When I was a kid, before there was home video and when the sci-fi that was available in Blockbuster was limited, I had the habit taking a portable cassette recorder with me to the movie theatre and recording the film's soundtrack.
Later that night, while in bed in the dark, I'd play it back and try to relive the movie-going experience. Of course, the soundtracks were contaminated with rustling chippie bags and other crowd noises, but I could live with that.
Then I found out that most theatres equipped certain seats with special hard-wired audio output jacks so the hearing-impaired could plug in earphones. I realised i could do the same and get a completely clean recording.
I also knew this was a form of piracy. But if I concealed the equipment with a loose coat I always felt reasonably secure; and yet there was still the added thrill that the usher might possibly spotlight me in the dark with her hand torch like an escaping POW getting caught in a search-light.
My little cassette library contained soundtracks of the kinds of films you would expect: the Star Wars movies, Blade Runner, Star Trek, Raiders etc. Alien was special because I could lie in bed listening to the soundtrack while synchronously flipping through the Ballentyne Books photo-novel and scare myself to sleep.
TC
