by Steve Tanham
I’ve been clearing out my study. I’m a hoarder, and it’s an essential process once every year or so…if I’m honest, occasionally two!
At the bottom of a yet another box of ‘memorabilia’, I found this.
Back in the day, when I was a Computer Science student at Wolverhampton Polytechnic, I had very little money. My dad had bought me a decent stereo with a twin-tape cassette deck. My music collection comprised 90% cassettes, borrowed from other people’s vinyl albums and ‘taped’ (copied, in analogue format) onto these flexible little fellows.
I loved the artwork of albums in the 70’s. I used to ask to take the loaned albums into one of the department stores that had a ‘Photo-me’ booth. There, I would hold the vinyl cover up to the camera to get my own image, which would then be sellotaped onto the cassette’s label.
How the world has changed…
Now, most of the time, we don’t own music – just the right to access it…
Looking back on this memento from so long ago, I felt a great sense of loss of the ‘closeness’ we had to music, back then – and its preciousness. I remember having an album of Crosby, Stills and Nash as a Christmas present. All that seems to be lost in this on-demand world.
Still, a happy memory at the bottom of that box. Think I’ll keep this one… Mind you, just the one…
©Stephen Tanham 2022
Stephen Tanham is a Director of the Silent Eye, a journey through the forest of personality to the dawn of Being.
http://www.thesilenteye.co.uk and http://www.suningemini.blog
Sun in Gemini 
Some things are worth keeping!
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My take, exactly, Darlene!
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Going into Revolver records in Bristol and waiting for a booth to listen to the latest album by Bad Company or Eddie and the Hot Rods was one of the joys of university life… ah me those C90 and C120s
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Wonderful little devices, if treacherous! Thanks, Geoff. Glad it was a shared thing!
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We need to hang on to our mementoes, Steve, as life is changing so fast and it’s easy to forget those good times!
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So true, Jaye! We should, and I suspect, we shall’ 🥰
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They are worth their weight in gold…
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Wonderful, Steve. It is strange now the way we don’t actually own music. I remember buying albums and playing them over and over until they wore out. I remember cassettes would stretch in the car player. Then the way they’d tangle and you’d see them in hedges blowing like spiders’ webs where someone had thrown them out in frustration. Happy days. 70’s album covers too!
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We definitely suffer for our art, Micheal. But it was worth it. Thanks.
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I believe I have a number of LPs from the sixties etc, Freddy Fender is one. Pat Boone, Rosemary Clooney for goodness sake.!
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Treasure them, Chris! Keep that turntable at all costs… 😎
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Oh I think the turntables gone but I noticed they are selling them again in stores
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Worth a good one. Avoid ‘belt-drive’ if you can…
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