What was the first music album or tape or CD you ever bought with your own money? The first two albums I ever owned, but didn't purchase myself, were Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume 1 and Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive!. But the first one I ever saved up for and bought was Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy. (The next one I bought was Kiss - Destroyer.)

Follow-up question: What's the latest music you bought? I just recently bought three super-cheap DJ-dance-mix CDs that are kinda cool, but extremely anonymous and I'll get tired of them soon, I'm sure. Ah well....

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000

Answers

The first 45 record I ever bought was Wham!'s "Careless Whisper" and one of the first tapes I had was the Flashdance soundtrack. After I got my first cd player in high school the first disc I bought was Depeche Mode's Black Celebration. Last night I searched the web high and low and finally found was I was looking for: the Mike Flowers Pops! I ordered 3 cd's and can't wait. Before that I bought Sleater- Kinney's "All Hands on the Bad One", The Smithereens' greatest hits and some old Mariln Manson, "Portrait of an Ameican Family".

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000

Oh, that brings up another good followup: if you were a vinyl owner before CDs, what was the first CD you bought? For me, it was Melissa Etheridge's first CD. Then I bought the whole Led Zeppelin catalog (I was a big Zep fan, as you may have gathered).

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000

My dad bought me Grease and Saturday Night Fever for my cassette player. Then I got my own record player and bought Yes 90210 first, I think. And I very quickly bought all the Led Zeppelins (except Coda and III) after that. $7 Super Savers at Sound Warehouse. Those were the days, huh? I can't remember the first CD I purchased. *Maybe* it was U2's Unforgettable Fire.

The last CD I purchased was the Dressy Bessy one that I got autographed at their show. Before that, I can't remember. I buy them in bundles from BMG, Columbia House, and Amazon.

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000

My first albums were a K-Tel thing my dumb dad got when he worked at some radio station (It has a disco version of The Empire Strikes Back theme) and Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall," which my mom got me as a reward for good grades when I was 10. I had already appropriated several of her Olivia Newton John tapes by then, but those were my first "grown up" records. The first ones I bought myself, with my OWN money, were Michael Jackson's "Thriller," and Duran's "7&theRagged Tiger" and "Duran Duran," all around 7-8th grade.

The latest purchases were a few months ago, when I got Duran's "Pop Trash" and a-ha's "Minor Earth, Major Sky," both EXCELLENT!

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000

I should mention also, that I still own all those "first" albums... some in better condition than others, but still....

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000

First cassette: Billy Joel's The Stranger. I was thirteen, I think. I about wore that thing out, and today my mom still cringes if she hears any song off it.

Latest CD: k.d. lang's Absolute Torch and Twang. Yes, you can say it, I am WAY behind the curve. It came out in the 80's, and I just bought it last month.

First CD: Nanci Griffith's One Fair Summer Evening. It was only available on CD, and I had long been a vinyl holdout, but my husband had bought the CD player so I might as well give in...

And for us older-types: What was the last vinyl you bought? I think mine was either the B-52's Cosmic Thing, or it might've been the Indigo Girl's Strange Fire (pre-recording contract days).

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000

The first tape I bought was Madonna's True Blue, and the first cd was Go-Go's Greatest.

The most recent (yesterday!) CD purchase were:
Jane Birkin Ex fan des sixties
Jane Birkin Master Serie Vol 1
Catherine Deneuve Souviens-toi de m'oublier
Future Bible Hereos I'm Lonely
Ladytron Commodore Rock
Madonna Music
Senor Coconut y Su Conjunto El Baile Aleman
25 All Time Greatest Bubblegum Hits

The most recent (three weeks ago) vinyl purchases were:
David Bowie David Live
The Clash London Calling
Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Duran Duran

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000

First album given to me : The Beatles White Album; first albums bought with my own money : Rick Springfield Working Class Dog and Loverboy (ugh, the early 80's have a lot to answer for). The first CD I ever bought was Aretha Franklin's greatest hits. Last CD I've purchased : Hole's Celebrity Skin. I still have all my old vinyls somewhere in the basement. When I feel nostalgic, I put them on the Fisher Price turntable and crank them up until my husband threatens to leave them out in the sun...

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2000

The first ever tape I got was Queen...and I still have it and listen to it non stop. I just got a couple CDs for my birthday...the Deftones' White Pony and Pink's Can't Take Me Home....both kick serious ass.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2000

The first album I bought - I think it was called "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John - the song was definitely on it but I'm not sure if that's the name of it. The first 45 I ever got was Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" I got it as a gift for my ninth birthday. I can't remember the first cd I bought. The last album I bought was John Mellancamp's The Lonesome Jubilee. I was living in Bloomington, IN and felt it would be the right thing to do.

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2000

The first album I ever bought with my own money was Sheila E.-- Romance 1600. I still think she rocks. My most recent purchase was Chet Baker--My funny Valentine.

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2000

the first album on CD I ever had was Billy Joel's The Bridge.. the first one I bought with my own money might have been REM... the one with Drive on it. I'm not sure though. The latest CD I purhased was a replacement for The Bridge since it was $5 and my sister stole the original, which I stole from my dad. He's replaced his copy, too :) The last CDs given to me were Billy Joel's greatest hits vol 3, REM's Up and the latest Green Day (I suck at remembering names today!) which I got for Christmas last year.. it's been awhile, I know. I don't have a very expansive music collection. Maybe 20/30 CDs. That seems like a lot but most people I know have over 100.

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2000

Hell yeah, Gardanna, Sheila E. rocks! I saw her playing drums for Prince on the Lovesexy tour and she totally beat the shit out of her drums and instantly put 80% of the world's male drummer population to shame. The concert would have been much less cool without her.

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2000

My roommate is a symphonic percussionist and teaches percussion at the university. She said her percussion boys also think Sheila E rocks. Four-way independence peeps! She's good!

PS, Gwen, the Percussive Arts Society is having their international convention in Dallas this Fall. If you're bored, you should try to sneak in (take earplugs.) It's really a slice of life and funny too. Just keep saying to people "I only play German sixteens on Romeo and Juliet" and you'll fit right in....

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2000

Paul W, that's funny, one of the first albums I ever got was Elton John's Greatest Hits I! Of course, in 1976, that was a pretty damn big album. I got it as a Xmas present, when I was 13. My parents bought me that, and they bought me Gordon Lightfoot's Greatest Hits, and they bought me....Cheech & Chong's Big Bambu. !I SWEAR BEFORE GOD THAT IS TRUE! Of course, they had NO idea what that record was, other than it was 'humor' (I'd like to go back in time and congratulate the sick s.o.b who got my mom to buy that one for me) It's a good album...remember, Sister Mary Elephant? (CLAAAASS, CLAAAAAAASS...) I can still recite most of it.

The first album I ever got for myself, Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti (stolen).

-- Anonymous, August 28, 2000

First 45: Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With." First LP--geez, this hurts--"The Partridge Family Album." First CD: Peter Gabriel, "So."

And for a blast from the increasingly distant past: First 8-Track Tape!--Tom Petty's first album.

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2000

8-tracks, April? Oh geez. Well, I had three of them, but I don't remember one of them. One was "Mr. Magic" by Grover Washington, Jr. I highly recommend it (on CD) if you're into jazz. Another one was "Double Live Gonzo" by Ted Nugent. And the third one I can't remember for the life of me.

-- Anonymous, August 30, 2000

The first album I bought with my own money was Ghosts in the Machine by the Police. The first CD was Blues Traveler's Four- I resisted them for awhile. The last CDs were Duran Duran's Pop Trash and Roxy Music's Avalon 'cause my tape player ate my tape.

-- Anonymous, August 30, 2000

First music owned: Entire set of Disneyland records, which would be worth a mint today if my mother hadn't given them away when I was 11. They were all in excellent condition and the liners and sleeves were minty-mint. You joined a club similar to BMG or Columbia and every month or so, a Disney record would pop into your mailbox. This colelction included every Disney score...that'd include the music and sometimes some of the dialogue...to every movie, short, and several "live action" Disney films--anything released before 1975 or so. I am still sore about that.

Earliest music owned that I still own: box of beat-up but playable 45's that my prents both owned. I still know most of the words to some obscure 50's tunes.

Earliest music bought (on vinyl): Blondie, Duran's first, Beatles 'red' and 'blue' double albums, Doors--Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine, Who--Greatest (wasn't, but I liked it anyway), Roxy Music (all on vinyl). I'm not sure which Blondie album or Roxy album I bought first, but I remember they were in my first haul. Duran hadn't *quite* "made it big" yet. I still listen to all of these, though some more often than others...I am pretty tired of the Doors these days.

Last vinyl bought: Kristen Hirsch's "Hips and Makers" or Duran's "Burning the Ground"...not sure which was last (bought new, years ago), Psychedelic Furs and Who rarities (bought used, and within the past year).

First cassette: Sgt. Pepper.

Last cassette bought: Luaka Bop compilation or Waterboys.

Most recent cassette given: A "gimme" promoting Tsar, a band that opened for Duran. First CD bought: I honestly don't remember. I was pretty stubborn about converting from vinyl to CDs, and, as you can see, I still buy vinyl. It would have to be something I couldn't get on vinyl and had to have. I was given a dozen CDs before I had a way to listen to them. So the line is blurred.

Last CDs given: Dandy Warhol's "13 Tales from Urban Bohemia", Changelings' "Mercury" EP, some CD-Rs to replace CDs that were stolen from my car.

Last new CDs bought: Pulp box set ("On Fire", $14 from kozmo.com...I love me some Jarvis), Velvet Underground's "loaded _Loaded_" CD (to replace vinyl), Brian Eno's "Before and After Science" (ditto), Blur's Blur.

Last used CDs bought (past six months or so): Supergrass' latest (with "Moving", "Pumping on your Stereo", etc.), Lightning Seeds' "Sense" (with "Life of Riley" and "Happy?"), Space's "Spiders" (with "Female of the Species" as heard in Austin Powers movie), Miss World, Star 69, Superdrag, a sixties pop comp put out by Blockbuster with "Ferry Cross the Mersey" and "A Life without Love" on it, then an alternative comp with Iggy Pop and Camper van Beethoven on it. All were $1.99 or less. Woo hoo.

First big-stadium concert: Was either Foreigner with Cheap Trick (went to see CT) or Go-Go's with A Flock of Seagulls.

Most recent big stadium concerts: Duran promoting Pop Trash, Psych Furs/Go-Gos/B-52's. Had flashbacks. "This is me in Grade 9."

First small-venue (read: bar) show: either Let's Active, the dBs or Vanguard. (No, you wouldn't know them.)

Most recent small- venue (I mean bar/club) concerts seen (within past month or so): Changelings, Tender Idols, El Caminos, Hanging Francis, Claire Quilty (from Virginia), Myssouri, Metroscene, the Forty-Fives, the Lizardmen, and Kenny Howes and the Yeah! (they covered "Tommy" in its entirety after a recent show, and the crowd went wild. Woo.)

Dream shows: Kate Bush, Roxy Music with Eno, baby Durans, baby Bowie in Ziggy era, Zombies, Velvet Underground @ Factory. Oh for a time machine.

-- Anonymous, August 30, 2000

My mom thought that I liked Shaun Cassidy. She bought the 45 of "Da doo ron ron". I HATED that song. See, I would buy Tiger Beat and drool over Scott Baio, and I liked to watch The Hardy Boys, so she thought I liked Shaun (Whatever!) I asked her to buy me a Parliament/Funkadelic album but she saw the cover art and nixed it. So I got Michael Jackson instead, "Off the Wall". THAT'S who I REALLY liked.

The first album I bought with my own money by myself in the store was "Prince", the second album by Prince. The first 45 I bought on my own was "Bustin Out" by Rick James. 12 inch records were really big back then, and the first one I bought on my own was "Knee Deep" by Funkadelic.

I got my first CD player in 1989. My very first CD purchase included The Isley Brothers "Fight The Power", Teena Marie's greatest hits, Too $hort "Born To Mack", and Levert "Just Coolin".

The last 8 track I purchased was Prince "Controversy".

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2000

Oh, and the latest CD I bought was Zapmama. I have a tape deck in my car, and the latest tape is a compilation of 80's funk & soul music.

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2000

Woo hoo! Parliament/Funkadelic! You rock. :) An', an'...Sugar Hill. An', an'...Chic. And stuff.

I have a soft spot for Cameo, too. I confess. Though the enormous neon codpiece scares me.

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2000

A 45 rpm titled Hounddog. Long time ago. I was in elementary school but he was the king. Chuck Barry's first album. Traded Chuck for Here's the Beatles. Jimi Hendrick's Experience. One of the Narada collection's first offerings on CD. Newest? AlDiMeola's Orange and Blue. I like everything but Rap. Toooldandslowtounnerstandawoids. James

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2000

James, lol at your old slow ass!

Milla, I have a buncha old Cameo (vinyl) albums. Larry Blackmon didn't start wearing the codpiece until the band had been together, like, over 10 years or more. I've got their greatest hits on CD, they are one of the all time BEST funk bands ever.

Wow, I rock! Well whatdya know?!

-- Anonymous, September 11, 2000

Surely, deep down, you already suspected that you rocked.

So you're another vinyl holdout? Cool! Now I know, um, twelve of us? You get extra points for a functional turntable.

P.S. to James--I, too, have a 45 rpm copy of "Hounddog". Alas, it was treated as a frisbee, its cover was long gone before I got it, and it had been stuffed imaptiently about 5,000 times into one of those "it seemed like a good idea at the time" vertical wire racks. Minty-mint it is not. But it plays just fine. I just hope that my CDs last as long.

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2000

I was lucky enough to find an excellent turntable at a Goodwill almost 10 years ago. The funny thing is it is better than any other turntable I'd ever owned! But I've still got hundreds of LPs and I occasionally go on a listening binge. The turntable happens to be set up in the basement in front of my workout area, which itself is in front of where I do all the ironing (yes, I do the all the ironing), so I play records when I'm down there and end up getting a fairly healthy dose of 50s-80s rock on a regular basis. My above-ground life is still all CD, though. :-)

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2000

You can be #14, then (just in case you're superstitious), Paul W. :)

"Above ground music"...that amused me. :) I used to keep my vinyl separated into another room, too.

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2000

I still have a turntable and a bunch of extra stylists and there are two shops down here at the beach that sell vinyl. Once in awhile I find a really good oldy moldy in good shape so I buy it. I have a near pristine Crosby, Stills and Nash. I haven't found the Beatles early LP's or Ziggy Stardust either. But It's a real gas to find someone my age to talk to in these places. Kinda nostalgic to exchange info. Hey yeah I went to that concert at Golden Gate Park too. Cool! James

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2000

Actually, if you just went to your 30th high school reunion and have 21 year old children, we're not in the same age bracket. :) I'm flattered to be considered a peer, however.

Just like I don't disdain books written long before I was born, I also do not disdain good music that is supposedly "before my time". I feel sorry for folks that do, because they're missing out on a lot. IMHO.

(P.S., Remember the old and rather unfunny quip about Paul McCartney? Supposedly a bright-eyed young thing wanders into a record store and picks up a Beatles album and is astounded to discover that Paul was in a band before Wings! *gasp!* These days, the updated version is that a bright-eyed young thing wanders into a record store and is boggled to find out that Paul McCartney wasn't always a solo artist...but these days, I can *almost* believe that it could happen.)

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2000

I can be #14? I don't get it.

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2000

So you're another vinyl holdout? Cool! Now I know, um, twelve of us? You get extra points for a functional turntable.

You can be #14, then (just in case you're superstitious)

It was a lame joke, thassall.

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2000

Milla, I also have a 31 yr old daughter. She is SEEOOOoooo keeuwl too. J.

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2000

I'm not 'so cool', thank goodness, though I do appreciate the intended compliment...I just like what I like and keep my ears open. :)

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2000

I started out with 45's... and it was John Denver's "Sunshine on my Shoulders." I then got my first LP - "America - Horse with No Name." (I still have ALL my CD's and people laugh their asses off when they go through them - Manilow, Carpenters, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chcuak Mangione...) My last purchases were CDs - Stevie Ray Vaughn, soundtrack from the Red Violin, Diana Krall ("Love Notes" - you GOTTA get this.) My STILL favorite is the Cowboy Junkie's TRINITY SESSION. What about "car" songs? You know - when JUST the right song comes on the radio and makes you feel SO good as you are speeding down the highway... Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" Beatles "Twist & Shout" Otis Redding "Dock of the Bay" ...

-- Anonymous, September 18, 2000

My very first album ever was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (unless you get a reeeaallly good look at 'em)... Not sure if it was Hard Promises or Long After Dark...I made it a point to get everything they ever did.

The most recent... I ran out and replaced my Smiths The Queen is Dead CD (I can't go a week without singing Frankly Mr. Shankly with my friend Morrissey). I bought the new Joan Osborne CD then too. She gives me the shivers.

-- Anonymous, September 23, 2000

I heard a new Joan Osborne song on the radio today - and I'm glad she's still got that voice... she's so startlingly different that I'm always riveted to the radio whenever she's on. Maybe I need to buy some new CDs....

-- Anonymous, September 23, 2000

Paul, I recommend the new Joan Osborne. After several days of listening pleasure.
Shannon

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000