ELECTRIC CAFE (Canada, 1986)
Warner Bros. 92 55254


Canada took the long route with this release, and presented it in a 3-panel J-card with print on both sides, including both images from the inner cover of the LP. The backflap is about an inch, where many other releases had a full panel.


Canadian cassettes often come with stiff, thick J-cards, and this is a case in point; where the EU, UK and US releases all use a thin, glossy stock, Canada went for a more traditional cardboard - glossed on the outside, and slightly rough on the inside. The cassette is black, with grey (or silver!) on-body print. These details all point in the same direction: If you compare it to the clear-shelled cassettes from other places, the Canadian cassette looks sturdy and a little old-fashioned.


An insteresting detail is the big "C" logo on the spine of the J-card: This cassette, we are informed, is a "Super cassette" - details of this are found inside the backflap, in both English and French. I suppose the concept is akin to the earlier "Super Dynamic Range" concept I've touched upon in a previous post. The whole idea feels sort of weird to me; I know it's supposed to make the cassettes sound better than they would have otherwise, but I think it's only to be expected that they take measures to make their product as good as they can. It's still a cassette, Warners; even a good cassette is not "super"! OK, maybe I'm wrong, I haven't actually played it... I expect it sounds like a cassette!







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