I believe that I have one back in Australia (there you are Jeremy) - Bing's 'Merry Christmas' or later 'White Christmas' album.
A rugby mate in Vancouver B.C. gave it to me. However, I have nothing to play it on.

On the whole, I went straight from LPs to CDs. I do remember having a large number of Philco shows on cassette in the 80s, but can't remember where I got them and they are long gone now - replaced by Dave Bennett's excellent (but sadly incompleted) series on CD. I always thought that the 8-track cartridges looked too bulky and unwieldy...

(By the way - good to hear from you Ron. Hope you're well.)

Last edited by jeremyrose (23/7/2012 7:21 am)

Richard Baker wrote:

. . . .Personally I'd be dubious about used examples of the cartridges themselves, as the potential for damage due to wear is high. (The layers of tape rubbed against each other as the reel rotated).

Yes, Richard, the continuous loop design of the cartridges does necessitate that continual sliding.  The backsides of the tape have a slippery graphite coating to mitigate wear to whatever it slides against, but that also means that graphite particles can build up on the machine's capstan and the cartridges' tape rollers, reducing the traction they are supposed to have.  Then getting pulled out of the center of the spooled tape and then rolled around an acute bend are things that tend to over time wreck or dislodge the foil-tape splice that keeps the loop together and tells the machine to switch between each of the four stereo program sections.

Since the cartrdges' tapes play at 3 3/4 ips (inches per second) and use narrower tracks on the tape, reel-to-reel tape enthusiasts, with higher speed capability tend to look down on the 8-track format for fidelity reasons. While compact cassettes run even slower and also have very narrow tracks, they seem to have been much more dependable and can sound surprisingly good on decent equipment.  There seems to be a wide range of cassette manufacturing quality, but I've never had much trouble with most of the ones I have.

I know that radio stations relied heavily on cartridge tapes, and even for hit songs for a period of time.  I had a little experience recording commercials on them in some part-time radio work in the early 70s.  But those might have been 4-track mono tape cartridges.  A different design: I don't think they had the tape roller in them.  Fidelity was good enough for AM radio aparently.  Misbehaving cartridges would have been replaced quickly, but most must have been dependible enough to have been adopted for professional use.

In the few 8-tracks I've acquired to learn about the format, I have found a couple on which a long song was faded out before a track-switch, and then several seconds later it started up where it left off on the new track.  This was typically done on 12" classical 78rpm albums when movements were longer than what could fit on a side, but it is rather laughable in a late '60s and later format.  Old cartridges, even in fairly safe storage, amost certainly have foam pressure pads that have deteriorated, and are very likely to break at the splice the next time they are played.  I did find an ebay seller who tests, and apparently reconditions cartridges he sells.  (I have tried reconditioning/repairing a few with mixed results.) I got a great Art Van Damme Quintet jazz album on 8-track from this ebay fellow.  Those I have learned of Crosby on 8-track are all albums I have on LP, so I can't speak of rarities.