Memorex CIRE II - 1991 - US
New for sale here at Cassette Comeback as of September 29, 2021.
I recently acquired a small amount of these beautiful Memorex tapes. I had never laid my eyes on this before. I had no knowledge of its existence. I opened one up (see pictures below) and the design is in line with the Type I issues of 1989-1991.
It stays well within that very colourful choice of shell designs from Memorex for this time. Starting with bright yellow Hubs (tape reels) and a surprising pair of purple Tape Guides, finished with a pretty slip sheet showing a streak of hot pink across the shell. The shell itself also has bright yellow and purple letters for a well designed combination of colours.
The tape shows all the physical best characteristics of the tape used for the times. It was during this time the best brands were using their most superior formulations. I have not yet had the pleasure of testing it out, but one look and... it is very dark tape, very smooth and shiny (see pics below). The pancake is also well cut.
It is safe to say that these tapes are quite scarce, and quite difficult to keep them at this price.
About Memorex:
Established in 1961 in Silicon Valley, Memorex started by selling computer tapes, then added other media such as disk packs. The company then expanded into disk drives and other peripheral equipment for IBM mainframes. During the 1970s and into the early 1980s Memorex was worldwide one of the largest independent suppliers of disk drives and communications controllers to users of IBM-compatible mainframes, as well as media for computer uses and consumers.
Memorex entered the consumer media business in 1971 and started the ad campaign, first with its "shattering glass" advertisements and then with a series of famous television commercials featuring Ella Fitzgerald. In the commercials she would sing a note that shattered a glass while being recorded to a Memorex audio cassette. The tape was played back and the recording also broke the glass, asking "Is it live, or is it Memorex?" This would become the company slogan which was used in a series of advertisements released through 1970s and 1980s.
Over time the Memorex consumer brand has been owned by Tandy, Handy Holdings, Imation and as of 2016 Digital Products International (DPI)[5]. Today, Memorex is a brand for consumer electronics and accessories such as portable audio players, iPod accessories, flat panel TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, flash drives, CDs and DVDs.
Memorex CIRE II - 1991 - US - Made in the USA