There were two boxes of 8-track cassettes that my dad treasured. When I was still very little he used to play them in his stereo, I remember specifically asking to hear Harry Chapin’s 30,000 Pounds of Bananas over and over again.
But later, with no 8-track player, they were crammed into a couple of boxes and pushed back under our train set’s table in the garage. One time we accidentally took them along with all of the stuff to sell at the Boy Scouts garage sale. He noticed they were missing and sent us back to get them. The look in his eyes. I can’t imagine what would have happened if one of them had been sold. They were obviously a core part of his identity.
When I helped my mom move a few years ago I grabbed the 8-tracks, and put them in my office. I even plugged the 8-track player that was with them into my PC and listened to them for awhile, until the motor got sketchy with wobbly tones. Then I stuck them in boxes and did the same as my dad, shifting them from apartment to apartment.
I’ve made a list of them all and I’m listening to albums slowly online. I’ll pick up the ones I like on vinyl.
Here they are:
| Band | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 10cc | s/t | |
| Al Green | Let's Stay Together | |
| Andy Williams | ||
| Aretha Franklin | Spirit in the Dark | Smooth, envigorating |
| Bad Company | Burnin Sky | |
| Black Oak Arkansas | If an Angel Came to See You, Would you Make Her Feel at Home? | Weak lyrics, amazing music. |
| Black Oak Arkansas | High on the Hog | Wow. That is good. |
| Black Sabbath | Master of Reality | Fabulous. Will purchase. |
| Blood Sweat and Tears | s/t | |
| Bloodrock | Live | Couldn't find it so listened to their breakout album "2", which is not great. |
| Bobbie Gentry | Greatest Hits | |
| Bobby Vinton | Many Moods of Bobby Vinton | Will pass. |
| Cactus | Restrictions | Great. |
| Camel | Mirage | Wonderful. |
| Carly Simon | No Secrets | |
| Carole King | Tapestry | |
| Charlie Rich | Fully Realized, Volume I | |
| Cher | s/t | |
| Cher | Foxy Lady | |
| Crazy Horse | s/t | |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | s/t | |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | Pendulum | |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | Willy and the Poor Boys | |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | Bayou Country | |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | s/t | |
| Crosby Stills Nash & Young | déjà vu | |
| Deep Purple | s/t | |
| Deep Purple | Made in Japan | Another monster album. |
| Deep Purple | Burn | |
| Don Gibson | Best of | |
| Donny Osmond | Donny Osmond Album | |
| Donovan | Greatest Hits | |
| Eagles | Hotel California | |
| Earth Quake | s/t | Not a fan of the song I heard. |
| Eddie Money | s/t | |
| Eddy Arnold | The Greatest Of | |
| Edgar Winter's White Trash | Roadwork | |
| Electric Light Orchestra | A New World Record | Not a fan. |
| Elvin Bishop | Raisin Hell | |
| Elvis Presley | Welcome to my World | |
| Emerson Lake & Palmer | Pictures at an Exhibition | |
| Fillmore | The Last Days | |
| Foreigner | Bead Games | |
| Freddy Fender | 20 Greatest Hits | |
| George Harrison | Living in the Material World | |
| Get Ready | The Rare Earth | |
| Grand Funk Railroad | Mark Don & Mel 1969-71 | |
| Grand Funk Railroad | Survival | |
| Guess Who | Best of | |
| Hank Thompson | Simple Simon, Simple Heart | |
| Hank Williams | Greatest Hits | |
| Heart | Magic Man | Classic. |
| Isaac Hayes | Black Moses | |
| Isaac Hayes | The Isaac Hayes Movement | |
| Jackson 5 | Looking Through the Windows | No surprises. |
| James Taylor | Sweet Baby James | |
| Jerry Lee Lewis | Original Golden His Vol 2 | |
| Jim Reeves | The Jim Reeves Collection | |
| Jo Mama | J is for Jump | |
| John Lennon | Plastic Ono Band | |
| John Mayall | USA Union | |
| Johnny Cash | I Walk the Line | |
| Johnny Cash | At Folsom Prison | Have this on vinyl already. |
| Johnny Horton | The Legend | |
| Johnny Nash | I Can See Clearly Now | |
| Johnny Winter | And/Live | |
| Johnny Winter And | Live | |
| Joni Mitchell | Blue | |
| Kiss | Rock and Roll Over | |
| Little Richard | ||
| Locomotiv GT | s/t | |
| Melanie | s/t | |
| Merle Haggard | The Best of | |
| Merle Haggard and the Stranglers | Sing Me Back Home | |
| Bad Company | Movin On | |
| Neil Diamond | Stones | |
| Neil Young | Time Fades Away | |
| New York Dolls | s/t | |
| Uriah Heep | Salisbury | |
| Pablo Cruise | A Place in the Sun | |
| Peter Frampton | Frampton Comes Alive | |
| Peter Paul and Mary | Best of… Ten Years Together | |
| Pointer Sisters | Black & White | |
| Queen | s/t | |
| Ray Charles | My Kingdom of Jazz | |
| Ray Stevens | Greatest Hits | |
| Robin Trower | Long Misty Days | |
| Roy Clark | The Incredible | |
| Santana | s/t | |
| Slade | Slade Alive! | |
| Slade | Slayed? | |
| Slade | Sladest | |
| Status Quo | Down Down | |
| Stephen Stills | s/t | |
| Steppenwolf | 16 Greatest Hits | |
| Steve Miller Band | Number 5 | |
| Styx | Styx II | Kind of jazzy at times! Missing the big sound of TGI |
| T Rex | Light of Love | |
| T. Rex | The Slider | |
| Tammy Wynette | The First Lady | |
| Tarkio Road | Brewer and Shipley | |
| Ted Nugent | Weekend Warriors | |
| Ten Years After | Alvin Lee & Company | |
| Ten Years After | Sssssh | |
| The 5th Dimension | Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes | |
| The Doobie Brothers | Toulouse Street | |
| The Doors | Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine | |
| The Ides of March | Vehicle | |
| The J Geils Band | Live | |
| The Pretty Things | Freeway Madness | |
| The Who | Happy Jack | |
| Three Dog Night | Harmony | |
| Tom Jones | I (Who Have Nothing) | |
| Traffic | The Low Spart of High Heeled Boys | |
| Uriah Heep | Uriah Heep Live | |
| Van Halen | Van Halen II | |
| Van Morrison | The Best of Van Morrison | |
| Willie Nelson | Columbus Stockade Blues | |
| Willie Nelson | Red Headed Stranger | |
| Yes | The Clap |
He was very protective of his music because he lost some of his favorite music when it wasn’t shipped back from Germany. He always missed the one of the Modern Jazz Quartet that was only released in Europe.
Several of the ones on 8track were ones that were kept by someone. I know he later got ones by Dave Brubeck beccause they didn’t come back.
He played music all the time in the garage or barn. He loved it. That was something that was very much like my father. They both loved theri music. In some ways it was different, but in other ways it was the same.
We didn’t like all the same kinds, but there were many things we both liked. He got me into country music. Actually country music is a lot like the crooners in feel, like Bing Crosby.
I was never into rock like he was, though I didn’t mind hearing some of it. The Eagles, Credence Clearwater Revival were some of his favorites.
He always felt that he wanted to live so what Harry Chapin sang in “The Cat’s in the Cradle” didn’t happen with his kids.
Music really was one of the important things in his life
I saw something on social media about 8 tracks, which got me thinking about the great music my sister and parents turned me onto. My favorite was T.Rex The Slider, I still have the album my sisters boyfriend gave to me but I first heard it on 8-track. I googled it and your photo and blog came up. Love that your dad had such a wide variety of music to share and enjoy. I am so grateful that my Nana, Mom, Dad and Sister were truly uplifted, consoled and inspired by music and they gave that gift to me.
Thanks! Deb