THE MAGIC AND THE MESS BEHIND THESE VINTAGE MAGNETIC TAPES

In a digital world, it’s easy to forget the analog goodies: cassette tapes, vinyl records, and reel-to-reel tapes. But there’s one analog oldie that’s cast aside more often than the others.

And that’s the 8-track tape.

These magnetic tape cartridges are a significant part of history, paving the way for music as we know it today. While not as widely remembered as the cassette, 8-track tapes were the forerunners of portable audio. And they have quite the tumultuous past. So let’s once again travel down memory lane, this time to visit the groundbreaking eight track.

WHAT IS AN 8-TRACK TAPE?

An 8-track is a cartridge with a tape. This tape is made up of a single magnetic strip that's a quarter of an inch wide, which is coiled around a single hub. It could record up to eight channels onto the strip (thus the name!) and is read by an 8-track player when the tape is pulled across an audio head inside the machine, translating it into sound.

A COMPLICATED START

Officially, the 8-track tape was invented in 1964 by William Powell Lear, better known simply as “Bill Lear,” the founder and creator of Learjet. It became available to U.S. consumers in the following year, 1965.

However, the true origins of this tape aren’t quite that simple. Earlier versions date back to the 50s – and the technology needed for it even stretched back to the 1920s.

Ludwig Blattner, a German inventor, pioneered the first version of the steel tape recorder in the 20s; this was later revamped as the reel-to-reel recorder, which used magnetic tape. During World War II, the technology was brought to America. Following this technology was the Fidelipac (or “NAB” cartridge), which was developed in 1953 by George Eash. The NAB was an attempt to create a more consumer-friendly version of the magnetic tape, and it largely worked. It was a 3-track magnetic tape format used for radio broadcasting. Then in the 1950s, the Muntz Stereo-Pak cartridge was developed; this was a 4-track cartridge.

From here, the story goes that the inventor Earl “Madman” Muntz licensed music albums on these 4-track tapes. Then one day, during a ride in Muntz’s car, Bill Lear heard the 4-track playing and decided to create a more consumer-friendly version that had 8 tracks, held 80 minutes of audio, and could play in a continuous loop. And in 1965, that’s exactly what he achieved.

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN

The 8-track was a new frontier that revolutionized the way music was heard. Before they hit the scene, music lovers had to confine their music collection to their home with their record players or deal with whichever songs popped up on their car radios. But eight tracks allowed fans to purchase tapes of their favorite artists and listen to them almost anywhere, thanks to the miniature portable players that quickly became popular.

Plus, an 8 track tape could be played continuously on an endless loop, so there was no need to flip it over like a vinyl record. This idea was revolutionary in the realm of music.

But the true cultural significance of 8-tracks began when it became possible to play them in the car. By 1966, the Ford Motor Company started including an 8-track player in all of its vehicles! Before then, music lovers couldn’t listen to their purchased music on the go. So when 8 track players became the norm in vehicles, eight track tapes remained the popular choice. That is, until the compact cassette.

FUN FACT! Did you know that in 1970, a Beatles "Greatest Hits" 8-track tape cost the high price of $4.97? Eight-track cartridges typically sold for roughly two to three dollars at the time, but this Beatles tape was highly sought after, so it came with a higher price tag.

THE TRAGIC DOWNFALL

Similar to how VCR overtook Betamax, cassette tapes eventually overtook 8-tracks. It would be a disservice to 8 tracks, however, to say they outright “lost the war” against cassettes. More accurately, they gradually declined in popularity. With recording companies switching to cassettes, and with the creation of systems like boomboxes and the Walkman, 8-tracks lost their stride in the early 80s.

Eight tracks had excellent sound quality for their time, going so far as to even outshine the first wave of cassette tapes. However, 8-tracks had an annoying clicking noise due to where the tape would be cut; they also tended to have issues with warbling or fluttering. Conversely, cassettes could store almost an hour of continuous audio on a single side without any interruptions in the audio; it was more stable during playback.

8-tracks were also more fragile compared to the durability of cassette tapes. Not because of the case, but from what was happening inside: 8-track cartridges had more issues with alignment compared to cassettes, which used a fixed head. Plus, the design of the tape meant the magnetic strip would often slide against itself, causing friction.

And even nudging cassette tapes aside, the birth of digital media and the advent of CDs and streaming made analog audio like the eight-track an outdated phenomenon.

SUMMARY

The 8-track is a staple of a music era gone by. Eight-track tapes changed the music industry and paved the way for portable media. Even today, they still have a nostalgic place in our hearts.

Thanks for walking down memory lane with us! If you’ve now got a hankering to dig out your old 8-tracks (or are wanting to start a collection) but don’t have anything to play them on, we can help! Here at SpenCertified, we specialize in vintage audio and video gear, so we’ve got refurbished 8-track players you won’t find anywhere else. You can check those out here. Have a great day!

https://spencertified.com/collections/8-track-players