The first album I ever bought with actual money that I earned was Steely Dan’s Gaucho, on 12" vinyl, in the summer of 2002 after my junior year of high school.
All the albums I had up until that point had been bought for me or bought with money given to me.
Band on the Run. The first album I ever owned was Sticky Fingers, given to me by my eldest hippy sister. It had a huge indentation caused by the very real zipper on the album cover. I still own both albums (Well, if I rooted around in the garage, I think they are still there).
I’m trying to figure out which CD is my oldest. I’m thinking the Talking Heads “Little Creatures”. It came out in 1985 and I think my roommate at the time may have had a CD Player around then.
I can only remember buying a single cassette. It was the Clash’s “London Calling”. I was a poor cheap bastard and had only home recorded tapes. Hell, I’d buy it on vinyl and then record it on a superior TDK SA C90 on my roomie’s Nakamichi tape deck.
Queen’s Greatest Hits
I don’t think it matters where you got the money, my question was more what is the first album that you went to the store and picked out for yourself as opposed to someone giving it to you–the first time you had the choice of spending money on an album or on something else and you chose to buy an album. I mean that one when I was 11 or so I certainly didn’t “earn” the money for.
Nice choice.
I don’t even remember for sure. It may have been Carole King’s Tapestry. I don’t know why that rings a bell, except for the timeline. It was strictly 45s before high school.
Thanks. I’ve been a Steely Dan fan ever since I heard Deacon Blues and Black Cow when I was like 10 years old, but in high school I got really into them.
But if we’re talking about the first album that I simply picked out, as opposed to purchasing with money I earned - well, that would be Styx’s Greatest Hits. I got that when I was 11 or 12, at a record store in Toronto while I was on vacation there with my parents. I remember listening to Miss America, Mr. Roboto and The Best Of Times a lot, reading Spawn comics, and playing Star Fox in the “Kids Lounge” of our hotel, which was called the Dixie something.
I grew up listening to my dad’s music, which was primarily jazz, the Beatles, and 70s prog rock like Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Jethro Tull, etc. It wasn’t until later that I really discovered any contemporary rock music.
That’s funny. My husband and I were just talking about this last night.
The first album I received at age 5 was a K-Tel record with the theme from Welcome Back Kotter, *Island Girl * by Elton John, Summer by War and Disco Duck by Rick Dees (among many other gems).
The first record I bought at age 9 was the Grease soundtrack in 1979.
My first 45 was “Can’t Smile Without You” by Barry Manilow, although if anyone asks me, I always say it was “Keep On Lovin’ You” by REO Speedwagon (which was the second 45 I bought).
Pink Floyd’s The Wall. I played it so much, that hearing the first notes of any of the songs, on the radio, will result in me scrambling to switch stations.
Ooh, I remember that day quite vividly. It was the summer of 1980 and I was 8 years old. I had saved up $12 in allowance money and I asked my parents to take me shopping to so I could buy an album. I couldn’t decide which one I was going to get and was vascillating between Blondie’s “Autoamerican” and Queen’s “The Game.”
They took me to Montgomery Ward’s department store and I paced back and forth between the B’s and the Q’s. My parents were pushing me toward Blondie but I just wasn’t feeling it so I went with Queen. It only cost me $9.99 + tax so that I had a little over a $1 in candy money left over. 
I made the right choice with The Game. I loved that album (for you younguns, it was vinyl, cd’s weren’t born yet) I played it constantly and I still have it. It’s in remarkably good shape and sounds fantastic.
The man can do a lot to break a person but one thing that can’t ever be taken away is the joy a kid feels when she buys her first record. 
On January 21, 1964, my 10th birthday, I used some money I received as a gift to buy Meet The Beatles.
I was about 11 and I finally had enough money of my own to buy my first record. I had no clue what I wanted but I knew I wanted to be cool. I was browsing around the record store and came upon Supertramp Crisis? What Crisis? I loved the cover so I thought it had to be good… it’s still a cool cover
The first American album I bought for my self was actually Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Greatest Hits, on CD.
The first Indian album - not the same thing, as they’re all from movies, but still - was years earlier, and it was Namak Halaal.
The first album I truly owned, though, was the Beatles Rubber Soul. On cassette. I was 12.
I had Puff the Magic Dragon (don’t talk to me about drugs! It’s not about drugs!) and some others on record, but they were really my mom’s.
Mine was very likely one of those story book albums that were around in the 1960s.
I remember getting an 8-track of Jim Croce sometime in the early 70s.
I was very much into 45s, tho. They were super cheap for a kid with an allowance and lawn mowing money. T G & Y used to see me quite a bit. Buying fishing lures and 45s.
First album I ever bought myself - Johnny Cash, I Walk the Line. I’d guess around 1971 or so. i would have been 10 or 11.
First album I bought for someone else - Iron Butterfly, Innagaddadavida [sp?]. A gift for my older sister.
First album - Pac-Man Fever
First Cassette tape - “Dare to be Stupid” by Weird Al Yankovic.
First CD - "Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack
First digital - Not sure
Joe
I bought Debbie Gibson’s Out of the Blue on cassette when I was 10. Hey, it was new at the time, and all the rage for girls my age!
Magical Mystery Tour
Whew! Blondie is OK, but I was worried for a second! Queen is amazing, but I never liked “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” - the weakest track on the album, IMHO.
Good choice!
Joe
Ooh, yeah … CDs!
My first CD was a JVC promo that they gave out to audio salesmen. It was the same as one of the early Narada samplers. When I bought my first CD player, I also got a recording of Mozart’s 40th and 41st. Then I joined one of those mail order groups, like BMG or whatever, buying up all sorts of jazz and classic rock. Sting’s solo debut would be in that time frame, too.