A few weeks ago, I lost a friend very dear to my heart. After several days of trying to fixing her, my beloved Cyndi Lauper tape was declared dead. I was distraught. No matter how much I love iTunes and my iPod, cassette tapes will always be my favorite. Why? Since I got my iPod four years ago, I have only bought five albums, because given the option to buy a song at a time; I only buy the songs I like. I've found that on the five albums I've purchased, I only really listen to four or five songs and skip over the rest. But of all the tapes I have (and I have a lot of tapes), I never skip a song. Mostly because it's a pain in the butt if you do. It's hard to fast forward exactly to the right spot, so I listen to the whole album. Even though I have to flip the tape after the side is complete, there is something about listening to a complete album that is a magical experience. The way the songs flow together, the overall impression the entire work, not just a single song, gives. No offense to iPods and musicians producing albums today, but often it seems like they are making a series of singles, songs that stand alone and have no connection to each other. While Rihanna is awesome, "Good Girl Gone Bad" is still no "She's So Unusual," and Owl City may have some catchy tunes, but their debut is no "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust." So this is my ode to the tape, a magical media form that demanded amazing albums. I miss you.
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