The point of Memory Tapes is to allow you, humble listener / reader to delve into your past, pull out some memories and soundtrack it with us. That can be happy, sad, party inspired - anything you like. And that's exactly what listener Seth Mowshowitz did:
"My mother died this time last year. Although she'd been struggling generally it was very sudden - it all happened over a period of less than 3 weeks. She was only 70. I didn't get to say goodbye and she never had a chance to meet my daughter who had been born in April.
On the day she died I flew over to New York and spent the following 3 weeks in the States with my father, brother and his wife. We drove from New York to Vancouver (where my brother & his wife live and where we were both born) staying with friends and relatives along the way. It was cathartic.
Many of the 9 tracks below my Mom and I shared a love for over the years, especially when I was growing up. Some simply evoke strong memories of her from when I was growing up. She had a big influence on my musical tastes, notably my irrational love for Queen. The 10th track was the one I wrote for her.
My Mom loved anything with a killer beat and I definitely take after her in that respect. Most of the time she kindly tolerated whatever my older brother and I insisted on playing in the car. She had a rebellious streak and both a deep knowledge and love of different languages and cultures being fluent in English, French, Italian and Dutch.
I grew up all over the place. I was born in Vancouver and we spent most of my childhood in different parts of New York and later the Netherlands. There I went to an international school which my Mom loved as much as I did for the rich and diverse cultural life within. It was through that experience that I was exposed to South American music and in turn exposed my Mom to it."
1. Maggie's Farm - Bob Dylan (my first ever memory of music)
2. Citadel - The Rolling Stones
3. I Had a King - Joni Mitchell
4. Castles Made of Sand - Jimi Hendrix
5. Expresso 2222 - Gilberto Gil
6. The White Room - Cream
7. Sueno con Serpientes - Silvio Rodriguez
8. I Am the Walrus - The Beatles
9. 39 - Queen
10. Blinding Light - Fold
