Deutsche Grammophon Audio Cassette 1980s

I was very pleased to find this excellent example of a Deutsche Grammophon audio cassette tape recently. It’s a 1987 release featuring Schubert’s Quintet for Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass in A major (D.667 “The Trout”) on Side 1, and on Side 2, Beethoven’s Sonata for Piano and Violin in F major (Op.24 “Spring). The Schubert is performed by Jorg Demus (piano) and the Schubert Quartett; the Beethoven by Carl Seemann (piano) and Wolfgang Schneiderhan (violin). Both sides are remastered from original recordings made in 1960, by Polydor International GmbH.

Gary Moore – After Hours Audio Cassette (1992)

I thought I’d do something a bit different with the illustration for this post. The eventual composition wasn’t really so much an idea as an inevitability. What with the late Gary Moore being so well known for using ‘flametop’ Gibson Les Paul guitars, I opted to use the front face of my own Les Paul ‘flametop’ as a makeshift ‘table’ for the tape, then open up the cassette cover for use as a backdrop. It’s made for quite a colourful and eyecatching image.

BASF Ferro Super I Audio Cassette (1989)

One of the problems with striving to improve Type I normal position audio tapes was that whatever manufacturers did with them, they were always still Type Is. That may not have been a problem technically. If the sound and signal to noise characteristics were massively better than those of a very basic, low end Type I, then a higher end Type I would have merit and, in real terms, justify its extra cost.