This week, I went digging around in the corner of the catacombs where I keep stacks of radio ads and PSA's, and dug up a batch of 20-30 year old spots, on four different tapes, which are from a variety of very different times and places.
First up, four 1981 PSA's from the US Customs service, two featuring the dulcet tones of Lorne Greene, and two featuring (a less-than-involved) sounding country singer Terri Gibbs:
Four US Customs Service PSA's (MP3) | Front of Tape Box (JPG) | Back of Tape Box (JPG)
Here are three ads from Computerland, with bargains that can hardly be believed: Imagine saving $400 on your purchase of an IBM computer, with enhanced keyboard, DOS and 640 K of RAM, all for only $1999! Where do I sign up????
Three Computerland Radio Ads (MP3)
Next up, a dozen ads, in a variety of lengths and styles, telling people about the 1982 Tax Filing Season, and the things you might want to know. You'll hear from Lyle Waggoner, Fernando Lamas, Mason Adams, Michael Warren, James Gregory, Anthony Geary and Sarah Purcell, from a recent retiree and from a snooty aunt, among others:
Twelve 1982 IRS Filing Season Radio PSA's (MP3) | Tape Box (JPG)
I've saved the best/weirdest/most unexpected for last. When I saw "Land-O-Lakes" on the box, I initially thought it would contain butter or other dairy ads. Not quite, as a closer look at the box indicated (although the box indicates only four ads). This set of eleven ads is from the Land-O-Lakes Co-Op, and feature ads for a variety of products to help your pigs, hogs, calves, cows, and other farm issues. There's some good listening here!:
Thanks, Bob! Mason Adams is always welcome. The IRS still puts out tons of PSAs, available digitally.
Somewhere I have a disk of Alison "The Nightbird" Steele doing Army recruitment ads.
Posted by: jhhl | October 29, 2012 at 11:58 AM
I love this stuff! I have a box box set of Carol Channing doing these short programs for Social Security. I hope to digitize them soon, would be happy to share some with you. They're pretty weird.
Posted by: Gred Ingbar | October 30, 2012 at 10:42 PM
Ike and Tina Turner recorded a lot of their Sue label stuff at that studio on South Brentwood Blvd.That studio has been torn down and is part of a large mall parking lot for the Galleria now. I work in the 1700 block of South Brentwood at a radio station not far from there.
Posted by: Tony C | November 13, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Outstanding.. Land O lakes Co-op I love you
Posted by: Colin the Culture Hunter | November 21, 2012 at 02:20 PM
The Computerland Ad is a walk down history lane for me. It too made its way into "The Official AdLand Advertising Tutorial Series - Radio" at http://adland.tv/node/125545
Thanks.
Posted by: Fairuse | August 24, 2013 at 10:15 PM