Saturday, July 17, 2021

Cassettes

In the odd history of music technology, some devices emerged that became inexplicably popular -- and are now set for nostalgic re-boot. No, I'm not talking about vinyl records; I'm talking about cassettes.

When I read recently that enthusiasts are returning to cassettes, I couldn't understand the news. Cassette tapes are, by everyone's admission, vastly inferior to vinyl, CDs and streaming. Why resurrect a bad technology?

Well, there are reasons. One is their connection to the automobile. In the Sixties-Eighties, if you wanted to listen to tunes in your car, you were limited to the radio or cassettes. You couldn't play records in a jostling vehicle.

Second, mix-tapes. With cassettes, you can create your own mix of songs from any artist/album. A custom mix-tape is wonderful, giving you music you like without stuff you don't.

Third, they're cheap. In record-stores today, cassettes are the unwanted step-children being practically given away. For decades nobody wanted them so their market value was zilch. Today you can build an entire collection for the price of one newly-minted LP.

Did you ever listen to cassettes?

18 comments:

  1. I haven't listened to cassettes in ages, although I brought home some of my teenage mix-tapes when we were clearing my parents' house. Now if I'd find something to play them with, it would be the ultimate trip down memory lane! xxx

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    1. For me, like you, the biggest obstacle is finding an old player!

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  2. For young folk, the way they might have seen cassettes was in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Years ago I digitized all my favourites and haven't had a reason to play one since. I am likely out of practice rewinding one with a pencil! :-)

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  3. I had a huge collection of cassettes, started by Christmas gifts from my grandmother in 1983-4, augmented by a Columbia House subscription, which I followed to the letter, then wrote them a letter ending my subscription! I still have some mixed tapes that my former best friend made me, one that L made me in 1995 when we met, and another from a friend to introduce me to Rush (the "all-sensitive mix", lol). I also have a recording of my best friend and I back in around 1982, creating a short story together - back when you could also record on cassette! I keep them (and a tape player!) for the history.

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    1. What great stories! Thanks for sharing, Sheila.

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  4. I listened to cassettes when I was a kid, and I LOVED making mix tapes!

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  5. Blogger ate my first two attempts to comment.

    Cassettes were preferable to CDs, they didn't skip when on long car rides. I did a lot of books on tape.

    Did you ever have a HitClips, Ally? That was definitely one of the weirder music formats in my lifetime.

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    1. No, and I've never heard of it. Off to research...

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  6. Yes, I listened to cassettes and we used to make our own mixes when I was in middle school. Fun times. I think resurrecting technology often makes perfect sense. New is not always better, not in every sense anyway. Today a song is a click away on YouTube but one must endure endless commercials- the same goes for other social media platforms. CD-s are a solution, but they skip and with time they are not so reliable. Really, we should bring back the cassettes!

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  7. Oh yes, I did lol

    My wedding was recorded on a cassette tape :-))

    And at the time, I was dating a DJ and he made me multiple mixed tapes that I still cry over losing lol

    I can't say I would jump on that technology train again because I also remember having to stick a pencil in there to rewind it if it came unraveled lol

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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  8. I loved making mix tapes as a teenager. One problem with cassettes was the tape getting mangled, another was you couldn't just skip a track!

    In my previously job, we printed a number of cassette tape covers in recent years... Though I can't say I've bought any.

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  9. I came home from living in Bali with a HUGE collection of cassettes as they were what most gamelan music was published on and I had a walkman when I was there to listen to music on! Sad that virtually none of my players work any more!

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  10. Yes! As a child of the '80s I listened to tapes all the time (and in my Walkman!) Even in the '90s it was much easier to make a mix tape than a mix CD so I still made them then. I might still have the tapes but no means of playing them...I'm thinking of scouring ebay for a vintage walkman. Anyway, thanks for the memories!!

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  11. Cassettes (along with both records and CDs) were mainstays of my 80s/90s youth. A lot of the first music I can claimed to have owned (from New Kids on the Block to Disney movie soundtracks) was on cassette and like so many of us back then, I adored making mix tapes.

    There is something wonderfully heartwarming about the idea of cassette tapes experiencing a resurgence in popularity - be it a flash in a pan or longer lasting, much like how vinyl continues to hold its (rightful) ground. Especially if, in the process, the younger generations get to experience music on tape for the first time.

    Autumn Zenith �� Witchcrafted Life

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