A Mysterious Cassette

Some years ago two lovely people produced a Christmas album for charity.

Now let’s jump forward many years and I’m clearing out all manner of rubbish from the shed when I come across a cassette. The label had long since disappeared and the tape within had unwound and snapped.

In a fit of what would turn out to be fortuitous enthusiasm to repair the mysterious, unlabelled cassette with the broken tape, I went to find a hexagonal pencil that anyone ‘of an age’ will recognise as an essential tool in the armoury of a cassette owner. Then, with the help of some sellotape and a lot of breath-holding plus sweat fueled concentration, I got the tape spliced and the tiny reels turning.

Now all I needed was a cassette player and with a little more digging around in the shed; bingo, under three old and broken laptops that I was saving for spares (they’re on the tip now – I was ruthless) was an antique Panasonic ghetto blaster. You know the ones that your kids would lift on to their shoulder in the ’80s a bit like a Soviet Walkman. It was portable but made your neck ache! Anyway, I plugged it in not expecting much from it and it fired up immediately.

I put the tape in and the voice of an angel came out.

So I plugged the ghetto blaster into my computer and gave it a good ‘Garagebanding’ considering its age I think came out OK. So…after a fit of messaging to the lady with the voice I got permission to publish it here – Thank you Jo

Here’s the album – but please bear in mind two things:

1/ it is many decades old and even with the post-processing there is an element of wow/flutter from the antique ghetto blaster.

2/ it was for charity so, if you like it, and I’m sure you will, then please find an opportunity to give a special donation to a good cause and I’m sure Jo and Roy Duffield (The South Bank Grunters) would be delighted.