THE TUBES ‘REMOTE CONTROL’ (1979) Theatrical San Francisco band releases a rock opera about the dangers of television with relevance to the Internet age. In 1979, Bay Area band The Tubes put aside its comedy shock-rock for a serious, straight-ahead … Continue reading →
BILL WITHERS ‘+’JUSTMENTS’ (1974) Unique folk-soul artist’s third album is filled with funky grooves and sage wisdom for young and old. “Don’t quit your day job.” For Bill Withers, advice to live by. After a nine-year stint in the army, … Continue reading →
THE B-52’S (ALBUM, 1979) & ‘SO WRONG THEY’RE RIGHT’ (FILM, 1995) A kitschy new-wave band and latter-day 8-track collectors find joyous rebellion through thrift-store junk culture. The Album: In 1979, kitschy, kooky Athens, Georgia new-wave band The B-52’s issued its … Continue reading →
JEFFERSON STARSHIP, ‘RED OCTOPUS’ (1975) Back in the ’60s, we had Jefferson Airplane, the band of Haight Street rebels who sang about free spirits, free love, and James Joyce. Ahead in the ’80s, we would have Starship with only Grace … Continue reading →
EASY-LISTENING SOUL: FERRANTE AND TEICHER, ‘IN A SOULFUL MOOD’ (1974); 101 STRINGS, ‘HITS OF STEVIE WONDER AND GLADYS KNIGHT’ (1974); HUGO MONTENEGRO, ‘OTHERS BY BROTHERS’ (1975) As audiences got hipper in the ’60s and ’70s, easy-listening artists had to scramble … Continue reading →
MARVIN GAYE, ‘HERE, MY DEAR’ (1978) Due to its gorgeous songs and production and mature, dry-eyed spirit, Marvin Gaye’s strange, introspective album about his divorce is now ranked among his best. Hoary old clichés still hold some truth. Consider “when … Continue reading →
EIGHT TIMES TWO: GRATEFUL DEAD LIVE 1970 VS. BLONDIE LIVE 1979 (HOMEMADE TAPES) Two 8-tracks of concerts from psychedelic jam band the Grateful Dead and new-wave ensemble Blondie, recorded by fans over tapes of other albums. Bracketing the ’70s: These … Continue reading →
CART SHOPPING – 8-TRACKIN’ IN SEATTLE! The family and I went up to Seattle this past weekend. I was specifically interested in finding 8-tracks, so I had reached out to Seattle Reddit users and record stores to find out where … Continue reading →
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (SOUL VERSION) (1971) Obscure R&B artists make good with funky, budget-priced release of musical about Jesus. Since it’s Easter week, I thought I’d share an interesting 8-track with a version of the 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ … Continue reading →
8-TRACK TAPE CLUBS (1970s) I talk to people a lot about 8-tracks these days (I’m not going door to door but may start). The first thing they mention: “I hate how the songs fade out in the middle.” The second … Continue reading →