You know something… I am sick and tired of the throw away mentality that surfaces about, in regards to the media in which we listen to music. Turntables are still being sold and so are cassette tape decks. I can understand if younger generations are not at all interested in vinyl records, cassette tapes or (gulp) – 8-track tapes. The younger dudes did not have record or tape collections to replace with CD’s… a very costly endeavor at that, which can take a lifetime to rebuild with CD’s, depending on how large your music collection was. However, in the last three years alone, I have purchased two “brand new” combination stereo systems for my daughters and guess what? Both of these combination stereos have built-in cassette decks!! Both stereos were purchased at Target, a major upscale department store that is supposedly in the know – on the cutting edge of having the latest home electronics technology! So, if cassette tapes are supposed to be so archaic, so outdated and symbolic of poor taste in music listening enjoyment, then why are they still being manufactured? To pacify us older dudes who have still hung on to our cassette collections? Out of sympathy for us nostalgic Metalheads?
My number one music genre, is of course, Heavy Metal and all related Heavy and Extreme Music genres. With that appreciation I have for my music, I still covet the Heavy Metal cassettes that I, to this very day… hunt down and find at thrift stores and yard sales. Hey, I have the means to still play them! As a bonus for me… my model year 2000 Ford Tauras has a built-in… you guessed it… cassette deck! Therefore, I am not wasting my loot when I purchase these Heavy Metal cassettes from yesteryear. No matter what thrift store I frequent, the standard price for each cassette tape is only fifty cents. Fifty cents!! C’mon, let’s be real, that is nothing compared to the sticker prices for the newly released, Heavy Metal CD’s you find today. My recent CD purchases, of the newest releases of Metal bands, have ranged in price from $9.99 upwards to $17.99… and we are not talking about any one of them being a double CD either! These CD prices will never thwart my addiction to Heavy Metal and frequent purchasing. The point I am making is simple… for fifty cents, I am still getting the same enjoyment from the music I listen to, albeit the sound quality of a CD versus the cassette tape equates to the CD wins. (I will not argue about the sound quality)
There are dozens of Heavy Metal cassettes that I find that are currently not available on CD. The cassettes I buy must have the original liner notes intact, in near mint to mint condition. Take my word for it, these liner notes are a piece of Heavy Metal nostalgia for the respective band on the cassette… I still get a kick out of reading the cool liner notes that have full lyrics and interesting credits. You would be surprised at what one may learn from reading the liner notes of these old cassettes… especially the ones that are currently not available on CD. I have posted in the past, the last laugh the turntable and record albums are currently having on the music marketplace… it is the Heavy Metal cassette tape that is silently having the last laugh as well.
Cheap Trick is without question, in my top ten of all time favorite bands. That includes all genres of Rock, Hard Rock and Metal too. This is the one band I so desperately need to see live. I honestly cannot believe I never saw Cheap Trick in concert… after all these years. I feel semi-embarrassed in admitting this. Then again, I would have to be a full time concert goer to actually see every band I dig, there are that many… I am confidently certain I am not alone with that thought. Therefore, what makes for the consolation prize instead of seeing Cheap Trick live, is listening to their double CD “Silver”. (Released June 29, 2004). This double live, Cheap Trick bounty of hits commemorates their 25 plus years as a Rock & Roll original. (Yes, “at Budokan” is a legendary live album from Cheap Trick… I have covered that milestone of an album in an earlier post). “Silver” covers a vast array of Cheap Trick hits, from their deep catalog of albums. This live concert captures Cheap Trick in their Rockin’ spontaneous glory… no over dubbing that I can detect. 
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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