of We Are Family that will surely keep the party going.
Brass Band Of Columbus – Lead On!
This really is not my cup of tea, either. There’s a heavy reliance on Sousa marches on this tape, which might be considered “classics,” but are pretty durn cheesy if you ask me. It’s vaguely interesting to learn what the names are to a couple of old chestnuts that everyone can whistle in their sleep (like Washington Post March), but that’s about it.
Recorded Live @ The French Market – Sharon’s tape
I’m a little confused by this one, because the cover says “Susie’s” but the tape itself claims that Sharon is the auteur behind this project. At second glance though this cover makes me wonder though if “Susie” was the owner of the Recording Studios Of America operation at this point. Is that what this means? Also, as you’ll soon see, there’s a reason to doubt the date typed on both sides of this cassette.
Well, whatever. Let’s get down to brass takes here with the inevitable, hard hitting review. In case you’re wondering, Recording Studios Of America appears to have basically been a karaoke brick-and-mortar business which committed your masterpieces to tape. And this one would have been located at The Continent. Up first we have a very special rendition of Celine’s Dion timeless pop smash, Because You Loved Me.
Among the things I’m thankful for is that she actually recited the date, at the beginning of this recording: December 14, 1996. Wow. That alone makes it a priceless artifact. Although it does make even a moderately curious reporter wonder why it says November 15 instead, on side A and B both. In this instance, I can only assume an employee screwed up. Presumably Sharon knows the month and day of her anniversary. And thanks to that dedication, I think you can rule out – at the very least – this track having been done on any different day.
Otherwise, umm…let’s just say I’m thankful when the canned backup singers come in at the chorus? But let’s get real here. Good or bad, I am grateful this thing exists at all, because I truly enjoy listening to stuff like this – regardless of the quote unquote “quality.”
And you know what else? At least she went for it. Yes, warbling to a large degree and all over the map, but who cares. There is a single surprising moment late in the recording where she actually hits one of these high notes and I’m thinking, okay, the potential might have been there, it would have just taken some training to iron out the kinks, there, Sharon.
Most of all, though, I’m guessing she doesn’t care much either way. I don’t want to speculate about the outcome from that dedication at the beginning, regarding her and this James character, but either way, if this tape truly meant much to her, it probably doesn’t end up out on the open market.
Aha! So with her take of Lean On Me, we have our first opportunity to compare two different interpretations of the same cut. Well, let’s just say she is no Hot Pursuit. This recording is a little smoother than her previous offering, however, so kudos for that. Also, she starts into another dedication to her husband, but this is abruptly cut off – which is unfortunate, although it does make me wonder if RSOA was allowing customers to cut multiple takes until they were satisfied with a recording. Otherwise, I’m not sure how this technical glitch happens.
I suppose it’s possible this was recorded on 11/15/96, and the flipside on 12/14, but consider the date stamps suspect altogether. Gaining access to the RSOA documentation archives would be priceless, though I suspect these found their way to the nearest dumpster circa 1997 or so. Also these production copyright stamps of 1983 and 1990 are hilarious, because I’m kind of wondering what this can even possibly mean.
Recorded Live @ The French Market – Missy’s tape
These cuts are even more mysterious than Sharon’s project, and therefore twice as compelling. Up first we are treated to I Have Nothing, although if you listen carefully, you will observe there’s some other totally different song buried in the murk behind it. I can confirm that isn’t the other side of the tape bleeding through, which you would sometimes encounter on old cassettes. There are only two other possibilities, then – either they reused their tapes on occasion, and this one wasn’t fully erased first somehow, or else we are overhearing someone else in a nearby booth or whatever, recording their own karaoke jam. And I think it was most likely the latter. Which is totally fascinating, making me wonder who else was there on this day, and attempt playing detective to figure out the tune in question.
From a quality standpoint, this girl can really sing! I would totally be happy to jam with her, at any time. Having said that, Stay by Lisa Loeb is a far better song than the Whitney Houston selection up top, so it only makes sense that Missy’s rendition is superior as well:
And yet the mysteries only deepen if you look at the disparate dates on both sides of the tape. If this is to be believed, these two tracks were recorded a couple of years apart! So how did this work, exactly? Could you record one song and leave it in the can, so to speak, until maybe returning at a later date to knock out the other? Or did you bring the tape back yourself to tack on side 2? Could it be that whoever typed these was on some serious drugs or something and just pecked out these labels all willy-nilly? Based upon the Sharon project, I’m not entirely sure what to think about these dates – but I also can’t imagine that someone would screw up the years to this large a degree. Also, Stay didn’t even come out until 1994, which kind of narrows the window a bit. All in all, it certainly makes me wish to learn more about this Recording Studios Of America operation.
David Tolley – Live From OSU
This is some mind-blowingly impressive solo piano work, let me state for the record. I can’t even fathom how a human could perfect his craft to this degree in a single lifetime. As far as specifics go, on this relatively short (six tracks) collection from 1989, Tolley tackles a handful of classic classical pieces, as well as one original, Sonata 1981, Movement 1. His composition is impressive enough in its own right – you basically wouldn’t know this wasn’t a standard, at least not to my ears – but his take on Bach’s Fantasie In C Minor is my personal favorite. Otherwise, he tackles three Chopin pieces, and the various movements of Beethoven’s Sonata Opus 22, B Flat Major.
Watershed – Three Chords and a Cloud of Dust Live
Somehow I ended up with this one on cassette and CD both. While certainly not complaining about this outcome, I’m going to skip reviewing it all over again and suggest you visit my previous post on this topic instead.
The Columbus Jazz Orchestra – Big Band, Swing, Blues & All That Jazz
Okay, now this is more like it. I hadn’t been crazy about that earlier brass band offering, and am glad this tape was included to help me isolate the reasons why. Individual horns (and woodwinds, et cetera) generally sound awesome to me, whereas a whole section of them is more like a mushy blob. Therefore jazz will always hold the edge over that big brass band business, to my ears, assuming a similar level of competence. And that’s just one point in its favor – there are also the drums, bass, piano, not to mention that I’m generally more a fan of these jazz compositions than big band standards to begin with. So yeah, this was an awesome collection and I would gladly throw it on again any day of the week. Probably my second favorite tape in the set, actually.
Parsing out the highlights is somewhat difficult because basically every track is killer. Really it comes down to which of these standards you consider your favorites, and then guaranteed, these guys hit it out of the park with their version here. The muted trumpet and mournful piano on ‘Round Midnight kick things off in fine fashion, and When Lights Are Low offers pretty much what the title suggests, slinky lounge jazz at its finest. Woody ‘N’ You surely has nothing to do with a former Buckeye football coach, though it’s quite enjoyable to pretend so. I do find I like the slower numbers better than more upbeat ones, but this is merely a personal preference.
Hooked On Harmonica Vol. II
An unexpectedly delightful and borderline maniacal collection of a few different harmonica ensembles around town. One that is further enhanced in that they zip through a whole mess of numbers and don’t exactly overstay their welcome on any of them. Therefore after a so-so start to this batch of tapes, and an uneven middle, the back half has been packed full of hits – so in other words, paced just like many concerts are, however accidentally. Ghost Riders in the Sky is probably the show stopper here, but they surely already knew this themselves, which is why they placed it last.
Otherwise, only a few of these tunes are even familiar to me. Sweet Georgia Brown’s not bad, and of course everyone knows Rocky Top. If this sounds like your thing, though, I feel confident saying you will enjoy the whole album. This cover image did inevitably make me wonder how many of these fine folks are still alive, though. Even though it came out in 1988, i.e. “only” 36 years ago, I was thinking that there are probably only three, maybe four participants from this ensemble that are still around. To potentially tell us something about this club and these projects, if we’re lucky.
The Dolby Fuckers
This one was given to me at the door of a show nearly 20 years ago. And I’m sorry to report that, as far as I can recall, I never listened to the thing until just now. I actually don’t recall off the top of my head specifically who gave me the tape, or what band was playing – common sense might indicate that this was a Dolby Fuckers show, but I actually don’t think so. It seems like this was more a fun li’l side project for one of the musicians in some other band. Hopefully these details await excavation in my journals at some point, but we shall see.
Anyway, onto the matter at hand. First things first, the album art is beyond awesome (a sticker applied to the case itself, in case you can’t tell) and I’m guessing that these must have been created by hand, i.e. that every copy is unique? If not, then these are some mighty impressive looking photocopies for 2006. As for these mysterious symbols, it looks like a stab at some calligraphy of some sorts in a possibly self-invented language. Moving on to the tape itself, it seems clear that these two sides were distinguished from one another by dripping different colored paint upon each side. In other words, I can’t see any way whatsoever that each copy wouldn’t be totally unique:
So in other words, this is all some brilliant packaging and marketing. But I think you can see why I just sort of assumed this would be the epitome of homespun zaniness, musicially, and wasn’t really expecting much. Which is why it sat unplayed for an eternity. Firing this up for the first time proves to be a jarring experience, however, because this entire album is really, really good! As in, I wouldn’t get rid of a single track here. They’re pretty much all great.
Leadoff track Pattern Dykes makes it totally clear that they’ve listened to and absorbed their Guided By Voices (a likely inspiration for this project as a whole), but so what? This is one of the more credible knockoffs I’ve ever heard, and you could easily build an entire career around such. Fortunately for us, however, they have multiple other weapons in their arsenal.
Bucky Kentucky starts off with a little bit of a Flaming Lips meets early Pink Floyd kind of vibe, or really never abandons it, although it’s extremely catchy and there’s this really cool effect whereby the three different vocal parts in spots sound as though they’re coming from three different rooms. Angry Yung Man features a blistering guitar solo among other delights. Rekkids uses a plinky keyboard to tremendous effect. Then there are other what you might call more expected garage rock type offerings, such as Sharpshooter or The Theme or Centipedes, although even here on the latter track, there’s a tinny 1960s keyboard sound to keep you entertained. Flourishing The Bottom, meanwhile, has all your wistful lo-fi ballad bases covered. Then there’s Pagan Xmas, which introduces itself via some riffing that wouldn’t sound out of place on a vintage Rick Springfield or Sammy Hagar cut – though the remainder of the tune veers sharply into indie rock land:
If I had to pick one favorite from this album, that would probably be it. And fear not, kiddies, lest you worry about liner notes – oh yes, we have them, and handwritten ones to boot! And I am mighty thankful for these as well, for they are pure gold. A couple of the names sound vaguely familiar, but I don’t think I ever knew a Lee Andrew Keeler, who wrote most of these tunes. I’m not exactly surprised to see Kyle Sowash show up on one of the tracks. All in all I would say these are some extremely talented and clever people, whoever they are. The MySpace reference is also quite charming nowadays.
I always appreciate artifacts which provide more information while leading to still even more mysteries, though, and this one certainly qualifies. For one, I’m just dying the know now where all these different houses are, where the various tunes were recorded, the pieces of equipment and the stories behind them. But also, one final oddity is that there’s a bit of a Mountain Goats song (Jaipur) left behind on this tape, on the very end of the second side, after this album ends. I only know what this is because it didn’t sound like anything else, so I Shazamed it. In other words, it’s as though they recorded this album on some old blank tape that was lying around, which had already been previously used for something else. Nothing too remarkable there, we all did the same thing back in the day countless times…except it says they sent this material off to some dude in Brooklyn to have it mastered. So then, what, after this was done, they still dumped all the songs down to whatever random tapes they could scrounge up from everyone’s apartments and cars and so on, who knows how many copies of them? Did the Jaipur dub make it onto every cassette, or does this make mine unique?
All questions, I can only hope, which will be answered at a later date. But if you know anything about the creation of this unlikely, unexpected masterpiece (or anything else on this post), by all means hit me up!
