Amazing Tapes

Cresting the wave of the tape revival in 2008 was a man named Frank, laying down bangers for his muse Mavis. He released this run of 1 tape on his DIY label with instructions for it to be sold at a Brighton street market some 14 years later. Is it an Amazing Tape? Well it's a long fuckin episode so I'm not listening to it back to find out :) xxx

What if I told you there were MORE UK country tapes?! This one left us so depressed that I've had it squirrelled away for a month and I'm uploading it out of sheer spite. Is it an Amazing Tape though? You might be surprised! PS Sorry for the shitty mic quality, I was having a problem

On The Rocks by Rebel Yell is a country tape made by people who aren't from the country that country comes from!!!! WHATEVERH NETSXT Only realised that the term "Rebel Yell" might be some hideous confederate bullshit once we'd finished recording, so apologies for not clowning on that rancid racist garbage constantly throughout the show. We'll definitely address the confederate aesthetic as it relates to the white American south when we next do one of these - sorry if you only tune in for the tapes and don't like the politics, but we make silly shows for cool antiracists, not for spineless babies :-) x

This is a study in APLOMB in the face of absolute catastrophe. APLOMB, look it UP xx

Paul Strickland. Lovely voice, lovely cardy. Lovely tape? Have a listen and find out, my lovely. x

I know a song and it goes like this, the name of the song is the Kashmir Twist

Folks it's sleepy, drinky, silly sausage episode of Amazing Tapes. Have a drink and listen to a children's xmas story with us, or else fold your arms and go tsk tsk tsk. Either way, have a merry Christmas xxx

Tape audio is a bit low on this one, but to paraphrase that bear from the hunting joke - you don't really come here for the tapes, do you? A folky jokey tape, a dreamy time tape and an extra special treat for those who stay to the end. Is it an Amazing Treat??!! idk

Uploading from my phone, not sure where RSS settings are, apologies if this ends up in your podcast feed x

I won't apologise for this episode, it is what it is.

A tape recorded off of the radio in Malawi in the early 90s? Or an extremely sophisticated facsimilie of such, designed to confound even the most probing of forensic dissection? Not something we discuss on the podcast but it's just occurring to me now that ALL of these tapes we've done could be extremely detailed fakes from a faux naif audio artist. Or am I just telling you that because I made all these tapes in different genres myself and I'm pretending that they're "found" art, and this has all been one big conceptual piece? You decide. Is this an Amazing Tape? We decide.

A fun home recording with lots of keyboard horn stabs. An amazing tape, an unamazing tape. Dare you collapse the superposition? Our first attempt at some distance recording, hope it's bearable to listen to. Love you all lots x

It's just Rich talking about a video, I love him so much

Hello lovelies - Rich and I have been very tired and mad these past couple of months, and haven't really been that interested in doing this podcast via Zoom or something because the only reason we do it is so that we can sit opposite one another in Rich's hot kitchen. We're really starting to miss it though so we'll probably have to start Zooming soon, and we hope to have some tape content for you in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime: I was digging through my old laptop and I stumbled across this episode of our even worse old show Two Rotters Rutting. I haven't picked this one because it's particularly good; it's just the one I came across. It's still nominally about music but is primarily about me and Rich trying to make each other laugh - I won't be offended if you don't listen, I just wanted to let you know that we think about you all every day and that once there's a COVID vaccine we will hug you all to our bare bosom; individually and one by one. D x

It's the long-awaited second episode of AmTaps: AFNK! It's another hip hop skit, one of my faves - drink it in x

I've been meaning to upload the full audio of some of the more interesting tapes for a while, and as we're not putting shows out at the moment I thought I'd start with my favourite. We listened to Autumn by Three Orange Kisses back in the innocent days of Episode 4, and it set an unfortunately high bar. It's a seasick 4 track keyboard/guitar/drum machine tape with an insecure vocal mix and I love it. According to the inlay, 3OK was pretty much a solo project for someone named Stewart Robinson in 1990. If you are Stewart or you know think you might know him, please get in touch! D x

Hey lovely people - we're not going to be able to record any time soon so I just threw this up. Love you all lots xx

It's 2020 and we're determined to 1) Bring the energy up, and 2) Make ninety pounds in just 365 calendar days Can it be done??! Stay tuned and find out (or send us ninety quid and we can retire)

Prepare for some smooth Hammond and some rough talking. THIS IS THE LAST SHIT ONE, I SWEAR. After this the energy is gonna come back up and people are gonna say "Those Amazing Tapes boys are going places, baby!" Sad footnote: Rich never got to play this tape for his family at Xmas because I nicked it to upload this and it's now mid-January.

This one has been sitting in the can for over a month now, and it has matured to perfection! Sip it slowly; let it melt on your eartongue, savour the warm sensation as it slips down your mindsophagus. Is it an Amazing Tape? Possibly, ask someone more qualified.

You've gotta do what feels right for you, and it felt right for me to buy a tape of the Basingstoke Male Voice Choir. I stand by my decision - not because it was right, but because it was DYNAMIC ACTION! Fun Fact: The labels for side A & B are swapped on this tape! Bring that up at a party or social event and all the rubes will lap it up. Is it an Amazing Tape? Nope.

Hello my lovelies, I ain't telling what this tape is because I don't wanna get in trouble. Is it amazing? I'm not telling you that either.

I could write a description, but would it be as good as "Wyldecat Bones - Resurrection Part One"? Would it bollocks. Is it an Amazing Tape though? Can't remember.

YES I'M FAMILIAR WITH JIMMY FORREST'S NIGHT TRAIN I JUST GET VERY STRESSED AND CONFUSED WHEN I'M TRYING TO LISTEN TO THE TAPE AND TALK :-( Solid 6.5 this one, provided you like LOCAL NEWS!!! An Amazing Tape though? If you want to find out, you'll need to join us on our journey to etc.

Okay if we're being brutally honest, I'd skip this one if I were you. There's a lot of hum that I couldn't be bothered to remove, and there's maybe one good joke in the whole thing. Is it an Amazing Tape though??! Let me save you the trouble: it's not, and our chatter falls a long way short of making up for that fact. Love ya xxx

Gentle listener, if it's not too much of an imposition, permit me to ask you this: ya like blues? Further to that, dearest listener, pray tell: ya like rock? what if I told you that at one time - back in that magical period of the early nineties; when the air seemed to crackle with the potential for change; when you felt as though you had to pick your words carefully, for the world so wanted to be beautiful that you might create a whole blissful universe just by speaking your dreams aloud - back in that effervescent time, there was a band that COMBINED BOTH OF THESE??! NO FUCKIN SHIT they did. Courtyard Moth, baby. Tie one on and stand at the back nodding your head gently, and find out whether this is an Amazing Tape.

There's so many times that I embarrass myself in this episode that I considered just not ever putting it out, but would go against the AmTaps Code. I refuse to make an apology for my ignorance, but I accept that all the shit I'm going to get for not knowing a single thing about Sheffield is well deserved. Sent to us by the beautiful Casimir Engine (when he was on Analogue Trash radio, which is sadly no more), this tape is of his mate's band Commonside. Is he an Amazing Mate? Have a listen! P.S. I forgot to take a picture of the cover before I mailed it back to Cas. Maybe I took one a while back, I'll tweet it if I find it.

Recorded 100 years ago, can't be bothered to listen back to it to write the blurb. Probably basically fine, if you didn't mind the other episodes I can't see why you wouldn't like this one. If you want a picture of the tape, ask Rich on Twitter. If you want a picture of anything, really, ask Rich on Twitter and I bet he'll try his hardest to find it. Cryptids, strange phenomena, any of that X-Flies shit? Half-remembered book or TV show from childhood? Rude Nudes? Ask Rich to provide a picture for you. See if he can help - I'd be willing to bet that he can. D xx

We're back on our Horrible Audio Quality bullshit with this one, The tape is called Pop Piano and Hammond, but we're only gonna listen to the Hammond because we believe the piano to be a low instrument. The piano is the vocation of stray dogs and thieves; a rotten stinkbox animated by the thrumming of almost ninety tortured wires. To Hell with the piano, fuck Facebook and I'm sorry again for the vocal quality on this episode. Back to the normal shitty quality next ep, I promise xxx

TERRIBLE AUDIO Hi kids, this is one of the episodes with terrible audio. So sorry for how it sounds, I think we've fixed things going forwards? Tape is Live at the New Monkey, sent to us by the wonderful @VinylCarBooty on Twitter!

***THE MICS ARE BROKEN*** Hey pals, the mics are broken and I'm trying to rescue the audio BUT I didn't want to miss the deadline so I'm uploading just a load of WhatsApp audio. That way, it seems like I'm in control of things. Even though this isn't about tapes in any way, so who am I kidding? You don't have to listen, I'll still love you, I just feel like I had to upload something to get it out of my system. Anyway, it'll be a fun test to see who really listens and who just says "Haha yeah, that was an amazing tape mate!" I'm sorry everrryyyyyoooooooooneee xx

In 1971, Jurgen Waibel & Kathy joined together to firmly impress the palimpsest of their Big 3 Piece Sound into the margins of the footnotes of the annals of history. To secure their fame they paid the ultimate price - Kathy's surname was lost beyond recovery. It might be an Amazing Tape - do you dare listen to discover for yourself, or are you an intractable coward who will tug on my apron strings until I tell you? Fie!

We talk A LOT in this one, so apologies for that. The quality of the mix isn't horrible though, so you can kind of hear the South American stylings of Chan Chan throughout most of it. YES me and my friend were responsible for a grievous injury and YES I kind of fuck up the introduction of a new segment in this one and YES it's an all-around shit show BUT - is it an Amazing Tape? Tape provided once again by the wonderful @VinylCarBooty off of Twitter

I don't want to ask Rich to send me a picture of the tape inlay because he'll make a great big deal out of it, so I've uploaded a picture of a man with a prize winning marrow. Look at the size of it! I've never eaten marrow in my life, but it looks like it probably tastes similar to courgette (zucchini, for our US friends). Let me google what it tastes like for you, one sec... ahh okay, so it basically is a courgette (zucchini, for our US friends). We've got a Spiralizer that I think we picked up in a charity shop, and sometimes we put a courgette (zucchini, for our US friends) through it and you can use that instead of pasta if you're watching your carbs. That's called Courgetti, because it's like spaghetti made out of courgettes (I don't know what our US friends call that, because Zucchetti sounds insane). It tastes good but there's a lot of water in there that you'll need to deal with. Just looked up what Courgetti is called in the US - they call it Zoodles! That a lot of fun. This episode is about accordions. Love you lots D xx

folks i'm literally just leaving to go on my holiday so no text here just listen love you bye

On April 6th 1830 in western New York, Joseph Smith founded The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What that's got to do with Hawaii? Haven't got a Scooby, but here we are anyway. Is it an Amazing Tape? Well it came from @pafster on Twitter, so why don't you have a guess?

Flex records was a DIY hip-hop tape label run out of a Brooklyn studio apartment during the nascent - nah, just kidding it was an English Christian label. Still, a couple of interesting tunes on this sampler - but is it an AT*? *Amazing Tape

Steve Scott and Rio are a UK country bar band who adhere to a strict paisley ranking uniform, and we hope you do too. Is it an Amazing Tape? Have a guess.

A gift from @VinylCarBooty that we have a hard time remaining grateful for. I'm not going to insult your intelligence by explaining what this tape is about. Keep your ears peeled for a little Sweat Loaf "satan", something I've decided to do occasionally and I haven't told Richard about. Mischief! D xx

Since the dawn of time, Dennis Walker has employed his golden pipes to enthrall the seasick and legionnaires-prone audiences that flock to see him aboard P&O cruises. Such will be the case long after you and I are dead; the ageless voice of Dennis Walker ringing out across the quiet and unfeeling oceans until all matter ceases to vibrate. Here's the documentary that we mention in the podcast about the man who was podcasting before there were podcasts, Mark Talbot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ColIydZzyGQ&t=5s

"In Ninteen Hundred and Ninety One Two men did pass in Plymouth town One a lofty minded student, The other A humble bard. The bard's a'plucking did find warm hearth Within the student's heart So he gave the bloke a couple of quid for a tape And gave it to his dad for Christmas" A very mellow episode of Amazing Tapes

***BONUS EPISODE*** THIS EPISODE IS NOT CANON AND DOES NOT SIT WITHIN THE CONTINUITY OF THE AMAZING TAPES EXPANDED UNIVERSE ALL BETS ARE OFF AS WE BREAK OUR OWN RULES I'M REALLY OVERSELLING THIS WITH THE CAPSLOCK, IT'S NOT THAT EXCITING

Drugs, trashing hotel rooms, groupies - Pagan Wheels might not have had any of that, but they do have their own episode of Amazing Tapes! Your sympathies, please, for a band that just wanted to shred while the rest of the world was wearing flannel and getting depressed.

"Your ears will be all eyes!" says the website for Siegfried's Mechanisches Musikkabinett, and who are we to argue. On October 17th 1969 Siegfried Wendel opened the first museum of mechanical musical instruments in Germany, and frankly once you're in there it must sound like a circus being rolled down a mountain. Listening back to this episode I found the tape very enjoyable, but in the scorching heat of Rich's kitchen it felt like I'd contracted a particularly virulent strain of rabies. Did it feel like this was an Amazing Tape though? Listen on and find out! PS There's a little tickle of phone interference here and there; we will strive to do better.

Where were you in 1992? T.A. Warren and Mik Jonah were in Moonraker Studios, playing with their CMIs and cutting pictures of snakes out of the encyclopedia. Their mission: "Live, Love and Have a Good Time." Is it as exciting as an episode called South Central should be? That's for you to decide, while we decide whether or not this is an Amazing Tape!

***SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EPISODE*** From Australia to Southampton, Peter and Sylvia Dalziel fought the good fight of the Salvation Army and sung in full voice of the joy that their mission brought them. Also, they probably swapped partners with other sexually adventurous couples. Thanks very much to @VinylCarBooty for the tape! As promised in the introduction, here is the link to A Christmas Too Many: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Z9_C4MVAw

Thanksgiving day, 1983: Families crowd round their radios (probably) to hear this broadcast from the talented Lyle Russell Cedric "Skitch" Henderson about the life of Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. 35 years later we are unable to discern what kind of music Bing Crosby made and how many syllables are in simple words. But you know what we *are* able to figure out? That's right! Whether or not this is an Amazing Tape! Kindly sent to us by @pafster

In 1991, Stewart Robinson recorded a series of compositions at Wentworth Guns studios and released these on cassette under the name Three Orange Kisses. 27 years later, we recorded a podcast and were unable to: - Remember that Three Orange Kisses was one person - Figure out what the acronym 30K stands for - Identify what is clearly a drum machine However, we WERE able to: - Decide whether or not this was an Amazing Tape!

It was only a matter of time before we were beset by the mighty Hammond. This cassette from 1974 was recorded by Harry Stoneham and a crew of unnamed musicians, none of whom objected strongly enough to prevent the tape from being entirely comprised of medleys. Listen to find out whether this is an Amazing Tape! BONUS: Find out whether or not Dan got his hair cut.

Not too many decades ago, a person (or persons) with a keyboard (or keyboards) recorded an instrumental album of Phil Collins also-rans. Why choose these songs? What's the scam with recording a covers album like this? These questions remain unanswered, but if you listen to the end you might just find out if this is an Amazing Tape.

Back in the late 70s/early 80s, a man named Dave Bessant carried his Roland CompuRhythm into a humble recording studio in Newcastle and committed to tape an album of eclectic party favourites. But was it an Amazing Tape?