I didn't know that the first sony walkman to arrive in the UK was called the "Sony Stowaway":
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/radio_communication/1992-996.aspx

Can any Walkman aficionados confirm, deny, elaborate?


btw, I found this out while Wiki-ing about Human League & Heaven 17 (who I saw last night with ABC, all of which were great). It seems when the original Human League broke up (before they got famous with "Don't You want Me" & the 80s classic album "Dare") 2 ex-members formed Heaven 17, afer being called B.E.F.
B.E.F.s first release was called "Music For Stowaways" & was only available on cassette in celebration of this new-fangled invention; the Walkman

re ya go:

The TPS-L2 was launched as the Stowaway in 79 not the WM-1 as per the above pic. The WM-2 (1980) was the first Walkman as the 'WM' in the ref number suggests. As we all know the WM-1 (1981) was actually the 3rd Walkman.

More

The Sony Walkman personal stereo was a transistorized miniature portable cassette tape player invented by Akio Morita, Masaru Ibuka and Kozo Ohsone, and manufactured by Sony Corporation. The original blue-and-silver Walkman model TPS-L2 went on sale in Japan on July 1,1979. In the UK, it was launched at the London rooftop nightclub Regines as the Sony Stowaway - a name withdrawn within three months of its first public appearance outside Japan in May, 1980. In the United States, it was originally called the Sony Soundabout, but this too was eventually replaced by Walkman.

Thanks Cris, Jens - knew you'd be able to help.

I'm a sucker for this retro stuff.
Going to see the Quireboys on Sunday...