Re: [ARSCLIST] On the beaten 8-track...

[steven c <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

see end...
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Richard, as usual, threw out a ton of good info here.
>
> A couple of more points:
>
> 1. 8-tracks were hated by dupers. That's 8 electronics to keep tuned,
complex headstacks to keep
> somewhat aligned, complex loading machines, etc.
>
> 2. 8-tracks were hated by car makers. Road-wear got the heads way out of
alignment because they
> weren't fixed. Cartridges didn't work well in cold weather. Trying to
figure out where to allow
> storage for those big old cartridges. The playback machines needed a
somewhat hefty motor to torque
> up that loop in cold and hot weather, etc.
>
> 3. 8-track recorders were indeed made but you had to be midnful of 15
minute limits per "track" for
> 60-minute cartridges and 22.5 minutes for 90-minute carts. Otherwise,
there would be a cutout while
> the loop switched direction and the head moved on its cam.
>
> 4. cassettes were a much more efficient thing to mass produce and had less
to go wrong. That's why
> even some of the earliest cassettes still play A-OK.
>
> 5. someone said before that it was the 80's before cassettes were the
choice home-taping format. I
> think it was actually the mid to late 70's. Audiophiles still preferred
quarter-track reel decks -- 
> and some of the best Japanese decks ever made were made in the late 70's
and early 80's -- but
> really good-sounding cassette decks could be had by 1975 or so. I am still
amazed by how good
> cassettes sound that were made on my 1979 Sanyo deck. The reason I bought
it was that it was rated a
> superb value by a couple of stereo mags. It was relatively bare-bones but
had great electronics and
> head and a good execution of the Dolby circuit. Plus, it was the cheapest
deck to do metal tape.
>
> 6. 8-tracks were pretty much dead by 1982 or so when the Sony Walkman came
out, but that device
> killed all other consumer tape formats and revolutionized how music was
listened to and purchased.
> Pretty soon, pre-recorded cassettes were out-selling LPs. And cassettes
lingered long into the CD
> era. Remember C-100's and C-110's, made to accomodate the longer playing
time of CD's. Computer
> drives that readily/cheaply/easily copied CD's didn't come around until
the late 90's for most of
> us. CD burner drives spelled the end of home taping for most people. And
now iPods have spelled the
> end of "mix tape" CD's for most people.
>
> Finally, 8-tracks seem to linger on in the netherworld of cult status. I
must say I've only had one
> person ask me to transfer an 8-track, and I talked him out of it since the
content was readily
> available on commercial CD. But if I ever get a person with a homebrew
8-track that actually holds
> valuable content, I'm sending him right to Richard!
>
When I returned to North America (Bloomington, Ill's.) I bought an 8-track
machine for my car (which was stolen shortly thereafter) and had a home
table-top "stereo" (LP's, 45's and 8-tracks). I never bothered replacing
the machine in the car (the car itself went to see Jesus in another few
months)...but the home player used to drive me up the walls of my mobile
home! Worked fine...but it didn't have the good sense to play all four
segments and then stop!

Had some folks over one evening, and played a few tapes. Towards the
very late evening, the group had either drifted off or formed couples
(myself included)...and the couples were, well..."otherwise occupied."
Near as I can remember, I think I heard one album, in its entirety,
five times...

Steven C. Barr