This was the first ever compact disc I bought, circa 1990:



Yes, that's right. Paula Abdul, "Shut up And Dance: The Remix Album." Why didn't I just buy the non-remix album? Why Paula Abdul? I don't know. I was a weird kid.

I'm trying to track all of the key CDs I bought in my life, which ones made huge impacts on me (Sonic Youth, Dirty), which album opened up new genres for me, etc. It will be an interesting music map if I work it out.

But until then, I'm curious as to what was the first compact disc you bought. Bonus points if you remember your first tape, record, or 8-Track.

This Thread is a NO COMMENTS THREAD. Only reply with your firsts. Those who stray will get the delete key.

Bought two CDs in my first CD purchasing experience:

a-Ha - Hunting High and Low
Dokken - Under Lock and Key (which I still own!!!)

My memory may be hazy on these two:

First record: Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Oz
First cassette: Men at Work - Business as Usual

-Chip

not sure what disc i actually bought with my own money, but when i got my first cd player as a gift, i also got at that time

White Lion - Pride
Def Leppard - Hysteria

My first tape was Michael jacksons Thriller

My first CD was <i>Revolver</i> by the Beatles. I got it around 1992. My first tape was <i>Everyone Else Is Doing It, So Why Don't We?</i> by the Cranberries. I got it around 1994.

first 8-track: kenny rogers - the gambler

first cassette: huey lewis & the news - sports (purchased before I owned a cassette player. My mom bought me a little panasonic later that day. I remember walking into Hill's Department Store and asking if they had Huey Lewis on 8-track. And this tall stoner was like, "nah little dude, you need a cassette player!")

first CD: I joined BMG before I even owned a cd player. My first shipment included:
Black Crowes - Shake Your Moneymaker
Van Halen - Women & Children First
The Car's - Greatest Hits
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger

The first cassette I ever bought was.....Ace of Base "The Sign"
holy lord...that took a lot of out me to admit....

The first CD? I dunno....the first CD I ever got was a present Bush's "Razorblade Suitcase" which was a good CD for what it was

I'm a little too young to have purchased 8-tracks or records, but I do still own a copy of Ernie from Sesame Street singing "Rubber Ducky." In English and Spanish.

First album: Quiet Riot (the one with Bang Your Head)
First CD: NWA (Straight Outta Compton)--I also bought Above the Law that day.

In the years between I found my INNA NIGGA.

Ooooh good question.

First CD was in '87 and was REM's Document in the giant cardboard box that I didn't know what to do with but didn't want to throw away since I just blew 4 weeks allowance on it. First tape was Prince's Purple Rain. That must have been around 1985. My mom let me listen to it in the car and got pissed about the lyrics to Darling Nikki. I think I was too naive to understand what she was pissed about. I don't think I ever bought my own 8-Tracks, but I managed to commandeer some Fleetwood Mac from my parents. Finally, my first album was the soundtrack for Starwars: The Empire Strikes Back. I would listen to it while I played with my X-Wing fighter. Which is not a euphemism.

First cassette: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Elton John
First 8-track: Candy-O, The Cars
First album: Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen
First CD: Lloyd Cole And the Commotions: 1984-89

First record (purchased for me): "Grease" Soundtrack
First tape: Run-DMC - "Raising Hell"
First CD: Metallica - "...And Justice for All"

I'm not apologetic for any of these purchases...and I still think that the Run-DMC album stacks up as one of my best music purchases ever...too bad I wasn't smart enough to buy the vinyl then, as my record bag is sorely lacking in the Run-DMC department.

record - probably either john denver, the hobbit soundtrack (the animated one), or some kids record that i don't remember.
tape - genesis, invisible touch
cd - tears for fears, songs from the big chair.

then i bought a bunch of dokken, aerosmith, ac/dc, def leppard, and europe. that was my next major music purchase. and i've been hooked ever since.

First vinyl? The Ace Frehely KISS solo picture disc and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band...at the same time...when I was a wee one.

First tape? It might have been the Top Gun soundtrack or something by Madonna...I don't quite remember. I taped songs I liked off the radio for years before that though.

First CD? David Bowie's ChangesBowie and Jane's Addiction's Nothing's Shocking...both bought before I actually owned a CD player so I would have something to play when my parents finally got me one during my freshman year of college.

R.E.M. - Automatic For The People

The year was 1992 and I was in 5th grade. Two little rappers with backwards clothes caught my attention and I suddenly had to put down the tape of MC Hammer.

My First CD: Kriss Kross - Totally Krossed Out

okay I bought two right off the bat

Dokken-The Beast from The East
Cinderella- Long Cold Winter

I spent alot of time practicing redrawing both of those cd covers in my room.

First record: The Police "Sychronicity"
First tape: Genesis "Invisible Touch" and Stand By Me soundtrack
First CD: Edie Brickell. I can't remember the name of it (stars, maybe a cat on the cover)

This is all a dim memory, but I think my first CDs were a 6-for-a-penny deal, too. They were very likely the following:
<b>First CDs</b>
- Jethro Tull's <u>Aqualung</u>
- Simon And Garfunkel's <u>Greatest Hits</u>
- Something by Aerosmith. I can't remember what.
- Led Zeppelin I or II.
- Something by Queen. (Again, I can't remember.)
This was in 1990. Gawd man, crawl out of the 70s whydontcha?

<b>First Vinyl</b>
- Blondie's Heart of Glass 45
- A bunch of RKO BeeGees singles (I liked the red cow on the labels)

<b>First Cassette</b>
- Some kid on the school bus in Martinsville Indiana sold me Fleetwood Mac's <u>Rumours</u> for $1. I busted the tabs and taped over it: neighborhood dogs barking; neighborhood kids farting; my parents arguing.

<b>8-Track</b>
- I never really owned my own, but I scored some from my parents faux-crocodile-skin case: Beatles greatest hits (the Blue one) and a kickass Johnny Cash compilation.
- And some Canadian thing where Tex Ritter . Or something. (Don't kids listen to some fucked-up shit? Man I used to LOVE that track. German French and British exhanges, indeed.)

Robert Duffy, if you delete my ass for rambling we're gonna have words, you and me.

First CD was way back in 1988, and was the Factory re-release of Atmosphere by Joy Division. I only remember this because I bought it a few weeks before I got a CD player because I was too impatient to wait.

And I have no idea what the others would have been. Allegedly my first single was Mouldy Old Dough by Lieutenant Pigeon, but as I'd have still been in my pram at the time, I'm not sure I particularly influenced that decision. The first single that I ever bought was probably something like Billy Joel, and the first album was probably a K=Tel compilation or something.

And if I can't remember most of these landmark purchases, what chance would I have of organising my collection in chronological order, a la Rob Gordon? That's right. Bugger all.

I got a CD played in 1987 from my dad for my 17th birthday. I was given The Cure's "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" and Depeche Mode's "Black Celebration" as gifts that day. I bought The Alarm's "Strength" CD for myself.

And yes, I still love all of those CDs.

--David

Saw Zwan live last night. They put the ROCK back in rock'n'roll! An amazing show. Truly amazing.

First Vinyl- Jackson 5 "ABC"
8-track- Sweet "Level-Headed"
Cassette- REO Speedwagon "High Infidelity" (Yes!)
CD- Fugazi "13 Songs"

God, you guys are young!
Damn, I'm getting old!

The first CD I bought was Compact Snap by The Jam. I still have it. What I remember about it was that my sister, who was at college and a big British punk fan at the time, convinced me to buy it. At the time, I was convinced CDs would never catch on. I like the notation at the top touts '70 minutes of music!' The hit on the disc is Town Called Malice, but there are a lot of better tunes on there ... Down in a Tube Station at Minute, Smithers Jones, A Bomb in Warder Street ...

I remember that the first 45 I bought was by Abba, but I forget the song.

The first record I bought was Barry Manilow Live, a two record set. Let the tooling begin.

I think the first tapes I bought myself when I was old enough to choose were probably Aerosmith's greatest hits, and Pump. I did permanently borrow my Mom's 15 year old double casseste of Revolver/Rubber Soul around that time too, which of course did me good. But when I was twelve there was no cooler band than Aerosmith, granted my status as a New England citizen (Mass) may have biased me a bit. I still fondly remember the day when I met Aerosmith's bassist in the Cape Cod Mall Waldenbooks, not only did he give my brother and I his autograph but he also recommended that my brother Shane read the cowboy book Shane. How Rock!

The first two Compact Discs I can remember walking into a store to buy on my own were Metallica's Ride the Lightning and Pearl Jam Ten, though I had to share both with my brother. I think we also got Achtung Baby around that time, though I didn't like it as much as my Mom's tape of Joshua Tree, now its my favorite U2 album.

I also had an earlier more embarassing music phase that coincides with my first dreadful concert experience, but I think i'll save that story for a more specific first gig thread. Plus i'm not ready to admit to it just yet.

Seth

There are some mitigating circumstances here. I had possesion of most of my parents' vinyl when I was a kid/teen, so my firstr vinyl is kinda hard to remember.

I think my first vinyl I bought with my own money was Def Leppard's Pyromania.

There's just no way I'm gonna remebr the first tape I bought. The braincell holding that info died long, long ago.

First CD? I was listening to tapes unil 1994 (couldn't afford CDs! I was a broke ass college student! Back in the day, we didn't have the Internets like you kids have today! Whippersnappers!). I think my first CD was a used copy of Van Morrison's, Moondance. I bought it in a spree with like 50 other CDs after I got my first big paycheck from my first real job.

First MP3 Downloaded: Britney Spears, "Hit Me Baby One More Time"

vinyl- Bean Bucket - "Let There Be Beans!"

Tape- Cheap Trick- "At Budakon"

CD- Billhid and Geezle- "The Plane Disorder LP (cd)"

"Twice and try to escape but with nuts come acid binges. Hooray!"