Chicken Noodle

Do Not Eat (1994) — By Ingus on October 7, 2009 at 11:31 pm

It’s Stereo Wars backwards. While simple, we thought it was hilarious.

We recorded on a Tascam Porta 03 4-track recorder. The 03 (or “portapotty” as we called it, being the absolute bottom of the line recorder Tascam made at the time), worked by recording on regular audio cassettes. In 4 track mode, it uses all 4 tracks of the tape at once – side A left, side A right, side B left, and side B right – all going in the same direction. Side A, everything plays forwards, Side B everything plays backwards.

That’s what happens if you use a tape you’ve used to record with the recorder. Put in a normal tape, and everything on side A plays forwards, while everything on side B plays backwards at the same time. Now remember we were poor, and actually reused mixdown tapes, because we didn’t have the $5.49 to keep buying chrome cassettes each time we mixed down.

And so, as you’ve most likely guessed by now, as we were listening to the 2-track mixdown of something on Do Not Eat, as it ended, Stereo Wars came playing at us backwards from the other side of the tape. All three of us were so startled we jumped and screamed like girls. Of course, we had to include it in Do Not Eat, and here it is.

Today’s photo is of Louis, from Pete’s basement again – first show, as I’m playing my Fender Strat and not Brooks’ ugly BC Rich. Looks like it’s taken from the floor, so I’m guessing it was by Pete, from in the audience sitting down. Or it was a midget. Either way.