Home Taping

An idea shamelessly stolen from misterprime. These are the remaining cassettes in my music collection, although I too have nothing to play them on. Kept purely for the memories (so many that this post has turned into a behemoth).

The first one is a live recording from Steve Lamacq's evening session sometime in 1994 - featuring Oasis (opening the bill), Chumbawamba (pre-15 minutes of fame), Nirvana sampling agit-rapper Credit to the Nation and the headliners Boo Radleys. This tape got heavy rotation in our 6th year common room at school, so much so that we could even quote the between song banter (Sice from the Boo Radleys - "Oasis are the popstars on your walls", Liam saying "hello Mum"). I've lost my other evening session tape, the one with The Frank & Walters and Evan Dando - now that was a classic.

Next up is the compilation that first introduced me to hip-hop beyond Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer! Compiled by the local hip-hop head and heavily weighted in favour of Naughty by Nature, it also features some more underground hits such as this one from Hijack. The soundtrack to games of basketball in my mate's back garden, you don't get more urban than that!

The Doors in concert is a well worn double album, featuring the lizard king at his overblown best. I was a real Doors obsessive at the time - reading and re-reading "No one here get's out alive", endlessly watching Val Kilmer doing his best Jim impression and introducing myself to the best of the beat poets. Nowadays the only Doors album I own is this one and I've forgotten the majority of their back story, still enjoying the beats though.

All of these cassettes come from the same era and the seminal compilation around that time was the free Creation records sampler stuck to the front cover of Select magazine (purchased on a school trip to New Lanark). This is Creation in their pre-Oasis heyday - Teenage Fanclub, Boo Radleys, Swervedriver, Ride and Slowdive. It was always the fannies and their version of "Kylie's got a Crush" that got the most air time, but looking back now the best track on their is "Son of Mustang Ford" by Swervedriver, an absolute belter.

Finally a demo of my mate's band PFZ, the best band to come out of Penicuik High School in 1992/93. A four-track ep, limited to about 10 copies. They don't come more exclusive than this.