Some old sales ads from the early 80's

[Mockduck]

I recently picked up a nice Atari 2600 lot and found that the original owner kept great records of the things they picked up and when, including a bunch of old sales ads from newspapers in the Rhode Island area in 1982-3. Figured I'd share. 

[+jeremiahjt]

They really liked separating their games by publisher back then didn't they.  Really cool, thanks for sharing.

[BydoEmpire]

Love this kind of stuff, thanks for sharing!

[ussexplorer]

Oh this brings me back to the early 80's. Sears Christmas catalog anyone. I remember drooling in Sears at the Atari 7800 and Atari 2600 jr. Got a Sega Genesis 3 from K&B toys years ago on closeout. TTFN, Josh

[The Mr. Video]

The fact that the Woolworth ad calls Atari 2600 cartridges "tapes" desturbs me.

[+save2600]

4 hours ago, BydoEmpire said:

Love this kind of stuff, thanks for sharing!

Same here! Thank you so much for taking the time to photograph these and sharing @Mockduck!

 

Awesome when people save receipts and ads like this. Pretty unusual!  

[+jeremiahjt]

This is neither here nor there, but I am not sure I would call Rick Springfield a superstar and I have never even heard of ABC.  Not sure about Michael McDonald as a solo artist either.

[+save2600]

19 hours ago, jeremiahjt said:

This is neither here nor there, but I am not sure I would call Rick Springfield a superstar and I have never even heard of ABC.  Not sure about Michael McDonald as a solo artist either.

Damn right your post is neither "here nor there" (ha!), as Rick Springfield certainly was a superstar (musician with several albums and popular soap opera actor as well), never heard of ABC? ...let along their song 'The Look Of Love', 'Poison Arrow', or Mike McDonald as a solo artist and musician in general - extraordinaire? 
 

The hell?   ?
 

 

[+jeremiahjt]

12 minutes ago, save2600 said:

Damn right your post is neither "here nor there", as Rick Springfield certainly was a superstar (musician and popular soap opera actor as well), never heard of ABC... let along their song 'The Look Of Love', 'Poison Arrow', or Mike McDonald as a solo artist and musician in general - extraordinaire? 
 

The hell?   ?
 

 

Michael McDonald as a musician, sure. Was he really a superstar as a solo artist? I just looked up both of those songs, not a fan either nor have I ever heard either of them. I believe Rick Springfield did guest star on an episode of Battlestar Galactica so I may have to reevaluate that one.

 

You realize I commented from the clippings he posted, right?

Edited April 26, 2020 by jeremiahjt

[+save2600]

7 hours ago, jeremiahjt said:

Michael McDonald as a musician, sure. Was he really a superstar as a solo artist? I just looked up both of those songs, not a fan either. I believe Rick Springfield did guest star on an episode of Battlestar Galactica so I may have to reevaluate that one.

Michael McDonald is legendary... with Steely Dan, with The Doobie Brothers and everyone else he's ever played with, including his solo stuff. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And c'mon... ever hear of General Hospital? Dr. Noah Drake...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Springfield

[+save2600]

19 hours ago, jeremiahjt said:

You realize I commented from the clippings he posted, right?

Oh, I see them now... ha!     ?

 

 

[+Black_Tiger]

On 4/26/2020 at 2:22 PM, The Mr. Video said:

The fact that the Woolworth ad calls Atari 2600 cartridges "tapes" desturbs me.

They're modeled after 8 track tapes and work the same way (plugging the cartridge into a slot). It just makes sense.

 

We still call music releases "albums" because phonograph discs came in books that look like photo albums.

[Scotterpop]

7 hours ago, Black_Tiger said:

They're modeled after 8 track tapes and work the same way (plugging the cartridge into a slot). It just makes sense.

 

We still call music releases "albums" because phonograph discs came in books that look like photo albums.

Yes, this is exactly right. Anyone of a certain age remembers the terms “tapes” and “cartridges” being used interchangeably for Atari games. I think it was mostly parents and grandparents of the time keeping the word “tapes” in the vernacular, LOL.

 

As for the “other” tapes shown in those clippings, ABC was indeed a fantastic hit making machine for a few years there. Be Near Me and Poison Arrow are definitely standouts.  And Michael McDonald’s voice is immediately recognizable, one of the all-time greats. Rick Springfield’s voice AND face were ubiquitous in the late 70s and early 80s. Don’t get me started on Rush... that Signals album, along with Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves, showcase a cycle of records by an incredibly talented band at their creative peak. Untouchable. (RIP Neil Peart)

 

Thanks for posting these! I really love seeing snapshots of these old machines and games in their heyday, it really takes me back!