1. The Beatles - Rock and Roll Music (Tape 1)
Place of Purchase: (gift from Wal-Mart, Jonesboro, AR)
My mother decided that I was so into "Twist and Shout" thanks to its inclusion in the films Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Back To School that she had to buy me the tape. The journey begins...
Choice Cut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgd46QiHz4I
2. The Beatles - Rock and Roll Music (Tape 2)
Place of Purchase: Wal-Mart
So then I had to go out and get the second volume. It was only $4.98 or so from the Wal-Mart discount tape bin, meaning you didn't have to mess with the annoying anti-theft plastic protector. The Rock collections were cheapie Capitol Records Beatles cash-in collections, making them possibly the only Beatles recordings ever to make the cut-out section.
Choice Cut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR9JMwzxybE
3. The Beatles - Yellow Submarine movie soundtrack
Place of Purchase: gift, (probably from Musicland, Indian Mall, Jonesboro, AR)
After seeing the Yellow Submarine clips of "All You Need is Love" and "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" during the VH-1 Imagine: John Lennon weekend promoting the documentary of the same name, I became obsessed with seeing the animated film, so my mother rented it for me from the local National Video for my birthday that year. It did not disappoint and is still in my Top 10 favorite films. The second side of the tape is George Martin's orchestra score, which, interestingly, I appreciated as a "hip" teenager and is still despised by supposedly hardcore adult Beatles fans.
Choice Cut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AWBENDJDk8
4. The Beatles - Beatles '65
Place of Purchase: Musicland
"I'm a Loser" was sort of a teenage angst song for me.
Choice Cut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYnbtI2VuwQ
5. Bangles - Everything
Place of Purchase: Musicland
Don't give up hope, I did like SOME current music of the time. "Eternal Flame" served as a soundtrack for a girl crush I had at the time. This is still one of my favorite albums and one of the most solid recordings ever made with not a bad track on it.
Choice Cut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSoOFn3wQV4
6. Beach Boys - Best of Beach Boys, Vol. 2
Place of Purchase: K-Mart, Jonesboro, AR
My father and I played this on the way to my first rock concert - the Beach Boys at Mud Island Ampitheater in Memphis, TN. We were in the nosebleed bleachers but it was still a lot of fun. My souvenir T-shirt still fits and I still wear it! (As I recall, though, this tape is barely 30 minutes long.)
Choice Cut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_gmNTHYQ2k
7. Blues Brothers - Best of the Blues Brothers
Place of Purchase: Waldenbooks, Indian Mall, Jonesboro, AR
There may be somebody out there who knows the real reason this cassette was bought. Hopefully, that videocassette of evidence was erased a long time ago. All I can say is I like the music.
Choice Cut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO5wg9XXaNU
That's all for today. Check back this week for the remaining 8 tapes.