A re-discovered mixtape brings floods of memories... For Sunday Miscellany on RTÉ Radio 1, listen to Take Comfort In Your Friends, by Jackie Lynam above.
For a long time I had no way of playing the few cassettes still in my possession, but last year thanks to some birthday present gift vouchers, I treated myself to a stereo system. I bought it with the intention of jumping aboard the vinyl bandwagon but almost a year on, my phone remains my main source of music. However, one evening as I go to flick the bluetooth button on the player, a tape in the box below it catches my eye.
I examine it closely – it's a Sony cassette; 90 minutes duration. No track listing written in pencil or pen. It simply says on the tape - in my handwriting – Best of. I push it into the cassette slot and Sinéad O’Connor’s mesmerising voice bursts out through the speakers. Just Like You Said it Would Be. I sit back on the sofa and close my eyes - and over the next 90 minutes I am transported back to the early 90s.
With no track list to follow, every song is a surprise. I sway along to Lucinda Williams, Belly and Deee-Lite. However, during the opening bars of Into Temptation by Crowded House, I unexpectedly get teary.
Listen to more from Sunday Miscellany here.
