8 Track Stereo Tapes?

[Mike]

throwaway thoughts

think the heyday was before my time

dont think ever seen one in action

but was just wondering did the releases always mirror identically the actual vinyl release

as in the tracks on them ?

[Mike]

just seen a few on travels and got me thinking

there were cassette only type releases, got a few soul related ones somewhere

so just sort of lazily wondering if there were ever similar or maybe extra tracks added (like cds today )

[Guest Matt Male]

My dad had an 8-track in his car and he had a few by The Stylistics i seem to remember and i think they were the same as the vinyl LPs. Early to mid 70s i think.

Edited January 17, 2010 by Matt Male

[Guest Brian Ellis]

Sad to say Mike, but I have to admit to having an 8 track player in my car (circa 1975/6). Didn't seem to be much soulwise available, but did have Barry White's Greatest Hits and same for the Stylistics.

8 tracks were supposedly better quality than normal cassettes, but when it was slung under my driver seat (only place where it would fit) with rough wiring to a couple of cheap speakers screwed to the rear parcel shelf, quality hardly came into it.

The 8 track would play in one direction then when it came to the end of that side it would automatically reverse and play the other side. More often than not the last song on side 1 would stop half way through and then continue on side 2 after a few seconds of 'clicking and clacking' as the mechanism switched into reverse.

Seems we've come a long way since then compared to today's in-car MP3 and iPod players!!

Brian

[Samson]

Yep l would agree it was around about that time

...and would l be right in saying that all 8-track players were in cars and nowhere else??

I often see 8-track tape players for home stereo systems around town (here in the US) so it wasn't just for the car.

...and I would agree that there was not much soul to be found on those things.

[De-to]

throwaway thoughts

think the heyday was before my time

dont think ever seen one in action

but was just wondering did the releases always mirror identically the actual vinyl release

as in the tracks on them ?

heres one in action that is/was being repaired they were quite bulky players

[Gary Samways]

i also had an uncle with an 8 track in his car, i swear i can remember him having an isley brothers tape?

[De-to]

heres an 8 track stereo unit most had turntable/radio/8 track,i remember my mother in law having one of these with some really naff tapes but im sure she had a supremes and a four tops 8 track tapes,any northern soul on 8 track,??????,(dare i post up another youtube link,!!!)

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1971-AD-PANASONIC-8-TRACK-STEREO-SYSTEM_W0QQitemZ6592574133QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item188f2b2b5

Edited January 17, 2010 by de-to

[De-to]

webby d, some groovy 8 tracks here,

https://www.8trackheaven.com/selfcontain.html

[Guest]

There were soul music orientated 8TC releases , but the record companies favoured the product of high profile AOR / MOR artists .

In the U.S. , 8TC were phased out of retail stores by late 1982 , with them having disappeared in Europe about four years earlier .

Malc Burton

Edited January 18, 2010 by Malc Burton

[45cellar]

I bought a Sharp Stereo System for home use, Radio, 8 Track Player & Recorder.

Sold it in the early 80's.

However, I still have a Hi-Fi seperate Sharp 8 Track Player & Recorder that I bought around the same time.

Not many bought Player/Recorders I would Imagine most bought players for the car.

Almost Identical to this one.

I thought that it was the future at the time so bought recording capability,

It still worked the last time I tried it but not easy as it is a continous loop joined by a silver joint tape.

This causes the head to move to next track so you have to time each of the sections almost perfectly.

I have a few Soul releases, Motown Chartbusters was released and the 8 Track for this

I bought the Vinyl Album at the same time. I will have to have a look in the loft.

I think I remember a Pye Disco Demand (2nd Album) Casualeers, Wally Cox etc.

8 Track Album too but will have to check. It's a few years since I've been in that box.

Edited January 18, 2010 by 45cellar

[Guest aintgotit]

me dear old mum bought an mg 1500 which only had an eight track instead of a radio, and we could never find any tapes to go in the bugger as cassette tapes had taken over then , bout 76 or so , i,m quite glad in a way as anyone who ever travelled regularly on the scarborough coach to the casino will groan and nod in dejected assent, the only tape ever played while i was on that bus was, the greatest hits of BARRY MANILOW!. ALL together now," her name was lola, she was a showgirl, ,,,,no wonder the people on the back seat resorted to inhaling compressed butane.It was enough to turn anyone to desparate measures. It never ever got seized up though that tape, though it should have been seized of that there is no mistake,but provided some surreal formative memories for me, listenin to "oh mandy beltin out on a sunday morning while g, i,ll call her, told me how difficult it was workin in her dads shop after a niter,surrounded by root vegetables , maybe she meant her fellow employees , i was only seventeen and viewing her conversation from that angle at least allowed me to get of the bus at leeds without walking backwards.

[Guest]

Used to come across a fair few 8 track tapes mixed in with vinyl collections when I was a regular buyer at local auctions. Very few of interest to soul collectors....most commonly seen soul ones were the Motown Chartbusters. Any MOR stuff I just used to skip, got good money for a few Beatles ones on ebay few years back.

Most interesting soul one I've seen, which I actually found in my garage a few weeks ago and still have on my desk is the Stax Fillet Of Soul, Gold Soul Vol 2.

[45cellar]

Woaaaaah!! Hang on isn't that The Moments?!

Certainly is.

[Guest toby]

With regards to

8 Track cassettes etc

I have a few of them collected from boot fairs etc over the years(why i dont know).About 25 or more

Jr Walker Anthology pt 1 & 2 + Greatest hits,Gladys Knight & Pips Anthology pt 1& 2,Temptations,marvin Gaye,Stevie Wonder,D Ross & Supremes,Four Tops plus loads of others including the Motown Story etc

see scans

a waste of time buying them cos i had nothing to play them on,but being me i could not leave them there to be tossed away etc,

Also Motown released stuff on reel to reel tapes (see the scan)

Still got them why i dont know

But i thought id share them cos some of the more younger ones among us have never seen anything like these,just like my son who had nver used a rcord player...sad boy..

Toby

[Guest]

I remember going to a junk shop in Italy a few years ago and there was an old record player for the car it played just 45's you slided them in like a compact disc and it was very heavy I cant imagine it would do your records any good I think it was made by Philips.

found a link

Edited January 19, 2010 by Guest

[Glynthornhill]

8 Track stereo cartridges are still a bought and acceptable format in the USA market place. Just check Ebay. Over a year back I acquired approx 50 8 tracks amongst a rock / metal collection - they were mostly rock n roll 50s releases . but had a n interesting collection of Motown, Atlantic and Chess releases respectively. Most sold at reasonable prices to. I have no 8 track player to test them , so sold blind but never had any complaints and American buyers left positive responses so they stand the test of time as a product with durability .

[Pete S]

I bought a Sharp Stereo System for home use, Radio, 8 Track Player & Recorder.

Sold it in the early 80's.

However, I still have a Hi-Fi seperate Sharp 8 Track Player & Recorder that I bought around the same time.

Not many bought Player/Recorders I would Imagine most bought players for the car.

Almost Identical to this one.

I thought that it was the future at the time so bought recording capability,

It still worked the last time I tried it but not easy as it is a continous loop joined by a silver joint tape.

This causes the head to move to next track so you have to time each of the sections almost perfectly.

I have a few Soul releases, Motown Chartbusters was released and the 8 Track for this

I bought the Vinyl Album at the same time. I will have to have a look in the loft.

I think I remember a Pye Disco Demand (2nd Album) Casualeers, Wally Cox etc.

8 Track Album too but will have to check. It's a few years since I've been in that box.

Yes the recordable 8 tracks are very rare, I had one from a boot sale about 10 years ago with around 200 pre recorded titles, I binned it when I moved back up here.

At Grammar School Records in Rye, they had an outhouse round the back of thr shop completely filled with brand new 8 track tapes!

[paup-ine]

I remember going to a junk shop in Italy a few years ago and there was an old record player for the car it played just 45's you slided them in like a compact disc and it was very heavy I cant imagine it would do your records any good I think it was made by Philips.

found a link

My sister used to have a portable record player. It was like a toaster, you put record (UK of course) in the slot at the top, and press the button down to push needle onto single, and it would start to play

P

My dad had a 8 track player in the bar Webby.

[45cellar]

My sister used to have a portable record player. It was like a toaster, you put record (UK of course) in the slot at the top, and press the button down to push needle onto single, and it would start to play

P

My dad had a 8 track player in the bar Webby.

I owned one of these, could still be at my Parents House.

Linear Tracking Needle - Played Large or Small Center 7"" Records Automatically.

Cassette Player, long time ago when I last saw it. Incredibly Rare Item.

>>> LINK_Bush Discassette <<<

Edited January 20, 2010 by 45cellar

[De-to]

would you play your copy of al williams on la beat on this,???? ,

[Pete S]

My sister used to have a portable record player. It was like a toaster, you put record (UK of course) in the slot at the top, and press the button down to push needle onto single, and it would start to play

P

My dad had a 8 track player in the bar Webby.

I've got one of those - it's called a Discotron

[Twinroots]

i used to work with a plumber who had an 8 track in the van(1985!!!)..too stingy too put cassette player in!!!!he only had two cartridges in the van.. gladys knight anthology and a johnny cash one..he was mad on country and western....got really sick of hearing boy named sue,ring of fire every morning ..think it was made by realistic...black and chrome finish not a bad sound tho....still see them about on booters...

[Supercorsa]

In passing my test, used to drive my Dad's MK3 Cortina 2000E in it we had the standard MW/LW radio and underneath the dashboard was an 8-track player. However this came with the car and we didn't have any 8-track tapes, but my mates Dads had some! The problem was they were all rubbish, so all we got to play were: The Beatles (greatest hits), Roxy Music (my mate liked 'em), The Stylistics & finally the one that got played the most Buddy Holly greatest hits. It got played that much I can even now singalong to almost all his songs , was even at one point during the 80's considering having a scooter with the name Rave On! painted on it. How sad is that?

Rave On, it's a crazy feeling.........

[Guest jerrio]

Yep l would agree it was around about that time

...and would l be right in saying that all 8-track players were in cars and nowhere else??

HIYA WEBBY,I HAD ONE IN THE EARLY 80s.I GOT IT OFF MY FATHER IN LAW KARENS DAD,ALONG WITH A FEW TAPES INCLUDING KIM WESTON ON MGM AND A MOTOWN CHARTBUSTERS.THE PLAYER WAS A HEAVY WOODEN AFFAIR. WRIGHTY.

[John Benson]

My dad had one in his car around 1972 / 73, we also had a player for the house. (It just played though not a recorder.)

I bought a few soul tapes for it to listen to mainly in the car.

Motown disco classics, a few other assorted compilations etc. I forget just what they were now.

The car player and speakers were Radiomobile and after having them in the loft for many years, I put them on eBay around 10 years ago and they went to a guy in the USA for his british sports car.

Some of the tapes also went on the bay, some 'may' still be in the loft, with the house player?

[John Benson]

Just remembered I've also got one of those adaptors which allowed you to play cassette tapes in the 8 track players.

From Tandys (Radio Shack) if I recall...

[paup-ine]

Just remembered I've also got one of those adaptors which allowed you to play cassette tapes in the 8 track players.

From Tandys (Radio Shack) if I recall...

Do those shops still exist??

P

Edited January 22, 2010 by paup-ine

[Guest soulmaguk]

throwaway thoughts

think the heyday was before my time

dont think ever seen one in action

but was just wondering did the releases always mirror identically the actual vinyl release

as in the tracks on them ?

I had for sale a couple of years ago 300+ soul 8-track tapes. I bought them as a job lot from the U.S. The problem was the actual tape itself perishes over time, so sound quality is lost forever, even though the width of the tape was wider and originally the sound would of been grteater than a normal cassette tape. The tapes were the exact repro's from what was on the LPs.