13. People carried their music with them to parks, the beach, and anywhere else
In 1970, the first music delivery devices which became known colloquially as boom boxes emerged. They were expensive, and they were loud. The former prevented them from becoming popular across the United States at first. Less expensive transistor radios and cassette players with larger speakers and consequently superior sound were available. They became popular. People playing Nerf outside, or washing their Gremlins, could do so while listening to their music of choice. The tape cassette began to edge out the eight-track player as a preferred sound system in automobiles and home stereos. FM radio began to edge out AM as the preferred source of broadcast music.
Cassette players often skipped or performed an act which became known as “eating the tape” when they were jostled while playing. The tendency made them unsuitable for use while jogging or even when walking. They sometimes exhibited the same tendency in cars, where they were often added as an aftermarket purchase, mounted in brackets under the dash or the driver’s seat. It was a peril which caused the same tape to be purchased over and over in some cases. One popular album and tape which appeared in 1970 was Bridge over Troubled Water, which became the best-selling album of the year, and was the last studio album produced by the popular Simon and Garfunkel.