Sony AHF 90 Audio Cassette (1981)

The Sony AHF was an excellent normal bias cassette from the renowned hi-fi manufacturer.

At the dawn of the 1980s, there were three normal bias ferric oxide tapes in the Sony range.

The CHF was the basic offering. Light on treble definition, fairly noisy, and low in price – but in its class, still pretty good value.

The next step up was the BHF. This had noticeably better treble response, and whilst noise/hiss wasn’t exactly minimal, it was certainly more under control than with the CHF. The price was typically around 30% higher than that of the CHF.

Stepping up again to the most expensive Sony ferric, you found the technically superior AHF.

Siouxsie and the Banshees – Once Upon a Time (1981)

The classic red paper label of Polydor Records, complete with Made in England denotation printed below the brand logo, adorns 1981’s Once Upon a Time – The Singles, by Siouxsie and the Banshees. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the back of the case is not black – it’s very dark brown, and marked with the PolyGram branding. The album title is self-explanatory. This is a compilation of the band’s singles, released between 1978 and 1981. For the record, the tracks are set in chronological order.

1981 Sony BHF 90 Audio Cassette

This is the old, paper (as opposed to foil-type) label version of the Sony BHF 90, from 1981. I know that I was buying these paper label jobs through 1982 as well as in latter ‘81, but by spring 1983 I was getting the shiny label versions.