# CD's in general. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-in-general/169779 "2003-04-20T04:12:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-in-general/169779/1 "2003-04-20T04:12:27Z")
I have in my possession a Dead Kennedys CD, the single “Holiday in Cambodia”. I was puzzled, as the copyright on the thing says 1980, yet I did not know that CDs were around that long. What made me more suspicious is that its in one of those half size cases, and I didn’t see those until a few years ago. So I guess my questions are these: 1.Were CDs actually being made in 1980? 2.Were these half size cases made in 1980? 3.Is this particular CD from 1980? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-in-general/169779/2 "2003-04-20T04:50:27Z")
No, the first CDs were released in the mid 1980s. However, many albums dating from before that time have been re-released on CD, and the copyright date is usually that of the original sound recording (except where the recording has been remastered, or extra material added etc). ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-in-general/169779/3 "2003-04-20T04:52:59Z")
According to [this](http://www.oneoffcd.com/info/historycd.cfm) site, the first CDs were released in the US in 1983. According to [this](http://www.deadkennedys.com/history.htm) site, the Deady Kennedys released Holiday in Cambodia in 1980. A quick Google search doesn’t lead me to discover when the half-height CD cases first appeared… So: 1: No. 2: No. (but I dunno when they first appeared… someone with more patience and/or better Googling skills than I may dig up this info later.) 3: No. The song was released (and presumably copyrighted) in 1980… at some later time it was released on the CD you now possess. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-in-general/169779/4 "2003-04-20T05:07:07Z")
The “half thickness” CD cases were used for CD singles for as long as I can remember. The first CD single I bought was in 1988, and that was in one of the thin cases. (And no, I’m not going to tell you what it was 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-in-general/169779/5 "2003-04-20T05:11:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Astroboy14 \* > \*\*According to [this](http://www.oneoffcd.com/info/historycd.cfm) site, the first CDs were released in the US in 1983. > \*\* Would make a difference that the CD says it was manufactured in England then? ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-in-general/169779/6 "2003-04-20T05:15:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by r\_k \* > \*\*The “half thickness” CD cases were used for CD singles for as long as I can remember. The first CD single I bought was in 1988, and that was in one of the thin cases. (And no, I’m not going to tell you what it was 🙂 ) \*\* Oh C’mon! We won’t make fun! (at least not too much…) And I feel I must clarify my previous post: the “Deady Kennedys” was the original name of the band, of course… not a typo at all.😉 > [@](#): > > Would make a difference that the CD says it was manufactured in England then? Ermm… go back to that site and look at the year 1982. > [@](#): > > Compact Disc Technology is introduced to Europe and Japan in the fall.