March 9, 2012

  • Adcom GCD-700, Part 2

    In the Spring '87 semester, the record stores pushed Level 42's Running In The Family, especially on CD.  I saw it everywhere, but I don't think it sold that well.  I bought it from the Tower Records on Market near Castro.  That was just a couple blocks from San Francisco Stereo Plus, which was an Adcom dealer.  Adcom was pretty much Stereo Plus' most affordable brand.  And in some ways, I was torn.  For similar prices, I could buy Adcom, or go a couple blocks down Market to Eber Electronics, and buy Sony ES.

    I loved the Level 42 song, "Lessons In Love."  I still play it from time to time.  Anyway, the Adcom GCD-700 has a lighted on/off power switch.  Note that the GCD-700 does not have a standby mode.  The remote sensor is located next to the power switch.  You can directly select any of the 5 discs you load into the carousel.  You can repeat one track, one disc, or all discs.  Cool!  You could load 5 CDs, play 'em on infinite repeat, and burn in your gear.

    In spring '87, I did not yet have a portable CD player.  So I dubbed Running In The Family onto cassette, and used that in my Walkman.  I would sequester myself in Lowell's library, listen to that cassette, and read Stereo Review magazine.  Maybe it was in Stereo Review, maybe it wasn't, but I recall reading at least one review, critical of Adcom gear's mushroom buttons.  The Adcom GCD-700 was produced in the mid-90s, and it still had those mushroom buttons.  The front panel has direct track access.  Maybe it was my friend Sol, who commented that, when you see these mushroom buttons, you think you have to push them in.  That is not the case; you simply tap them.

    You want to learn another lesson in love?  If you have a box of mementos from your past girl/boyfriends, you may want to destroy it.  Or, at the very least, keep it away from everyone, 'cept for yourself.  But since my mom discovered my stash of mementos (included were lingerie, letters, photos, trinkets, small toys, signed receipts), here's one last look, before I toss 'em.

    After sleeping with someone, maybe you give your underwear to that person.  These weren't ACS's everyday panties, so she must have given them to me on "special" occasions.

    Come to think of it, this red panty came with a matching bra.  Oh f---!  Come to think of it, in my closet at my parents' house, I have a second bag or container, holding my exes' mementos.  Come to think of it, maybe ACS has my Running In The Family CD.  Dunno what she did with my clothes and trinkets I gave to her.  But I do hope she got rid of them

    When your girl/boyfriend stops pushing your buttons, maybe s/he will press the GCD-700's.  In order to activate the fast search, you'll have to hold down on the << and >> buttons.  Alas, the fast search isn't very fast.  Interestingly, the GCD-700 sports a polarity inversion switch!