Phil Collins
No Jacket Required
Atlantic Records
1985
In the summer of 85, Phil Collins was at the height of his super powers. He drummed on every rock star’s records, was on TV constantly, played at Live Aid (both in London and later same day in Philly!). And along the way, he sold 25 million copies of this album … mostly on cassette.
Counting Crows
August and Everything After
Geffen Records
1993
Pass me a bottle, Mr Jones…
This was an advance radio-only cassette with no album art from Geffen … probably one of the last cassettes I ever got in the old days.
The Clash
Combat Rock
Epic Records
1982
“The only band the matters” mattered the most in the summer of ’82.
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.
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!
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Change of Heart
From the album Long After Dark
Backstreet Records / MCA
1982
This is one of my favorite Petty tunes and was released on red vinyl in 1982. Due to the stickers on the label, this copy was obviously stolen from a radio station, most likely in the 1990s. I don’t know who would do such a thing.
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