1970 ITT Polydor Musicassette Demonstrator

Since I began raiding the ‘junk boxes’ for old audio cassettes to photograph for this blog, I’ve been desperately hoping to find something from the 1960s. I came within a cat’s whisker today, with the discovery of this ITT Polydor Demonstration Musicassette, from 1970. I don’t know how this truly vintage artefact got into my family, but I suspect it had something to do with my Mother’s job in music education. The material pre-recorded onto the tape comes from a variety of 1960s acts, but it’s all ‘easy listening’ – a genre in which my Mom never showed any particular interest. I’m assuming, therefore, she received the cassette as some sort of free giveaway.

The Smithereens – Green Thoughts Audio Tape (1988)

I first became aware of The Smithereens in the mid 1980s when they played live on a UK ‘alternative entertainment TV show’. I’m guessing it was probably Saturday Live, but if not, it was certainly a variety format because I remember one of the comedians cracking a rather cheap, desperate and poorly-executed joke about the lead singer’s comb-over.

Aswad – Live and Direct Audio Cassette (1983)

That music dealing with the issues felt by disillusioned and disenfranchised youth had such a presence in the early 1980s, says as much about today’s environment as it does about that of three decades ago. The issues are still there, but it feels today almost as if the music business has tried to fence off the disaffected as some kind of ‘worthless market’, unable to provide a sufficient return on a record company’s investment.