It’s Not Mystery Friday in this Universe, but we do have a mystery here. No J-card, just a cassette with the number 2 and “Chaos Oblivion” scrawled in pen on a gray sticker. Not in the DU DemoBase™, so pre-Internet. What does the “2” signify? Side 2? The album’s title? The band’s name? It’s ambiguous. I don’t know about you, but I’m kinda excited. Let’s assume the 2 means side 2, flip the tape over and listen to the (un-stickered)……
Welcome to another episode of Mystery Friday! You know the drill, so let’s get to it. Tonight we have a rather impressive looking Maxell Studio Tape MS-20 cassette. Ten minutes a side, bitches! No idea what’s on it. Side A: 1) The Rocker. Hard rock, almost metal. High tenor vocals. Chorus effect on the guitars, so ’80s? A whiff of early ’90s dissonance. Evident Led Zep influence. Decent solo. Slap bass break, ugh no. Not terrible, but I can’t pick…
This is Koko: She went to the groomer’s this afternoon, and she looks very pretty. Koko’s a good dog. Isn’t that right, Koko? ‘at’s a good girl. Welcome to another episode of Mystery Friday on Saturday! Time once again to reach into the Box of Unknown, pull out a tape, play it, and attempt to describe it. Tonight’s subject is a Maxell Epitaxial XL II 90 cassette, unmarked and in excellent condition, encased in a slightly cracked jewel box, with no…
Welcome to another edition of Mystery Friday, when I reach into the Box Of Unknown, pull out an unmarked cassette, play it, and attempt to describe it. Some of these tapes haven’t been played in more than 1,500 Fridays; who knows what’s on ’em? Not me, pal. Not me. Tonight’s subject is a Sony HF 60 Type I Normal Bias cassette. As was customary, bits of Scotch™ tape cover each recording tab. I could record over this sucker right now….
Welcome again to another episode of Mystery Friday! Time moves in strange ways in the Demo Universe, especially when I reach into the Box Of Unknown, pull out an unmarked cassette, play it, and attempt to describe it. Our subject today/yesterday is a Denon Anti Resonance Construction HD8/100 High Bias Head Cleaning Leader cassette. You can tell from the number of words that this is a premium quality cassette. It has a jewel box but no j-card and the cassette…
Welcome back to another episode of Mystery Friday, when I play a cassette tape from the box UNKNOWN and attempt to describe it. Tonight we have a TDK SA-X 90. Jewel box is in very good condition; just a scuff on the spine. The cassette itself is in mint condition, unmarked in any way. Sherlock couldn’t guess what’s on this tape. Let’s listen! Side A 1. “Hypnotized” seems to be the title. Prog-pop, like Collins-era Genesis or Foreigner or Rush….
Welcome to Episode Three of Mystery Friday! Time for another plunge into the box UNKNOWN. Tonight’s tape is a Scotch BX 90 135m Normal Bias. Scotch brand cassettes were not commonly used during this Universe; Memorex was much more popular at that time. And I can hear why — the spools rattle like mad as I fast-forward to limber up the tape. In any event, the cassette is in brand-new condition, the j-card has but a few scratches, and it…
Welcome to Episode Two of Mystery Friday! Every Friday, I pull a cassette tape out of my box labeled UNKNOWN, play it, and attempt to describe it. This week’s tape is Maxell UDS-II 90-minute cassette. The cassette is clean and in very good condition; however, it is unmarked in any way. The jewel box encasing it is badly scuffed and the front has a big crack in it. It too, is unmarked, There is no j-card. I have no idea…
Today surfaced a cardboard Eddie Bauer boot box, marked “Unknown,” in which was about three dozen cassettes, half lacking jewel boxes, most if not all unmarked. The sort of thing any sane man would have tossed out years ago. But I can’t help wondering: What’s on these tapes? I’ll bet you’re wondering too. Welcome to Episode One of Mystery Friday! Every week I will grab a tape from the Unknown Box, play it for you, and attempt to describe it….