The Purple Tape is actually a reissue of Lisa Loeb’s first recording, dated 1992. The double disc set includes the 10 original tracks from the 1992 version of the disc, plus an all-new interview with Loeb, and a couple acoustic live performances.
The original 10-track disc includes songs that most Loeb fans will recognize: “It’s Over,” her single “Do You Sleep,” and one of my favorite Loeb songs, “Hurricane.” Less familiar include the sophomoric “Airplane,” the warbling “Days Were Different,” the peppy “Guessing Game,” and the intense “Train Songs.” All the songs are acoustic – just Lisa and a guitar.
Disc two is a straight-forward interview disc. In keeping with the theme of the disc, most of what Loeb offers are tales of starting out in the music business. These include the history and even the artwork of The Purple Tape, and her days with former bands Liz & Lisa.
One of my favorite parts is where she gives a little history or anecdote about each of the songs. Interestingly, she does not talk about the near-legendary history of her first hit single, “Stay” (you know, the story about the unsigned, struggling singer who just happened to be friends with Gen X idol Ethan Hawke, and got her song on the Reality Bites soundtrack — propelling her to be the first unsigned artist to ever score a number one hit). I would have to guess it is because everyone already does know the story – what is left to say about it?
Ultimately, there are not really any negatives to this disc. It is pretty straight-forward. If you are a fan of Lisa Loeb, you probably already have a bootleg copy of The Purple Tape. If not, here is your chance to score it, or score a cleaner copy. And of course, the new interview material makes it worth the purchase price.
Article comments
1 - Ndugu
Good to see you enjoyed The Purple Tape. We talked to Lisa about it for Songfacts, and there's some pretty personal stuff in there: Lisa Loeb's interview