Chris Dodkin
West Coast Correspondent
In the words of the great Rolf Harris 'can you tell what it is yet?'
A trip back in time...
- Thread starter Chris Dodkin
- Start date
Hamish Gill
Tech Support (and Marketing)
some sort of toy?
I feel that i recognise it!
I feel that i recognise it!
Chris Dodkin
West Coast Correspondent
It's iconic, yet rare, but there were many many that followed...
Hamish Gill
Tech Support (and Marketing)
Im stumped ... very frustrating!
Chris Dodkin
West Coast Correspondent
How about this as a clue...
Hamish Gill
Tech Support (and Marketing)
Dan Cattermole
Dan Down - The Steampunk Womble
No waaaaaayyyy!!!! Haven't seen one of those for years!!!!!! My dad had one of them and took it to the Bosnian conflict, I asked if I could borrow it not long after he got back, and he kindly donated it (along with a marathon bar) to a little child who had what was described as a scar above his eyebrow were a bullet had mearly missed his head... Highly disappointed at the time that I couldn't play my Michael jackson 'bad' album anymore, but very proud in my dad for helping others. Well, found chris... Thanks for taking me down memory lane. And good guess Hamish!!! 
Hamish Gill
Tech Support (and Marketing)
Did I ruin the game for everyone else?
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Chris Dodkin
West Coast Correspondent
Hamish - You are correct!
After all my retro camera gazing, I figured I'd dig-out this old classic from... wait for it... 1979!
Almost impossible to believe that it's that old - Just think about it, people were driving around in cars like the Granada, Escort, Mini and Allegro, when the car workers weren't on strike...
Alien and Superman were showing at the local Roxy, and Pink Floyd were touring with 'The Wall'.
Disco was making a showing with Gloria Gaynor "I will Survive", and Are You Being Served and The Old Grey Whistle Test were on the BBC.
CD was still years away, and most people still bought their music on record.
Into that world dropped the original Sony Walkman, the TPS-L2.
Designed to give the head of Sony something to listen to opera with on long flights, the original Walkman was actually a cannibalized journalists tape recorder (The TCM-600), with the speaker and recording circuits removed, and a stereo playback head and headphones added.
This was a true first - no-one had produced a stereo portable music player before (although Sony had stolen the concept from a lone designer who later sued them for millions - and won).
It sold for £100, which was a lot of money in 1979 - the average UK house price was £13,650.
The original batch didn't even have the name 'Walkman' - Sony were thinking of calling it the Soundabout or Stowaway, but settled on Walkman as sales took off.
I remember seeing a magazine advert for the Walkman, and thinking it would be a great birthday present from the old dears
My local hi-fi shop got one in, and had it on display in the window - I passed it every day on the way to and from school!
I went to work on my parents, and knew I'd been successful when one night, after I was supposed to be asleep, I heard the now familiar sound of music from someone else's headphones, and my dad shouting to my mum that 'This thing is really good'
What a machine! - actually very reminiscent of some of the vintage cameras I've been photographing. It had a metal case, and a blue leather holster which could attach it to your belt.
All of the buttons were cast/milled metal, and the mechanism gave a nice heavy clunk as you operated the controls.
You adjusted the volume for left and right separately, with very techie looking mini-slider controls.
You could plug in two sets of headphones, so you and your significant other/friend could both listen to Genesis Duke at the same time!
Not only that, but you could press the orange 'Hot Line' button - which would lower the volume of the music, and allow you to talk to each other via the built in Mic.
This feature was also useful when crossing the road with headphones on - as you could listen for traffic.
It was a whole new world of portable audio
The Hot Line was dropped on subsequent models - I guess it cost too much to keep in
Playback quality was good (for cassette), although you had to keep the capstan shaft and heads clean with 'tape head cleaning fluid' as tapes at that time shed oxide like there was no tomorrow!
It did of course spawn thousands of copies over the years, before being killed by digital music after CD, DAT, MD and MP3 took over the mobile music market.
After all my retro camera gazing, I figured I'd dig-out this old classic from... wait for it... 1979!
Almost impossible to believe that it's that old - Just think about it, people were driving around in cars like the Granada, Escort, Mini and Allegro, when the car workers weren't on strike...
Alien and Superman were showing at the local Roxy, and Pink Floyd were touring with 'The Wall'.
Disco was making a showing with Gloria Gaynor "I will Survive", and Are You Being Served and The Old Grey Whistle Test were on the BBC.
CD was still years away, and most people still bought their music on record.
Into that world dropped the original Sony Walkman, the TPS-L2.
Designed to give the head of Sony something to listen to opera with on long flights, the original Walkman was actually a cannibalized journalists tape recorder (The TCM-600), with the speaker and recording circuits removed, and a stereo playback head and headphones added.
This was a true first - no-one had produced a stereo portable music player before (although Sony had stolen the concept from a lone designer who later sued them for millions - and won).
It sold for £100, which was a lot of money in 1979 - the average UK house price was £13,650.
The original batch didn't even have the name 'Walkman' - Sony were thinking of calling it the Soundabout or Stowaway, but settled on Walkman as sales took off.
I remember seeing a magazine advert for the Walkman, and thinking it would be a great birthday present from the old dears
My local hi-fi shop got one in, and had it on display in the window - I passed it every day on the way to and from school!
I went to work on my parents, and knew I'd been successful when one night, after I was supposed to be asleep, I heard the now familiar sound of music from someone else's headphones, and my dad shouting to my mum that 'This thing is really good'
What a machine! - actually very reminiscent of some of the vintage cameras I've been photographing. It had a metal case, and a blue leather holster which could attach it to your belt.
All of the buttons were cast/milled metal, and the mechanism gave a nice heavy clunk as you operated the controls.
You adjusted the volume for left and right separately, with very techie looking mini-slider controls.
You could plug in two sets of headphones, so you and your significant other/friend could both listen to Genesis Duke at the same time!
Not only that, but you could press the orange 'Hot Line' button - which would lower the volume of the music, and allow you to talk to each other via the built in Mic.
This feature was also useful when crossing the road with headphones on - as you could listen for traffic.
It was a whole new world of portable audio
The Hot Line was dropped on subsequent models - I guess it cost too much to keep in
Playback quality was good (for cassette), although you had to keep the capstan shaft and heads clean with 'tape head cleaning fluid' as tapes at that time shed oxide like there was no tomorrow!
It did of course spawn thousands of copies over the years, before being killed by digital music after CD, DAT, MD and MP3 took over the mobile music market.
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Chris Dodkin
West Coast Correspondent
Hamish - No - not at all
Just a bit of fun to see if anyone could remember the old HOT LINE button
Just a bit of fun to see if anyone could remember the old HOT LINE button
Pete Askew
Admin
I had no idea what it was Chris. I thought it looked soundy but the Hot Lone button had me completely stumped.
Another great series and write up. Thanks.
Another great series and write up. Thanks.
Dan Cattermole
Dan Down - The Steampunk Womble
Wow!! This one is mint ! I don't remember the old mans being anywhere near this condition let alone any of us knowing what a classic retro icon it has become.... I suppose nothing is classic at the time, only trend which then novelty wears off, forgot, then next thing you know it becomes a classic collectors item... Amazing! Never really understood the hot line button when I was 7 or so, wasn't really interested at the time. Nor, concerned how many times it left my butter fingers to make contact with the deck. Lol.
I'm just astounded how I'd of never of remembered this Walkman untill mentioned today purely on the fact that I hadn't seen one since then, now over 20 years here it is! Wow chris.... You've won me over again with your god dam retro porn!! Haha!!! Great write up
I'm just astounded how I'd of never of remembered this Walkman untill mentioned today purely on the fact that I hadn't seen one since then, now over 20 years here it is! Wow chris.... You've won me over again with your god dam retro porn!! Haha!!! Great write up
Hamish Gill
Tech Support (and Marketing)
Chris ... That's gagging to be made into an article!
I have a typewriter and an accordian I'm going to do something similar for ...
We need a new category don't we ...
Hmm
What d'ya think it should be called?
I have a typewriter and an accordian I'm going to do something similar for ...
We need a new category don't we ...
Hmm
What d'ya think it should be called?
Chris Dodkin
West Coast Correspondent
Works under 'vintage' if you ask me
Pete Askew
Admin
Can you play the accordian then Hamish? You could do a soundtrack for Chris's upcoming 16mm classic!!
Hamish Gill
Tech Support (and Marketing)
Vintage has a different name now ...
... We could do with a section for photos with a story I suppose ... I'm not sure it's the best thing to do ... Maybe it takes us too far away from the point of the forum ...
No I don't play, Hannah does though... She's one of those "talented" types that can just do stuff!
... We could do with a section for photos with a story I suppose ... I'm not sure it's the best thing to do ... Maybe it takes us too far away from the point of the forum ...
No I don't play, Hannah does though... She's one of those "talented" types that can just do stuff!
Pete Askew
Admin
My bookkeeper is a professional accordian player (http://www.frankreid.com/ - he only does the book keeping for fun!) and I fancy giving one a go myself (I played the piano - without any obvious talent - from 6 to 18) and I'm a big fan of bands like 17 Hippies and Yann Tiersen.
What about Photo Essays then?
What about Photo Essays then?
Hamish Gill
Tech Support (and Marketing)
Yeah that could work actually ... I'll sort it tomorrow!
Yann tiersen is very good!
Oddly when I think of the accordian the song that pops into my head is 'The boy in the bubble' by Paul Simon ... Perfect opening track to a great album!
Yann tiersen is very good!
Oddly when I think of the accordian the song that pops into my head is 'The boy in the bubble' by Paul Simon ... Perfect opening track to a great album!
