THE TELEPHONE CALL (UK, 1987)
EMI (no cat.no)


So. Yeah. It's been a while.

What I have here today though, is something quite special: An Abbey Road Studios cassette from 1987, featuring their single The Telephone Call.


The single was released on 7" and 12" in the UK (and in many territories), but not on cassette - neither in the UK, nor, as far as I know, anywhere else. And this cassette isn't actually a "release" in the standard definition, either - certainly not available in shops, or even sent out as a promotional item... 
 

As often happens in this blog, actual fact is hard to come by, and I can't say I know exactly what this cassette is or does. At a guess, it is a listening copy for studio use, to check the mastering prior to pressing up acetates or white label promos. At least, this is not a factory print of a cassette, it's not . In fact, the cassette is a TDK AD C-46, probably the sort you could buy in shops in 1987, and the cover is printed or colour copied on standard white paper. The track list panel looked to me a little like those inlays with blank cassettes, lined so you could write the tracks by hand... From a picture I saw in advance, it looked like someone had simply taken one of those inlay cards and put it in a typewriter, but no, it is copied. Which I suppose could mean that, even though it's rare, this cassette is probably not a one-off...

The track list is a bit surprising too -at first look, it appears to hold three tracks, but playing the cassette I found the 7" mix of "Der Telefon Anruf" to be included as the fourth track. However, that mix is also included to the b-side of the 12", so when it says "The Telephone Call 12" B", that does include two tracks - House Phone and the German 7". Listening to the cassette, it is clearly not taken from vinyl, as there is no vinyl "wow and fluter" or crackle and pops. This is one of the reasons I think the cassette belongs somewhere earlier on in the production process, although as I said, I don't really know.


So there you have it, a cassette with no labels, a simple colour copied insert, some songs which although unavailable on cassette are very familiar, and yet, one collector overjoyed, barely believing his luck to have such an item. I'll upgrade the post if I find any more info about this... Please don't hold your breath though.








 

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