After 15 years we now have the follow up volume to Brooklyn sound artist/laminator Egnekn Montgomery's 8 Track Magic, a CD compendium of the sounds of damaged 8-track tapes. The first volume took a thrift-store Led Zep IV cartridge (purchased for a quarter), setting the listener on a sea of queasy Robert Plant warble in even more damaged mode, Page's "Stairway to Heaven" intro sounding like Jandek, a new association with the song in your head occuring through natural (or perhaps Crowley-induced mystical) playing process. Egnekn claims this new volume is less "magic" than previous, but it definitely stands as a signifier of crumbling technology that once reigned supreme, a remark on de-evolution, or even a lesson to all the Blu-Ray fans out there. Check out Egnekn (aka Gen Ken's) ATMOTW (Artist Throwing Money Out the Window) site for more info and releases.
"Going Off the Deep End" (MP3)
"Fever Down" (MP3)
"Hey Hey Number Nine" (MP3)
"I'm a Clown" (MP3)
"I Won't Do That" (MP3)
and one from Volume One:
"Lonelytime" (MP3)
Wonderful. Ironically, the fidelity of the transfer is pretty good.
Posted by: M Munro | April 20, 2009 at 08:21 PM
That Loverboy one gave me a hell of a flashback to my tape player trying to play a worn out cassette of Loverboy's debut album. My 4:20 stone on 4/20 is ruined......
Posted by: Larry from Seattle | April 21, 2009 at 01:10 AM
I'd like to see videos to these.
Posted by: Dale | April 21, 2009 at 09:07 AM
These gave me the "I can't catch my breath" laughs, esp. the Loverboy.
Posted by: Mike | April 21, 2009 at 10:10 AM
Gives my MP3 Visualizer a real workout.
Posted by: Snowbison | April 28, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Forgive me for spamming, but as fellow 8-track afficionados you may be interested in a new release I'm working on called 8 Track Remind. As far as I'm aware it's the first cartridge to be released in the UK for over twenty years, as is being released by Digital Vomit Records and my new label Dead Air Recordings.
It features some acts you may have heard of, such as PFFR (yes, that PFFR), John Callaghan (ex-Warp Records), Al Duvall, Jansky Noise and Sarah Weis, and some acts you've never heard of, such as Hissing At Swans, The Doomed Bird Of Providence, Daniel Merrill and the Flowers of Evil and more.
It's £20 GBP, including free P+P worldwide, an MP3/FLAC download and a badge, and hopefully some more added bonuses TBA. It's available to pre-order for a limited time from here: http://www.digitalvomit.com/dvr064 It won't be available to buy after release, so if you want a copy you'll need to pre-order it. It won't be stocked anywhere else.
Thanks for reading; hope I've gained your interest! Now to just sit back and watch this message get deleted................
Posted by: Lee | February 20, 2010 at 07:33 PM
My affinity for collecting 8-tracks of my teenage years has nothing to do with my love of the music it holds. If I had every single one I once owned, my collection would be substantial and impressive. That being said, what ever condition they are in now, will surely degrade if I attempted to play them again. My MP3 versions give me the sound and spark my nostalgia without destroying my collection. Collect for its own sake, not to stimulate your love for the music of days gone by. I use my iPod for that
Posted by: Digital Dave | July 25, 2010 at 07:57 PM