1985 Deutsche Grammophon “Walkman Classics” Chromuim Dioxide Cassette

In the previous post I cited portable players as instrumental in the increasing dominance of the audio cassette format during the early to mid 1980s. And here’s an exhibit to demonstrate just that. So great was the link between the sale of analogue cassettes and the Sony Walkman personal stereo system, that record company Polydor / Deutsche Grammophon went to the trouble and expense of licencing the Walkman brand from Sony for a series of classical tapes.

EMI Studio DRM XDR Chromium Dioxide Audio Cassette

Going from yesterday’s epitome of 1970s lo-fi, to the other extreme – a 1990 paragon of audio cassette fidelity. High spec chromium-dioxide tape media, XDR quality control processing, Dolby HX Pro noise reduction, full digital remastering – all in a highly successful effort to bring a 1965 recording up to 1990s fidelity standards.

Deutsche Grammophon 3D Classics Series Audio Cassette

This is another of the highly attractive, abundantly classy and sonically spectacular Polydor / Deutsche Grammophon CrO2 pre-records of the 1980s. It’s part of the 3D Classics series, which was released around the cusp of the ‘80s and ‘90s decades, with this particular instalment hitting the shops in 1989.