for the love of music

Written by libra from the blog AS I LISTEN TO IT on 24 Jan 2008
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Remember back in the days when we had no mp3 players and all these hi-tech gadgets to listen music from ?

Owning an original tape cassette of an artist was a luxury, not to mention the cd.

so what did we do?

What remains unforgettable for me was when we would copy music from a live show on radio- we called it dubbing or taping. Then suddenly the DJ will play a jingle in between and it will ruin your recording.

The classic was how we got to know the lyrics of the songs ( it was such a huge thing)

you would borrow a friend's cassette who copied it from her friend's friend and then copy it at start jotting down the lyrics
HOW
u would sit next to your wireless,gram or whatever u called your music system and then write out the lyrics as the song played and if u miss a word or phrase you would then hit on the rewind button to play the sentence again.

yah ne, so much work we had to do.

and the the ultimate, 'the music book" where all your lyrics would be written and mind you, these books were so in u had to make sure yours upstages your friends' with pics of artist in it and other music related articles from magazine. the bigger the book the better it was.

i remember using the drawing book for music cos we never used them anyway at school

the books would be exchanged between friends copying what u do not have in your book.

RE GOLELE ENG MARA E?

it was so much fun, can you guys relate ?

piracy has a long history i see.

17 Comments

Toxic
24 Jan 2008 07:42

LMAO Libra!!! u reminded me of something i had forgotten about:

Then suddenly the DJ will play a jingle in between and it will ruin your recording.

This was the pits!!!!!! Worse was when the DJ sang in the middle of the "recording"!

carino
24 Jan 2008 07:54

LOL @Toxic...

HOW
u would sit next to your wireless,gram or whatever u called your music system and then write out the lyrics as the song played and if u miss a word or phrase you would then hit on the rewind button to play the sentence again. sooooooooooooo relate!!!

Foxy gal
24 Jan 2008 08:10

Good writting Libra!!!!!!

We will copy the wrong lyrics from a friend's music book & then another friend will copy from you ....next thing you know the whoooole "village" knows the wrong lyrics of a song!!!! LOL

Tashi
24 Jan 2008 08:21

Hey libra - great blog! A headsup that we've shfited it so that it's under the Music section instead of TV.

faraimagic
24 Jan 2008 08:29

still digesting...........still digesting!

sweetie my baby
24 Jan 2008 12:24

ooooooh, i was the lyric-master of my class, i always could hear the lyrics! and yeah, i remember 'dubbing' from radio to tape - too much fun, heysh - it was all so much simpler then...

Toxic
25 Jan 2008 00:05

"Don't you dare resist the power" from Malaika's Destiny.

Shamed to say i finally figured out what the words were-too ashamed to say what i thought they were.....and what's with this trend by artists of not putting lyrics on the covers anymo? Damn!

J-Girl
25 Jan 2008 00:15

LOL!!!!

Segololo
03 Feb 2008 08:21

Ao Modimo wa ka! Ha ha ha ha! As a clutter collector i still have my 5 music books & the tapes from Radio Mmabatho & Radio Bop when i used 2 call the shows as Agony Aunt 4 teens who had sent in letters abt their issues & as a bright 13 yr old my mom wud allow me 2 advise & she even got me my own phone in my room 2 b able 2 call when she wasn't home. I paid those bills with my pocket money. Great memories, LIBRA! Can't wait 4 ur next article.

libra
04 Feb 2008 01:27

As a clutter collector i still have my 5 music books & the tapes from Radio Mmabatho & Radio Bop - i wish i had kept them too-i sure it brings back great memories.

monchooza
04 Feb 2008 01:41

i remember singignt the Tervin Campell "uhm reddy. you know uhm reddy to luv luv, forever" mina i would learn songs from my sisters book beyi updated strong.

Honeypot
04 Feb 2008 02:00

I never thought of that as piracy though, it seemed like real harmless fun. Though radio Bop was the best station to dub your music, they played the hottest tracks during the 90's. All the other ethnic stations they uesd to talk a lot and the dj would sing along and just ruin all your had work... Good to remeber what life was like b4 the i-pods!!!! Thanx Libra

Pooky
04 Feb 2008 02:09

we didnt have i hi-fa yet so i'd tape(a) the song from i-TV to my cassette(especially when Studio Mix was on)... then play it on my yellow walkman.

sponono
04 Feb 2008 05:28

we used to tape a song on Saterday nights from Radio Zulu's top twenty...and if you taped for too long Kansa will spoil your recording with his "top twent-twenty-tweny- echoo at the end...LOL.....and we used to wonder how he says one thing repeteadly its was the coolest thing eva... those echoes

sponono
04 Feb 2008 05:29

do radio stations still have radio drama's ......or I'm just too old LOL

Kim Possible
04 Feb 2008 05:42

@Spopo :do radio stations still have radio drama's YEP uKhozi FM n zihlekisan shem.....

Floh
17 Mar 2008 19:04

Some brothers still rockering the radio tapes and they get ama CHERI cause o my sista bababona besemgangathweni.

we used to tape a song on Saterday nights from Radio Zulu's top twenty...and if you taped for too long Kansa will spoil your recording with his "top twent-twenty-tweny- echoo .................. and now we do it in style, record with our cellphones and the next thing you sing along.

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