Saturday, May 22nd, 1971

Chris Charlesworth pens an article in Melody Maker about the stereo system in Keith's Rolls Royce. This issue also contains a review of John's Smash Your Head Against the Wall album

 

Transcript:

Moon’s mobile music

IN AMERICA a tape player — either 8-track or cassette — is just about standard in cars coming off the production line — and before long British motorists will be playing their favourite albums in traffic jams instead of relying on a radio to kill the boredom of today’s crowded roads.

The quality of tape players in a car is so far above that of a radio that it will only be a matter of time before tapes are standard equipment in everything from a Rolls-Royce to a mini.

The bigger the car, the better the sound. Consequently old Keith Moon’s lime Rolls Royce Silver Cloud is a dream for a 4-track enthusiast. Six speakers built into both front and back doors and the rear parcel shelf belt out music to order while the white tornado drummer practises his paradiddles on the dashboard.

“I had a cassette player put into my car three years ago, but since then I have changed to an 8-track machine which I now prefer,” says Keith. “With the cassette system, the tapes are very thin and consequently likely to have a shorter life than with 8-tracks. They could stretch easier and there is more chance of one track superimposing onto the other.

“The player I have is a new Toshiba Japanese model, which costs about £85. It’s the latest model they make and incorporates a fast-forward wind mechanism, the only machine in England to do so. This means you can skip numbers if you want to play only one particular track.

“I also have a portable tape player which can be used on a battery or off the mains. It works in the car as well, plugging into the cigar lighter attachment.

“A car’s case in the country which holds about 24 tapes. One disadvantage of the 8-track cartridge over the cassette system is that they are much larger and you can carry appreciably more cassettes than cartridges because they are three or four times smaller. It depends on how far I am going as to how many I carry around. Usually when I buy an album I buy a tape of it as well.”

Keith, like many others, holds the view that before long tapes will take over completely from records.

“A record is too delicate, especially at a party and my house is a continual party,” he says. “You can drop a tape, leave a cigarette on it and it won’t damage it much. But try that with a record and you will ruin it.

“There are a lot of faults in the tape system, but I still think it will take over eventually. Once the system is perfected it will be better. Tapes are somewhat expensive at the moment, but sooner or later they will find an economical method of making them and bring the equipment within the reach of everybody. The advantages of tapes far outweigh the disadvantages.

“You can take a tape anywhere — like in a car, and you can’t play your albums in cars.”

For economy Keith recommends buying an 8-track recorder as well as player which, although initially more expensive, will save money in the long run through making one’s own cartridges. “If I was buying my first 8-track player now, I would buy albums and records to buy. Then I could alter the treble and bass according to my own tastes.” — CHRIS CHARLESWORTH.

Photo caption: KEITH MOON: 8-track in his Rolls