LR 101 - THE FIRST CASSETTE

I knew it existed. A Love Riot cassette circa 1993.

I had one in a cracked cassette case, with a homemade paper insert I designed myself that messily captured the barebones information and lyrics. It featured blurry black and white pictures by Max Glanville and the original Love Riot logo by Greg Houston. This was a cassette of music that showed a band in transition, from the post-new wave Beyond Words to the acoustic americana pop of Love Riot. I felt I needed to not only hear this music again, but share it with real fans.

I tried to digitize my copy, but it had been played a bunch and sounded horrible. After all, it was about 23 years old! I thought I would never be able to share this early music on the Love Riot Bandcamp. Then a miracle happened. My friend Gary Alexander was cleaning out his music library and found the Love Riot cassette - a copy still shrink-wrapped and never played!! He said I could have it and I quickly searched for someone who could digitize this correctly in one or two passes. Then I took these files to Dave Nachodsky at Stages. He cleaned it up as best he could, eliminating most of the hiss that any cassette from that time would now have.

The files have just been posted on the Love Riot Bandcamp.

Here you’ll find ten songs. Two of them - “Tell Me” and “Remain the Same” - were new versions of Beyond Words songs and featured BW drummer George Kondylas. George also plays on a song called “Calling.” There’s a slow brooding version of “Killing Time,” the song that would be important in the following year and our journey to Japan. Later incarnations of “Killing Time” are faster and I think more reflective of the lyrics and emotion of the song. There are a few beautiful love songs hinting at the future Love Riot. “Nothing Else Matters” captures the all-consuming effect love can have on a person. “All This Love” is just full of melody and grace - so pretty. “Tell Me”…well, I don’t think I can sing like that anymore and it makes me cry listening to this tug on the gut.

Enjoy this blast from the past!

xo,

Lisa