Better Left In The 70's (IMO)

[Wee67]

We spend a lot of time rightfully extolling the many wonderful things from our childhood. After all, there are just so many cool things. BUT... not everything seems as cool in hindsight. Even some of the things we loved as kids didn't hold up over time.

So what are some of the things you loved in the 70's but just don't hold up over time? BTW, this is just my opinion. I realize some may still love some of the things that didn't hold up for me.

Movie- The Swarm - I ate up any disaster or monster-esque movie in the 70's and this had them both. Now it just seems kind of slow and it loses and sense of tension.
TV Show- Ark II - Re-watching this the other day I just couldn't figure out how I liked this so much as a kid.
Candy- Wax Bottles - Yeah, these were probably never any good, but I definitely ate em up as a kid. I had such a sweet tooth, I'd drink down that nasty sugar water. I'd even chew on the nastier wax.
Fashion- Wallabee Shoes - I remember feeling so grown up when I got a pair of these things. They tried to make a come back a few years ago, but I think even hipsters couldn't take their ugliness.
Toy- I'll get back to you.
Music - KISS Dynasty - I was sooo into KISS I was blind to how bad this was. Even the band regrets it now.

[Werewolf]

Music - KISS Dynasty - I was sooo into KISS I was blind to how bad this was. Even the band regrets it now.

I know the band loves to bag on Elder but if anything they should be apologizing for Dynasty and Unmasked. Absolutely wretched albums. Elder has actually aged pretty well and has become more appreciated over time. Can't say that for Dynasty.

[Hedji]

Movie- The Swarm - I ate up any disaster or monster-esque movie in the 70's and this had them both. Now it just seems kind of slow and it loses and sense of tension.

The movie, yes, perhaps. The Soundtrack by Legendary Composer Jerry Goldsmith is a GEM.

Listen to this uplifting End Credits. It's incredible. And yes, that melody that repeats uses the musical notes B-E-E. See what Jerry did there?

As for wax bottles... They still have their magic. My own kid loved em a few years ago.

[Wee67]

I don't know if this is an example of something that didn't hold up, but it is something that I loved as a kid, quickly realized how bad it is. However, I've since grown to adore it because of how bad it is- KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. I remember eagerly plopping down in front of the TV at my Grandmother's house to watch this. My God, I was so blinded by uber fandom that KISS could clearly do no wrong by me. Deep down, I had to know how bad it was. Now I love it! It's one of the few films I actually own on DVD.

[EmergencyIan]

I don't know if this is an example of something that didn't hold up, but it is something that I loved as a kid, quickly realized how bad it is. However, I've since grown to adore it because of how bad it is- KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. I remember eagerly plopping down in front of the TV at my Grandmother's house to watch this. My God, I was so blinded by uber fandom that KISS could clearly do no wrong by me. Deep down, I had to know how bad it was. Now I love it! It's one of the few films I actually own on DVD.

I loved and love it too. For me, part of the reason I loved KISS when I was a little kid was because they seemed like superheroes to me. So, this movie solidified that idea when I was 5. My parents loved rock n roll, but their taste was a bit more sophisticated than KiSS. So, I didn’t know their music beyond two hits.

Today, I love the movie because it portrays the fellas as superheroes! It even uses voices that we all know from superhero cartoons!

- Ian

[Bruce Banner]

TV Show- Ark II - Re-watching this the other day I just couldn't figure out how I liked this so much as a kid.

I still really like Ark II. I watched the whole series again a while back after reading the Lou Scheimer "Creating the Filmation Generation" book. Still a great show.

[cjefferys]

I know the band loves to bag on Elder but if anything they should be apologizing for Dynasty and Unmasked. Absolutely wretched albums. Elder has actually aged pretty well and has become more appreciated over time. Can't say that for Dynasty.

I guess I'll be the dissenting voice that loves Dynasty and Unmasked (and The Elder too!). I had to come in here and defend them, 1979-81 is one of my favorite periods of KISS. It's funny, I just picked up the remastered vinyl of Unmasked and was listening to it last night. Very punchy, it's the best this album has ever sounded. It's far from typical KISS which is one reason why I like it, it's a great power pop album and has three Ace songs to boot!

I don't know if this is an example of something that didn't hold up, but it is something that I loved as a kid, quickly realized how bad it is. However, I've since grown to adore it because of how bad it is- KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. I remember eagerly plopping down in front of the TV at my Grandmother's house to watch this. My God, I was so blinded by uber fandom that KISS could clearly do no wrong by me. Deep down, I had to know how bad it was. Now I love it! It's one of the few films I actually own on DVD.

I was bitterly disappointed by this when I first saw it (the one two punch of this and the Star Wars Holiday special in fall of 1978 was pretty bad!) and I still don't really like it.

[Mikey]

I used to LOVE Towering Inferno

Seen it multiple times new in the theatre

Tried watching it after 911 and didn't finish it.

Just felt creepy watching it and having OJ in it as the cherry on top

[rche]

I think this album has had one time spinning around on my turntable. I recall getting it and finding out that Criss was no longer in the band. Criss and Frehley were always my favorite band members, tho I can't really explain why in my adult head. The kid who was listening to Kiss in the 70s, tho, was also looking at the costumes and images and theirs always seemed cooler than Demon or (to me) the truly lame StarChild. At any rate, the one two punch of bitter disappointment that Peter was no longer involved and the decidedly non-Kiss sound of the album stopped me from purchasing any more records from the band. I will have to dig this one out of my pile of records and give it another spin, just for the Ace content.

I guess I'll be the dissenting voice that loves Dynasty and Unmasked (and The Elder too!). I had to come in here and defend them, 1979-81 is one of my favorite periods of KISS. It's funny, I just picked up the remastered vinyl of Unmasked and was listening to it last night. Very punchy, it's the best this album has ever sounded. It's far from typical KISS which is one reason why I like it, it's a great power pop album and has three Ace songs to boot!



I was bitterly disappointed by this when I first saw it (the one two punch of this and the Star Wars Holiday special in fall of 1978 was pretty bad!) and I still don't really like it.

[Wee67]

I used to LOVE Towering Inferno

Seen it multiple times new in the theatre

Tried watching it after 911 and didn't finish it.

Just felt creepy watching it and having OJ in it as the cherry on top

You know, you could say the genre of disaster movies is something best left in the 70's for me.

I ate up the Irwin Allen-esque disaster films of the 70's. I wouldn't see them until they were played on TV a couple of years after their release, but I loved 'em. Airport(s), Towering Inferno, Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, Rollercoaster... I even remember watching "Smash-Up on Interstate 5" when it re-ran on the Million Dollar Movie.

Today, I have trouble getting into the old formula- establishing the characters so we know who to root for, who we will mourn and whose death we're perfectly OK with when the disaster strikes- redone today. Films like San Andreas Fault, 2012, Skyscraper and Geostorm generally feel stale despite incredible CGI effects making the disaster that much more epic.

I do still carry the soft spot for post-apocalyptic dystopia films that developed in the 70's.

[WannabeMego]

So what are some of the things you loved in the 70's but just don't hold up over time?

70's Porn?

[Earth 2 Chris]

I would say variety shows in general don't hold up very well. For sheer cheese factor, they are fun, and to see your favorite performers when they were young (and in some cases, still with us) is also nice, but that type of entertainment is pretty much dead and was dead by the time the decade came to an end.

But don't feel bad, because 80% of MTV's videos don't hold up nowadays either.

Chris

[EMCE Hammer]

Pork chop sideburns and Buddy Holly glasses.

[cjefferys]

I think this album has had one time spinning around on my turntable. I recall getting it and finding out that Criss was no longer in the band. Criss and Frehley were always my favorite band members, tho I can't really explain why in my adult head. The kid who was listening to Kiss in the 70s, tho, was also looking at the costumes and images and theirs always seemed cooler than Demon or (to me) the truly lame StarChild. At any rate, the one two punch of bitter disappointment that Peter was no longer involved and the decidedly non-Kiss sound of the album stopped me from purchasing any more records from the band. I will have to dig this one out of my pile of records and give it another spin, just for the Ace content.

I was always an Ace guy. To be honest, I stopped buying KISS albums for awhile not long before Unmasked was released. KISS at this point was woefully uncool and I was starting high school, so it was the wrong time for me to fly my KISS flag high. When I finally first listened to it around 1986 I was floored by how much I liked it (and at that point my thing was mostly thrash metal, which this album was decidedly not even close to!), and around the same time I finally heard Elder (had a tough time finding that album at that point!) and that blew me away even more.

70's Porn?

What, decent quality movies shot on film, with an actual script, real acting and everything? Who wants that!

[Wee67]

I would say variety shows in general don't hold up very well. For sheer cheese factor, they are fun, and to see your favorite performers when they were young (and in some cases, still with us) is also nice, but that type of entertainment is pretty much dead and was dead by the time the decade came to an end.

Oh yeah, that's a good one. I have vague memories of watching these all the way up to Pink Lady & Jeff. Whenever I go back and watch clips, I am struck by just how bad these were. I even tuned in 3 years ago when NBC tried to revive the format with Martin Short & Maya Rudolph. That pretty much confirmed the death of the genre.