Tale of the Tape

 Last week's entry reminded me of this item that I picked up off of Ebay a while back...

It's an original 1964 reel to reel tape of the Mary Poppins sound track! Unlike the records I shared last week, this recording seems to be actual tracks from the film, dialog included. Let's take a look at the track listing...

...and the tape itself...

I must say that this recording sounds fantastic! Disney worked with Ampex to produce an audiophile grade product, and they nailed it. The Overture is particularly moving.

Interesting side fact: the Ampex auto reverse tones don't work on my Sansui player (they only work on Ampex-type systems) so I had to add my own aluminum tape to the exit leader to get auto-reverse going. No biggie, as I do that with all my tapes anyway, but I think it's interesting that even in 1964 the home entertainment industry was not cooperating on their products (I'm looking at you, VHS and Beta!)

I got this tape at a great price, since it's mainly rock tapes that are crazy expensive. So, if you have a reel to reel systen, you might want to seek this one out! Actually, if you have an 8 track, you can find one too, since this was one of the first offerings for that medium as well! And, of course, there's always vinyl....

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!