An Evening of Music with the Muir Family

Today, an example of the sort of tape I just live to discover. On both sides of this five inch reel of tape, members of a family named Muir (and a few kids from other families - perhaps relatives or friends) display their musical abilities, whether developing (in terms of the kids' instrumental abilities) or well-honed (as in some lovely harmony singing).

 

Those who like highly produced or even auto-tuned music, as well as those who don't want to hear down-home Christian songs may not dig this too much, but if you're a fan of home-made, heartfelt music, this is for you.

 

We start slow, with a piano piece by one of the kids, and a trumpet piece by another one, followed by a very short guitar/vocal performance of "Surfin' U.S.A."

 

Download: 1.) Piano Piece

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Download: 2.) Trumpet Piece

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Download: 3.) Surfin' U.S.A.

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Then, for me, the magic starts, as the pianist, guitarist and trumpeter team up on a short version of an old-timey song. This is ragged as all git-out, but it's honest and sweet and homey and makes me feel overwhelmingly nostalgic and very close to teary.

 

Download: 4.) You Tell Me Your Dream, I'll Tell You Mine

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The guitarist of the house now entertains with a country song which is unfamiliar to me, with simple strumming and a wonderful, aching vocal. I wish there was more of this material, actually.

 

Download: 5.) I Hate to Lose You

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Then most of the family gets together, and I find the resulting sounds to be just wonderful. The vocals and harmonies are just a bit ragged, but that makes the whole enterprise that much more real. They team up for three traditional religious songs (the third of which is missing the opening lines).

 

Download: 6.) Do You Know My Jesus?

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Download: 7.) How Great Thou Art

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Download: 8.) In Times Like These

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Next, a brief moment with the baby of the family, just three years old, and not actually quite ready for her close-up, as she's not able to carry a tune just yet.

 

Download: 9.) Jesus Loves Me

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For whatever reason, there follows an even briefer moment of conversation about how some recent repairs have left someone's car worse off than it was before.

 

Download: 10.) "The Car Ain't Been Right Since..."

Play:

 

Next up, two more religious numbers, first, a duet, and then a trio, neither one of which strikes me as being as wonderful as the three earlier ones. The second one has a small section which was erased by someone laughing.

 

Download: 11.) Whispering Hope

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Download: 12.) God Leads Us Along

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The end of the tape is taken up by a couple of jokes, and here they are:

 

Download: 13.) Jokes

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Here is the back of the tape box. The way the tape played for me, out the box, had the second listed side here first, so that it how I digitized it. No telling which side was originally first - even the writing on the box simply says "one side" and "other side".

 

Thanks to the Muir Family. This is magical.