There are many
people that have never heard the gentle crackle of a phonograph
needle on a vinyl record and yes, I'm revealing my age. It must
have been my Tele Tone suitcase phonograph that began my interest in
music and entertainment.
It is really not
possible for me to remember the age when I received my Tele Tone. I
do remember that I did not like the covering. Most of these devices
from the 1960's were minimal and classy in their décor. Technology
had not changed much from the 1960's to the mid 1970's but fashion
had. My Tele Tone must have purchased during the rise of the Disco
era. The paper covering was bright orange with patterns that always
reminded me of looking through a kaleidoscope. I always wished it
were a plain color but it must have been one of my favorite
possessions. It was an electrical device contained in a box. It
was magical.
No other kids were
in my neighborhood at that time. Only a few 45 rpms existed in my
collection. Lyle the Crocodile was the one I remember most. I also
had few other 45's, that were stories and a Glenn Campbell 45 that I
inherited from my father. I don't remember which song it was but the
B side was a story about a Rooster set to music. Perhaps this was
the First time, I heard music as a performance piece. It's
difficult to say.
Nostalgically, I
remember this as a time when you could buy one song at a department
store. Occasionally plastic records would appear in magazines. My
Tele Tone allowed me to escape reality and potentially set me on a
life long habit that was once known as daydreaming. It's possible
that I suffer from ADD and perhaps it started with my Tele Tone.
I don't have any
pictures of my Tele Tone. The Peter Pan featured here is much cooler
than the one I had but the joy I got out of that 1 watt speaker was
insurmountable. The excitement and anticipation of waiting to get a
record and then waiting on the record to begin playing would stick
with me for sure.
