Rewind my old cassette collection [Unscripted column] | Entertainment

My wife and I recently moved and that means I've reconnected intimately with all my stupid stuff, I mean, my prized possessions.

Among my things was a box of cassette tapes. Even though I didn't own a cassette player, I couldn't bring myself to throw them away.

So instead of getting rid of my stuff, I bought a cheap cassette player on Amazon. Soon I was listening to music I hadn’t heard in a long time while putting away my CDs and records. (I still have players for both of those devices.)

It's not like I can't just listen to all this music on any of the 5 million streaming services out there, even the bootleg cassettes of Phish concerts I own are all available online, but I guess I just like the nostalgia of listening to music on cassette.

I had a few “greatest hits” tapes: Bob Dylan, Mott the Hoople, and Tchaikovsky. I listened to each one once. I prefer Bob Dylan's more obscure songs and even his later songs to most of what was on the greatest hits tape. Someone must have accidentally overwritten Mott the Hoople's All the Young Dudes because there's a four-minute gap where the song should have been. And I even listened to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major at full blast one night.

Like any kid who grew up in the 90s, my collection also included Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York album (which is still amazing) and a single from Notorious B.I.G.'s Mo Money Mo Problems which, like most teenagers in the 90s, I can still rap all the lyrics. Randomly, I also had the absurd but still hilarious album I Have a Pony by comedian Steven Wright. (Wright's quip “You can't have it all, where would you put it?” definitely struck me as I was packing boxes and boxes of stuff.)

Most of these tapes were only listened to once during my recent cassette resurgence, but I listened to a few quite frequently. And I pressed rewind on a few select songs.

Here are my current favorites:

The big boy Léo Kottke

I know Leo Kottke the same way I know about 90 percent of the music I listen to: through Phish. Kottke has toured and recorded with Phish bassist Mike Gordon on numerous occasions. He’s an incredible guitarist, an eccentric lyricist, and he sings or growls. I love his voice, actually. But what I love most about Kottke’s music is the light, almost Caribbean vibe he brings to his playing. My favorite song from Kottke’s 1991 album Great Big Boy is the opening track, Running up the Stairs. It has that light, relaxing feel to it, perfect for relaxing outside on a summer day. And his song Summers Growing Old will probably be a little more poignant in a few months.

House Music All Night: The Best of House Music Vol. 3 various artists

I found this tape in an antique store in Amish country, which seems like a pretty unlikely place for an early 90s house music cassette. House Music Vol. 3 kept my wife and I energized as we packed and unpacked. And my wife especially enjoys singing the line “You in my hut now” from Richie Rich and the Jungle Brothers’ song “Ill House You.” I’ll probably wear out side 2 before side 1. The entire side is pretty great, but my favorite is definitely Voodoo Ray by A Guy Called Gerald. It sounds as fresh in 2024 as it did in 1990.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Bela Fleck and the Flecktones

Banjos, Celtic music, and a cheesy rap song? Yes, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones really do have it all. In fact, this album is full of soaring, funky, jazzy grooves, and the aforementioned cheesy rap song. But it's quickly becoming a patio staple, especially late at night. Fleck's B-side opener, Interlude (Return of the Ancient Ones), will transport you to another dimension for a few minutes. And, yes, I know Bela Fleck because of Phish.

Phish in concert at the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, July 22, 1997

OK, I'll just get this one out of the way. I have quite a few live Phish tapes, most of them from one of my cousins' collections. This one is a pretty famous concert from one of Phish's most beloved years. A torrential storm erupts during the concert and an audible thunderclap appears during Taste, adding to the intensity of the set.

In Flight George Benson

The 1977 Bensons album has a perfect summer vibe. Another light jazz guitarist with plenty of funk to add some depth. I almost ran out of rewind on The World is a Ghetto.

Mikes June 2024 Mixtape

This one is quite rare. There is only one copy. I discovered a record function on my cassette player and resurrected one of my favorite teenage pastimes: making mixtapes. This includes August Again by Kiefer; The Free Design by Stereolab; Ummh by Bobby Hutcherson and Harold Land; That Summer Feeling by Jonathan Richman; Garden Party by Ricky Nelson (who I know because Phish covered it during a concert at Madison Square Garden); Loose Fit from Happy Mondays; worshiper of Knxledge; What Would I Want? Animal Collective’s Sky; Ship of Fools by the Grateful Dead and, potentially the best rap song about the Chicago Bears, the Brats, Stanley Tools, Tom Berringer and Brian Dennehy ever recorded: Dennehy by Serengeti.

Mike Andrelczyk is a writer for LNP | LancasterOnline. Unscripted is a weekly entertainment column produced by a rotating team of writers.