Uploaded April 2013 | Updated September 2026, 46 minutes ago
A few years ago, both of these 8-tracks were given to me by a friend who kept them in the tool tray under a garage work chair. I guess they also used to keep their heat gun and a magnetic parts dish in that tool tray and that the chair has seen its share of time left out in the rain. So I was surprised that they even sounded as good as they do. They both appeared to have been waterlogged at one time but once I opened them, they were both clean inside. Just had to clean the exposed pieces of tape with isopropyl alcohol, wipe the cartridges of any loose dirt and perform the usual 8-track repair. This video was recorded with my cell phone so not the greatest sound quality right there (that nice digital compressed sound), the video mostly proves that the they sound good enough to be listenable and not horrible like a few other tapes I have come across in the past. You may also hear what sounds like a "dropout" or "skip" in the video, that is just a glitch in the video. I'll try to remember to record a new video once I get a camera with a stereo audio input so you can hear them directly. The Earth Wind & Fire - Spirit 8-Track sounds better than the Tower of Power - Back To Oakland 8-track. The Tower of Power tape sounds a little rougher.
A few years ago, both of these 8-tracks were given to me by a friend who kept them in the tool tray under a garage work chair. I guess they also used to keep their heat gun and a magnetic parts dish in that tool tray and that the chair has seen its share of time left out in the rain. So I was surprised that they even sounded as good as they do. They both appeared to have been waterlogged at one time but once I opened them, they were both clean inside. Just had to clean the exposed pieces of tape with isopropyl alcohol, wipe the cartridges of any loose dirt and perform the usual 8-track repair. This video was recorded with my cell phone so not the greatest sound quality right there (that nice digital compressed sound), the video mostly proves that the they sound good enough to be listenable and not horrible like a few other tapes I have come across in the past. You may also hear what sounds like a "dropout" or "skip" in the video, that is just a glitch in the video. I'll try to remember to record a new video once I get a camera with a stereo audio input so you can hear them directly. The Earth Wind & Fire - Spirit 8-Track sounds better than the Tower of Power - Back To Oakland 8-track. The Tower of Power tape sounds a little rougher.
