|
|
Post by snoggle on Nov 22, 2016 20:52:05 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by capitalomnibus on Nov 22, 2016 22:11:16 GMT
You KNOW when it's 'ageing' when all your memories are in B&W  I can't match that one John. Fair to say most of my memories are in full colour although I can just about remember the day when we first got a colour TV at home. That was quite a surprise! Back in the days when you rented your television from a TV rental company! Yes kiddies   we used to do things like that. Now TVs are effectively throw away technology and loads of people watch "telly" on computers or smartphones. All very different. A bit like trying to find any new kit these days that can play, shock horror, video tapes or music cassette tapes! Having just had my old "music centre" partly conk out on me I was pleasantly surprised to find a repair centre just mins away. They've fixed my twin cassette deck and are now fixing my record turntable. That means I can enjoy swathes of my record collection all over again.  Oh and just to be a little picky are the "young 'uns" here really reminiscing or just enjoying finding out what happened in the 1980s with music, culture and buses for the first time? That's really discovery and not reminiscing because you weren't around to experience the 80s in the first place. Bit like I can't reminisce about the 1950s as I wasn't born.  Anyway we all know music from the 80s and earlier was the best music. You should all tune in to Forgotten 80s on Absolute Radio on Sunday evenings. Loads of rarely played gems are played / requested on the show. Great fun. Past shows are available on Mixcloud. The few people on here who've found me on Twitter will see my silly tweets as I listen along to the show. The same lunacy happens when Top of the Pops 1982 is on BBC Four at 1930 Thurs/Fris. Radio Rentals, rumbellows, there were a few; could hardly even remember the names now. I think colour TV was the most biggest television transition of all time. Forget all this digital, hd, plasma, led technology. It is not as major a transition - imo |
|
|
|
Post by thesquirrels on Nov 22, 2016 22:16:06 GMT
I was a product of the 1980s but only really have memories from the following decade onwards. But most of my childhood involved me surrounded by artefacts from that decade handed down from other people - we had two manual-tune b&w TVs in the flat, and the only games consoles I ever owned were an Atari and a Sega Master System. My first computers were a green-screen Amstrad that ran on cassette tapes and a BBC Micro, and most of my homework for school was run off on a dot-matrix printer! I don't think I got a Windows 95-capable machine until 2001 - installed from a pile of floppy disks on a 486 dx2-66! Even in the 90s a lot of our curriculum material at primary school dated back to the late 80s, a consequence of a local authority failing spectacularly to manage swingeing education cuts from central government (this had other effects, such as parts of the building being closed for two years as a hall refurbishment had to be halted mid-works because of funding shortages, pupils being turned away from the school gates at 8:45am because there weren't enough teachers in to run the school, no hot meals and classes of 40 - this culminated in us protesting at the council offices one night, accompanied by one of the senior union figures in the borough in her orange Skoda with loudhailer speakers on the roof!). Television was full of reruns then, many of which dated from the decade. Sunday morning TV was reruns of 1980s Grange Hill. The household radio station of choice was Capital Gold so I grew up getting to know a big back-catalogue of 60s-80s music but not much contemporary stuff. My little nook of north east London in the 1990s was full of 1980s cars, 1980s(and 70s!) buses and the streetscape had in most places not been touched since the early 1970s.
If I had the chance to go and actually live in the 1980s I don't think I'd do it. An experience better imagined than lived - my world was at the 'wrong end' of the societal spectrum to enjoy it much. Crumbling council housing, the National Front in places like Thamesmead, inter-firm football riots played out on the streets of a weekend, being beaten up for being Irish/Black/Asian, deep seated institutional corruption.. LT being halfway up sh&t creek with a broken paddle.. thanks, but I'll take the 90s - it wasn't a lot better on many of those fronts (some still aren't today!), but it was something!
Still, some decent music..
|
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Nov 23, 2016 0:27:32 GMT
Radio Rentals, rumbellows, there were a few; could hardly even remember the names now. I think colour TV was the most biggest television transition of all time. Forget all this digital, hd, plasma, led technology. It is not as major a transition - imo I think we rented from a northern business called Derwent but I might be wrong. The other name was Rediffusion IIRC. Black and White to Colour probably had the biggest impact on people viewing. However when I had to buy a new telly a few years ago it was like entering another world. I had an old Sony CRT set which was great and lasted years but eventually gave up the ghost. Trying to work out what to buy as a replacement was like having to cram for an exam but with only 1 day to learn everything - not easy. In the end I just went for a fairly basic, smallish Sony set which has been fine so far. I don't have the space (nor inclination) for 50" screens - pointless - and I can't afford a HD subscription from Sky. Just for entertainment value I've just had a quick look at John Lewis's television pages on its website. I see I can get a Sony TV for £259 and also one for £9,999!  Who pays 10 grand for a telly (no matter how all singing, all dancing it is)? I'm sure it's spectacular but I'd be terrified to have it in my house. Given what I've seen I can see that whenever I've got to get a new telly it's going to be back to the "classroom" again. |
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Nov 23, 2016 0:54:37 GMT
If I had the chance to go and actually live in the 1980s I don't think I'd do it. An experience better imagined than lived - my world was at the 'wrong end' of the societal spectrum to enjoy it much. Crumbling council housing, the National Front in places like Thamesmead, inter-firm football riots played out on the streets of a weekend, being beaten up for being Irish/Black/Asian, deep seated institutional corruption.. LT being halfway up sh&t creek with a broken paddle.. thanks, but I'll take the 90s - it wasn't a lot better on many of those fronts (some still aren't today!), but it was something! Still, some decent music.. Completely understand the concerns expressed about the 80s. I was up north and in some respects we had it much worse than London but London, as you highlight, had some specific nasties all of its own that made the headlines more prominently than what was going on elsewhere. I think overall I'm glad I grew up through the 70s and 80s if only because things were perhaps a tiny bit more innocent and there were fewer rules and less hysteria about kids going off to play on their own, explore building sites, sneak round bus garages etc etc. There wasn't the same commercially driven peer pressure that exists today although there were other peer pressures from the local "culture". Yes we had strikes, power cuts, Thatcherism, riots etc but despite all of that I think there was a great societal dynamism and creativity. All we have today is social media creating ludicrous over reactions to the slightest thing and very little real debate or genuine scrutiny. Far too much is superficial and I think that bodes very badly for the future. We also had a set of politicians that weren't necessarily "professional politicians" - they'd fought in wars and done other jobs and were from a wider social spectrum. Nowadays there's very little of that in the Commons and I think we are vastly worse off for it. It wasn't perfect by any means but I'm not sure I'd want to be a kid growing up now - the world appears to have lots more opportunity but I suspect that's reserved for an ever shrinking minority. And yes the music was wonderful mostly (and sometimes utterly dreadful). |
|
|
|
Post by John tuthill on Nov 23, 2016 8:52:40 GMT
[/quote]Radio Rentals, rumbellows, there were a few; could hardly even remember the names now. I think colour TV was the most biggest television transition of all time. Forget all this digital, hd, plasma, led technology. It is not as major a transition - imo
[/quote]
In the '50's we used British Relay Wireless which was all cable with no aerial. Also I remember DER, Granada and Rediffusion.
|
|
|
|
Post by twobellstogo on Nov 23, 2016 21:50:10 GMT
I used to love my Commodore 64. Wonder how today's youngsters would cope with the loading times for games on the C64... |
|
|
|
Post by RandomBusesGirl on Nov 23, 2016 21:55:00 GMT
Woo, so I'm not the only one who feels for this decade It just… 'has it', you know? Of course I know it wasn't perfect, but man, it had a spirit. Freddos were 1p; music - there was something for everybody, good stuff from a variety of genres - rock, synthpop, heavy metal - you name it, and the sound really mattered. I swear models were way much beautiful back then - actually real curvy gorgeous women rather than walking malnourished twigs. I even love the hair, perms and all (I want one!), minus the most absurd stuff of course - like the mullet  I have a music taste of somebody 20yrs older (1997 here ) and just can't go on to ride buses without a soundtrack (just like I can't have a car ride without the radio on). Playing Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" when crossing Blackwall Tunnel on 108 has been one of my rituals lel Or singing along to my music on a night bus when nobody else is upstairs I dressed up as an 80s girl on a Year 11 non-uniform day and my Idol is no-one else than awesome Kim Wilde - met Her twice and She's just so down to Earth |
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Nov 23, 2016 22:56:30 GMT
Woo, so I'm not the only one who feels for this decade It just… 'has it', you know? Of course I know it wasn't perfect, but man, it had a spirit. Freddos were 1p; music - there was something for everybody, good stuff from a variety of genres - rock, synthpop, heavy metal - you name it, and the sound really mattered. I swear models were way much beautiful back then - actually real curvy gorgeous women rather than walking malnourished twigs. I even love the hair, perms and all (I want one!), minus the most absurd stuff of course - like the mullet I have a music taste of somebody 20yrs older (1997 here ) and just can't go on to ride buses without a soundtrack (just like I can't have a car ride without the radio on). Playing Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" when crossing Blackwall Tunnel on 108 has been one of my rituals lel Or singing along to my music on a night bus when nobody else is upstairs I dressed up as an 80s girl on a Year 11 non-uniform day and my Idol is no-one else than awesome Kim Wilde - met Her twice and She's just so down to Earth Dr Snoggle looks in box by his feet. Oh look  Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone on 7" vinyl Kim Wilde - Kids in America on 7" vinyl plus Depeche Mode, Spandau Ballet, Madonna, Prince, Queen, Paul McCartney, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Gwen Guthrie, Cherelle & Alexander O'Neal etc etc etc  Not exactly playable on the bus but never mind. I do like the idea of Danger Zone playing when you go through the Blackwall Tunnel. |
|
|
|
Post by Alex on Nov 24, 2016 0:38:10 GMT
I was a product of the 1980s but only really have memories from the following decade onwards. Now, at the risk of incurring the wrath of some forumers I won't quote the whole post that The Squirrels posted (making the big post) but I have to say what an excellent post. I can relate to this entirely and some very good points made, worded in a way that makes perfect sense. My schooldays were also very old fashioned, furniture and equipment that looked ancient even then (I went to primary school 1987-1993, secondary 1993-1998), little memories as a very worn out VHS tape, pretty much unwatchable, BBC Science Topics (which has an excellent theme tune by the way). There was definitely a hangover of previous generations and I would agree that the 1990s had a big part in sweeping this away. In another thread I touched on how dated TV presentation seemed at the time in the late 1980s, at the time it still seemed very old fashioned. When I see footage of things like hospitals and other public institutions from the time I find it very sombre and a bit strange to look back on. There is an excellent YouTube channel of the Thames News library, again looking at the way things were does seem a bit stark. Especially in the knowledge that even at the time it looked run down and old fashioned, let alone now. The 1990s was a real dawn for change and indeed I think many areas of 1990s presentation and style actually look more modern and fitting than now. I'd agree with The Squirrels, give me the 1990s too : ) |
|
|
|
Post by vjaska on Nov 24, 2016 3:26:41 GMT
Woo, so I'm not the only one who feels for this decade It just… 'has it', you know? Of course I know it wasn't perfect, but man, it had a spirit. Freddos were 1p; music - there was something for everybody, good stuff from a variety of genres - rock, synthpop, heavy metal - you name it, and the sound really mattered. I swear models were way much beautiful back then - actually real curvy gorgeous women rather than walking malnourished twigs. I even love the hair, perms and all (I want one!), minus the most absurd stuff of course - like the mullet I have a music taste of somebody 20yrs older (1997 here ) and just can't go on to ride buses without a soundtrack (just like I can't have a car ride without the radio on). Playing Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" when crossing Blackwall Tunnel on 108 has been one of my rituals lel Or singing along to my music on a night bus when nobody else is upstairs I dressed up as an 80s girl on a Year 11 non-uniform day and my Idol is no-one else than awesome Kim Wilde - met Her twice and She's just so down to Earth I do like the idea of Danger Zone playing when you go through the Blackwall Tunnel. I like the idea of Danger Zone playing full stop, especially the middle section of the song |
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Nov 25, 2016 21:55:29 GMT
And just to show the wonder of the 80s is alive and well I had a nice Twitter chat with Mari Wilson (Miss Beehive) during Top of the Pops this week. Fair made my week. |
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Nov 25, 2016 22:09:31 GMT
People's History of Pop on BBC4 NOW - covering the 80s into the 90s. |
|
|
|
Post by Hassaan on Nov 27, 2016 0:53:34 GMT
I was a product of the 1980s but only really have memories from the following decade onwards. Now, at the risk of incurring the wrath of some forumers I won't quote the whole post that The Squirrels posted (making the big post) but I have to say what an excellent post. I can relate to this entirely and some very good points made, worded in a way that makes perfect sense. My schooldays were also very old fashioned, furniture and equipment that looked ancient even then (I went to primary school 1987-1993, secondary 1993-1998), little memories as a very worn out VHS tape, pretty much unwatchable, BBC Science Topics (which has an excellent theme tune by the way). There was definitely a hangover of previous generations and I would agree that the 1990s had a big part in sweeping this away. In another thread I touched on how dated TV presentation seemed at the time in the late 1980s, at the time it still seemed very old fashioned. When I see footage of things like hospitals and other public institutions from the time I find it very sombre and a bit strange to look back on. There is an excellent YouTube channel of the Thames News library, again looking at the way things were does seem a bit stark. Especially in the knowledge that even at the time it looked run down and old fashioned, let alone now. The 1990s was a real dawn for change and indeed I think many areas of 1990s presentation and style actually look more modern and fitting than now. I'd agree with The Squirrels, give me the 1990s too : ) I'd agree with that. Ok I was only born near the end of 1994, which makes me 22 right now (and thanks to this thread, for once I feel young ). But I look back at 80s stuff online, and photos of my dad from that time, and it seems like a completely different world! My primary school days were from 1999-2006, and high school from 2006-2011. My high school had a mix of buildings from 1930s, 1970s, 1990s and 2009, with a clear difference between the former two groups and the latter two. The 1930s and 1970s buildings had hard flooring everywhere, very high ceilings, big single glazed windows. In some places there were still very old light switches, and ancient radiators with enormous pipes. The newer buildings however had lower ceilings (including use of false ceilings), carpets in most classrooms, and slightly smaller windows with double glazing. While the newer buildings generally had smaller rooms, these rooms were much preferred by me, and they were usually warmer in winter. Although nothing beat the HVAC system in the 2009 building during the summer! As for 90s music, one of my favourites these days is Vengaboys - Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! (although that only just qualifies as 90s!). This is also a bit of a guilty pleasure  |
|
|
|
Post by Hassaan on Nov 27, 2016 0:53:51 GMT
Woo, so I'm not the only one who feels for this decade It just… 'has it', you know? Of course I know it wasn't perfect, but man, it had a spirit. Freddos were 1p; music - there was something for everybody, good stuff from a variety of genres - rock, synthpop, heavy metal - you name it, and the sound really mattered. I swear models were way much beautiful back then - actually real curvy gorgeous women rather than walking malnourished twigs. I even love the hair, perms and all (I want one!), minus the most absurd stuff of course - like the mullet I have a music taste of somebody 20yrs older (1997 here ) and just can't go on to ride buses without a soundtrack (just like I can't have a car ride without the radio on). Playing Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" when crossing Blackwall Tunnel on 108 has been one of my rituals lel Or singing along to my music on a night bus when nobody else is upstairs I dressed up as an 80s girl on a Year 11 non-uniform day and my Idol is no-one else than awesome Kim Wilde - met Her twice and She's just so down to Earth Dr Snoggle looks in box by his feet. Oh look Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone on 7" vinyl Kim Wilde - Kids in America on 7" vinyl plus Depeche Mode, Spandau Ballet, Madonna, Prince, Queen, Paul McCartney, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Gwen Guthrie, Cherelle & Alexander O'Neal etc etc etc Not exactly playable on the bus anywhere but never mind. I do like the idea of Danger Zone playing when you go through the Blackwall Tunnel. Fixed that for you Just joking  . Generally 1980s music isn't really my thing, but those two songs are good. I quite like " I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and " D I S C O". Think I'll also leave this here |
|
we used to do things like that. Now TVs are effectively throw away technology and loads of people watch "telly" on computers or smartphones. All very different.
Anyway we all know music from the 80s and earlier was the best music.
Who pays 10 grand for a telly (no matter how all singing, all dancing it is)? I'm sure it's spectacular but I'd be terrified to have it in my house. Given what I've seen I can see that whenever I've got to get a new telly it's going to be back to the "classroom" again.
