My parents bought a cabinet stereo in the '60's. Remember the ones that had built in speakers at the end with a flip up lid and the record player at one end with a high quality ceramic cartridge with the flip over needed for 33's and 45's that was way "hi-teck". Everyone heard to Ad Nausium the train recorded right to left for the real "demo". Man were we audibly challenged. Coming from a portable AM radio land this was pretty cool. WLS AM in Chicago was the rave and was THE top 40 station I would listen to long into the night with the radio by my pillow.
My Mom ordered from Readers Digest LP's of the assorted classics, Beethoven, Mozart, et al and I was hooked on classical music at about 13, even some of them were mono recordings. I then started going to Cooks HiFi and listened to 45's on little turntables with headphones in one of the 8 "phone-booths" they had for private listening. Steel Guitar Rag got me started along with Fabian, Elvis, The Beatles, you name it I liked it. Because of these phone booths we were really buying "used" 45's, but then who would have thought about groove where.
Those 45's along with my baeball card collection from the 50's and early 60's would be of some value today. Who'd a thunk it!
My regret is that I did not know of any adults who had a real HiFi, I mean some one who owned some old AR's, a Fisher or Citation Amp, and a Dual, Benjamin Miracord, or Garrard turntable. If I had heard that I know my paper route money would have gone for something other than wood baseball bats and new baseballs.
