These things were THE thing to have 81-86. I got mine in maybe ‘82 and I didn’t know what I was doing. I picked out one with ONE speaker. I was so pumped at Christmas when I got mine until I saw my best friend with his. It was just like one of these in the video. Mine was decidedly uncool bc it looked lopsided and did not have the power. Plus after a while after rewinding tapes 1000 times, the rewind button would pop off and go flying after you’d push down the STOP button.
Boombox full of tiny people carrying tinier boomboxes full of tinier people with tinier boomboxes full of tinier people carrying tinier boomboxes full of even tinier etc
Can someone let a young buck in on whether these would sound good today? Like how does the quality of sound hold up to today’s technology? I have some Sony floor speakers from the 90’s and hooked up to a modern receiver they sound amazing, but obviously these would have been designed more for convenience
I got my first walkman in ’85. I was visiting New York, and walked in to one of those ubiquitous electronics stores, laid down my money, and hit the mean streets of the Big Apple.
I strapped on the head phones and dialed into the first clear signal I found.
I was stone cold strutting in time to Billy Ocean Caribbean Queen. Get outta my way!
I thought I was John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
My parents bought me the first black model in 1985 in 8th grade it was a Mitsubishi and it had a super sensitive volume control. I couldn’t use it above 3 or it was way too loud. I wanted that model because my brother had the regular Panasonic platinum or silver model. That jam box lasted me until I was first married.
Sitting there, listening to the top hits on the radio station, your finger resting on the record button, waiting to punch it the second a favourite song came on…
I’ve still got mine sat up in the loft. It’s huge with twin cassette compartments and required 10 x HP2 batteries now known as D Cell. I’ve not turned it on since the 90’s so no idea if it still works. lol.
I remember working in a hotel washing up I must have been 14/15 yrs old so save up the £200 I needed to buy it.
There is this really old joke that basically goes: why do you need three police officers to arrest a black man? One to handcuff him, and two to carry the boombox.
Walkin’ down the ave, blasting Whodini from the box, with a Coke slurpee in the other hand, goin’ with my friends to the local b-ball court in summer. Life was fucking good back in the day.
Man, the batteries those things took
“Two way speakers, woofers, tweeters!” Lol great lyric
I am almost certain I had that exact boom box in 1982 or 83.
Radio Raheem
These things were THE thing to have 81-86. I got mine in maybe ‘82 and I didn’t know what I was doing. I picked out one with ONE speaker. I was so pumped at Christmas when I got mine until I saw my best friend with his. It was just like one of these in the video. Mine was decidedly uncool bc it looked lopsided and did not have the power. Plus after a while after rewinding tapes 1000 times, the rewind button would pop off and go flying after you’d push down the STOP button.
The shop I worked at until recently still has one that works, I accidentally broke the antenna 15 years ago
A weeks allowance for a days batteries, not a good selling point.
That shit took like 12 D batteries.
I still have my old ghetto-blaster
A Sony Walkman was portable music in 1981. That was truly liberating.
Boombox full of tiny people carrying tinier boomboxes full of tinier people with tinier boomboxes full of tinier people carrying tinier boomboxes full of even tinier etc
Panasonic makes such reliable stuff. That boom box is somewhere still working and will continue to for a long time.
Drop that ghetto blaster
Can someone let a young buck in on whether these would sound good today? Like how does the quality of sound hold up to today’s technology? I have some Sony floor speakers from the 90’s and hooked up to a modern receiver they sound amazing, but obviously these would have been designed more for convenience
“Just slightly ahead of our time”
Props to whoever pitched *that* slogan!
Panasonic: Not Bad
Panasonic: You’ll be somewhat satisfied
Panasonic: Sure, why not?
Panasonic? Oh come on if we’re going to 1981 the brand everyone had was la sonic. The og ghetto blaster
This was a must have for a junior high kid in 82. Mine had the double tape player to rock out twice as much . Those were the days
I hid my joints behind the batteries….
*Just* slightly.
It was an overwhelming case of right side ear deafness in the late 80s and early 90s
I want one
“just slightly ahead of our time” is a hilarious slogan.
Takes 37 DDD batteries to run for 35 minutes too!
I had one of those. It was awesome. Instant party. Took it everywhere.
Ghettoblasters were cool.
The kid is the pimply teenager out of the simpsons
I got my first walkman in ’85. I was visiting New York, and walked in to one of those ubiquitous electronics stores, laid down my money, and hit the mean streets of the Big Apple.
I strapped on the head phones and dialed into the first clear signal I found.
I was stone cold strutting in time to Billy Ocean Caribbean Queen. Get outta my way!
I thought I was John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
Spend the extra $40 and get dual cassette deck and only takes 8 D cell batteries.
My parents bought me the first black model in 1985 in 8th grade it was a Mitsubishi and it had a super sensitive volume control. I couldn’t use it above 3 or it was way too loud. I wanted that model because my brother had the regular Panasonic platinum or silver model. That jam box lasted me until I was first married.
Christmas 1981 right there. That thing ate D cell batteries like a fat kid on an ice cream cone. Easily in my top 10 best presents I ever received.
I love Earth, Wind and Fire!
Pause button mix tapes, ah the memories
What I’ll always love about 80s-90s ads is how they go so hard.
The bigger, the better….and so much fun to haul around with just 8-10 featherweight D cells inside…
Sitting there, listening to the top hits on the radio station, your finger resting on the record button, waiting to punch it the second a favourite song came on…
I miss these days so damn much. These kids will never know what having your own stoop means
Could they have found a more dorky/cheesy person to say, “Wooow! Earth, Wind & Fire!” I don’t think so.
I’ve still got mine sat up in the loft. It’s huge with twin cassette compartments and required 10 x HP2 batteries now known as D Cell. I’ve not turned it on since the 90’s so no idea if it still works. lol.
I remember working in a hotel washing up I must have been 14/15 yrs old so save up the £200 I needed to buy it.
There is this really old joke that basically goes: why do you need three police officers to arrest a black man? One to handcuff him, and two to carry the boombox.
Walkin’ down the ave, blasting Whodini from the box, with a Coke slurpee in the other hand, goin’ with my friends to the local b-ball court in summer. Life was fucking good back in the day.
Forget a forehead. Or even a fivehead. My man had a sixhead *minimum*.
I still want one of those 40 years later.
I had a double tape deck so I could record. It took 8 D batteries that seemed to last an hour tops lol.
Wow! Earth, Wind, and Fire!