Mix-tape #9: Obscure Mystery Cache

The Premise

The Mix-tape series is a shameless attempt to cover all difficulty combinations of the T4.5 line, and have a bit of fun whilst doing so. To achieve this range I employed puzzles, the subject of which is completely unrelated to the caches, as are the posted coordinates. Once in the field you will end up with a tricky tree climb.

The Difficulty & Terrain

The difficulty of each cache is a combination of the puzzle and the hide - hopefully I've pitched each one to fall in the right place. If you think the puzzle has been too easy then prepare for a tricky hide. The terrain rating is a combination of the walk to the cache and the climb itself. Terrain ratings are subjective so I’ve tried to achieve 4.5 for these climbs by making sure all are possible without equipment, but difficult enough to merit more than a T4. They were set in such a fashion but as with all caching you attempt these at your own risk - You and you alone are responsible for your own safety. Walk away if you do not think you can ascend and descend safely. It is advisable not to attempt these alone and to use climbing equipment if you deem it necessary. The terrain at GZ is highly variable - wet trees are very slippery, branches can snap, foliage can make your climb and search more difficult - please remember, at the end of the day: in each case it’s just a bison tube with a log book (so remember to bring a pen). 

Selecting the right trees was tricky and I passed many good candidates for T5 caches so if this series is well received I may well do the T5 line too.

Mix-tapes

The puzzles are based on Mix-tapes. A subject that will be familiar to most and which is also the subject of the excellent book and film: High Fidelity. A Mix-tape is an amateur compilation of songs designed by the author for a particular recipient, (such as a friend, family member or lover), for a particular reason, (for example: To enjoy on a road trip or party, or to communicate one’s feelings). Choosing the right songs and the right order and perfectly recording them on to a 60 or 90 minute tape without noticeable noises between songs was a fine art. Sadly, in todays digital age the practice is less refined as songs can be skipped more easily and mixes between tracks are easier to achieve but the art persists. This is my attempt to put my rusty skills into practice for my new geocaching friends and I think all but some of the D5 hang together pretty well; so for your delectation...

To Begin...

To access the required information to solve the main puzzle you will need to first solve this simple puzzle as a warm up (it's unrelated to the theme of the mix-tape). Identify the song from the lyrics below. It has 4 digits in it's title. Let these be WXYZ. Append these to the following link thus: www.bit.ly/GCMixtapeWXYZ and visit it. You should then be in a position to solve the main puzzle.

“I'm goin' home, I'm starting home, On a freezing eastern highway, A muddy snow bank, a broken radio”

General note for all the puzzles: If an answer is 10 or greater then discard the preceding digit(s) so 10≣0, 11≣1, 12≣2, 1913≣3 etc. If an artist name begins with "The" then discard it and use the main word(s). Eg. "The Beatles" becomes "Beatles". Make sure you have the exact song title, not the one you're sure it is. All mix-tapes except Classical would have had at least one song with a Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics sticker, had i not inexpertly edited it out - So all the songs are clean. No download is necessary to solve the cache, but should you attempt a download please note the following disclaimer I've been asked to include:

Alert: You are about to download a file that contains further details needed to find this geocache. As the cache owner, I represent that this file is safe to download although it has not been checked by Groundspeak or by the reviewer for possible malicious content. Download this file at your own risk.

The Puzzle - Mix-tape #9: Obscure

Side A:

1. The number of letters in the first word of the album title that features track 2?
2. The number of letters in the fifth word of the album title that features track 4?
3. The number of words in the album title that features track 3?
4. The number of letters in the surname of track 4's lead singer?
5. The total number of letters in the first and surname of track 1's lead singer?
6. The number in title of the sixty ninth part of track 5?
7. The number of letters in the title of the thirty third part of track 5?

Side B:

1. The number of letters in the third word of track 12's artist?
2. The total number of letters in track 11's artist?
3. The total number of letters in the second and third word of the title of track 10?
4. The total number of letters in track 4's artist?
5. The total number of letters in the first and middle names of track 8's artist
6. The number of letters in the title of the third track of the mini album that features track 2?
7. The number of letters in the first word of track 3's drum looper's other band?
8. The number of letters in the surname if track 1's bassist?

You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.

The Hall of Fame

To enter the Hall of Fame you must find all nine Mix-tape caches and email me a complete list of all 204 track titles and artists. This is a optional challenge and if successful your caching name will be entered into the Mix-tape Hall of Fame displayed on Mixtape #1 cache page. Good luck.