Sharp MR-990 Boombox

 

No one asked for it, everyone wanted it.

Have you ever wanted the power of a boom box, but the versatility of low quality synth in the same package? The Sharp MR-990 has you covered. 

You can harness the power of 5 whole watts and half of Midi quality without any kind of FM Synthesis, but think of how awesome your friends will think you are in the late 80's, when you whip this fucking thing out at lunch.

Labyrinth (1986) - Full movie.. and extras!

 

Not sure how long this will stay up. Click the titles above to watch now!

     I know I talk about Legend a ton, but Labyrinth was equally as important to me growing up as a child in the 80's. My son took a liking to it when he was young, and it was really a mind-fuck watching it with an adult set of eyes later on. Did you know David Bowie is always watching the main character throughout the movie?

Amazing, and also a little creepy.

     The soundtrack was equally as good. Very memorable, cool musical parts with muppet choreography by Gates Mcfadden of Beveraly Crusher fame.  You remind me of the babe. What babe?

Nearly as good as the movie itself.

     Amazingly, there was a feature length movie made about the making of Labyrinth that was very common on VHS back in the day, and even included on some versions of the tape: Inside the Labyrinth. Really cool look behind the scenes with the cast, Jim Henson, Steve Spielberg, and George Lucas even making appearances. Watch it for free here!

     One last oddity: Think Labyrinth by Walter Pullen.

Strange and amazing.. really.

     There is a fansite that has been up for 20+ years, made by a fan of the movie, and mazes in general. They once had the record for worlds largest maze, both hand drawn and computer generated. A real deep interesting rabbit hole of the time with custom maze generating software, pictures from magazines and news papers, and a very early look into some of the labyrinth marketing from the movie that people have no idea exist. 

Highlander - Rare Japanese Movie Program

Kenwood KRC 999 - The Most Insane Car Cassette Audio Money Can Buy

 

Studio level Hi-Fi, in your car.

     People take car audio very seriously. The old Crutchfield magazines of the 80's and 90's are a stark reminder that you could spend an infinite amount of money on your car audio system, and be absolutely blown away by the quality of sound. Look at the list of bullet points in the magazine blurb above. What can't it do? Well if you're a smart ass, and you're thinking it can't play CD's, guess again- they made a CD add on for this head unit as well as a single din amp and graphic equalizer combo. Not like you needed it, as this has it all. The KRC 99 even had one unique feature, it had a retractable EQ, where you could edit the graph on the fly.Watch the video below and watch it in action:

Behold, the Kenwood KRC999 Mark II!

     Even the sweet sweet tunes of Nite and Day by Al B. Sure sound better on this glorious over the top piece of equipment. Currently running for around $1200-$1500 on ebay for a working example, The Kenwood line of KDT and KRC head units are a really cool glance into the past, and how insane technology was at the time. Full motorized and servo driven. Dolby B&C. Sensors to increase and lower audio depending on road noise. I could go on forever. 

Full DAT version? Sure, why not. 

     Not pictured in the above video and the small advertisements is the amount of computerization required to control it all, which was housed in a "Brain Box" you install somewhere else in the car. Amps, crossovers, wiring, some of it proprietary to Kenwood tuners, all completes the absolutely insanity that is the KRC-999. 

The pics above are the accessories you need to get one of these running.

     I wish I had one, and I wish I was more knowledgeable about the subject, but this is just one great example of retro technology at it's crazy-best. Does anyone need this? No. Did we all want it? Of course.

1980's Stereo Advertisements

 

Dirty Pair - Affair of Nolandia - Full OVA!

 

Not as popular as Project Eden and Flight 005, Affair of Nolandia is still a good entry in the series and needs to be watched. Click the Japanese video disk to start watching now!

Kyoto Video (Kaiserbeamz) did a legendary review on the movie, and if you have some time, please give it a watch. 

Cross-posted on r/animefulleseries with other free anime online.

8mm Movies Almost Became a Thing.

 

Movies but smaller!? Sure!

     I'm sure everyone remembers those Camcorders from the 80's, 90's and early 2000's that used some kind of small tape to make movies. 5 different companies invested in the format in 1984 (Panasonic, Sony, JVC, Hitachi, and Philips), and at one point, decided it would be awesome if they would release premium movie releases to the format under the Video8 moniker. 

They did their best to bait the consumer

     Sony at one point took their portable music series of audio equipment, and even had a Video8 Walkman available for purchase. Overall customers never really got behind the format, being that the VHS could have long recording times of 5+ hours, and the shelves at rental stores were already built for one size. Honestly, I can see a compelling reason to switch over if there is already something in place that works. They did find some success for use on planes for in-flight movies, as they took up less space, and could be handed out easily. The players were portable, small, and lightweight. 

I mean, it does look cool.

     With all the different 8mm formats, Video8 had some level of backwards compatibility with other 8mm tapes and devices- depending on encoding and such. This was followed by Hi8, which was marketed towards the home video market, and then later by Digital8. There was enough of a need to have professional editing and audio equipment for the format, which occasionally shows up on eBay.

A comically small Rocky V? Count me in.

     There were hundreds of movies produced for the format, and for whatever reason, it was not discontinued until 2015. I guess for international flights it was still a popular medium, but now with digital screens and huge storage options that weight mere grams- it's just not needed anymore. It's really a cool little overlooked format, and if you see any out in the wild, you should pick them up. 

The Body Electric (1985) Full TV Movie!

 

Featuring the music of Rush!

The Body Electric is a rare canadian produced cartoon TV from 1985, directed by David Feiss. There are some really interesting details that set it apart from most animated shows from the time:

1. A rockin' 80's soundtrack by Rush
2. It was broadcast on TV alongside a simulcast in Stereo on FM radio so you could get the best quality audio. This was rarely done.
3. Was discovered again in 2012 by dwellers of the Rush Usenet Group, National Midnight Star
4. Atkinson Film Arts produced.. think The Care Bears and The Raccoons

     The full popularity of canadian/american rock music R rated cartoons hit it's peak with Heavy Metal, Rock & Rule, Fire & Ice and American Pop. This entry was a little late, and super bizarre, but we can celebrate it today by watching it now on youtube. 

Kid's Playing D&D in the early 80's

1980's Mall Pictures

 

Black Roses [1988] Full Movie!

 

This movie fucking ROCKS.

     I have very little experience with 80's rock and roll monster movies, so this really blew me away with the quality of the audio and amazing vocals. Did I mentioned the band is comprised of rock and roll monsters? The songs are way better than they deserve to be and punch way above the norm. Lizzy Borden and King Kobra obviously have something to do with it, so you know it's going to be good. Seriously, just hit play. 

Ghostbusters Smoking Supercut

 

I've been posting some smoking videos and pics lately.. it's no secret that I smoked for 20+ years almost two packs a day, so I'm feeling kinda nostalgic for it. 

Video Rental Stores from the 80's & 90's - Picture Post