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Why were the 70s such a tacky decade?

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13,460
Location
Orange County, CA
IMO there were only two great things about the '70s
Having been a kid back in the '70s these were the things I remembered most.

Country Music

[video=youtube;mK5ROydJFTE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK5ROydJFTE[/video]

And Toys
-- The '70s was the last of the "golden era" of toys before it was all made in China. Yes, some of it was made in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan but a substantial amount were still made in the US back then (with the more high end ones made in Europe). They were still well-made and designed to appeal to the intelligence and imagination of young minds rather than insulting it.

RL_OB_19_10.jpg
 
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scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
IMO there were only two great things about the '70s
Having been a kid back in the '70s these were the things I remembered most.


And Toys
-- The '70s was the last of the "golden era" of toys before it was all made in China. Yes, some of it was made in Japan, Hong Kong or Taiwan but a substantial amount of toys were still being made in the US at that time (with the more high end ones made in Europe). They were still well-made and designed to appeal to the intelligence and imagination of young minds rather than insult it.

RL_OB_19_10.jpg

I still have bunch of these in a box somewhere. Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Johnny Lightning (my brother had the track). Occasionally I see what passes for Hot Wheels cars hanging on the rack at the CVS checkout. They look like peepeecaca.
 
Messages
13,460
Location
Orange County, CA
Lesney, the original maker of Matchbox was bought out by Universal Toys, a Hong Kong-based company, in 1982, and was in turn bought by Tyco in about 1987 and then was acquired by Mattel in 1994 when they bought out Tyco. The original Johnny Lightning, which came out in 1969, was very short-lived as its maker Topper folded in 1971.

As far as Hot Wheels, their quality has steadily declined since the late '90s, early 2000s. Except for their limited edition collectibles, they stopped making all metal cars a couple of years ago. Now the regular ones have plastic chassis.
 
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Messages
10,524
Location
DnD Ranch, Cherokee County, GA
Good things of my 70's were Boston, Kansas, Journey, Blue Oyster Cult, REO Speedwagon, Mott the Hoople, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Steve Miller Band, Marshall Tucker, Charlie Daniels Band, Lynyrd Snynyrd, Allman Bros, Molly Hatchet, etc.
 
Lesney, the original maker of Matchbox was bought out by Universal Toys, a Hong Kong-based company, in 1982, and was in turn bought by Tyco in about 1987 and then was acquired by Mattel in 1994 when they bought out Tyco. The original Johnny Lightning, which came out in 1969, was very short-lived as its maker Topper folded in 1971.

As far as Hot Wheels, their quality has steadily declined since the late '90s, early 2000s. Except for their limited edition collectibles, they stopped making all metal cars a couple of years ago. Now the regular ones have plastic chassis.


Their quality has declined since their tires stopped having red lines.
 

Ernest P Shackleton

One Too Many
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1,243
Location
Midwest
Great post on Kraftwerk. So much phenomenal music from the 70s (but you weren't going to be hearing most of it coming out of your radios). As another said, an explosion in creativity happening all around the fringes; in many areas of art.

This thread screams, "Get off my yard!" almost like no other. Pretty funny.
 
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Messages
13,669
Location
down south
Good things of my 70's were Boston, Kansas, Journey, Blue Oyster Cult, REO Speedwagon, Mott the Hoople, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Steve Miller Band, Marshall Tucker, Charlie Daniels Band, Lynyrd Snynyrd, Allman Bros, Molly Hatchet, etc.

You left out Bon Scott era AC/DC:D
 

vitanola

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,254
Location
Gopher Prairie, MI
Great post on Kraftwerk. So much phenomenal music from the 70s (but you weren't going to be hearing most of it coming out of your radios). As another said, an explosion in creativity happening all around the fringes; in many areas of art.

This thread screams, "Get off my yard!" almost like no other. Pretty funny.

Well, I was collecting and playing Shellac since I was a child, and so for me the 'Seventies were a time of discovery, of "Classic Period" Fletcher Henderson, Benny Goodman's 1935 sides, early Duke Ellington, The Hot Five and Hot Seven sides, and later in the decade Whiteman "Potato Heads". Acutally, by last musical discovery of the '70's was a big stack of Hit of the Week cardboard discs, found on the day after Christmas, 1979. Of course I heard all of the usual stuff at college. Fellow in the next room played "The Wall" ad nauseum at high volume. Flying Lizards briefly became all the rage (they actually had some pretty good stuff other than "Money"), and of course the B-52's were good for a laugh, but I always returned to the stacks of 78's.
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,707
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
Well, I was collecting and playing Shellac since I was a child, and so for me the 'Seventies were a time of discovery, of "Classic Period" Fletcher Henderson, Benny Goodman's 1935 sides, early Duke Ellington, The Hot Five and Hot Seven sides, and later in the decade Whiteman "Potato Heads". Acutally, by last musical discovery of the '70's was a big stack of Hit of the Week cardboard discs, found on the day after Christmas, 1979.

I can still remember the first records I ever bought, other than kiddie records: a Columbia 78 album set of Benny Goodman Sextet sides. I still have them, too.

We had a lot of 78s around the house that had belonged to my mother or to my grandparents, and I got a little suitcase portable record player when I was three. So they've been a part of my life pretty much as long as I can remember.

I closed out the '70s buying six milk crates full of unplayed store stock dance band stuff from 1929-31. Mostly Victor Orthophonics, but there were quite a few Columbia Viva-Tonals -- including two full sets of the Moran and Mack records, but why bring that up? -- and even five or six Edison Needle Type records. All kinds of neat stuff in that hoard, and I paid about twenty cents a record for them.

I always had a very basic view of the music situation -- with forty years' worth of great 78rpm stuff out there, and a lifetime to explore it, who needs rock? As Moran and Mack would say, "even if that was good I wouldn't like it."
 
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Shangas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,116
Location
Melbourne, Australia
You didn'tmiss anything that is for sue. Even worse if your parents were into all that nasty polyester clothing and bought you a bunch of it to wear. :faint: Then thy took pictures of you wearing it so you can never foget how UGLY the 70s was. :doh: Ugly green and other nasty colors for cars, clothing and even kitchen appliances! :doh: It was horrible! Sight pollution everywhere and hippies giving you sight AND smell pollution. :eeek: HORRIBLE!

I was born in the 80s. The LATE 80s. Late enough that I didn't have to worry about any of this crap! I'm so glad I was.
 

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