Magical Computer Music, the first CD with a program, in 1985

The disk Magical Computer Music by Magical Power Mako has a particularity: to my knowledge, it’s the first CD with a computer program, in March 1985. It’s not a CD-ROM, but an Audio CD with several programs for MSX computers.

A Commodore 64 Program on a Record Sleeve

I Adore Commodore is a relatively recent Italian vinyl (2017) dedicated to the Commodore 64, and it contains a program, but not in the traditional way: like on this ZX Spectrum title, it’s in the form of a listing.

A TRS-80 program on a vinyl record by the band Pinback

Yet another program on a vinyl, and I recently discovered it. It’s on the record Information Retrieved Pt. B by Pinback, which dates back to 2011.

Talk To Me by Mainframe: the flexi disc with three programs

Talk To Me? But didn’t I already talk about this record? Yes. However, there’s a second version, released on a flexi disc with the Load Runner magazine. And it contains a program for a computer I hadn’t covered yet, the Dragon 32.

A Commodore 64 program on The 8-Bit Construction Set

The case of the second program on The 8-Bit Construction Set record gave me more trouble than the first, for Atari, but I succeeded.

A program Atari on The 8-Bit Construction Set

The record The 8-Bit Construction Set dates back to 2001, and in a statement, the authors boasted of being the first to put programs on a vinyl record. If you’re reading this, you might have chuckled – the first attempts date back to the late seventies – but the record remains interesting. It indeed contains two programs, one for the Commodore 64 and one for the Atari 8 bits.

Two Commodore 64 games on a cassette from Argentina

Once again, I found programs for ancient computers on a media that contains music. This time, it’s the compilation Refrescos Musicales, which comes from Argentina and contains two programs for the Commodore 64.

Slow Scan TV on a 2017 CD

SSTV (Slow Scan TV), I’ve already talked about it last year, with an album from Aphex Twin that’s quite old. But the Italian artist Caparezza put some on a CD in 2017, with Prisoner 709.

The Last Supper: a digital catalog for ZX Spectrum on a cassette

This cassette which contains a program for ZX Spectrum (again) gave me a bit of trouble. Even the name is quickly blocking when searching: The Last Supper is used by quite a few artists. But eventually, I found it.

A Radiohead Remix on ZX Spectrum

The music program of the day is rather unique: it wasn’t released on a vinyl record or even on a CD… but on YouTube. It’s the track Big Ideas: Don’t get any by James Houston. It’s a remix of Radiohead’s Nude, using a ZX Spectrum along with printers, scanners, and hard drives. And the beginning of the track contains the program’s code.