What was the last cassette tape you bought?

Five of these beauties for £6 plus postage, from a well-known auction site...

Here's my latest haul - an absolute scoop and I was very, very lucky to have found this (particularly the price I paid).

It's every release on Factory's short-lived Classical subsidiary - on cassette! Fourteen titles in all, most of them still sealed. The Walter Hus one is SO rare, nobody (including me) knew it existed!

As follows:

1. FACT 226C - Kreisler String Orchestra/Kreisler String Orchestra

2. FACT 236C - Robin Williams/Oboe & Piano

3. FACT 246C - Duke String Quartet/Duke String Quartet

4. FACT 256C - Rolf Hind/Rolf Hind

5. FACT 266C - Steve Martland/Babi Yar

6. FACT 316C - I Fagiolini/The Art of Monteverdi

7. FACT 326C - Rolf Hind/Country Music

8. FACT 336C - Red Byrd/Songs of Love & Death

9. FACT 346C - Graham Fitkin/Flak

10. FACT 356C - Erik Satie/Socrate

11. FACT 366C - Steve Martland/Crossing The Border

12. FACT 376C - Piers Adams/Handel Recorder Sonatas

13. FACT 386C - Walter Hus/Muurwerk

14. FACT 406C - Steve Martland/Wolfgang

Nice find! Never even knew Factory did classical at some point.

for me it was in 1988, last cassette i used on my past sony wm d3 recorder. I recorded a lot of live concerts, from Miles Davis to Pink Floyd..... i was then also selling copies in the street as student.  

Yes [@mention:73370968263941422] - they were all issued on CD and cassette, with the first batch coming out on LP as well. Apparently DATs were readied for all releases but the label went bust before they could be issued.

Another shot of the 14-strong tape bonanza:

Interestingly, I see that Drag City are returning to cassette releases, starting with the Joanna Newsom catalogue. They're now convinced that it won't be just robbing sales from vinyl, CD and download. Who'd have thought?

Kevin-W posted:

Another shot of the 14-strong tape bonanza:

Nice and shiny! Is the music/performance any good?

Nick Lees posted:

Interestingly, I see that Drag City are returning to cassette releases, starting with the Joanna Newsom catalogue. They're now convinced that it won't be just robbing sales from vinyl, CD and download. Who'd have thought?

Very nice price at just $10.00! Pity I can stand her childish whining voice otherwise I would have ordered all 4 of them.

Hope they do the same with Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Will Oldham.

Drikus posted:

Kevin-W posted:

Another shot of the 14-strong tape bonanza:

Nice and shiny! Is the music/performance any good?

I am familiar with all the series, [@mention:73370968263941422] - it's a bit hit and miss. The Martlands are all brilliant, as is the Fitkin. Some of the others are a bit meh. Factory always made interesting choices from the repertoire, but the performers were sometimes not up to the job. Some of the performances and recordings are a bit dry for my taste. I'll be listening to all the cassettes in the coming weeks...

Kevin-W posted:

Drikus posted:

Kevin-W posted:

Another shot of the 14-strong tape bonanza:

Nice and shiny! Is the music/performance any good?

I am familiar with all the series, [@mention:73370968263941422] - it's a bit hit and miss. The Martlands are all brilliant, as is the Fitkin. Some of the others are a bit meh. Factory always made interesting choices from the repertoire, but the performers were sometimes not up to the job. Some of the performances and recordings are a bit dry for my taste. I'll be listening to all the cassettes in the coming weeks...

I love the Satie - Socrate. Certainly not what Gymnopedies fans will expect, but the music just draws you in. Plus it's just about the only recording. I played tennis with one of the sopranos on the album - Eileen Hulse. A modest girl and a belting player as well as a coloratura.

Buying prerecorded cassettes will be a hit and miss it seems. Played 10 of them that I recently bought and 4 have a very distorted sound, not playable at all. Seller claims she tested them all but it doesn't look like it. Not buying from her again.

The Marr/Sumner band debut Electronic in 1991 was the last time I bought a cassette.