Two drawers full.
That's right.
Cassettes.
Those plastic rectangular things, with the two holes just big enough for a number 2 pencil to go through; those things that we used to think were so much better than vinyl records and 8-Tracks.
I have 4, unopened Memorex DBS 60 minute tapes in the red wrapper.
I wonder if the Smithsonian is interested.
After listening, there's also a blank Radio Shack XR120 extended range, a Radio Shack High Definition 90 minute, and one Maxell UR IEC type.
I labeled and cased the unmarked ones after listening.
I heard some of the very first "Vision" rehearsals.
The whole cassette search was actually inspired by Richard inquiring if any of us remembered what was the first song he taught to us, on that wonderful musical night back in 1995, in the sanctuary of the old Metropolitan Baptist Church in 13th Street, NW. ( As of today, it's a toss up between "Bless The Lord" and "Total Praise". )
I couldn't help smiling as I listened as he introduced "Angels".
I'd forgotten what a horrible sore throat I had that night, but I still got my wish to sing with one of my favorite psalmists, whose name at the time was Maurette Brown.
I heard Veda McCoy and Kathy Gorham singing as if it was their last time at one of Steve Lawrence's awesome Christmas Cantata rehearsals.
I heard Raymond Reeder teaching a group of DC summer youth workers.
Another tape archived the first time Winston Chaney played "Angels" on the radio.
There was an interview with Tracy Morgan (Super Tracy!") on Heaven 1580, just before the Alliance Tour, an interview on Chicago's WBGX 1590, and an entire Marsha Sumner radio show on 90.1 WDCU FM.
(You know how we used to put the blank tape in the dual cassette player and walk away. Don't deny it. You know you did it, too...Hey! Remember Detroit's "War on Sin" recording, "Couldn't Keep It To Myself"? Marsha called it "staunch gospel").
There's a radio spot with boutique owner Pat Bell when she partnered with Mano Schwarts furrier.
(She subsequently gave 50 copies of my first CD to her customers.)
There were demos with John Stoddart, and rehearsals with V. Michael McKay and the Mt. Jezreel BC Choir.
I'd accidentally left the tape recording on after a rehearsal at Ira Aldridge Theater. My Lisa is on it. She was in high school. We can be heard walking to the car. It must have been raining because you can hear the windshield wipers. We went to McDonald's and got filet of fish meals, and strawberry sodas, and chatted and laughed all the way home. )
I'm going to blame my motherhood and teaching history for the TWO copies of "The Chipmunks Greatest Hits".
I found more than I was looking for, and frankly, am grateful for the time to have done it.
There's a tape on which Pastor Will Cain spoke a prophetic word to me and three of my friends, Troy Edler, Annie Moore and Bryant Pugh.
I hadn't heard it in 10 years.
It's so amazing, but, 10 years ago when I got back home from that North Carolina revival, wanted to be reminded of what was said, and played the tape, the message wasn't there.
All these years, I'd concluded that his words had been cut off.
I forgot how much I used to love the songs, "Something Inside So Strong" and "The Word of God" when I listened to another tape.
It's been a nice, memory-lane trip, and spring cleaning- type experience.
However, there were some cases that had liners, but NO tapes inside:
Kirk Whalum "In This Life",
Maurette Brown Clark, "How I Feel",
Rev. Milton Brunson "Greatest Hits: Volume 1",
Sly and the Family Stone "Greatest Hits",
Richard Smallwood Singers "Testimony",
Take 6 "So Much 2 Say", and
Terrence Richburg, "Rich Spirit: One".
They must be somewhere. Were they the only thing the thief got when my car was broken into, years ago? ...Who knows?
Yippee for technology. I can always download the mp3's-- and yippee for the Duracell batteries that brought my Radio Shack cassette players back to life, even though they have to be held together by a piece of adhesive tape.
I think I'll find out what's on the 4 , unmarked micro cassettes next....: )
#musicmatters
#cassettes
#cleanup
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