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The ’70s still rock

Crazy that the all-instrumental “Jazz From Hell” got a Parental Advisory warning.

I also remember Loudness’ “Hurricane Eyes getting one. The only thing I could find was a single lyric that mentioned Jack Daniel’s.

But Anthrax’s “I’m The Man” had no warning. ‼️
 
M70AB2 said:
Crazy that the all-instrumental “Jazz From Hell” got a Parental Advisory warning.

I also remember Loudness’ “Hurricane Eyes getting one. The only thing I could find was a single lyric that mentioned Jack Daniel’s.

But Anthrax’s “I’m The Man” had no warning. ‼️
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Selective. What's up with that. Just kidding.
 
ducati_EL34 said:
I also knew what good hi end audio was, I just couldn’t afford it, being a HS student. :D We had a used audio shop near us. He sold Macintosh and other brands, TTs, and speakers.

They also did repair work.
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I vividly remember the all the overseas Asian military exchange's stereo departments! :)

Stereo Disneyland. Outrageous.
 
Chris Brown said:
I never got to experience the 1970s. I barely got to experience the 80s. But growing up as a kid in the 1990s and early 2000s was a great time to be into audio. Gear from the 1970s was still new enough that it usually still worked without having to be repaired first. It was usually also cheap, because it was "old" but not yet old enough to be vintage/retro. In most cases you were still buying stuff from the original owner who was cleaning out their garage or whatever, and stuff wasn't yet being hoovered up by scalpers/flippers/hoarders. For a while there, it was a great low-cost way to get into the hobby.

But I honestly don't understand the awkward cultural obsession with music from the late 60s through early 80s. Now, I fully understand that for those who grew-up with that music, it will always have a special place in their hearts. I wouldn't expect anything less, as I feel the same way about much of the music that I grew up with. But it's just weird now being constantly surrounded by 50 year old music. Back in the 1990s and 2000s it's not like there was music from the 40s and 50s everywhere, but somehow now ~50 year old music has become the new norm for "oldies". You'll be watching a Hockey game, they put on Queen, "We Are the Champions", and then you realize that not only were all the players on the ice born long after the song was made, but at this point all of the coaches were too... and I can't help but ask, "Why are we still listening to these songs"? Why are they still making new movies with music from the 1970s in the soundtrack? Will we still be stuck listening to 70s music 10, 20, 30 years from now?
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I feel you, Man. I was born in 1962, graduated high school in 1980. There was a lot of great music made during that period. And I still love a lot of it. But enough is enough.

My music tastes have changed considerably since I was 17–especially during college, when I was introduced to jazz, ska, punk, Indy, etc. I ask the same questions.

There are so many songs from the 1960s-’80s that I loved then, but that I would be more than happy never to have to hear ever again. When will the 1970s end, I ask myself.

I remember when the bubble first burst for me. I was on an elevator somewhere and one of the songs from the Rolling Stones album I chose to play while I lost my virginity was piped in as Muzak.
 
Bushikan said:
I feel you, Man. I was born in 1962, graduated high school in 1980. There was a lot of great music made during that period. And I still love a lot of it. But enough is enough.

My music tastes have changed considerably since I was 17–especially during college, when I was introduced to jazz, ska, punk, Indy, etc. I ask the same questions.

There are so many songs from the 1960s-’80s that I loved then, but that I would be more than happy never to have to hear ever again. When will the 1970s end, I ask myself.

I remember when the bubble first burst for me. I was on an elevator somewhere and one of the songs from the Rolling Stones album I chose to play while I lost my virginity was piped in as Muzak.
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I listen to jazz, old country, and classical, but I never tire of good rock music from the 60s and 70s.

Now some of it has not aged well for me, like AC/DC, lynyrd Skynyrd, to name a couple.
 
I still listen to 1960s and ‘70s and ‘80s pop/classic rock music for the sake of nostalgia—and just plain fun. I still like a lot of it. Other music, pop or otherwise, from the 1960s and ‘70s and ‘80s I listen to more regularly. This was especially true after I got my Klipschorns and I wanted to hear old familiar songs again—but as if for the very first time. And I did.

My problem is that I can’t seem to escape a lot of music (no matter how great) from a very narrow window of my youth. It’s everywhere. And it’s especially on classic rock stations—as if the world of music began in 1972 and ended in 1980. I wouldn’t mind if they mixed it up a little more. How about some surprises. But how many more times do I have to hear Stairway to Heaven; or the same four songs by Tom Petty or Billy Joel or Fleetwood Mac or by any other number of artists (all of whom I like and own)—but all, seemingly, often, from 1978? Another 10,000 times of Stairway to Heaven before I die?

I’m not sure if the limited range of 1970s music with which we are inundated is an embrace (financial or otherwise) of the Baby Boomers or a failure of imagination—or some combination of both. But…Jesus.
 
Bushikan said:
I still listen to 1960s and ‘70s and ‘80s pop/classic rock music for the sake of nostalgia—and just plain fun. I still like a lot of it. Other music, pop or otherwise, from the 1960s and ‘70s and ‘80s I listen to more regularly. This was especially true after I got my Klipschorns and I wanted to hear old familiar songs again—but as if for the very first time. And I did.

My problem is that I can’t seem to escape a lot of music (no matter how great) from a very narrow window of my youth. It’s everywhere. And it’s especially on classic rock stations—as if the world of music began in 1972 and ended in 1980. I wouldn’t mind if they mixed it up a little more. How about some surprises. But how many more times do I have to hear Stairway to Heaven; or the same four songs by Tom Petty or Billy Joel or Fleetwood Mac or by any other number of artists (all of whom I like and own)—but all, seemingly, often, from 1978? Another 10,000 times of Stairway to Heaven before I die?

I’m not sure if the limited range of 1970s music with which we are inundated is an embrace (financial or otherwise) of the Baby Boomers or a failure of imagination—or some combination of both. But…Jesus.
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Spin y'all some 70's Motorhead .... that oughtta break ya free of the 70's Pop Box.
 
In the mid-1980s, I worked in an open-plan office shared by eight people. I was the youngest person of the group. The only radio station everyone could agree upon was the Oldies station, which played 1950s-1960s music. I remember that one day (I can’t recall when)—overnight—the station suddenly changed its format: to only 1960s-1970s music. (By now, I’m sure they’ve probably dropped the 1960s.)

I guess that the radio station decided back then that the older demographic had either mostly died or just didn’t matter to their advertisers.

Soon enough, the Baby Boomers will all be dead. I wonder, though, if the diehard ’70s will go with them. Probably not. I’ve been seeing a lot of bell bottoms and platform shoes lately.
 
Fab9 said:
The 1970s are widely considered the “Golden Age” of high fidelity, due to a unique combination of technological, economic, cultural, and industrial factors.
During that decade, a rare balance was achieved between build quality, technological innovation, and affordability, transforming the way people listened to music.
Transistors and solid-state circuits offering lower heat output, improved reliability, and reduced costs, together with advancements in analog design, brought to the market a range of outstanding devices for high-quality music reproduction.
Devices from that era featured exceptional build quality, with thick brushed aluminum chassis, perfectly machined knobs, real wood case panels, and often oversized components so much so that many of these units still function flawlessly today.
The design was also magnificent, with all controls clearly labeled and logically placed, complemented by analog needle meters.
Hi-fi systems became not only audio equipment but also pieces of furniture, yet audio quality and usability always remained the top priorities.
All this came at an affordable cost, especially thanks to excellent Japanese products manufactured on a large scale.
Music itself was also changing: rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion, singer-songwriters, soul, and funk became central to a cultural revolution.
During these years, owning a hi-fi system was both a status symbol and a cult object.
The 1970s represented an unparalleled balance between mature analog technology, artisanal-level production quality at scale and affordable prices, and a culture of conscious listening.
It was a period when the home music listening experience reached a depth, emotion, and engagement level that many audiophiles still strive to recreate today.
I love the ’70s!

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There are some interesting things that came out of the 1970s, and there are many here on this forum that absolutely love that period. Was it really a "golden age"? I would not subscribe to that assessment. In my opinion, the 1980s were better in many ways, and the current crop of (even moderately priced) equipment has sophistication and performance greater than the vast majority of its 1970s analogs. Nostalgia is a primary factor in play here, I believe. The bottom line is: If you enjoy that style of gear, than by all means use it as it is way too precious to let it go to waste. :)
 
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Even though that album was 53 years ago, it still seems strange and sad only one of them is left.

Doug
 
There are two different types of people in the USA.

Young folks who lived through and experienced the '70s (starting in '64 I guess) and ending in the early '80s ... & everyone else.

You had to 'BE there'. It was a fantastic and unbelievable 'era & time' to be alive!!

The truth is - We just got ' lucky ', the right age at the right place at the right time. What an experience... what a party!! So Cool. Everything was just so cool!!

And all the great music fueled ' the Movement '.
 
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bluesky said:
There are two different types of people in the USA.

Young folks who lived through and experienced the '70s (starting in '64 I guess) and ending in the early '80s ... & everyone else.

You had to 'BE there'. It was a fantastic and unbelievable 'era & time' to be alive!!

The truth is - We just got ' lucky ', the right age at the right place at the right time. What an experience... what a party!! So Cool. Everything was just so cool!!

And all the great music fueled ' the Movement '.
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Indeed, what ever it was, the 'Movement', music fueled it. Became a religion for many.
 
Natasha Bell said:
There are some interesting things that came out of the 1970s, and there are many here on this forum that absolutely love that period. Was it really a "golden age"? I would not subscribe to that assessment. In my opinion, the 1980s were better in many ways, and the current crop of (even moderately priced) equipment has sophistication and performance greater than the vast majority of its 1970s analogs. Nostalgia is a primary factor in play here, I believe. The bottom line is: If you enjoy that style of gear, than by all means use it as it is way too precious to let it go to waste. :)
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I spent my teen years in the 70s. I don't recall there being too much obsession with audio gear. There was a lot of obsession with the music created in this era. Every year there was albums put out that broke ground as to the production, song writing, innovation with musical instruments, and music itself, along with new musical genres being created. Then there were the new clothes fashions. The general mentality through the 70s was being laid back, enjoying life, having wicked parties at abandoned strip mines etc. I don't think there has been a decade since the 70s where teenagers had more freedom with experimentation, enjoyed life, being healthy, etc. There were fewer rules to abide by from society and your parents. Where I grew up, there was no drama, very few worries except for getting someone pregnant. :oops: I do think that to "get" the 70s you would have to be in your teens or twenties during this decade. The one thing that did suck was that after 1973 there were few, to no, good muscle/sports cars. This said, you could buy prime muscle cars from the 1960s for dirt cheap.
 
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OldJBL said:
I spent my teen years in the 70s. I don't recall there being too much obsession with audio gear. There was a lot of obsession with the music created in this era. Every year there was albums put out that broke ground as to the production, song writing, innovation with musical instruments, and music itself, along with new musical genres being created. Then there were the new clothes fashions. The general mentality through the 70s was being laid back, enjoying life, having wicked parties at abandoned strip mines etc. I don't think there has been a decade since the 70s where teenagers had more freedom with experimentation, enjoyed life, being healthy, etc. There were fewer rules to abide by from society and your parents. Where I grew up, there was no drama, very few worries except for getting someone pregnant. :oops: I do think that to "get" the 70s you would have to be in your teens or twenties during this decade. The one thing that did suck was that after 1973 there were few, to no, good muscle/sports cars. This said, you could buy prime muscle cars from the 1960s for dirt cheap.
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Yes, you are most definitely right about what you said about "getting" the 1970s, in that you had to be a teenager. I think that is also true for every other decade as well. I wasn't born until 1984, but I cannot say that I "got" the 1980s. In fact, I barely got the 1990s and early 2000s. I do believe, however, that once you passed that teenage threshold into greater maturity, say around being 19 or 20, your perspective changes a good bit. I know mine did as I came to the realization that I wasn't a child anymore, but will always be my parent's child. In addition, boys and girls are socialized differently.

I think there are fewer restrictions on boys as a whole growing-up, than on girls, but boys have a significantly higher bar to pass when it comes to expectations. A great example of this is the conversation my cousin had with his father when he graduated high-school. Although he is about four months or so younger then me, we graduated in the same class. He asked his father why he didn't receive a small car for graduation, but I did. My uncle (this is my uncle Pete, who got me started in this hobby) said to him: Tasha is a girl, you're not. If you want a car, save your money and buy yourself one. Blunt and to the point, as Pete has always been. Yet, when his daughter graduated high school three years later, he bought her a car. Is it fair? No, not at all, but it is the way it was (or is). :oops:

As far as cars, that isn't really my strength, but I do love the way the 1960s and early 1970s cars looks. The wild colors, the stripes. :D My father-in-law has a 1971 Boss mustang. It's silver, but with a blacked out hood and these insane louvers covering the back window. It sounds incredible, but isn't the most comfortable to drive or ride in. I have, however, slam-shifted the 4-speed and put down about 20 feet of rubber before I knew it. Other than that, I was able to keep up with it relatively easily driving my little Nissan Frontier (which is a lot more comfortable and has air-conditioning). :biggrin:

As with the hobby... I know better than to ask my husband on his opinion when it comes of my gear. He has been a commercial pilot for the past 25 years or so, and his hearing isn't the best anymore. I guess through the constant noise of the jet engines and the radio headsets. In addition, he leaves me to my ways, but does come and check on me smiling when I play particular songs he likes. As for me, I also respect his woodworking hobby. He has so many tools, including probably 10 pairs of different vice grips, or more, and dozens of clamps. While I call him the "plier king", I do know that every one of his tools does serve a specific purpose similar to one of my favorite sayings: "for every outfit, you need a matching pair of shoes and the right purse." :)
 
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Doug G. said:
I was called a "Hard Hat", by "friends" back in the day, just because I declined to participate in "passing the joint/circle tokin'" events. So much for tolerance and free-thinking.

Doug
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I was born in 61. So I lived through that period. I still remember when Mama Cass died and the sadness displayed around me. I was too young to really understand, but I noted it. I saw the Rolling Stones in Buffalo for the Some Girls tour! That was an experience! Here I was, a 16 year old boy with a bunch of friends that got into a car and drove across the border with our friends older brother who attended Woodstock. He just remembers Woodstock as a really big concert. I guess it all depends on your perspective. For me and my friends, we tried to relive it, but of course couldn't. That was water under the bridge and it was never coming back.

My group of friends always had a few who didn't toke or partake! No problem. We thought it was cool they weren't bothered by it. I think they got proximity buzzes from us. So there was tolerance and free thinking. It just depended on where, when you were and who you were with.

The one thing that sticks with me with some regret, was driving across Ontario to the old family homestead in Vermillion Bay. We used to drive quite late the first day until Pancake Bay Provincial park. This park is unique in that it sits on the east coast of Lake Superior, and the water is very shallow(and therefore quite warm) for quite a long way out. In August, you can watch the sun set over the water at 10 PM! My regret comes from a trip through with my dad when I was 17. I remember going to the beach after we set up the tent, and watching a group of teens about my age partying on the beach, and me regretting not being able to party with them because we were leaving the next morning at 6 AM in order to get out before the staff showed up. When I look back, that is a nostalgic memory, and I'm sure if I had participated, it would end up being a lost memory, as so many drug memories are.
 
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