Boomboxes

[Cynthetiq]

I walk past this studio on my way to work sometimes (I get the benefit of picking a different way each time I walk yay grid layout!) and I have seen this gallery with all these boomboxes in the storewindow along with this book. I have been meaning to stop in but most days it is not open when I'm walking past.

When the Beat Came in a Box
Mr. Owerko’s interest grew into a book, “The Boombox Project: The Machines, the Music, and the Urban Underground,” published this month by Abrams Image. It features his lovingly detailed close-up photographs of vintage portable stereos, as well as commentary by Spike Lee, L L Cool J and members of the Beastie Boys and the Fugees about the role the devices played in New York’s street culture from the late 1970s to the mid-’80s.

I remember that I got a Technics shelf system as a teen one year. It had the ability to transform into a boombox with a handle that locked in the speakers and the insertion of 8 D Cell batteries. At that point it was party where ever you wanted to go.

While my unit never went outside my house, I do know that there were some really cool boomboxes out there. You'd hear some music and go find the source and see people just chilling or possibly breakdancing. It was a very fun way to socialize and meet people. Yes, back then you actually had to go out and meet people instead of being introduced as a friend of a friend ala facebook.

I had some great mix tapes of early hip hop, but mostly I liked to play new wave music on it.

Do you remember having a boombox? What did you play on it?

[Redlemon]

Of course I had a boombox, I'm 41 now. It stayed next to my desk, however. Except on Sunday nights, when I'd put it next to my bed so I could record Dr. Demento. Then, the next day, I'd use the high-speed dubbing feature to copy the good songs onto another cassette.

I also discovered that I could put the B tape on Pause, and just listen to the A tape on high speed. You can find out interesting things about song structure that way.

[snowy]

As a kid, I had a Sony Sports boombox that was bright yellow, but I adored the fact that I could take it anywhere and it was weatherproof--very important feature in Washington State, and very useful when taking said boombox camping. Actually, I still have two boomboxes and use one regularly at work. The one I have at home is an Aiwa shelf system that takes batteries and has a handle. It's definitely sizeable, but damn, I love it when the power goes out. The other is a smaller system I got when I left the shelf system from my teenage years at home as I headed off to college and didn't have room for a larger shelf system in my dorm room. It hangs out downstairs in our dart room.

The boombox I have at work is a small Sony. I like it better than the small boombox I have at home--I think Sony just designs a good boombox. I like being able to take music outside to recess. We have dance parties on the playground with the kiddos--lots of fun!

A boombox doesn't go camping with us anymore, though--we have a small set of speakers that zips around our iPods and is powered by small batteries. Worse comes to worse, I can also play music off of my phone.

I usually used my boombox to play New Kids on the Block or Paula Abdul or Debbie Gibson or Bell Biv DeVoe, music from that era that we liked to dance to. If we weren't listening to tapes, it was tuned to 92.9, KISM-FM, out of Bellingham, WA.

[Esco]

I had a generic boom box where the speakers disconnected. I used to love it because it had a "super bass" button that did as advertised. At the time, rap was really emerging so it was mostly rap music we would be listening to. Run DMC and LL were big during this time.

Ahhh, memories!

[Leto]

i got a great boombox back in '81 or so as a birthday gift from my pop. It was a Sanyo, AM/FM, cassette deck, with a couple of 8" (?) diameter speakers. Carried it around quite a bit too - didn't want to miss CFNY - The Spirit of Radio. Back then we called them ghetto blasters. GB's for short. I guess it wasn't that PC...


It was like this:

[Grancey]

Originally Posted by Cynthetiq

I remember that I got a Technics shelf system as a teen one year. It had the ability to transform into a boombox with a handle that locked in the speakers and the insertion of 8 D Cell batteries.

I think I had this same Technics system. Those were fun times at the beach. It was a hand-me-down from my brother when he went overseas.

[Fremen]

When I was around 13-14 in the mid 80's, we lived in a sprawling trailer park that had a few empty lots in it, that we kids gathered in on the weekends and listened to our boom-boxes.
Mostly we listened to the radio, or mixed tapes from the radio, but occasionally we bought some cassettes.
My first ever album was "Business As Usual" by Men At Work. (loved "Who Can It Be Now") Followed closely by "Kilroy Was Here" by Styx.
We listened mostly to rock/soft rock, and a little country, then started getting into rap a bit.

Anyway, I don't remember the brand of boom-box I had, but I do remember being envious of my brother's. He had a dual cassette one that you could record from one tape to the other. Heady stuff back then.

[Charlatan]

I had one but it mostly stayed on my shelf. The damn thing was heavy and sucked the life out of batteries way too fast. I was very happy when I received my first Walkman. I never really wanted to share music, I just wanted to listen to it.

[uncle phil]

assholes are putting them into cars, turning them up, and they hurt my ears...assholes...

[Tully Mars]

Uncle Phil could not live in Mexico.

Opps...

Oh and to the OP. Yeah I had one, not sure what it was but it played 8-tracks.