Classic Hits: Evolution or Revolution?

[landtuna]

How about a 1988 computer? Is that an antique? I'm 57 and I'd certainly call it that. Same for one of those military walkie-talkie-size phones you see Jerry Seinfeld toting around in 1992 episodes of his sitcom -- 21 years old but still an antique.

In computer terms a 1988 computer is certainly antique but is it an antique in the broader sense of the definition? No. It is simply an old computer. You could perhaps describe accurately the ENIAC as an antique because it was the first genuine computer but usually antiques are at least 100 years old.

 

[semoochie]

I wouldn't think someone born in 1964 would have a personal connection with the word, anyway. At this point, I'm not even sure of 55 year olds!

I'm 55 and I connect with oldies. I heard the term on the radio in the late 60s/early 70s describing anything back to the mid 50s. I do find it hard to label anything from about 1980 and newer as an oldie though. It's like calling a 1988 car (25 years old) an antique car.

I don't think that you quite grasp what I mean by connecting with the word, "oldies". When I was a kid, there were constant mentions of the word, in relation to any song that was a year old or more but within the "rock era". As such, people of a certaing age remember the word, fondly. This was not standard practice later on. I would say that the mid-60s was about the end of it but I'm fairly comfortable with 1970, as a stopping point. "55" is probably too high. I was just trying to make a point.

 

[CTListener]

How about a 1988 computer? Is that an antique? I'm 57 and I'd certainly call it that. Same for one of those military walkie-talkie-size phones you see Jerry Seinfeld toting around in 1992 episodes of his sitcom -- 21 years old but still an antique.

In computer terms a 1988 computer is certainly antique but is it an antique in the broader sense of the definition? No. It is simply an old computer. You could perhaps describe accurately the ENIAC as an antique because it was the first genuine computer but usually antiques are at least 100 years old.

Antique cars have never been held to that standard. Cars from 1940 sure looked like "antiques" when they were brought out for the big town Bicentennial Fourth of July parade in my hometown in 1965. PirateJohnny makes a good point about cars from the late '80s, though. For some reason, exterior design hasn't changed all that much in 25 years, although the control panel of an '88 car most definitely looks antiquated compared to a '13 model.

 

[landtuna]

Antique cars have never been held to that standard. Cars from 1940 sure looked like "antiques" when they were brought out for the big town Bicentennial Fourth of July parade in my hometown in 1965. PirateJohnny makes a good point about cars from the late '80s, though. For some reason, exterior design hasn't changed all that much in 25 years, although the control panel of an '88 car most definitely looks antiquated compared to a '13 model.

It is common practice to define "antique" as applying to objects at least 100 years old. Generally speaking, collectables are the possible antiques of the future and generally less than 100 years old.

In common usage an antique car predates 1930 or so - the general era of the horseless carriage. After that time cars have had pretty much the same type of accoutrements as cars of the modern era even though they were primitive by modern standards.

 

[wrsg915fm]

My 2004 Taurus's dashboard and accessories reflects the styling of, say, 1994, if not 1984. It bears almost no resemblance to today's cars, even entry-level ones.

 

[landtuna]

My 2004 Taurus's dashboard and accessories reflects the styling of, say, 1994, if not 1984. It bears almost no resemblance to today's cars, even entry-level ones.

Your Taurus is essentially the same car as one built in 2013. It can have power windows, auto transmission, air conditioning, radio/heater/defroster, safety glass, airbags, etc. There is little difference in suitability or functional ability between these two cars. Yes it has improvements but that is not the prime differentiation of an antique.

Now compare your Taurus to a 1911 Model T. See the difference?

 

[davideduardo]

It is common practice to define "antique" as applying to objects at least 100 years old. Generally speaking, collectables are the possible antiques of the future and generally less than 100 years old.

A slightly different version of that says that an antique is anything which nobody currently alive could have bought new.

However, I think that the age of electricity has changed that. A 20's era radio is an antique; a 40's radio is a collectable while a 30's radio can be either.

I wonder if an IBM PC XT with a 10 mb hard drive is considered an antique yet.

It would certainly make sense to consider vacuum tube computers to be antiques.

And we tend to confuse "obsolete" with "antique" frequently.

So, "antique", like "oldies" depends a lot on context and content.

 

[landtuna]

A slightly different version of that says that an antique is anything which nobody currently alive could have bought new.

No agreement with that statement at all. If true that would mean anyone capable of buying anything (I'm giving the benefit of doubt here and will stipulate that anyone over ten years of age is a "buyer") would make anything over ten years of age an antique. Ridiculous.

 

[PirateJohnny]

Would you consider 'My Girl" an 'oldie'..sure..but would you call "Freebird' an oldie ?? The first associated with AM radio..hence tagged 'oldie"..however "Freebird" an FM anthem..never heard it described as "oldie'.. yet by age definition, both, qualify ..I think it's subjective to your on personal age and exposure in the time frame when you grew up..I grew up with both..I just call it the 'Good Stuff"..

I'm trade-marking that!

 

[davideduardo]

A slightly different version of that says that an antique is anything which nobody currently alive could have bought new.

No agreement with that statement at all. If true that would mean anyone capable of buying anything (I'm giving the benefit of doubt here and will stipulate that anyone over ten years of age is a "buyer") would make anything over ten years of age an antique. Ridiculous.

No, the statement means that if there are 100-year olds, an antique is anything that the hundred year old could have bought "new" is an antique. If you assume that the 100-year-old might have been 5 or 6 before actually buying anything, it means anything over about 95 years old is an antique.

The real "meaning" of the phrase "an antique is anything that nobody living today could have bought new" is that antiques are really things from outside our lifetime. I first heard the expression from the curator at the Western Reserve Historical Society in reference to the distinction between things that were old and things that were true relics.

The standard has logic. A 1925 car would, we assume, be bought by someone at least 20 in 1925... someone who is no longer living no doubt. So the '25 car is an antique.

 

[landtuna]

The standard has logic. A 1925 car would, we assume, be bought by someone at least 20 in 1925... someone who is no longer living no doubt. So the '25 car is an antique.

Ah! Thanks for the clarification. It does make sense.

 

[semoochie]

It looks like I need to hold on to my car just a little longer, then!

 

[PirateJohnny]

The question of library size comes up for heated discussion quite often here. Well, just for fun I'm having some "man cave" fun with my personal music library. I am streaming my project this weekend (testing some software audio processing) with nearly 7000 Top 100 songs from 1954 to 1987, along with some FM rockers for good measure at night. Now you can say "I told you so!" - whichever way you told us.

My project is a tribute to the 1000W AM station in the college town I grew up in, both listening to and later DJing at. And yes those ARE the jingles from that station.

http://myradiostream.com/1340bgnrevisited

 

[PirateJohnny]

So, has anybody been listening?

 

[landtuna]

So, has anybody been listening?

I listened most of today and enjoyed it thoroughly. Lots of 60's and some songs I never hear. I'll keep listening!

 

[PirateJohnny]

So, has anybody been listening?

I listened most of today and enjoyed it thoroughly. Lots of 60's and some songs I never hear. I'll keep listening!

I appreciate the kind feedback. I will only have the stream up this weekend for testing some processing settings. But I'll be back.

 

[cspotrun]

i live in the midsouth, and if you live here or have been down here you know that if you said you were drinking a "Coke" it could mean Dr. Pepper, Mountain dew, Pepsi,RC Cola, Root Beer, hell maybe even ice tea! "Coke" is the generic word down here for "Soft Drink" of any kind... and stations that play either Elvis or Aerosmith are playing "Oldies" for somebody... you can stick a feather in it and call it Macaroni, but people will call either an elvis or aerosmith tune an OLDIE.C'mon! they're just words, Oldies is a kind of format that features OLD MUSIC, depending on how old you are 90's hits are OLD.. PD's and consultants want to change people's thinking by calling it Classic Hits, but we know to ordinary people it will still be a COKE...

 

[allenv]

Amen!! Whodat!!!

 

[CTListener]

So, has anybody been listening?

I listened most of today and enjoyed it thoroughly. Lots of 60's and some songs I never hear. I'll keep listening!

I appreciate the kind feedback. I will only have the stream up this weekend for testing some processing settings. But I'll be back.

How are you dealing with royalty issues?

 

[unitron]

So, has anybody been listening?

I listened most of today and enjoyed it thoroughly. Lots of 60's and some songs I never hear. I'll keep listening!

I appreciate the kind feedback. I will only have the stream up this weekend for testing some processing settings. But I'll be back.

How are you dealing with royalty issues?

We don't put up with that hereditary nonsense here in these United States, we just call 'em Mr. and Mrs. Windsor, or Mountbatten, or whatever, and they can get in line at the salad bar just like everybody else.

;D