I truly, unironically love this 2-hour recording of music, created by a company called "Special Recordings, Inc." that was played inside Kmart stores in 1973 (previously at Boing Boing). It currently lives on the Internet Archive and you can also find it on YouTube. I also wanted to provide more info about the history of the recording. Internet Archive provides this description of the groovy tunes:
This is a digitized version of an in-store reel to reel tape that was played within a Kmart store in 1973. In my opinion, the opening Kmart jingle is the most important artifact of this recording, but the music and small number of commercials make it a great listen.
This company listed on the original box is Special Recordings, Inc and is out of Detroit, MI. As Kmart was based in Michigan, this supplier was most likely somewhat nearby.
The recording contains both sides, which are 1 hour long each, totaling 2 hours. This tape is thicker, in better shape, and has less flutter and improved fidelity than the other 1988 reel. Recorded on the 3¾ speed. I suspect this tape was new and dubbed in real time (no high speed dub) as it sounds more natural. The second half also starts out with the jingle and sounds a little brighter. This was transferred to digital using my Akai GX-4000D which is in excellent operable condition, and I cleaned the heads between plays but there was no residue.
Similar to the 1988 reel, this is a Muzak / instrumental fan's dream. Many, many incredible instrumentals that sound like the 1960's, but I can't identify anything specific. Note that you can hear crackle and pops from a record player source. Perhaps this is rebranded Seeburg background music?
Special Thanks to Tom Schwarzrock provided this very rare tape to me so that it can be added to the archive collection.
Stick it out past the opening Kmart jingle, and revel in the rest of the instrumentals. The recording includes incredibly sunny versions of "Que Sera Sera" and "Do-Re-Mi," among many other toe-tapping delights (a full listing of the songs is available here). The recording makes me want to throw a fancy cocktail party where everyone lounges around on MCM furniture in between bobbing up and down on the dance floor like Peanuts characters.
