Time Machine

1979

by Bill DeVille

July 13, 2022

  Play Now [1:00:11]
Pretenders is the debut studio album by British-American band the Pretenders, released on December 27, 1979.
Pretenders is the debut studio album by British-American band the Pretenders, released on December 27, 1979. Sire Records

The Time Machine pays a visit to 1979 this time. New artists were emerging, like the Pretenders, Joe Jackson and the B-52s. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released Damn the Torpedoes; it was his first to hit the top 10. English artists like the Clash and Elvis Costello had banner years. It was the year of rap's first big hit by the Sugar Hill Gang. And the hot gift was the Sony Walkman. It's all 1979, our year on this episode of Time Machine Tuesday.

Program playlist

Featured music
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Walkman
An original 1979 Sony Walkman, a little worse for wear.
Ockheim/Flickr, via NPR
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A stylish and shiny pair of shoes standing on pavement
'Look Sharp!' is the debut album by Joe Jackson, released in 1979. (Note: this image is from the CD release, which came out a few years later but the artwork on the 1979 release — minus the "Compact Disc" slug in the lower-left corner — is the same.)
A&M Records
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Portrait (stylized by Tony Wright) of the 5 members of the B-52s
'The B-52's' is the debut album by the Athens, Georgia-based new wave band the B-52's. The album cover was designed by Tony Wright (credited as Sue Ab Surd).
Warner Bros.