Otis Rush – Ain’t Enough Comin’ In audio cassette (1994)

Ohhhh yeaaahhhh…. This. Is. The stuff. In 1994, an Otis Rush studio album release was a completely new experience to an entire generation. Not since the 1970s had Rush bestowed a non-live album upon the world, and whilst I’d heard his name before, it was the UK publicity which went with this release, in spring ’94, that alerted me to his capabilities. The early 1990s had seen an explosion of traditional American blues, and whilst this product from Otis Rush could have done with being recorded and released two or three years earlier (for its own commercial sake more than anything), it was most welcome, and it’s remained a very important release within the blues genre.

1994 Maxell UR90 Audio Cassette

Even though the Vintage Cassettes site categorises this cassette as remaining in production until 1993, I’ve logged this one as 1994. It could feasibly have been made in 1993, but it wasn’t bought until very late in ’94 at the earliest – possibly the beginning of 1995. Because of the type of blog this is, it suits me better to work on when the tapes were bought (rather than purely reference information) as a guide to their year. It helps give some insight into what was on sale in the UK shops, and when, as well as hinting that the tapes often took a considerable time to work their way through the system into the hands of the eventual consumer.

1994 That’s AS:I 54 Audio Cassette

The That’s AS:I 54 was a really impressive Type 1 normal bias tape. The first thing you noticed about it was the unusually quiet performance. Noise levels are truly low for a mid-range Type 1. I used this particular cassette to record an acoustic piano performance, which I played on a Welmar upright in 1994. Tape hiss could be an issue on solo acoustic instrument performances even with Type II cassettes, but it really isn’t a problem here. I didn’t even use Dolby! The sound is what you’d expect from a very good normal bias tape. Rounded and warm, but with a well defined edge.