Here you'll get to revive some of the (sometimes groundbreaking) things that were popular in the late 70's to early 80's.
During this time everyone's eyes was turned into Space. Space is the place! was a slogan to be heard.
Even the cold war had its space programs...
To add to the space craze, the first STAR WARS movie had its premier in 1977.
Turning the eyes down to earth, in the game arcades the classic pinball machines had to give room for the new and exciting
video games.
The first commercially sold video game was Computer Space, released in 1971.
Another of the very first and most well-known video games was Pong, which was a table tennis game released already
in late 1972.
But more and better games were yet to come and some of the most popular hooked on to the above mentioned Space trends and
became huge successes. It was games like:
SPACE INVADERS
was an arcade video game designed by Japanese Tomohiro Nishikado for Taito in 1978.
It is one of the most influential video games ever created.
And the list of songs inspired by the game is long: "Space Invaders" - Alfa Beta "Space Invaders" - Area 51 "Space Invaders" - Bando "Space Invaders" - Bo Kool / Funk Master "Space Invaders" - Eddie & the Players "Space Invaders" - Hot Gossip "Space Invaders" - Mark Wyman "Space Invaders" - Piranhas "Space Invaders" - Playback "Space Invaders" - Player "Space Invaders" - Safety First "Space Invaders" - Uncle Vic
ASTEROIDS
was an arcade video game created by Lyle Rains & Ed Logg and was released in 1979 by Atari.
The game uses simple (by today's standards) vector graphics and has a two-dimensional view where that wraps around in both screen axes, making the objects disappear in one side of the screen to appear again in the opposite side.
Asteroids was one of the most popular and influential Arcade Games and was Atari's best selling game of all time.
Pac-Man
was a Japanese arcade game released in Japan on May 22, 1980 by Namco.
Pac-Man is a legendary game and became a huge worldwide hit, both as a video game but also in songs ("Pac-Man Fever"
by Buckner & Garcia was the most famous) and merchandise.
The game even managed to attract female players, who were usually not so heavy video game players. It even resulted in the
creation of the 'Ms. Pac-Man' game.
Pac-Man is one of the most famous arcade games of all time. (Some IE7 users might not see the Pac-Man game below - then click
HERE to play it
online)
Next phenomenon out followed the skateboard craze, which had gained great popularity in the mid 1970's. With new materials
and better equipment it paved the way for the...
ROLLER DISCO's & ROLLER SKATING
Roller skating became widely popular as it could be done both outdoors and inside in any of the new Roller Disco's that
was opening. And if Central Park was the outdoor place to skate in New York, then Venice Beach in California is
probably the place most associated with roller skating.
There was even a roller skating movie produced in 1979, called Roller Boogie, and the outdoor scenes were all
shot in Venice.
And in the 1980 film Xanadu, a roller disco is prominently featured in the plot.
For other places, where the weather won't let you skate outdoors all year, the Roller Disco becomes the thing. It was just
what it says - A Disco on Roller Skates!
Many Roller Disco's opened and lasted over the heights of Disco, then to be closed down.
But several remain even to this day.
So do support your local Roller Disco in order to preserve them!
In order to "Roller Disco" you needed music and... if there wasn't music played were you were going... Well, then you
simply brought your own music in a...
Ghetto Blaster (or Boom Box)
The motto was simply - the Bigger, the Better !
Hence why you saw people carrying these battery consuming monster sized players all over,
pumping out music as they walked. (I just wonder how many bad backs were caused by carrying around these heavy Boom Boxes)
Sony came up with a solution to let you carry your music with you, without breaking your back.
The device was originally created for the company's co-chairman, who wanted to be able to listen to operas during his
frequent transpacific plane trips.
So, in 1979 Sony introduced the...
Walkman (Soundabout, Freestyle...)
The introduction and success of the Walkman was a milestone for portable equipment,
as it gave full freedom to the users to enjoy their favorite pieces of music anywhere and everywhere, without annoying
anyone else in their surroundings.
You could see the Walkmans being used all over...
in the jogging tracks, by roller skaters, on people working in factories or cleaning the streets.
It was a revolution for portability and we still gain from it in shape of;
Cell phones, portable computers and of course MP3 players.
When you wanted to listen to your Walkman or Ghetto Blaster you needed music...
If you didn't want to listen to the radio, then you put your favorite tracks on a...
Cassette tape
How loved and hated weren't those tapes?!
You loved to have your favorite tracks with you, but you sometimes hated that you couldn't repeat certain tracks over
and over again without having to rewind the tape.
Or what about when you favorite tape got stuck or jammed in the player,
leaving you with nothing but a "tape salad" and you had to throw it away!
But how much couldn't you say with those cassettes?
You customized the track selection for your lover,
made an "I hate you" tape when you broke up,
or a "Remember our first date" tape for an Anniversary.
Ah... Those were the days and I hope this brought back a memory or two...
It's not for nothing this is my...
Roller skating became widely popular as it could be done both outdoors and inside in any of the new Roller Disco's that
was opening. And if Central Park was the outdoor place to skate in New York, then Venice Beach in California is
probably the place most associated with roller skating.
