My buddy Mike sent word this morning that the new Cheap Trick album, appropriately titled The Latest, will be available soon in multiple formats, including — are you ready for this? — 8-track tape.
Yes, 8-track, that clunky lo-fi audio technology of the early 1970s that never sounded especially good even by the standards of the day. I’m sure everyone of, ahem, a certain age remembers how 8-tracks always tended to interrupt the songs (usually in the middle of the bridge or a cool guitar solo) with a harsh click-clack sound as the head changed from track to the next, and the way those brick-like cartridges got hotter than a microwaved Kwik-e-Mart burrito after only a couple of plays. I can’t imagine anyone feeling nostalgic for these things, unless it’s simply for the objects themselves, as artifacts of a simpler time; I’m definitely not aware of any kind of 8-track-o-phile community that actually enjoys the sound of 8-tracks, like the vinyl true believers who still prefer records to CDs. And yet this Cheap Trick offering is apparently not a joke. You can pre-order The Latest on 8-track here. (You can also get the album on LP or CD, depending on your preference. Oh, and I suppose there’ll be a downloadable version for the Damn Kids™, not that any of them would be listening to an old band like Cheap Trick anyhow.)
I’ve noted before that I’m not really a fan of Cheap Trick’s music, but I must admit this little stunt has greatly increased my respect for the band. It’s just so charmingly counterintuitive to offer a 2009 release on a 1973 format…
I’d be even more impressed if they provided a link to where you can buy an 8-track player.
I’m guessing there are less than 10,000 of those things still alive & kicking in the U.S.
(this is the part where Jason tells me he still has one….right?)
Heh. Actually, Brian, no, I don’t have an 8-track player, working or otherwise.
My parents do, in their old motorhome. It’s somewhat temperamental, but it does work, and they’ve had some fun with it when they’ve gone camping with their friends. But believe it or not, this is one technology/cultural phenomenon I am not nostalgic for. I know, who would’ve imagined considering my usual track record on these things…
But I wasn’t kidding when I said I can’t imagine there’s a community of die-hard 8-track fans out there. There could be, of course, but I’ve never encountered any, and wouldn’t understand them if I had…