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Not Only Is It Record Store Day, But It’s Also Apparently International 8-Track Day. Seriously.

First, it was Record Store Day, a noble celebration of vinyl and independent record stores. Then came along Cassette Store Day, a copycat idea that tries to drum up nostalgia for a hateful, outdated format. What’s next, 8-track day?

Well, yes, actually.

Eight-tracks are even more hateful than cassettes. Anyone pining for them to return never had to deal with them when they were around. I mean, because of their design, you can’t rewind an 8-track; the tape can only roll in one direction. They’re also do a great job jamming themselves into uselessness. While they served a purpose for about a decade before they were superseded by cassettes and CDs, their manufactured stopped around 1987.

Yet Portishead’s Geoff Barrow and his friend, composer Ben Salisbury, have decided to resurrect the 8-track by inaugurating 8-Track Day–today–with the release of one (1) title: Free Fire, the soundtrack Barrow and Salisbury created for a film of the same name. Here’s the tracklising.

1. Sledgehammer Cracks Nut
2. First Shot
3. The Phone Rings
4. Crawl Chase
5. Lead Lobotomy
6. We Can’t All Be Nice Girls
7. Oh Fuck
8. Justine’s Theme

Read more about 8-Track Day here and then skip to the video.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39372 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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