I have to say they did use and extreme example of ugly walkmans though, they could have used that ultra colourful ‘early diving helmet’ looking Sony SPORTS Walkman (similar colour scheme to the one in your pic, but it had that cool circular window), also it had more rubber over all the buttons from what I remember haha. JVC also released some really nice looking ones, like these brushed aluminum/red (I think they had coloured plastic over the aluminium), that were kinda wedge shaped and thin, and they had a cool 5 band EQ on the face, although obviously this was utterly impractical, cos if you were in anything other than the loosest combats the EQ would be changing all the time when the thing was in your pocket eheh.

Yeh I have to say also the accelerated/easy access/shuffle repeat culture makes people hardly ever listen to full albums or even the whole of a mix probably. Back then you’d play that Fugazi tape you got off your friend who had the ‘cool big brother’ till you could hear the other side of the tape coming through backwards and then till it went into the inevitable wavey wow flutter which was actually a sorta LFO’d HCF or something.

And also, and Im not being merely nostalgic here, give me the sound of a well recorded TDK SA-90 over a 128kps/192kps AAC (I’m using this as its the iTunes settings) anyday, Ill take a lack of hi frequency detail and some lovely warm hiss/white noise over the disgusting sound of a lo-bitrate snare/HH/sustained guitar chord/cymbal/crash anyday :D

obviously a hi quality VBR LAME MP3 or 320kps one, or a good OGG, FLAC or a pure WAV is a different matter but when it comes to what most people download id definitely prefer the sound of a good old TDK SA-90.

Also -what do guys trying to impress a girl when theyre in school give them nowadays? a USB stick of their favourites? – its just not the same as making a cover for the tape that takes you ages to make

and yes I’ll admit im an old person lol