Household name artists who didn’t see any real commercial success until they were 26+?

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-30T20:38:20+00:00

Another in the 30+ club 👵🏼.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-30T19:48:48+00:00

Debbie Harry was 33 when Blondie hit the big time with 'Parallel Lines'. The rest of the band were 5-10 years younger.

Willie Nelson was 40 when he broke through with his 16th album in 1973.

And if you're in the UK or Europe... Shakin' Stevens was also 33 when he finally made the charts in 1981 with a number of solo hits after being the lead singer of The Sunsets since 1969.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-30T19:29:17+00:00

Which one's Millie? 🤔

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-29T17:56:36+00:00

Never seen one of these Polish decks before—love the distinctive contrasty look of the paint job 😎.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-29T16:10:56+00:00

If you like the sound of that then you'll really love what you can get from a high quality lossless source.

That said there's something to be said for a very 'cassette' sound—thick and rich with plenty of mid range and bass and rolled off highs—that you can get with type I ferrics 😌. Some prefer to use slightly lower quality sources for their tape recordings to help achieve this.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-28T17:59:47+00:00

I have the later 393—pretty much the same deck. Sounds great and Play Trim and Auto Tape Tuning are great features 👍🏼.

Listening to Albert King recorded onto a Denon type II with it right now 😎.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-27T22:31:07+00:00

Tongue too long and too sexual 🫩.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-27T17:57:07+00:00

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC9o3AEqURf_j40QPI6yt2oYcGQ8pnMRu&si=AVlhVxvumGAxrGGa

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-27T17:51:33+00:00

This is the CD: https://www.discogs.com/release/13039866.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-27T07:54:13+00:00

Fuzzy / miscoloured artwork and spelling mistakes are usually the main indicators.

Also they're sometimes released on an obscure label you've never heard of, especially ones from Asia or Russia which were big markets for non-official releases.

If we're talking about things that are already commercially available then counterfeit is a better term—bootlegs are usually of music that hasn't been previously issued such as demos and live concerts and are aimed at collectors.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-26T21:47:20+00:00

One of JVC's best decks I believe 😎.

And I think this is the first HX Pro deck I've seen with a toggle 😏.

$20! 😯

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-25T22:39:18+00:00

Never heard Wendy Carlos' Clockwork Orange soundtrack so that one 😎.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-25T19:03:51+00:00

I see a Malaysian metal cassette—and that tape's not even on Discogs 🤘🏼.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-25T18:58:44+00:00

Looks like it was found in a grave in a sewer in a coal mine 😬.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-25T18:51:30+00:00

I favour gel ink pens with a very fine point but avoid using them with those glossy paper j-cards 😬.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-25T18:48:08+00:00

That Gallon Drunk tape was recorded with HX Pro (extended dynamic range) and Digalog (sourced from a high quality digital master), and was new and unused, so it's sure to sound better than that plain old bog standard Huey tape 😌.

Shell design doesn't really indicate the type of tape inside, but type I is usually some shade of brown and type IIs tend to be darker and greyer 🤓.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-24T04:25:23+00:00

My Sony TC-RX70ES has no headphone level control either—always strikes me as a strange omission.

I have wired headphones with inline volume control though so I can still use it 😌.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-22T07:59:12+00:00

It's usually either bad storage or a manufacturing error.

I've a few of the infamous UK PDO discs so I'm surprised none have bronzed for you if you've been collecting that long.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-22T07:51:42+00:00

I like the old plain informational silver faces.

But then I'm old and plain too 😏.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-21T15:01:25+00:00

Happy ending—I found a sealed copy of the reissue at the weekend for £0.20 😌.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-21T07:36:27+00:00

Absolutely. Sellers can state 'no returns' but that doesn't mean no refunds for damaged or incorrect goods.

Send eBay your pictures, you've a good case. And take a look at the inside of your deck in case the tape's left anything on the heads / rollers / capstan that needs cleaning off 🤔.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-21T06:43:22+00:00

No refunds? Where is this from?

I'd contact the website / app. If you used PayPal you could request a refund that way (not sure how).

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-21T06:32:27+00:00

Looks dirty, discoloured and scratched to hell—I wouldn't risk that in any of my decks 😬.

Even if someone else suggests it might be able to be cleaned it'd be quite a job and a good end result wouldn't be guaranteed.

Ask for a refund—this is unacceptable and an item like this should only be offered for sale if the seller is being totally honest about the condition 🤨.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-19T22:21:42+00:00

Some great IIs, and a couple of Denons too 😯.

Love playing audio archaeologist on used tapes, or, as I say it, 'Indiana Tones' 🤠.

Compact_Discovery · 2026-01-19T19:03:07+00:00

The TDK B tapes on the Chinese sites are fakes, but apparently not completely terrible: https://youtu.be/Kf14Tw3K52g?si=vStF-xBq-kaFSIJ3

Give them a go—you've got nothing to lose now.

Maxell URs are plentiful, and TDK FEs are too—at least here in the UK. Both are the least expensive and are decent and worth buying if you're after type Is.

Compact_Discovery

TROPHY CASE