Rare 8-track cartridges from 1974

Just recently I picked up the following two 8-track cartridges for the bargain price of £1.20 each. Apart from being rare budget albums, the main attraction for me was the superb condition of both, including the outer sleeves which tend to get lost over the years. The albums in question were 12 Tops volume 19, from 1974, and a Chartbusters compilation from the Pye stable, also from 1974 and never released on vinyl.

These are the outer sleeves:

And these are the cartridges themselves:

So far as I know, there were only two albums from "12 Tops" which made it onto 8-track - volume 19 (above) and the previous volume 18. The cartridges do not carry volume numbers however, and are on the Damont Records label as opposed to Stereo Gold Award.

The Chartbusters collection is one of four or more which were issued on cassette and/or 8-track, but not on LP. It contains some 30 tracks, only a few of which had previously featured in the "Pye Chartbusters" series. During 1974, "Pye Chartbusters" was featuring the same Damont recordings as "12 Tops", and so where the two collections above have the same track listed, it is probably the same recording both times. (Lack of reliable hardware means I haven't checked!)

"Billy Don't Be A Hero" is on both cartridges - and a sound clip is included below. Also included is a clip of "Every Day", the Slade ballad which was covered for "12 Tops" in a pretty decent version.

Billy Dont Be A Hero.mp3

Everyday.mp3