Night Owl Cards

  On Thanksgiving break, in 1986, I came home from college with four albums that I had just purchased. I was buying cassettes at the time -- they were easier to store and transport as a college student -- and only one of the tapes was a new release, "Get Close," by The Pretenders. In an example of how long new music lasted in people's consciousness compared with what is released today, the other three cassettes had been released nearly a year prior, more than a year prior and three years prior.   Those other three were "The Hurting," by Tears For Fears, "Promise," by Sadé and "Hounds Of Love" by Kate Bush.   The Pretenders, I knew, having purchased LPs of theirs while still living at home. I also bought Sade's "Diamond Life" and Tears For Fears' "Songs From The Big Chair" while at home, too, the year before, the year each were released, both big sellers, propelled by videos on MTV.   Kate Bush, I didn't know. A...