1994 TDK SA 90 Super Avilyn Audio Cassette

By 1994, the world of home multitrack recording was well along the road of transformation from tape to digital formats. But full computerisation of the process was still not a realistic proposition for most recording enthusiasts.

Philips Chromium Dioxide Audio Cassette: Für Elise

This is another really nice example of a high quality chromium dioxide pre-recorded cassette tape. It’s a Philips compilation entitled Für Elise – The Magic of the Piano, which includes works by a raft of composers including Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Mussorgsky, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Mozart, Liszt, Chopin, Brahms, Schubert and Gershwin.

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.