I loved that game! Found it at the northernmost arcade in Manasquan in 1970, then it disappeared. It resurfaced at the big arcade in Asbury Park in 71. Loved it when the table had multiple balls going. Oop! Can i say that on radio?
Probably not the same machine. I played the hell out of the Fireball in the Asbury Casino. Got pretty good at it. That was the summer of '70. I can still hear LA Woman and Aqualung playing in the background.
Whoa. I think we're both wrong. Wiki says Fireball didn't hit the streets til 1972. Come to think of it, the machine I played the hell out of in the summer of '70 was a crappy one called 'Gay 90s.' The reason I played it so much was I had been thrown out of the house and had no money. The machine had a glitch I could work to rack up multiple free plays. When I got tired of playing it I'd just scope out hangers on and sell them the machine. There was always someone willing to give you a buck for ten games.
I think the Fireball was in the Empire Bar. That was a few years later when I was an Asbury garbage collector, one of the high points of my life. Got pretty good at bumper pool around that time, too. Won some money, but mostly just stayed on the table til someone better than me came along.
Fireball was definitely at the Asbury Arcade in 1972. I was stealing quarters and hoarding them for day trips up there on my bike. I recall Neil Youngs "Heart of Gold" and Frieda Paynes "Band of Gold" playing. I often had to wait to use the machine. It was definitely there, though I don't know what I was playing in Manasquan. Lots of skiball, I know that.
That multiple ball thang did make it popular. There was always an audience. And that spinner. It could be your friend or it could shoot the ball straight through the flippers. Altogether one of the best machines for its solid response. (Jeez, don't I sound like a pinball snob?)
I loved that game! Found it at the northernmost arcade in Manasquan in 1970, then it disappeared. It resurfaced at the big arcade in Asbury Park in 71. Loved it when the table had multiple balls going. Oop! Can i say that on radio?
ReplyDeleteProbably not the same machine. I played the hell out of the Fireball in the Asbury Casino. Got pretty good at it. That was the summer of '70. I can still hear LA Woman and Aqualung playing in the background.
ReplyDeleteWhoa. I think we're both wrong. Wiki says Fireball didn't hit the streets til 1972. Come to think of it, the machine I played the hell out of in the summer of '70 was a crappy one called 'Gay 90s.' The reason I played it so much was I had been thrown out of the house and had no money. The machine had a glitch I could work to rack up multiple free plays. When I got tired of playing it I'd just scope out hangers on and sell them the machine. There was always someone willing to give you a buck for ten games.
ReplyDeleteI think the Fireball was in the Empire Bar. That was a few years later when I was an Asbury garbage collector, one of the high points of my life. Got pretty good at bumper pool around that time, too. Won some money, but mostly just stayed on the table til someone better than me came along.
Fireball was definitely at the Asbury Arcade in 1972. I was stealing quarters and hoarding them for day trips up there on my bike. I recall Neil Youngs "Heart of Gold" and Frieda Paynes "Band of Gold" playing. I often had to wait to use the machine. It was definitely there, though I don't know what I was playing in Manasquan. Lots of skiball, I know that.
ReplyDeleteThat multiple ball thang did make it popular. There was always an audience. And that spinner. It could be your friend or it could shoot the ball straight through the flippers. Altogether one of the best machines for its solid response. (Jeez, don't I sound like a pinball snob?)
ReplyDelete