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The 1982 Docu-drama Wild Style is arguably the only classic hip-hop
film in existence. This scene depicts a happy guy enjoying his boombox during
a live concert at a private party. No, it doesn't make sense to me either, but
it does indeed depict the quintessential urban scene in the early '80s. I wish
I could've experienced it, but I was only 11 at the time and my Mom wouldn't let
me go into the South Bronx by myself. That stereo is one of the holy grails, a
JVC RC-M70JW/C.
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This Sharp was one of the first systems to incorporate twin cassette drives
(we believe Aiwa beat 'em to it with their exotic CS-W7). The GF-777 (aka GF-777Z) graced the
back of Run DMC's debut album and has eluded us for quite some time now, placing
it in the Holy Grails section with a bullet.
Bill provided this pic and a plea to find one--he's an avid boombox collector and
sells them occasionally, too. Check the classifieds
area for more info. UPDATE (courtesy of Ed): "the GF-777Z had an earlier model, the
GF-767 with less features and blue speaker covers (this was the actual radio that
was captured on the back of Run DMC's first album). Now most importantly its other
REAL holy grail relative was the GF-909 which was the same GF-777 but it was a production
prototype only sold in Japan. The difference was that system's text was in Japanese
and the speakers were all black." Thanks Ed!
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Hey Bill, I guess we gotta talk to these guys about getting a GF-777. Thanks
Dean, for presenting this TML Breakers family photo, circa 1983. The
patriarch of course, is that silver square dude in the middle. Original photo
ourtesy of Jamel Shabazz.
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Incorporating TV audio into personal stereos was a short-lived fad in which
I, too became caught up. Not until I spotted this Pioneer system up for sale in Japan
did I realize the fad reached boomboxes, too. This SK-80 also uses some funky
dials, rather than the traditional switches for mode selection.
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What do you get when you mix Breakin', Flashdance, Lorenzo Lamas,
a troupe of awful actors and a 20 foot boombox? Well, you've got yourself the finest
piece of cinematography of all time, the film that swept the '84 Oscars, Body Rock.
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Aiwa's 1981 CS-880, a magical ghettoblaster that offered "3D" acoustic sound
through a uniquely placed speaker arrangement. Aiwa's tape decks have an impeccable
reputation, the 880 and 770 for example offered a 0.038% wow and flutter: an impressive
stat indeed for a portable stereo system. The awesome look and features make this
one among the top for boomboxes.
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Anyone who's owned one of these magnificant systems will admit to the curse of
the near-instantaneous consumption of batteries. Energizer naturally used a boombox
to poise itself as the battery brand of choice for these systems. We were ecstatic
to find this commercial lodged between late night movies on an old VHS tape. While
we can't determine the make or model on this system, it's easy to see that boomboxes
had reached mass appeal in 1983 when they wind up as the center of attention in a
little girl's slumber party.
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Phil from across the pond offers this gorgeous system, a Sharp GF-575. Size
may matter when talking about ghettoblasters, but you gotta appreciate the
elegant design of this model. And boy, is it feature-laden. It offers AM/FM/SW
and LW band coverage, Dolby NR and twin cassettes! Button location is totally
up front, no controls on the top or sides. We've also got separate left and right
mic jacks and additional speaker jacks in the back. Phil is proud to say he
receieved this from family for free, and it's in perfect working order. Looks to
be near blemish-free, too. Thanks Phil.
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Look familiar? That's right...another Sharp, looks almost like the one above.
The picture at left is a publicity shot for Wild Style provided by our
buddy Dean up in Boston. He's a terrific resource for several of the photos you
see on the site and he's a knowledgeable source for the subject. Original photo
courtesy of Henry Chalfant/James Prigoff.
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Toby, vintage synth aficionado has an appreciation for the likes of this
Pioneer SK31. Features include line in/out, L&R mic in, mix mic in,
wired remote jack, speaker out, tuning/level/bat meters, tape counter with
start and end buttons, tape memory repeat, music search, ext antenna in.
From Toby: "Rescued from a garage sale...unbelievably crusty dirty tape mechanism.
Capstan looked like a totally rust encrusted mess. Nope, just an amazing layer of
tape filth."
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The second boombox we spotted in the classic film Wild Style. This
one apparently allowed the DJ to pre-amplify his wheels of steel in the concluding
concert scene. The ghettoblaster pictured is a 1981 Panasonic RX-5030--the little
LED meter is pulsating to the riff from Chic's Good Times.
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