Cassette Singles

[Austin Maxi]

Of course, it's mainly downloads now, although you can still find CD singles on sale in some places, but I used to buy my chart singles mainly on cassette (sometimes also referred to as a 'cassingle') in the late '80s when they became popular.

Usually, they held just the A-side and B-side of a standard 7 inch single, but both tracks were on both sides of the casette tape. Sometimes you got B-sides that weren't on the vinyl or CD versions of the singles.

I transferred over to CD eventually, but I still have a healthy collection of cassette singles, including the first one I bought - 'China Doll' by Julian Cope for 99p.

[Richard1978]

Re: Cassette Singles

I've got a few, they often have in just a thin card sleeve, which didn't stay on very well.

[Marine Boy]

Re: Cassette Singles

Whenever I hear Black's 'Wonderful Life' and 'Sweetest Smile', I think of my cassette single.

[Heather74]

Re: Cassette Singles

What a gutter when the cassette player decided to chew the tape, you'd gently try to ease it out only for reams and reams of tape to follow. I've spent many a good hour trying to wind it back on with a pencil, only to finally get there and the last little bit to be twisted :cry:

[Marine Boy]

Re: Cassette Singles

Not only pencils, but Bic biros were the best for rewinding.

Some cassette singles didn't run to the end of the tape. So before you turned it over, you had to fast-forward.

(..... Am I being a bit nerdy there?)

[Heather74]

Re: Cassette Singles

No!!!! I remember that too lol.

If you are being nerdy we may as well be nerdy together

[Richard1978]

Re: Cassette Singles

One of my sister's friends played a favourite tape singe so much it snapped, I can't remember what it was.

[stuckinthe80's]

Re: Cassette Singles

I only bought a few Cassingles. I preferred 12" singles. The first ones I bought were Hue & Cry 'Labour of Love' and T'Pau 'Heart and Soul' from HMV in Newcastle.

[Austin Maxi]

Re: Cassette Singles

One of the last cassette singles I bought was a misspress, if I can call it that. It was supposed to be 'Lucky You' by The Lightening Seeds, but played '7 Seconds' by Youssen D'Our and Neneh Cherry. I ended up keeping it and buying another copy.

[memoman]

Re: Cassette Singles

cassette singles were such a waste of time.vynal singles where better at least you could stack them up to play.But i suppose they had there fans.But changing tapes every couple of songs was a pain!Cds and digital media is so superior these days.

[Richard1978]

Re: Cassette Singles

At least with twin deck tape recorders you could be playing one tape while changing the other.

On some it would switch from one deck to the other then the tape ran out on the first.

[vanhelsing]

Re: Cassette Singles

The first (and think only) Cassingle I bough was Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter by Iron Maiden (my first fave band until I discovered Ba-sagoth)

[vanhelsing]

Re: Cassette Singles

cassette singles were such a waste of time.vynal singles where better at least you could stack them up to play.But i suppose they had there fans.But changing tapes every couple of songs was a pain!Cds and digital media is so superior these days.

Yeah, remember speanding ages by the stereo ptting on different CDs/tapes/records just to make one compilation tape and it was the same with minidisks (I'd be glad to use one of these if they were still available. Mine fell apart). Then there was the added hassle of running out of room on the tape.

[memoman]

Re: Cassette Singles

At least with twin deck tape recorders you could be playing one tape while changing the other.

On some it would switch from one deck to the other then the tape ran out on the first.

You had less flexibility in the day using tapes but i hated the single tapes.i think most people who prefer singles download individual tracks these days and stick them on their mp3 player/ipod etc.

[memoman]

Re: Cassette Singles

Yeah, remember speanding ages by the stereo ptting on different CDs/tapes/records just to make one compilation tape and it was the same with minidisks (I'd be glad to use one of these if they were still available. Mine fell apart). Then there was the added hassle of running out of room on the tape.

It was much harder than just picking out your favorite mp3s and burning to disc.But you had to do it the hard way back then.Recording the top 40 off the radio was quite popular.