This is the first in a series of unidentified recordings that I’ll be sharing with you. These vocal cords are believed by a few people to belong to someone named Chris Stines, but ultimately the singer’s identity remains a mystery. The disc was discovered sometime during the turbulent 1990s by an anonymous technician working for a CD mastering and duplication service in or near Worcester, Massachusetts.  It is not known whether it was intended for release by Mr. Stines, and my best guess is that it is at least ten years old.  It seems as if Chris knows these songs fairly well, in spite of his frequently off-key vocalization, so it’s also unclear whether he had anything to do with the songwriting. Some of the sequences seem vaguely familiar to me, but I can’t place them. Kind of a cross between Sade and Guitar Center’s hold music.  Due to the condition of the CD, the final song is chock full of encoding problems. I’m trying to obtain another copy along with the cover art through a friend of a friend, and will continue to attempt to locate Mr. Stines. Any help is greatly appreciated. Please email me with any pertinent info. A prize of some sort may be awarded, as well.  I will keep you abreast of any developments.

  01. Track 1
  02. Track 2
  03. Track 3
  04. Track 4
  05. Track 5
  06. Track 6
  07. Track 7
  08. Track 8
  09. Track 9
  10. Track 10
  11. Track 11
  12. Track 12

  Update: since we posted this to WFMU this morning, I’ve been informed that the accompaniment for the first track is Paul Hardcastle’s song “Rain Forest,” which was released in 1985.  Upon further inspection, it seems like Hardcastle may have unwittingly provided the music for the entire project.  If any of you have additional information regarding the other tracks, it may prove useful in determining the age of this recording.  I guess we can assume that this collection was intended as a demo, or to be sold in limited number.  (Update to the update: Chris had 1,000 copies made; 500 on CD and 500 on cassette.)  Also, I previously identified the language as “some kind of French glossolalia,” which is my funny way of saying “I have no idea what language this is, but it sounds an awful lot like mangled French to me.”  I have since been told that it is Creole, possibly from the French Antilles or Haiti.  If any of you polyglots can tell me what Mr. Stines is saying, it may help to locate him. According to one source, Chris also used to host a late night television show in Boston. I’m going out on a limb and guessing cable access, but the report is unconfirmed. People of Boston, send me video.