My old tapes in a magazine article on cassette culture

Most people have probably thrown away their old cassettes. In these days of digital music and the resurgence of vinyl, it's easy to see why. Now, bizarrely, cassetttes are also making a comeback, of sorts.

I kept mine and they have recently gained a high profile. When The Word magazine's David Hepworth asked readers for photos of their old cassettes, I sent one from my home in New Zealand via email. He wrote back, delighted to find The Word was reaching an audience so far away from their tiny office in North London. The picture below shows how they appeared across two pages in the March 2012 edition of The Word magazine.

Most of these tapes date from between 1975 and 1985 and reflect my fairly eclectic tastes during that period, from rock to funk via folk and psychedelia. I have never boxed them up. Wherever I have lived - in London, in Shropshire, in New Zealand - they have always been racked up on shelves. Right now, they even have their own wooden cabinets, which were considerately installed in my work room by the previous owners.

Some notables in there: My tapes of Live Aid recorded from Radio One on 13 July 1985.

A collection of bootleg highlights and one tape containing the Little Feat bootlegs Electrif Lycanthrope and Aurora Backseat (Santa Monica 73).

Rare pre-recorded tapes, including the pre-Fleetwood Mac Buckingham Nicks album and the Nick Drake compilations Time Of No Reply and Heaven In A Wildflower.

My recording of Led Zeppelin at Earls Court in 1975 is in there as well. Plus a bunch of live tapes of my own bands in the 1980s. 

If you'd like to read the article on Cassette Culture, you can see it online by clicking on this link:
http://developmenthell.ceros.com/the-word-digital-edition/march2012/page/58