The humble and handy cassette tape that's seeing a 'notable resurgence' |
I’ve written at length before about my love of vinyl records and how pleased I am that, in a largely digital world, they are making something of a ‘comeback’.
I’ve also talked about how CDs replaced vinyl in the 1980s, touted by radio DJs as the ‘crystal clear’ alternative.
But following another recent discovery in my mum’s loft, I feel compelled to give a massive shoutout to the other alternative at the time – the humble cassette tape.
The 1980s – my music-fan heyday – were really the golden years of cassette tapes. But like their vinyl counterparts, cassettes have experienced a notable resurgence in recent years, fueled by the interest in all things vintage and nostalgia for ‘tangible’ media.
Emma has enjoyed rediscovering some of her recordings from the 1980s and 90s. (Image: Jim Keenan)
We must all have owned a cassette tape at some point in our youth, even if it was only a poor-quality recording of a friend’s LP that you couldn’t afford to buy!
Cassettes were also the best way to hear your chosen tracks whilst travelling in the car. Most were equipped with radios by the time I was old enough to drive one, and if you were lucky, you got a built-in cassette player too.
My first car had one, and it provided the ideal opportunity to binge-listen to my favourite songs when I was on the way to work at the ungodly........