Oh, eight-tracks. The scourge of the seventies. The punch line of the eighties. The forgotten ghost of the nineties. And the completely not-on-the-mind-anymores of the aughts. I was actually named after a song that appeared on one of you, “Aubrey” by Bread. So, I’m not going to get too snarky about The Wall Street Journal’s recent profile of a Texas man hellbent on opening up a museum dedicated to your likes. And really, the stats in the article are surprising: Last year, 70s rock band Cheap Trick ordered a few batches of their new album to be released on eight-track. After a third printing, the eight-tracks are now on backorder. You’re worth a lot, too: upwards of $150 on eBay. Which has me thinking: When I’m in my twilight years, will there be some kook collector building a monument to compact discs? After becoming a total iPod convert, should I have not started using that 10,000 Maniacs CD as a coaster? Did my retirement fund go in the trash with Michael Jackson’s HIStory?
