Those of us addicted to the Netflix original series Stranger Things generally agree: the soundtracks kick ass. Taking place in the 1980s, the series is nostalgia-heavy. Intentionally evoking classic 80s Steven and Stephen (Spielberg & King), the series has pulled the right strings. Season 4 appears to be no different, with that haunting version of “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” by Journey taking center stage.
The song is not just a cool tune for the show, but important to the themes of this season. Our characters are indeed worlds apart, separated for the first time.
Joining the cast this year is the original Freddie Krueger, Robert England himself. According to creators the Duffer brothers, this is the classic horror season of the show. Expect that Nightmare on Elm Street vibe.
GETTING MORE TALE #590: Hipster Moustache Cassette Player
As expressed in Getting More Tale #423: The Tyranny of Cassette in the 80s, I am not a fan (at all) of the cassette tape format. As cassettes have picked up traction this year, it is an opinion that I have been sharing more frequently on social media. I feel we need a refresher.
Some fans (such as fellow writer and tech-head Boppin) have made good arguments for tapes in the past, explaining that if you have the right equipment, you can make a tape sound so good that you won’t know it’s a cassette. That may be so, but I:
don’t have said equipment nor any desire to get a new tape deck.
no longer have the need to play cassettes, having upgraded 99% of my collection to more permanent formats like CD and LP.
The subject of cassette tapes was recently revived with the announcement that the hit Netflix series Stranger Things will be receiving a deluxe cassette soundtrack. The cassettes will be packaged to look like miniature VHS tapes…just like the 1980s.
I’m a fan of the show, so I get it. Stranger Things celebrates so much about the 80s: the culture, the style, the music, and yes, even the technology. If you are also a fan, owning a cassette soundtrack version in retro packaging would be quite a collectible treat. Not as cool as the 80s-style Stranger Things action figures, but still neat.
Fans of the music of Stranger Things would be well advised to get the excellent soundtrack, but if you get it on cassette, why bother to play it? It won’t even sound as good as a Youtube stream. Unless you’re one of the few who has great cassette equipment, why not just buy the CD, or the absolutely gorgeous LP editions, and play those? They’ll last longer while the cassette will wear out the fastest.
Would you open it? Would you play it?
This brings us back to a short bit that I recorded for Sausagefest 2017, which was received with agreement by those in attendance. Here’s the relevant portion below. I call it “Hipster Moustache Cassette Player”. What do you think?
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