The Days of the 8 Track

I’ve heard the younger generation talking about “mix tapes,” and I realized it is not the same mix tape as when I was a teenager. This mix tape is just a playlist. But then I started to see actual cassette tapes making a comeback and I grew nostalgic. Chuck Wren of Jump Up Records has been issuing cassette versions of some of his newest ska releases and so it got me thinking about these methods of music delivery from yesteryear. I remember well riding across country in our navy blue van in about 1986, interior walls carpeted, plush captain chairs, no air conditioning through the desert in Nevada, bus-style windows open, tin-metal drawstring blinds jangling at every sway of the chassis, listening to Bob Marley on 8-track. That’s right, 8-track. Either you know it or you don’t. So when I came across this advertisement from the Daily Gleaner, April 3, 1970 for 8 track tapes from Dynamic Sounds, it had me thinking about this medium. Anyone remember the whir of the reels inside as they clicked from track to track? Did you have any reggae on 8 track? Think it will make a comeback too, like cassettes and even vinyl? Or is it gone for good reason?