For those of you who don’t even remember what a cassette looks like, the reel-to-reel tape recorder of the 1950s and ’60s probably sounds like ancient history. But back then, the lucky homes that had a Wollensak portable reel-to-reel tape recorder could actually record music or speech with a hand-held microphone. Then, in 1964, Philips/Norelco invented the first cassette player, which opened the door to prerecorded music on tape. But the sound wasn’t as high-quality as the vinyl record, and it took a few more years until tapes took over the industry (the short-lived eight-track cartridge, and then the compact cassette).