Saturday, December 19, 2009
11:38 AM
8 Track Tapes
During the 70's, we still had vinyl records, of course, as they were still popular, but we also began to accumulate a fairly large collection of 8 track tapes, which were the new music technology of the decade. We bought several in the mid to late 70's. In addition to the ones we purchased, we also "inherited" a huge box of 8 track tapes from a store, owned by family members that went out of business. I didn't personally buy any of my own until 9th grade, when I got my first really nice, grown-up stereo which had a turntable, 8 track deck, and am/fm radio. I LOVED that stereo and it remained one of my prized possessions well into my college years. I can't remember all of the 8 tracks I bought for myself. Only a few come to mind, such as the soundtrack from Xanadu, Olivia Newton-John, Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, and the Eagles.
The 8 tracks I most remember my parents playing around the house were ones by artists such as Don Gibson, Cal Smith, Bill Anderson, Waylon Jennings, Tommy Overstreet, etc. My parents loved old country and I learned to love SOME of it, too.
Some of the songs I remember hearing often from my parent's old 8 tracks are:
Please Mr. Please - Olivia Newton-John
I Honestly Love You - Olivia Newton-John
If You Love Me Let Me Know - Olivia Newton-John
Let Me Be There - Olivia Newton-John
Country Bumpkin - Cal Smith
Don't She Look Good - Bill Anderson (this one made my dad really, really angry because it was about a man who had taken a good wife for granted until she finally gave up and moved on without him, finding unprecedented happiness with a new love, leaving him full of regret. My mom loved that song and my dad knew why. LOL She would always tell me to hit the back button on the player several times so that my dad would have to listen to it over and over while he was eating breakfast and getting ready to leave the house. LOL
Blue, Blue Day - Don Gibson
Lyin' Eyes - the Eagles