Erasing audio history

Updated on Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 10:43 PM by Logan Molen

I'm reading a terrific book called "Perfecting Sound Forever" by Greg Milner that chronicles the history of recorded audio. So far I've learned about Edison and others who invented recording cylinders and discs, and A great book on the history of recorded soundhow the Lomaxes traveled across the South, using crude equipment to record raw versions of traditional folk and blues songs by performers that include the now legendary Leadbelly. Without those so-called field recordings, there'd be a critical hole in the audio history of the 20th century. And frankly, without some of those recordings, we might not have The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, even Elvis, all of whose early songs paid great homage to blues and R&B.

The topic of audio quality might sound boring, but it's not. Really, particularly in an age of digital song files and podcasts.

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Is the 8-track making a comeback?

Cheap Trick is getting great buzz for releasing its new album "The Latest" on 8-track (as well as other formats).

$30 will get you Cheap Trick's new album in the 8-track format

$30 will get you the pleasure of hearing what really is a very good album (yes, I'm a  Cheap Trick geek, but "Latest" really is their best in a long time) in a format known for crappy sound quality and the ridiculous switching of tracks, sometimes midsong.

Yeah, the 8-track version is a publicity trick. But is there more to it? Yep, if you believe the July 17 edition of Soundcheck, in which a caller suggests that 8-tracks are making a comeback because nostalgic classic car owners want their models to reflect the 1970s experience. The caller adds that 8-tracks are a hot item on eBay.

Time will tell whether Cheap Trick sells more than a few 8-tracks or whether more artists follow suit but given the hullabaloo over the retro feel of the new Camaro, I could see middle-aged car nuts wanting to relive the past and shelling out the dough to ensure there's some new tunes amid an 8-track mix more likely to be dominated by Zeppelin, Sabbath and Grand Funk.

If you're creative, I will listen

My wife and I had a fun experience discovering Imbibe Wine and Spirits, a new wine bar/liquor store in Bakersfield. It's a fun place to sample wines and beer that are off the beaten track. In other words, my kind of place.

My wife tasted a variety of red and white wines, while I savored a smoked porter from Alaskan Brewing Co. I first tasted smoked porter from Stone, but had never found Alaskan's version, which was the original. What a great experience.

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