-
7 years 7 months ago
- Posts: 2638
- Account Disabled
| Nashida wrote: I found a few 8 track things, or whatever they're called, they kinda looked like giant thick floppy disks. Came out before cassettes. Didn't buy them, I don't think I'd be able to use them.
Yeah, you made the right move. There's no need to get any unless you have a working player (I happen to have one as part of my stereo.) Then when you get a working player, you have to find tapes for it, for every one good tape there will be many awful ones. Then you take a gamble, especially when you buy them at thrift stores that they will be playable. 8-tracks were not made last, any number of things can go wrong with them.
But one of the little upsides is that you can strike lucky and get a classic, or a great overlooked release usually for two dollars or under. I lucked out at Value Village one day and got David Bowie - Low on 8-track for fifty cents and it plays fine. I also have the Beatles - Let it Be which I got at a Salvation Army.
There is a used record and video store here in Ottawa with 8-tracks for two dollars each. A bit more than thrift stores but the tapes are guarntied to work and the quality of music is much higher. I have gotten Doors and Kinks 8-tracks this way.
8-tracks cause they are often cheap have gotten me into things I otherwise would not have checked out, like an obscure Irish folk group called Planxty and Switched on Santa, a christmas album played entirley on moog keyboards.
I have never seen any later era 8-tracks up close but I have read that 8-tracks were made into the early 80's and Columbia offered them in their record club up to 1988 but only for high selling titles. If I ever see one of the Ramones 8-tracks or the one for Yes' 90125 for cheap I will make a point to get them.
|
got it too
