Great Moments in Boombox History

[caution]

I thought it would be cool to share some boombox-related moments you can still see in your head like it was yesterday. What year was it? where were you? What happened that made it so memorable? I'll start off with a few

The last week of 1982 - Adding paint and decals to parts for my Fall Guy model truck, listening to my first boombox Santa recently delivered.

Summer 1984 - I'm 11 and finally have enough money for my first stereo box, and head to Target in my friend's trucker dad's semi. The guy's porn mags were poking out of the sleeper cab cushions, I pulled one out a bit and he saw me right away. Awkward. Then I remember pacing the boombox aisle trying to make a decision. One piecer? Detachable? Yes, detachable. I also remember standing in line staring at the bakery cakes reflecting off those 45-degree mirrors, and then offloading all my bills and coins to the cashier.

Summer 1985 - Our family headed out to the Wisconsin border to do some canoeing. I'm hanging out on a picnic table with my box, facing the river, Playing Axel F. *I* liked the song, but wasn't so sure how anyone else felt about it. Then someone floated by on a tube and saw me, and motioned for me to crank it up. Can do! Good times.

 

[im_alan_partridge]

Nice memories Bro

 

[Transistorized]

That is what it is all about. Music ties us with our memories. Every time I hear a song I instantly know where I was when I heard it. Excellent story

 

[neanderthal]

I'm the same age as you and grew up in 3rd world Zimbabwe. I'm also a twin so anything I wanted/ needed had to be doubled for my twin. My poor parents.

We got ours late, we both wanted monster size twin deck, graphic equaliser neighbourhood blasters. We got tame, lame Sony CfS-210s, one pieces, stereo, but basic. Fast forward to 17/ 18 years old (I don't remember) and we pool our combined money to buy a big boombox. We had no idea what it would be but we knew it would be big and loud. Sharp WF-T380 fit the bill perfectly. We spent the equivalent of some poor saps monthly income each one buying one. I distinctly remember riding the train back to my hometown blasting the ever loving Jesus out of whatever was contemporary back then (M.C. Hammer?) in the cattle class section of the train.

Other people were playing local music but I didn't want to hear that shiat. Then of course, my batteries died. i had some old batteries with a little juice in them so I put those in and wore my earphones the rest of the trip.

 

[T-STER]

Summer 1986 - i was 9, my Dad was out washing his red Ford Sierra, he was so proud out that thing, listening to Ian Dury and the blockheads on his boombox. I wanted that thing so bad, it had cd and tape, i dont remember exactly but i think it was one of the Hitachi 3D models, whilst i had a shiatty double tape box, like a Goodmans or something really low end.



A few years later he gave it to me along with my first ever 2 cd's, Fine Young Cannibals and Simply Red!

 

[Hisrudeness]

Good thread!
July of 1983, I remember getting ready with one of my pals Andy Palmer for the first school disco I'd ever been to. In fact any kind of disco I'd ever been to! I went to a mixed boarding school. Twelves years old with hormones starting to rage practicing dance moves for the competition later that night. The music on the boombox was a mixture of electro, Chic, Brit funk band Level 42.

I didn't win the competition but came second to Chris Myers who was the son of British Wrestler 'Iron fist' Clive Myers.
I did get to awkwardly slow dance with the prettiest girl in school at the time!

I remember the night as clearly as ever. Thanks for thinking of this thread
Transisterized for a more innocent time!

The boombox? A Hitachi TRK-8020 (4th box in picture)

 

[MyOhMy]

If my memory serves me well....................

Judging by previous posts I was a latecomer to the boombox scene (too busy working in those days) I bought my first BB in late 1981 when I was in my late twenties: Hitachi TRK-8130. Aged 30, my second BB which I still have, is a Sharp GF-9000H bought in 1983. They seemed to have satisfied my BB interest at the time but, these days, I seem to have gotten quite greedy!

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

Great thread. The history of the boombox always intrigues me. Mostly because back in the day when I was 12-13, I was totally oblivious that there was a world beyond my street and beyond the little skirt that lived across the street. My whole life at that time revolved around that little skirt. An older boy up the street showed me that having a portable radio that played the hits of the day made that little skirt across the street wiggle and that's where my obsession with music began.

First, begging my parents for a radio (and being disappointed) then working, saving and buying my TRC-920 and ruling the summer of 83', then building home stereo systems and car stereo systems, then joining a band and recording and touring for the next 25 years....

It all started with that little skirt across the street.

Today, what I find most interesting is reading the stories from all over the world. I just kind of figured, since I lived in Los Angeles, a major city, that it was a major city thing. I knew New York/Brooklyn was the real Boombox scene, even back in the day, but it wasn't until I got into this community that I found out this was a GLOBAL thing and reading these stories of radio's from the mid west of the US to Vietnam to Zimbabwe!!! To me, this some of the best parts of this community! Just amazing!