Sound Peaks – Sounds of Twin Peaks Cassette

The sounds and music of Twin Peaks were my gateway to David Lynch and Mark Frost’s wonderful and strange show. One of the more unique souvenirs I picked up during my first visit to the town of North Bend in August 1996 was a cassette titled “Sounds of TWIN PEAKS.” In the early days of my obsession, I would play this cassette continuously as background music. Thanks to 21st century modern technology, I can now share it with you in this Sound Peaks article.

ALPINE BLOSSOM AND GIFT SHOPPE

During the 1996 Twin Peaks Fan Fest, I made it a point to stop at the former Alpine Blossom and Gift Shoppe located at 213 Bendigo Boulevard North in North Bend, Washington.

The shoppe was run by Joanne Richter from 1979 to her retirement in 1998. It was THE local destination for a variety of Twin Peaks souvenirs. According to a March 25, 1991 article in the Los Angeles Times, Ms. Richter added the souvenirs in July 1990 following the show’s successful first season:

Joanne Richter has devoted a whole corner of her Alpine Blossom Floral Shop to “Twin Peaks” souvenirs. The corner, she said with a smile, is the most profitable spot in the store on a per-square-foot basis.

We’ve sold 5,000 “Twin Peaks” T-shirts since July,” Richter said, not to mention “Twin Peaks” tapes, caps, post cards, buttons and Log Lady logs.”

Log Lady logs?

“They’re just old logs we cut up in our back yard,” Richter said, cradling one in her arms with a price tag of $4.95. “If they don’t look just right, I glue some moss on the side.”

Read more about this now closed souvenir shop that played an important part in Twin Peaks history.

SOUNDS OF TWIN PEAKS CASSETTE

One of those items that I picked up was a nondescript cassette containing black and white images of Snoqualmie Falls and Snoqualmie Mill.

One side appeared to contain the sounds of “Falls” while the other side was “Saw Mill” sounds.

Sadly, the cassette was not marked with any copyrights or dates but one has to assume it was recorded before August 1996. I wish I knew who made this recording as I’d like to thank her or him.

Here’s a better look at the cassette label, both front and back.

According to the cassette’s liner notes, all sounds were recorded on a “Nagra IV without noise reduction and using 2 Sennhieser Mike in stereo pair.”

The fall sounds were recorded at the bottom of the falls, and if you listen carefully you can hear the water lapping against the fallen tree at the base of the falls.

The mill sounds were recorded at midnight on a moonless night with heavy rain falling (clearly the person who wrote these liner notes was a super fan!).

LISTEN TO THE SOUNDS OF TWIN PEAKS

Here is a look at Side A which contained sounds of “The Falls.”

Give it a listen by viewing the YouTube video above.

Here is Side B which had sounds of “The Sawmill.”

You can listen to the sound of sawing wood by viewing the YouTube video above.

MY VISIT TO ALPINE BLOSSOM IN AUGUST 1996

During my visit in 1996, I captured some video of the shoppe’s exterior including this sign that noted the Log Lady shopped there.

The front door had the iconic Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me movie poster. For some reason I didn’t take any video inside.

Thankfully, the Twin Peaks Visual Soundtrack  released by Warner Music Vision in the early 1990s contained some of the souvenirs once carried in the shoppe. Do any look familiar to you?

I bought the “How’s Annie?” button which can be seen in this photo with Don Davis outside the Mar-T Cafe on August 11, 1996.

The building that once housed the Alpine Blossom shoppe still exists today but all the Twin Peaks souvenirs are long gone, like a turkey in the corn. Oh, if you continue down the road to the north, you’ll spot the New Fat Trout Trailer Park from Season 3.