The history of recorded sound

hank

A look at How recorded sound technology evolved

Some personal remembrances:

- In the late 40s or early 50s our family visited an uncle in the Detroit area who had a hand-crank victrola in his living room. But can't recall ever hearing it play.

- In the early 50s, Pa bought a used Plymouth with an AM radio that had a color changing dial. We'd sit in the driveway and listen to music while Dad showed off all the marvelous colors. And we'd talk about the song lyrics.

- In the late 50s or early 60s I was gifted my first "record player" by my parents. I was about 12. First album I purchased was the soundtrack to South Pacific, having seen the film on the big screen. Added a couple Jim Reeves albums later.

- In the early 70s, I bought my first real audio system with a nice amp (can't recall what brand) for the day and a modern turntable. Good sized speakers in wood cabinets. 33 rpm recordings were common.

- In the late 70s or early 80s while away during the summer, it got so hot inside the house that most / or all of the library of 33 rpm albums partially melted and were warped beyond use.

- In the mid-80s I bought my first CD player and coupled it with a mid-priced amp + a couple cheap speakers. The amp immediately blew-out the speakers. After hooking up better speakers the first CD I listened to was Willie Nelson's "Without a Song." The sound of the opening track was so clear it brought tears to my eyes.

- Over the years motor vehicles have come with AM radio, AM/FM radio, 8-track tape players, cassette tape decks and CD players. Each represented a huge leap forward.

- Currently receive incredible sound streamed through devices. A big stash of CDs from an earlier era have been relegated to occasional listening while working out in the garage / workshop.

Observant1

" In the late 70s or early 80s while away during the summer, it got so hot inside the house
that most / or all of the library of 33 rpm albums partially melted and were warped beyond use."

What a terrible experience!
It hopefully wasn't too difficult to rebuild your library.

hank

Observant1 said:

" In the late 70s or early 80s while away during the summer, it got so hot inside the house
that most / or all of the library of 33 rpm albums partially melted and were warped beyond use."

What a terrible experience!
It hopefully wasn't too difficult to rebuild your library.

Around that time CDs began replacing LPs. And I'd taken to listening to cassette tapes. It was disappointing but in retrospect not too bad. I'd guess I only had 20-25 LP albums at the time. My CD collection grew much larger in subsequent years, thanks in part to the ease of buying new or used ones online.

Some swear by LPs for audio quality. I can't say. Got rid of the turntable decades ago.

Observant1

I did not own many LPs as a teenager/young adult since I often listened to the radio in those days.
I started building a sizable CD collection a few years after they became available.
Some music aficionados do swear by LPs — many praise a "warmer" sound.
There has been an LP sales resurgance in recent years.

hank

Speaking of radio, residing in the Detroit metro area during the 70s-90s, I was blessed with the awesome AM "clear channel" WJR. Along with personalities like the late great JP McCarthy the station provided a rich diet of contemporary music. So new releases from the likes of the Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Charlie Rich, Crystal Gayle, Neil Diamond, etc. received ample air time. Having some albums was nice, but not essential. Unfortunately, around year 2000 an ultra-conservative outfit took over the station and turned it into a right-wing talk outlet devoid of music.

Observant1

"Unfortunately, around year 2000 an ultra-conservative outfit took over the station
and turned it into a right-wing talk outlet devoid of music."

There has been major consolidation within the radio industry.
Local radio stations are increasingly owned and programmed
by a handful of corporations (e.g., iHeartMedia, Audacy, Cumulus Media).

Old_Joe

We had a similar situation here in SF. For many years we had KSFO, a relatively low-powered AM station which had a wonderful spread of music , news, Giants baseball and SF 49ers broadcasts. The station was owned by Gene Autry, and he pretty much gave the station staff free reign to do whatever they wanted, as long as the station made money.

And boy, did it make money! It had an absolutely fantastic staff of DJs, news and sports reporters, and even really good engineers. A very decent percentage of Bay Area radio audiences hung out listening to KSFO virtually all day long. The station studios were located on the main floor of the Fairmont Hotel, with big windows where passers-by could watch everything as it went down.

And then Gene Autry died. In 1995 the station was sold to Cumulus Media, one of those outfits that ObservantOne mentions. And from that day KSFO became the local outlet for every right-wing nutjob in the country.