Cassettes

Between the early 1970s and the early 2000s, the cassette was one of the two most common formats for pre-recorded music, first alongside the LP record and later the compact disc (CD) In Western Europe and North America, the market for cassettes declined sharply after its peak in the late 1980s. This was particularly noticeable with pre-recorded cassettes, the sales of which were overtaken by those of CDs during the early 1990s. The decline continued, and in 2001 cassettes accounted for only 4% of all music sold. Since then, further decline occurred, with very few retailers stocking them because they are no longer issued by the major music labels. By the early 2000s, the CD player rapidly replaced the cassette player as the default audio component in the majority of new vehicles in Europe and America. Around this time 8 track cartridge versions were also used as ‘in car’ entertainment and quite a number of Wunderlich recordings appeared in this format.

Below are just a few of the many releases by Klaus Wunderlich and in all but those marked as compilations, the remainder are copies of the LP releases. It has to be pointed out that in some instances the tracks might not be in the same running order or indeed contain the same selection of tunes as on the original LP.

Images 27–34 from the Barrie Doney Collection.