Make It Stop?

Brain Freeze: Purple Rain On 8 Track? 


Can you imagine. Well we don't have to go off in dreamland on this one because this is totally true. This 8 track isn't a "joke" or anything, it's as real as Real Deal Holyfield and that doesn't stop it from being totally freaky. Some history. 8 tracks started to take off in the mid '60s, hit really big throughout the '70s and finally were done in by cassettes in the early '80s. Stores and labels pretty much had it with all things 8 track and by 1982--they simply stopped manufacturing them. Some one wanted to hold on a little bit longer however. "Tape" clubs, RCA and Columbia still made them up until 1988. So if you see a copy of Dire Straits "Money For Nothing" or Jackson Browne's "Lives In The Balance" on 8 track--it's genuine.

A lot of keystrokes to excuse that monstosity o'er head, huh. To me, Prince and the Revolution's "Purple Rain" is well, a cassette, you know, Dolby HX Pro, loud, made for a boom box. Like many others, I played it endlessly until I needed another copy. I got another cassette--but it was in 1987 and that didn't have quite the same sound. On vinyl? Nah, they were making crappy albums at this point and it had a horrendous sound, quite unlike that original cassette. This leads me back to this 8 track edition of "Purple Rain." So bizarre. RCA also had 8 track versions of Around The World In A Day, Parade and Sign O' The Times. Lord...

More Chit Chat "Unfiltered": Geez Louise, the very idea of that damn thing scares the crap out of me. So f'ing weird. I mean I was an 8 track fan, felt bad when they finally bit the dust, but the very idea of a "Purple Rain" cart? Totally odd.

What Else Is Availible? A site called 8 Track Heaven has a list of all of the 8 tracks issued around this time frame. Look! The Firm!