As for me, I can't be sure which was the very first, but for the sake of argument I'm going to say that my very first 45 was the song "Mandy" by Barry Manilow. Yup. I admit it. I was in 6th grade and it was 1975. (I'll save you the pain of doing the math...I'm just about 47 years old). I actually purchased a number of 45s around that time including another Manilow song, "It's A Miracle," as well as The Doobie Brothers - "Black Water" and America - "Tin Man."
As for Manilow, what can I say? This was early in his career when he was making the transition from successful jingle song writer to pop star, and before he went the lounge singer route. I was only 13 at the time and I was just getting into music and taking my cues from Philly top 40 music stations like WIFI 92 and WFIL/WIP. Plus, there was a cute girl in my 6th grade class at Jarrettown Elementary School by the name of Mandy (couldn't remember her last name if my life depended on it...). I'm sure she doesn't remember me! Anyway, that's my song!
Here's a video of the song from Midnight Special, a great rock program from that time period.
Now it's your turn! Step into the Way Back Machine and tell us the first song/album you can remember buying/receiving when you were younger.
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I think I was in fifth grade when I got a radio with an 8 track tape player. I remember going to Roots near Manheim on a Saturday and finding the Bee Gees "Spirits Having Flown," a Village People tape and a Shaun Cassidy tape ("Da Do Ron Ron").
In sixth grade, one of my teachers had a huge music collection, and I gave him a cassette so he could tape "Escape" by Journey and "Working Class Dog" by Rick Springfield.
Those were heady times.
Problem with figuring this one out is that a lot of my "firsts" were either hand-me-downs from my parents or b-day/Xmas presents... don't really remember what most of my first actual purchases were.
In any case, here goes a list of my first (to my memory) received items of each media type:
- 45: Probably a set of Sesame Street records that me and my brother played incessantly. "I Love Trash", "Rubber Duckie", "AB-CDEF-GHI-JKLMNOP-QR-STUVWXYZ" and the like.
- LP: "Star Trekkin'" by The Firm
- 8-track: "Abbey Road" by The Beatles
- Cassette: "...But Seriously" by Phil Collins
- CD: Simultaneous tie for "Time, Love, & Tenderness" by Michael Bolton and the soundtrack to Star Trek VI. We didn't actually have a CD player at the time, so I had to listen to them by putting them into this CD-caddy then inserting it into my computer.
- Legally purchased music files: Simultaneous tie for "Man @ Work" by Colin Hay and "Too Low for Zero" by Elton John
I love this idea, Ken!
"Mandy" by Barry Manilow was played for me as a child many, many, many times (for obvious reasons), but the first cassette that I got was Tiffany's self-titled album in 1987. I was only 6 years old at the time, but I loved to sing along with "I Think We're Alone Now" on the radio.
My memories here are a bit vague, but I'm told that I listened to the tape over and over, and memorized every word.
The first album I ever bought for myself - with allowance money - was my very first CD - the Counting Crows ' August and Everything After. Once again, I had to re-buy this cd sometime in college from overuse, and these songs would still fall in a long list of favorites today.
My first 45' was Van Halen's Jump. I was maybe 6 and my mom freaked when she heard that the b-side had a dirty word on it and would only let me listen to side-a from then on.
I don't remember my first cassette, but I'm sure it was a cassingle.
I was a true product of my time by the time I got my first CD, Bobby Brown Dance!...Ya_Know_It!
Just a few years later, I showed my colors again, by trading it in for Pearl Jam ten.
Oh, I hand my head and despair. The first cassette I bought was Glad, "Romans," and the first CD I bought was 4Him, "The Basics of Life." Kill me now.
I recently had this conversation with some friends, and the responses were great... Here's my firsts...
Cassette - 'Another Night' by Real McCoy. I think I was 10 or 11 years old, and I looooved the song 'Come and Get Your Love', and thanks to me writing this I will probably end up singing it most of the day.
CD - 'Bleach' by Nirvana. I am rather proud of this! I bought this CD the same day I took all of my Christmas money and bought my first CD player. I was probably wearing my vans and a flannel shirt- how grunge.
First LP: tie - Sean Cassidy "Da Doo Run Run" & Black Sabbath "Paranoid". Yep, welcome to yet another peek into the true duality of my nature
First 8track - From the "solo" albums by Kiss, the "Ace Frehley" one..
First Cassette Tape - Miami Vice Soundtrack. Hello pastel!
First CD - Nirvana Bleach or Aerosmith Permanent Vacation. Big lips and Flannel, y'all!
I'm gong to show my age. My first album was Surfin Safari by the Beach Boys. I wanted to dye my hair blonde and move to California. My first 45 was the German version of She Loves You by the Beatles. I already had the English version on an album by then. My first cassette was Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden, purchased specifically use in the car, since I already was listening to the album at home. I still love that album...
1998...fifth grade....Newsboys album... Shine. Oh man. We even did a "skit" type thing for chapel. I have that video somewhere...
my first album - donna summer, on the radio. double album set. i saved up forever for that and roller skated to it non-stop.
first cassette i think was whiteheart..i think...
first CD was in style - U2, Joshua Tree. oh yeah.
My first 45 was "Jack & Diane" by John Cougar Melloncamp or was it just John Cougar? Am I even spelling his name right?
My first tape was "Rio" by Duran Duran
My first CD was a tie between "Bleach" by Nirvana and "Pretty Hate Machine" by Nine Inch Nails. I had to special order "Bleach" (actually told at one mall store that they didn't carry "small label bands"!) so technically NIN was the actual first. Thank you XYZed for carrying so many great bands and ordering those you didn't have. And yes ~rae I was also probably wearing a flannel shirt and my docs!
Wow...I'm majorly going to show my young age here, but back when I was in 6th grade (1998ish...?) I received my first CD player with a Christian Country CD...yeah, i know :-)
Michael James - Where The Loves Runs Deep
Great topic! I was going to reply to this on Friday but that pesky work thing just got in the way. Stoopid meetings!
The first album I remember going to get was back when I was in elementary school and got my first walkman for my birthday. It was the very 80's Footloose soundtrack. : ) I also remember the first album I ever got- a family friend got it and decided I should have it for some reason: Michael Jackson's Thriller. I think we still have it at my parents place.
Happy Saturday everybody!!!
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