Aaron finds the weirdest stuff! In a recent Box of Goodness that he sent me (including an awesome Thin Lizzy Thunder and Lightning reissue on vinyl) I found this. It’s Def Leppard’s Pyromania (review here) on cassette, but not just any cassette.
The weird extra-thick and bendy clamshell case was the dead giveaway that this was something unusual. A quick look at the sleeve reveals it’s an actual Vertigo release, but also an import from India! Does anyone know if cassettes in India always came in these odd cases? The cassette actually snaps into the case, and is held by two tabs. I’ve never seen anything like it. This version even has an oddly coloured Def Leppard logo, that I’ve never seen on anything else.
Pyromania had a max. retail price of 60 rupees. That’s approximately one US dollar today.
Even though the yellow price tag on the side says $2.99, Aaron got this for the princely sum of one Canadian dollar! And now here’s the gallery of this strange oddity.
mikeladano.com 
It’s fun to see that again! Glad I could play CDN for it. I don’t think I had any rupees in my pocket, that day…
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I always leave mine in our laundry change!
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I am impressed that you have a laundromat in your neighbourhood that takes rupees. Very impressed.
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Haha, no it takes Canadian.
But here’s my question: Does the low price reflect 1) that music is/was cheaper in India, or 2) that the rupee has dropped in value since then?
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My guess is the former more so than the latter, but I’ve never been to India (though I wish I could!!).
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Let’s ask Paul McCartney!
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Haha if I could ask Paul McCartney a question, I somehow doubt that that would be it, man.
When we’re in Taranna on our imminent trip, we’ll look for others. If we find more examples, we might have our answer!
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Yeah! Fun idea! I didn’t look at cassettes at all, last time.
On that subject:
I was recently in a mall, when I saw a store that had a Toronto Blue Jays sweatshirt. The slogan on it was “I Love BJ’s” and that was just too funny NOT to take a picture of.
As soon as I did, the staff yelled at me. So I wonder if this year will be different at the record stores? I think I can still be inconspicuous.
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Cassettes it is. Also, since we won’t be going downtown to Yonge, I have one more shop I want to try this year. I have a good feeling about it.
Haha you sent me that BJs picture. The staff got upset? Man, as you’ve seen on the HAAPs, I take pictures everywhere, no one seems to care. That must’ve been just a fluke. I do recommend, though, to try to keep it on the down low when we’re in the city. I’m sure it’ll be fine, anyway.
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No Yonge! Besides, since I’ve started using Discogs I’ve found many Japanese imports. Not to mention PAYDIRT at the record show in April.
I can always pretend I am texting like the average idiot.
Yeah! As soon as I took my phone out, I heard the girl say, “Sir! Sir! You can’t take pictures!”
I responded, “Sorry, but this shirt is hilarious, took the picture, and left.”
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Fair enough. We can still spend an entire afternoon in the other (better) spots.
You pretend you’re texting, and I’ll tell them the truth: my To Get list is a text file on my phone, so all I’m doing is looking up what I want to buy.
You should have taken a picture of her, too. Pretended you were a fashin photographer. “OK, baby, now give me… anger!”
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I bet she would have called security on me if I took a picture of her!
But come on, I can’t be the first guy to take a picture of THAT shirt. Maybe that’s why she was on to me.
FYI they moved the shirt away from the storefront the following week.
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Well sometimes you can’t win ’em all. Too funny.
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I’m digging the freaky case. Is it definitely real product and not a really good bootleg? I know that bootlegging was always absolutely endemic in that part of Asia.
Great find.
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I would say, judging by the quality of the print and the clarity of the logos, serial numbers, and all that stuff, and the quality of the actual cassette, it’s legit. That’s just me saying that as a guy who has never seen Indian cassette mind you.
It is indeed a great find!
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I think you should become the foremost Indian cassette collector in Canada. Follow your dream.
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Not a bad suggestion. The bonus is I can still play them.
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Yeah but did you play it? How’s the sound quality?
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It’s about equal to any other cassette I have from this song ago. I think the tape itself was manufactured in the late 80’s or early 1980’s because of the clear shell. Not so common in the early 80’s. My original Pyromania tapes were all black.
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UPDATE: I just realized the tape itself SNAPS into the shell! It doesn’t just “sit” like ours do in our J-cases. Updated commentary.
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I’m really digging the rolling, live updates !
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Thanks man! I never took the time to serious examine it until now! (There was some cool stuff in this box, including a Foo Fighters EP that I didn’t know existed until I saw it. Price: $1.)
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So now what we need to find is am Indian cassette of Snapcase, in a snap case.
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Bwahahaha.
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Yep, bootlegging. A good point. But I think Mike’s right, it looked legit to me.
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Spectacular – a dollar well spent!
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I know! And it’s not even my dollar! It was a gift! (Along with a bunch of CDs and records and Transformers and other assorted Box Goodness.)
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I’m especially liking the coloured logo.
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You do eh? I didn’t like that.
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It’s appealing to my inner Sonny Crockett.
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I had to look up who Sonny Crockett was.
I get it though!
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Haha Sonny Crockett.
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