Electronic Industries Association: The Sound Connection

This industrial promo double-LP from 1977 contains a series of interviews with industry reps talking about the practical considerations of buying home audio components. Much of their advice still holds up, because the analogue world and the home entertainment media associated with it never really left us (except maybe open reels). On a personal note, it’s also a useful reminder that, from my earliest days shopping for components in the late 1980s to the present day, I’ve had zero patience for the process. Components sure are shiny, and there are a trillion models of equipment from reputable manufacturers that sound fine (I still have an irresistable desire to own anything manufactured by NAD!). However the “stadium not included” rule remains in full effect: it doesn’t matter how many thousands of dollars you spend on a home audio system if you don’t have a good, quiet environment in which to install it. Speaking as someone who rents and doesn’t expect to own a house in the future, my world is one where outside sounds will get in and inside sounds will get out; so I do all my listening on headphones (Sony MDR-7506, to be specific). As a rule, someone with $50,000 available to spend on a turntable is by definition someone who can afford a well-insulated, quality acoustic space to fill with the sounds from that turntable. That person is probably also an asshole who has the wrong priorities! Anyway, the interviews on this record are a good refresher on hi-fi jargon, as well as a peek into the minds of consumers from the 1970s, when there was a now-extinct cassette format called Elcaset that hi-fi enthusiasts needed to know about (but probably don’t anymore).

More fun and certainly more deserving of your creative re-use are the groovy disco-era a cappella jingles, Donna Summer testimonials, Moog riffs, and generic instrumental music beds that will slam you right back into the Carter administration.

Album audio & artwork

DISCLAIMER: To the best of my knowledge, this work is out of print and not available for purchase in any format. If you are the artist and are planning a reissue, please let me know and I’ll remove it from the blog. Also please get in touch if you’ve lost your art &/or sound masters and would like to talk with me about my restoration work.