My 8-Track Collection!

Small but mighty! Let me know down in the comments what are some of YOUR favorite 8-Track tapes!
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[@dennisdemark8151]

...love my 8-track tape collection...I have approximately 2000 plus and still collecting. ...love your channel.

[@Recordology]

Thank you!

[@rwj777]

I love my 8 track tapes! 😊 I own about 150 tapes and I still listen to them to this day. I have everything from Marvin Gaye, Rick James, Phil Collins, Teena Marie, The movie Car Wash soundtrack, Shaft soundtrack, original Superfly soundtrack feat. Curtis Mayfield, Culture Club, Michael Jackson, Al Green... just to name a few titles that I have on 8 track. Lol I also own two multi cartridge 8 track changers that can play multiple tapes back to back and one single tape 8 track player. I also enjoy to maintenance all my tapes when needed. I've dropped a few F bombs repairing some of them lol, but I still enjoy restoring my tapes. 👍🏾

[@MrThecroatian]

Love the clip from "What About Bob?" That's one of my favorite Bill Murray movies. Keep up the good work.

[@Recordology]

Thank you 😊

[@bradfordlewis9765]

Interesting collection, especially The Carpenters. She died way too early in life. I think I finally own every single album they ever released, mostly on LP's but also a few cassette tapes and CD's. I even have 2 CD's that Karen did on her own (without her brother Richard), but a few years after her death, Richard decided to release them. Her voice grew more beautiful every year, so you can imagine how her voice sounded on those final albums. She died from complications brought on by anorexia, less than 3 weeks of her psychiatrist declaring her finally cured--but her body was too weak by then. A real tragedy. She passed in 1986 at the age of 32.

[@wndy7073]

You were calling a cartridge a cassette 😮

[@xaenon]

Recording on 8-Track isn't very straighforward - at least, not like open-reel or cassette. For example: That 45-minute cartridge. It's actually only 11 minutes and 15 seconds per track. To make the tape as 'professional' as possible, you generally want to organize your material to fit within each track without the track change taking place in the middle of the song (sometimes it can't be helped, but you try to avoid it if possible). Also, you want to lay it all out so that each track has a similar run time - so as to avoid an excessively long blank spot in one track. So, if you're making an 8-Track from an LP, you try to divide the songs up in a way that results in four roughly equal-length groups. To make it fit on the cartridge, you try to find a cartridge that's four times the length of your longest track - if your longest track has 10 minutes worth of material, you try to find a 40 minute cartridge. I've known people to actually spool tape out of the cartridge and actually cut sections out of the tape specifically to avoid that long 'empty' spot at the end. Another trick, if you have enough tape to pull it off, would be to put another song in that blank spot. Of course, you COULD just cram the tape into the machine, mass the 'REC' button, and let the machine do it all automatically, but it doesn't turn out as nice. I've done some of that 'programming', and it's maddening how awkward it can be. Don't get me wrong, I loved the 8-Track, but it was not the easiest to work with on the 'production' side of things.

[@thedarkdescent2387]

That Carpenters album is impressive. I got the record and it’s a very good album.

[@7JANEWAY]

It was their very second album, but the first one to hit. Nowadays, if an artist doesn’t have a hit with their very first album, the record company drops them like a hot potato. Just imagine all the good music we would have lost if they did that back then-and not just The Carpenters, either.

[@nickbitten6037]

Nice to see 8- tracks getting more love. I come across 8-track tapes from time to time and buy them up, even 5hough my home unit is awaiting a service. Some bands are releasing albums on 8-track as a niche products once again. You have so many more 8-track player/ recorders in the U.S. but the prices are going up again, so getting one into the U.K. is costly. My favourite tapes condition- wise are ELO, Led Zeppelin, Rick Wakeman and Diana Ross. Keep smiling now.

[@xaenon]

I have a rather unusual fascination with the 8-Track. They were a thing when I was growing up, and by the time I was in my teens, the lowly 8-Track was on its way out the door. But 'nostalgia' isn't the big reason I am fascinated with them. It's what they represent. A lot of people don't realize it, but the 8-Track (and its immediate ancestor, the Muntz Stereo-Pak) are the ONLY examples of a music format developed SPECIFICALLY for use in cars. Everything that before or since - the phonograph record, the cassette, the CD, digital - was developed for home use FIRST and then ADAPTED for use in cars. And a lot of people don't realize what an engineering jewel the 8-Track really was. Okay, yes, it had its flaws, but it was a marvel in its day. To use it was simplicity itself - just pick out a cartridge and snap it into the player. Good-quality, STEREO sound at 70 miles per hour and you scarcely had to take your eyes off the road. No microprocessor needed. No fiddling with controls, other than the volume and maybe the track-select button. The car-audio industry owes its existence to the 8-Track and the Muntz cartridge.

[@rich_edwards79]

Yes, one of the main criticisms I hear of 8-track (the lack of controls, particularly rewind) was actually a feature, it meant you could just grab a tape, stick it in the slot in your dash and voila! Instant tunes! I don't ever remember using the RW / FF functions on an in-car tape deck anyway, it's too fiddly when driving which is probably why some low end ones in the 80s still lacked the RW feature. In the UK, 8-track was even more of a mobile format than overseas, with home players few and far between. That's why a lot of the labels have bubbled up and the sound quality isn't always great - the tapes were left in cars, exposed to extremes of temperature which dried out not only the glue and the foam but also affected the tape itself.

[@Evan-tj1te]

I remember when I was about three (1996-97) or so, my dad brought home his 8-track collection from his parents house. I remember staring intently at one in particular. I had no clue who it was and couldn't remember the name of the album for close to 14 years. All I could remember was the cover, and whenever I described it no one knew what I was talking about. I was at a record store in Fort Worth, TX all those years later and saw a box of 8-tracks. I casually started going through them, and lo and behold, there was the elusive 8-track. It was even sealed. I bought it for $1.00 and took it home. Three months later I got a player, and knew exactly what I was going to play in it. I pushed in the cart, it played for about a minute, and the tape broke. I'm case anyone was wondering, the album was Infinity, by Journey.

[@dougbrowning82]

Even the pros sometimes had trouble fitting the content in, and a tape would change programs mid song. I have a few cartridges like that.

[@ACBMemphis]

I grew up with cassette as well, can't imagine giving up the rewind feature! One thing you might want to add to your collection is a quadraphonic 8 track. I just got the famous "Elvis Hawaii concert" on quad 8 track (picture in my latest video). A quad cartridge only has 2 programs instead of the usual 4, and features a special "detection notch" which instructs the player to route the rear tracks to separate line outputs simultaneously. Would like to get a player someday like the Technics RS-858 to play it, but those are rare and expensive....

[@paultidwell7544]

I pick them up at estate sales if I can get them cheap enough. I think I have over a 100 in my collection right now. My favorite might be my Star Wars soundtrack and the Star Wars moog album.

[@TorontoJon]

Lucky! I'd love to have the Star Wars soundtrack on 8-track. :)

[@georgierockwood2355]

yes you can open all 8tracks shells to replace the pads & splices...in fact there are loads of companies that can repair your 8tracks.... Kates Track Shack in Texas is a great company that repairs 8tracks at great prices....theyve never stopped making 8tracks in fact I just bought the newest McCartney & Sting on 8track...I also just bought a brand new 8track/cd/usb combo deck...

[@markcovington8159]

Hey Record-ology. Do you think you can help do a video showing you opening & repairing your 8-track tapes? There are KZbin videos which will show you hte best way to open each 8-track tape. :) Thank you! :)

[@jonathanterrebonne8956]

I wonder sometimes why they don’t create a modern version of the 8-Track player for home use with existing cartridges.

[@JrGoonior]

Just a quick comment on longevity. I have 8-tracks my dad recorded about 50 years ago and they still work and sound just like they did then.

[@TorontoJon]

I have a Sanyo 8-track player and recorder which I purchased from a reliable seller on eBay a few years ago and about a dozen or more tapes were included along with some blank recordable tapes. The unit works beautifully, but I don't buy a lot of 8-track tapes because the tape often does not survive as well as compact cassettes have survived over decades. They are fun though when they play properly. :)

[@joshuac4793]

These are the videos I love! Thanks for the video👍

[@youtubeiscool2693]

Omg I had rush and journey on 8 track in the 70s 80s

[@TorontoJon]

LIKE number 3 which I did with glee. :)

[@bradfordlewis9765]

I like but don't love Neil Diamond. However, I do love the late great Harry Chapin. He is definitely an acquired taste. One other loves him, or one doesn't. There is no 'like' when it comes to Harry Chapin (of "Taxi," "WOLD," and "Cats In The Cradle" among others, fame).

[@secondchancejunkyard7946]

I would've been interested in having 8 track tapes, if it wasn't for two things. One, I don't have a player for them. The other is that after watching a video by VWestlife about a 8 track player, it had ruined 8 track tapes for me. Also, the Jimmy Swaggart tape I gave you is missing in action, what happened to it?

[@TorontoJon]

I have a love-hate relationship with 8-track tapes. When they work, they can sound great as I noticed with a Beatles ballads tape I have, but in other cases, the tape would snap due to age or the felt pads would rot and fall out due to glue rot. Add to that the usual crinkling of the labels on the tapes which makes me prefer any other format. :)

[@jerryspann8713]

Do you ever visit the Walmart's electronics section? The reason I am asking, is I was in my local Walmart a few days ago, and I noticed that they had Audio Technica turntables for sale. What has me puzzled, is the model number is AT-LPGO BT. It looks exactly like the AT-LP60 BT. Is this a different model?

[@dougbrowning82]

I have a Super-Scope Marantz 8-Track recorder that still works, and a few Vintage tapes for it. Marantz was considered a high end brand in its day. Although you wouldn't know it by the construction of my deck. Looks no better inside than a Lloyd's. Super-Scope was the company that introduced wide screen movies in the 1950s. By the late 60s, they were into home audio.

[@saintmichael1779]

On the Eddy Arnold tape, there is a song called "Faithfully." Johnny Mathis has an album and a song "Faithfully" from 1959. "Very faithfully all night and day my love..." It was written by Burt Bacharach and Simon Shaw.

[@Ricecooker64]

Recordology Im finally getting my deck back after 2 misfires. Im so exited to blast my Elvis!! They all have spring-loaded foam so I don't have to worry about disintegration, I examined the pads on them and there ready to go!

[@larrylarry1]

I'm a member. Look at this

[@Recordology]

Yesssss!!!!!

[@timfaracy754]

You last showed your 8 track collection and a different playback deck last December 29. You actually played excerpts from several tapes including Elvis. Some 8 track tapes have an extra song not included on the LP version of the album to even out the four tracks.

[@plan7a]

I see them and I get them; the best way to describe my collecting of 8-Tracks. Sadly I keep breaking the shells due to the different designs, so maintenance isn't easy. As a rule I remember what is shown as being on the cartridge might not be what actually is it; just as with compact cassettes. My favourite are blank labelled (or home produced) ones. The surprise of the unknown is an added bonus here. Just as picking something by an artist you've never heard of before, it could be something new or it could be something you did know but didn't know it was by that artist or group!.

[@bradfordlewis9765]

I don't have an 8-track and have never had a player in any of my past vehicles. Nor do I plan to ever have an 8-track player or tapes. But more power to you for doing so at the (somewhat surprising to me) requests of your listeners. You've made it interesting.

[@jeffreyhickman3871]

I should start collecting 8 track tapes. We had many during our childhood 👶. My parents also had an 8 track tape player. Your friend, Jeff.

[@jerryspann8713]

Trust me, as a child nothing would keep me from figuring out how to open an 8 track tape. I could manage to even open the RCA style. Thing is getting them back together was another story.

[@recordlistener0587]

Cool collection I recently got into 8 track. I’m only 17 but I like old things and I like music so that’s how I found 8 track.

[@jasonadams371]

All 8 track tapes are light brown in color I believe your Eddy Arnold tape is backwards inside out you may want to look at that

[@larryshaver3568]

I have albums by Glenn Miller ,Tommy Dorsey ,Artie shaw and Benny Goodman . The Benny Goodman album is on Columbia

[@jaymanuel3396]

I always hated, when the songs would stop midway, to switch tracks. They did sound great, but no thanks.

[@The_Mental_Christian]

Piece of trivia for the viewing audience: On pre-recorded cassettes and 8-track cartridges; was the tape recording on the the tape after it was put inside of the cartridge or before?

[@ThePalmermark]

I had a 8tack Quadraphonic player! Dam I wish never the the Tapes and player away!

[@bob7872]

I like the format for the nostalgia, but hate it when the song is split because they put it when the track will change.

[@Jadengood1993]

I got bing Crosby merry Christmas album do you have if you don't you should get it

[@ralphreinhardt6020]

Cool 8 track collection. In my mind there are 2 you need. Any collection worth its salt would have Frampton comes Alive by Peter Frampton and the last commercially released 8 track, Fleetwood Macs greatest hits. I really enjoyed this video Record-ology dude. 😎👍

[@colinstables]

Got both of those today, was over 200, I have kept 61 that are my bag, 4 Floyd’s in the lot, player coming and service parts, going into my 1973 gm

[@jerryspann8713]

One way they could have made the 8-Track tape more pleasing to the eye would have been to print the song, track, and production info directly onto the plastic like they did with cassettes. Album art could have been printed on a slip card and inserted into a plastic folding case that would hold the cartridge, similar to how a cassette is stored.

[@jonathanterrebonne8956]

But if you lost the slip card, you wouldn’t know what was on the tape if the tape had no label on it.

[@brianbivins7371]

My first car was a 77 Mustang I bought it with a great amp and speakers in it but an 8 track with one tape a pink panther one that was a joke when we played it but the darn thing never sounded good though I don't know if any do I never heard hifi ones in home I do think the tapes themselves have a cool look and style to them.

[@JrGoonior]

My dad has a 79 Cordoba with factory 8-track and it produces sound, that's about all I can say. I have played the same tapes on my home stereo, I have both a vintage Zenith Allegro "wedge" and a Pioneer H-22 player, and the tapes sound so much better. I have two copies of Pink Floyd's "The Wall", one sounds great and the other sounds awful.

[@Odessia-ij5ys]

Gotta machines and tapes

[@7JANEWAY]

I can tell that the My Fair Lady tape was from the stage production and not the movie because Julie Andrews, who at the time was relatively unknown, was not in the film version. They used Audrey Hepburn instead. This was not the best choice, because even though Audrey Hepburn was a fine actress, she couldn’t sing a note if her life depended on it. They had Marni Nixon overdub her vocals for the film. Last time I looked, they have Audrey’s original vocals on KZbin. They’re interesting because you can hear exactly why they didn’t use them. BTW-don’t feel bad for Julie Andrews not getting the role in the film. It left her free to do Mary Poppins, which made her an almost overnight star. And it was because of Poppins that she was in The Sound of Music the following year-and as they say, the rest is history.

[@Recordology]

Julie Andrew’s was not happy to lose out on that part and viewed Mary Poppins as settling. Walt saw JA on Broadway in MFL and at that moment decided to cast her in his film.

[@7JANEWAY]

@@Recordology If you look at interviews on YT at the time, JA was disappointed, yes; but she also realized that MP was another opportunity to star in a film. She ended up quite pleased to have done MP, and acknowledged its role in getting her the part in TSOM.

[@Recordology]

Absolutely. And today that stage at Disney Burbank is named the Julie Andrew’s stage. I believe it’s stage 5, right next to stage 4 where Darby O Gill as well as Home Improvement we’re filmed / taped.

[@7JANEWAY]

@@Recordology Cool!!! FYI, JA made a film right after MP and before TSOM called The Americanization of Emily. It’s worth watching, for it’s a non musical dramatic film that shows JA’s acting chops. It also stars James Garner. And again-she would never have gotten that role if it wasn’t for MP. So here’s another example how MP was a boost to her career.

[@Asriazh]

When I buy 8-track tapes, it's always from a seller that claims to have check played the tapes and that replaced the cushioning foam and plice foil, if needed. Less headache that way and DIY repairing. But if you just buy it for the coolness factor or for display, that doesn't matter and you can still get 8-track tapes for very cheap. Tho the vintage audio recording trend went to cassette and now over to 8-track and things are getting more expensive, especially the better 8-track players/recorders that sometimes even have dolby noise reduction. tapes are a bit of a hit and miss too. Some are recorded very well, and some don't even have a proper track alignment and you hear faint audio from another track, tho all other tapes worked fine. It's still a fun format, i think :D

[@markcovington8159]

Hey Record-ology. @12:54: That Eddy Arnold tape looks like the tape itself is twisted at least somewhere in the spool of tape somewhere on the round hub in the cartridege itself & needs to be fixed before it can be played. :) Thank you! :)