The Globe And Mail has issued the following report from Brad Wheeler:

Those who swear by vinyl say that records provide a warmer sound compared to compact discs, and that the larger packaging and gatefold artwork offer a superior tactile experience (and certainly to digital downloads).

But where's the love for the 8-track, those bulky blasts from the past which sounded fine enough in your El Camino, and which broke down classic albums indiscriminately into four programs. Don't look now, but the cartridges are back, brought by a band from the same era, CHEAP TRICK.

This month the boys of the Budokan release their new album, The Latest, not only in CD and vinyl, but in a long-departed format as fashionable as Tang, bell-bottoms and porn-star mustaches.

Maybe unsurprisingly, a band called Cheap Trick isn't above a shameless stunt. The idea is for the new album (available digitally already) to be serviced to media outlets in the 8-track format, so as to attract attention. Classic rock radio stations in the United States, where bands such as LYNYRD SKYNYRD, AEROSMITH, STYX and Cheap Trick are in heavy rotation, tend not to play new material by these same bands.

“If a bunch of these stations weren't going to play it anyway, we'll send them something that will be a nice conversation piece,” explains Dave Frey, the group's manager. “The 8-track is something that'll sit on their desk for a while, attract some attention.”

Read the full report at this location.