Musical Nostalgia
Had an easy wake up this morning. Two people picked up TradeMe auctions they had won, and I did some tidying and sorting. Indulged myself writing some XSL to display various magazine databases I'm slowly compiling in XML. Such things are incredibly simple as web-apps, all XML, XSL, a touch of CSS. Add a directory of cover images if you want to be fancy.
Sorting through old magazines led me to discover an ancient 1981 issue of Rip It Up. Looking at the magazine was both nostalgic, and to me at least, interesting.
I discovered that in April 1981, Split Enz had just released Waiata, U2 were still pushing their debut album Boy, Phil Collins was selling his first solo album Face Value, Elvis Costello had just released Trust, and The Knobz had released their debut album Sudden Exposure. John Lennon had both the number one single with Woman, and the number one album with Double Fantasy even though, or possibly because, he'd been killed the previous December.
Split Enz were touring New Zealand prior to their first really big world tour, but Madness' tour was bigger news, taking up several pages of the rag.
What was really interesting though, was that the hot new Split Enz album cost $7.99, and you could get a free t-shirt with it if you bought from one retailer. This was before CDs, that was actual pressed vinyl we're talking about. So how did the cost of a hot new album, now sold on technology that is cheaper to produce, rise from just $7.99 in 1981 to a RRP of between $29.00 and $32.99? Well, inflation, which was at at 15% in 1981, hit the dizzying heights of 18% in 1987. Though it dropped dramatically at the end of 1987, and has been below 4% since about 1991(source), a little bit of calculation shows that, when adjusted for inflation, the latest hot album costs almost exactly the same now as it did in 1981.
That doesn't take into account technology changes, of course, and one can buy most albums for less than that as a download, or by hunting for a deal. Back then I used to buy sale vinyl for $2. I still have some of those, I got my copy of David Bowie's Space Odditty in a Woolworth's sale bin back in about 1976, and played it on a Columbia "portable" record player, that cost me $15. A couple of days ago OffTheBack was selling a half gig iPod-alike for $17.
Back then, we got to see Stanley Kubrik's A Clockwork Orange (but only if we were over 21!) after it was reclassified and finally allowed to be shown in New Zealand. Now I'm looking forward the new Bruce Willis Surrogates.
Finally, as promised for jennitalula, here's the Bollywood rip-off of Europe's The Final Countdown
This entry was originally posted at http://mundens.dreamwidth.org/449850.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Sorting through old magazines led me to discover an ancient 1981 issue of Rip It Up. Looking at the magazine was both nostalgic, and to me at least, interesting.
I discovered that in April 1981, Split Enz had just released Waiata, U2 were still pushing their debut album Boy, Phil Collins was selling his first solo album Face Value, Elvis Costello had just released Trust, and The Knobz had released their debut album Sudden Exposure. John Lennon had both the number one single with Woman, and the number one album with Double Fantasy even though, or possibly because, he'd been killed the previous December.
Split Enz were touring New Zealand prior to their first really big world tour, but Madness' tour was bigger news, taking up several pages of the rag.
What was really interesting though, was that the hot new Split Enz album cost $7.99, and you could get a free t-shirt with it if you bought from one retailer. This was before CDs, that was actual pressed vinyl we're talking about. So how did the cost of a hot new album, now sold on technology that is cheaper to produce, rise from just $7.99 in 1981 to a RRP of between $29.00 and $32.99? Well, inflation, which was at at 15% in 1981, hit the dizzying heights of 18% in 1987. Though it dropped dramatically at the end of 1987, and has been below 4% since about 1991(source), a little bit of calculation shows that, when adjusted for inflation, the latest hot album costs almost exactly the same now as it did in 1981.
That doesn't take into account technology changes, of course, and one can buy most albums for less than that as a download, or by hunting for a deal. Back then I used to buy sale vinyl for $2. I still have some of those, I got my copy of David Bowie's Space Odditty in a Woolworth's sale bin back in about 1976, and played it on a Columbia "portable" record player, that cost me $15. A couple of days ago OffTheBack was selling a half gig iPod-alike for $17.
Back then, we got to see Stanley Kubrik's A Clockwork Orange (but only if we were over 21!) after it was reclassified and finally allowed to be shown in New Zealand. Now I'm looking forward the new Bruce Willis Surrogates.
Finally, as promised for jennitalula, here's the Bollywood rip-off of Europe's The Final Countdown
This entry was originally posted at http://mundens.dreamwidth.org/449850.html. Please comment there using OpenID.