Tape Recording Shows

[AndyC]

Someone in another thread mentioned taking a tape recorder to a movie to get the soundtrack, and that brought back some memories of the days before video recorders became a common household items.

Anybody else record their favourite TV shows on audio cassettes? Back when VCRs were largely the toy of technophiles with disposable income, this was how I saved shows to enjoy again at my leisure. I used to have a sizeable collection of Gilligan's Island on cassette. I taped other shows too, but that was the main one.

Each day, after school, I'd pop in a tape, put my tape recorder on the floor under the speaker of our big, wooden console TV and wait for the moment when the show began, so I could punch play and record at just the right time. Then I'd stop the tape for commercials, all the while keeping total silence in the rec room. I remember one tape that included my dad walking into the room to talk to me about my report card, followed by me quietly shushing him.

Seems pretty funny today, when video recorders have been a standard household item for over two decades, and entire TV series, old and new, can be bought on DVD. But I worked with what I had.

So, who else used to record shows on audio tape?

[Menard]

And I thought I was a lone geek who used to record Gilligan's Island on audio cassette.

It worked well on audio cassette as I had watched enough of it to know what was happening when someone wasn't speaking. I would play them at night to go to sleep to.

Probably how I got interested in old time radio.

[Rev. Powell]

Seems to me I did this when I was very young and experimenting with the tape recorder, but I can't remember what shows I actually taped.

I do remember when I was in high school someone had taped AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and I listened to it a couple times.  That's why I feel like I know the movie pretty well even though I've never actually seen it all the way through.

[Raffine]

The Munsters, Star Trek, and The Twilight Zone were all faithfully recorded by me on cassette for a time.

Probably how I got interested in old time radio.

Me too.

That, and The CBS Radio Mystery Theater with E.G. Marshall.

[ER]

i used to tape songs off the radio when i was little

if you like old radio shows check this out:

http://www.otr.net/

[zombie no.one]

i used to tape songs off the radio when i was little

if you like old radio shows check this out:

http://www.otr.net/

think that's fairly commonplace, used to do this myself.

actually recorded Nirvana's first John Peel session in 1989 when they were unknown, but I really liked them. but stupidly I did what I always did when recording stuff off the radio and went back afterwards and did my best to stop each track at the end of the song and record over any trace of the dj's voice - did the same at the start of the tracks too...so when years later I tried to brag to friends that I was into Nirvana before they were famous and taped their first UK radio session, I never really had proof because I recorded over the dj's voice...doh

[Psycho Circus]

I used to tape Tales From The Crypt and wrestling in the mid-90's.

[raj]

I didn't audiotape tv shows, but I would do that for concerts that were broadcast on the radio.  I think I still have a Billy Joel tape somewhere.

I was into the old time radio shows too, still have a bunch of those tapes.  What I want to do is get an mp3 player and a docking station to listen to them while I'm in the basement doing some woodworking.

[Jack]

I don't think I ever audiotaped a TV show, however I did have a Polaroid camera and took a picture of the TV screen when a UFO was landing on the show "Project Blue Book".  Wasn't the highest quality photo, but I thought it was cool as hell.  Must have been in 1978.

[BTM]

So, who else used to record shows on audio tape?

Oh, dude, I use to do the SAME thing with episodes of You Can't Do That On Television.  Even though we had a VCR (eventually) I liked to listen to the tapes at night while I was in bed.  I listen to them so much that I think there's tons of sketches permanently burned into my subconscious.  Got to the point where I had trouble sleeping with the sounds of my tapes playing.

Course, nowadays I have a similar effect with the fan that sits by my bed.  I'll have it on even when it's cool...

[lester1/2jr]

I hada female friend who taped magnum.  I'd like to get my hand on those tapes

[LilCerberus]

I got my first tape recorder when I was about 6 0o 7.

The only time I recall ever trying to tape a TV show, was an old rerun of Super Man.

It was that episode where Super Man's supposed to visit this crippled girl on her birthday, but she gets kidnapped by a dishevelled impostor who works for some french counterfeiters.

About ten years later, I tried making a mixtape from reruns of The Monkees, but I ran into compatability problems.

Nowadays, I prefer BESuite.