It was an unusual time for radio ads - some still had the sounds and styles of 60s styles, but some took advantage of the new trends in advertising, adding sarcasm and irony and parody.

 

 

 

Special K had an ad campaign called “The Ball and Chain,” which likened extra weight to carrying around, well, a ball and chain. For a sound effect they used a popping cork. Made no sense. The Ball and Chain is a heavy thing; this sounds like someone popped his cheek with an index finger. There’s a chipper campy singing intro, which probably plays off the success of Bette Midler’s “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” the previous year.

Then there’s the voice of the female character - a tired, whiny New Yorker. The male voice sounds like Paul Frees at first, but I don’t think it is.

     
   

Another "Ball and Chain," with two more 70s staples: the ditzy woman, and the cliche "no, but if you hum a few bars." These really, really annoy me.

     
   

Special K aims at people who loved the Firesign Theater album "Don't Crush That Dwarf.”

     
   

Happy 60s-style ad for Margie's dress shop in Dallas

     
   

The ad that tormented every insomniac unpublished author for YEARS

     
   

Funky Bud!

     
   

Country Bud!

     
   

Bouncy, if cluttered, ad for Wyatt's Cafeteria in Dallas

     
   

Good Lord, it's just life insurance. Everything that wasn't explicitly rock or Lawrence Welk sounded like this between 1968 - 1975

     
   

Got any Tiny Time Pills, Lloyd Bridges?

     
   

Suburban savings, where syllables are crammedtogethertomakethemfit

     
   

Hey Ma, what's for dinner?

     
   

The Spaghetti Store, which sold spaghetti. Listen as some hip upcoming singer completely sells out to The Man

     
   

Another breathy choral work devoted to V8

   

Chances are people who are around back then have forgotten how TV Guide used this strange electronic blurbling sound

     
   

Kellogg's tries the Choral approach, and reminds you of the other ads that have a sound effect

     
   

We'd like to sing for a while about candy bars

     
   

Together at last: Ed McMahon and Flip Wilson

     
   

Naughty Stewardesses. BLAZING Stewardesses.