The Who
Who’s Next
Track / Decca / MCA
1971
Arguably the greatest album of the 1970s. This is an MCA 1980’s cassette version I bought in high school and played approximately 1 Million times … especially “Baba”!
Dire Straits
Brothers In Arms
Warner Brothers Records
1985
Released in May of 1985, this was THE most played cassette by pretty much anyone I know in the summer of ’85. This was also the first cassette I ever saw in the clear format … they had that weird oily smell to them when new!
Meat Loaf
Bat Out Of Hell
Epic Records
1977
This album is 45+ years old and we still can’t categorize it. And I still love it.
Monty Python
Instant Record Collection (US Version)
Arista Records
1982
If you spent your youth trying to catch a bit of Monty Python on your local PBS station, this collection of the group’s best bits from their UK comedy records was a prize. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more!
Not: 2 things about this cassette scream 1982 … “Qualitape” (whatever that was) and also it’s in beautiful Arista Red!
Cheap Trick
Lap of Luxury
Epic Records
1988
This was the “comeback” album for the world’s greatest LIVE band, although I don’t think they ever went away. And they still play out 100+ night per year 35 year later!
Lap of Luxury had the band’s only number one song, but also a bunch of rockers.
Men At Work
Cargo
Columbia Records
1983
This gem is turning 40 this spring and I’m still a fan of Colin Hay. Great song writing!
Meat Puppets
Radio Meat Promo
London Records
1994
Here’s a radio promotion-only cassette version of Kurt Cobain’s favorite band, The Meat Puppets. This is actually a group of tracks from the “Too High To Die” album.
Even though CDs were king by 1994, record labels were still sending advanced copies of new releases to radio program directors and music directors on cassette, correctly assuming that most of us still drove cars with cassette players!
Guns N’ Roses
Appetite for Destruction
Geffen Records
1987
Wrapping up the year of rediscovering cassettes with my favorite album of all time. Before the CD, before the download, before the streaming, and before retro-vinyl find, this cassette got played so much that the lettering is hard to read.
Note that Sides A & B on this original release are labeled Sides G&R!
The Who
Face Dances
Warner Bros
1981
This is a very rare example of a cassette that has a different cover than the LP record. And Face Dances is a great album, even without Keith Moon…
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Slash Records
1983
After a long hiatus, I thought it might be fun to return to Throw Back Thursday with some of my favorite albums. Only now instead of sharing some of my favorite vinyl, let’s look at some cassettes. Come on, you know you miss them!
Check out this cassette of The Violent Femmes‘ first. It was played about 1 Million times since I bought it in ’83.
“I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record. Oh yeah?”
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