Mystery Cassette 1973

 

I bought a few cassettes, mostly for parts. But upon closer inspection this one had clear adhesive tape over the corners. For those of you that don't know, that indicates that something was recorded over the original content. On blank tapes these are tabs which can be snapped off for anti-write protection. I've seen in some cassette designs to use little plastic sliders. There's probably a patent for it. (I note that write-protect is not in the original 1962 patent.)

The first track on Side A matched the expected track sequence which was a disappointment, but then the song ended abruptly mid-verse. The next track was Jimmy Buffet. This was now a mixtape. I spent a little time to ID and log the track listing below. The audio quality was inconsistent tracks to track. Some were dubbed off of LPs or 45s, but others were definitely recorded off the radio. Some sounded like they'd lost a generation of audio to duplication. Then I heard a radio station ID after the Eagles. "Barry Manilow, You're looking hot tonight, This is Stereo 100."  It's not a terribly unique ID but I think we can narrow it down.

Side	Arist	Song	Release Year
A	J. Geils Band	House Party	1973
A	Jimmy Buffett	Brown Eyed Girl	1983
A	Eagles	Witchy Woman	1972
A	Barry Manilow	You're looking Hot Tonight	1984
A	Sniff & the Tears	Drivers Seat	1978
A	Firefall	I Love You	1977
B	J. Geils Band	South Side Shuffle	1973
B	J. Geils Band	Hold Your Loving	1973
B	J. Geils Band	Start Over Again	1973
B	J. Geils Band	Give It To Me	1973

That Sniff & the Tears tune is very helpful. They had one single in 1979 in the US and that one flows directly into an Airforce recruiting spot confirming that it too was taped off the radio. But the two songs by Jimmy Buffet and Barry Manilow date this tape to no earlier than late 1983, possibly early 1984.  (Interestingly the B side is all J. Geil's songs but not matching the track listing on the cassette.) 

I found multiple stations who used that "Stereo 100" brand at one time or another but only two which overlap that late 1983 time window. I was able to eliminate some edge cases like Hermosillo XHSD 980 as I would have recognized the pronunciation of "Estéreo 100."  Similarly the accent would give away on TGXA Stereo 100 FM in Mexico.

Top Candidates:

• WFXD 103.3: An unlikely candidate in their current iteration. But the station began broadcasting in 1974 at 100.1 FM as WUUN broadcasting AC branded as Stereo 100, moving to 103.3 in 1985. So they fit the timeline.
  
  
• WJRZ 100.1 in Manahawkin, NJ. They signed on in 1976 playing top 40 under Jersey Shore Broadcasting. They went thru a series of brands "Stereo 100 WJRZ", "FM 100 WJRZ", and as "HitRadio Power 100 WJRZ" before they flipped to Classic Hits in 1991, then country in 1998.
  
  
• WQXY 100.7 in Baton Rouge, This “Stereo 100" was using the brand as early as 1970 but Airchecks confirm it was still in use in 1973. Today it's WTGE "The Tiger." Airwaves Inc operated the station until it's sale in 1984 to the Oppenheimer Broadcast Group.
  
  
• WVNJ 100.3 in Newark, NJ “Pleasure Radio WVNJ Stereo 100.” They used the format from 1977 through August of 1983, when they changed to WHTZ Z100. The timeline is tight but they hit the window. the ID is s little off but the Easy Listening format is way off for these songs.

Of those four, (and there could be more) I think that WJRZ fits best with the intersection of format, place and time. It's not definitive, but it's a 1,700 watt FM station audible along the Jersey shore from Asbury Park to Atlantic City. Forty years ago some teenager made a mixtape, alternating their favorite singles off WJRZ with the best sides from a 10-year old J. Geil's album they probably stole from their dad.