# The first album you bought: on vinyl, on cassette, on CD, all digital **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2005, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870 "2005-11-07T04:14:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/1 "2005-11-07T04:14:25Z")
Vinyl: Air Supply’s Greatest Hits Cassette: the Moody Blues’ _In Search of the Lost Chord_ and _On the Threshold of a Dream_ (tie) CD: The Beatles’ _Past Masters Vol. 1_ Digital: The Go! Team’s _Thunder, Lightning, Strike_, via iTunes I haven’t bothered getting the Air Supply or Moody Blues albums on any other media. ---
**Author:** ![da\_pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@da\_pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/da_pope)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/2 "2005-11-07T04:28:14Z")
First vinyl single: Blue Oyster Cult, Don’t Fear the Reaper (yes, more cowbell) First vinyl album: Kiss, Rock and Roll Over First cassette: I bought 2 from Sears when I got my first fake walkman (a sanyo), Neil Young, Rust Never Sleeps Black Sabbath Sold our Souls for Rock and Roll First CD: The Cars First all digital? Like the first downloaded? No idea. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/3 "2005-11-07T04:31:23Z")
Vinyl: Quiet Riot, “Mental Health”, circa 1983 Cassette: Rush, “Exit Stage Left”, also circa 1983 CD: Cinderella, “Night Songs”, 1986 First “digital” (i.e. download): don’t remember, would have to check file dates for earliest MP3 track and I’m too lazy to do this right now. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/4 "2005-11-07T04:34:10Z")
I’ve never bought an album on vinyl or digital. For cassette, it’s a tie between Metallica’s self-titled album and _Nevermind_. For CD, I don’t remember. Very likely _Jagged Little Pill_. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/5 "2005-11-07T04:34:39Z")
Oh, man, that was twelve thousand records ago! Lemme see… Single: The Rooftop Singers - Walk Right In (1963) Album: no idea, probably one of the Beatles albums Cassette: I only ever bought two prerecorded tapes. First was Pink Floyd - The Wall CD: The Beatles - either Not For Sale, or Something To Hide (bootlegs, and I had them for 4 years before I had something to play them on) Digital: none ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/6 "2005-11-07T04:43:54Z")
LP: **The Doors** Cassette: I’ve never bought a prerecorded cassette, except for a class CD: **A Momentary Lapse Of Reason** - Pink Floyd I don’t do digital. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/7 "2005-11-07T05:13:33Z")
Vinyl: Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry Cassette: Metallica - $5.98 Garage Days Re-revisited CD: Guns ‘N’ Roses - Appetite for Destruction Digital: n/a ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/8 "2005-11-07T05:53:29Z")
1. First vinyl: A recording of “Rhapsody in Blue” in about 1957 2. First CD was Digital: A recording of “Rhapsody in Blue” and “An American in Paris” I had never realized the coincidence until this thread. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/9 "2005-11-07T12:07:05Z")
Vinyl: Michael Jackson, _Thriller_ Cassette: Whitney Houston’s self-titled album (I was ten, OK?) CD: Tom Petty, _Full Moon Fever_ Digital: Probably one of the _Live Phish_ releases ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/10 "2005-11-07T12:13:39Z")
Vinyl: bought at the same time: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and a two record collection of Big Band Hits (Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Dorseys, Glenn Miller, Cab Calloway and many others) Cassette: I believe it was Harvest by Neil Young, though it could have been Mudslide Slim by James Taylor – I forget. CD- I’ll use the first one I bought for ME, because I bought a few for my daughter that I just don’t feel a need to share. My first I believe was 10 Summoner’s Tales by Sting or Hank Williams Greatest Hits, I’m pretty fuzzy on this. First legal Download (Which I’ve converted to for some time now): A roots/reggae version of “Hotel California” by a band called The Moonrakers ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/11 "2005-11-07T12:18:57Z")
Vinyl: Elton John’s Greatest Hits CD: The Police - Synchronicity ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/12 "2005-11-07T13:35:09Z")
Single: Love Me Do–The Beatles Album–V.J. Presents the Beatles. With the gatefold cover. I wish I’d kept it, that sucker is worth something now. I think I paid $2 for it. Cassette–Springsteen’s boxed set. CD–Leonard Cohen’s Recent Songs. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/13 "2005-11-07T13:39:16Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > Oh, man, that was twelve thousand records ago! Lemme see… > > Single: The Rooftop Singers - Walk Right In (1963) That is simply precious! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/14 "2005-11-07T13:47:00Z")
I didn’t purchase it…it was a gift from the parental units: “Meet the Beatles” Purchased by me: I got You Babe - Sonny & Cher Never purchased an 8-track or cassette CD: Hmmm…I think it was either Pink Floyd or The Beatles. But shortly thereafter we just started replacing all our vinyl. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/15 "2005-11-07T13:50:16Z")
Vinyl Single: Sweet Pea by Tommy Roe (God knows why) Vinyl Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (in monaural – I didn’t have a stereo) Cassette: Might have been “The Allman Brothers Band Live at Ludlow Garage\*” CD: Don’t recall. Possibly “High Energy” by James Cotton Electronic: “Rosalita” by Bruce Springsteen via iTunes \*The CD/tape came out in 1990, but I remembered it well from my days in college in the 70s. My roommate worked at Ludlow Garage and had a tape of it. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/16 "2005-11-07T13:54:02Z")
First vinyl single: She Loves You, late 1963 First vinyl album: Meet The Beatles, right after Christmas , 1963 First 8-track, Woodstock, whenever that was released, 1970, maybe? First cassette, Shoot Out The Lights, Richard and Linda Thompson First CD, Document, REM ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/17 "2005-11-07T13:55:57Z")
Single: for some reason I think this is “The Streak” by Ray Stevens, but I can’t be sure. I was 9 years old. Album: The Beatles’ _1967-1970_. Cassette: a Youssou N’Dour record I bought on a trip to Senegal, never released here (can’t recall its name). I went from LP to CD, never picked up more than a handful of premade cassettes. Eight-track: I once bought a box of 8-tracks at a flea market; a roommate at the time had a player in his car. The only one I remember was Talking Heads’ _More Songs About Buildings and Food,_ which they should have retitled _More Songs About Food and Buildings_ because all the songs were in a different order than the LP. CD: The Clash, _London Calling_ and the Beatles, _Rubber Soul_, bought at the same time. Had to start somewhere. Download: Wilco, _Yankee Hotel Foxtrot_. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/18 "2005-11-07T14:04:30Z")
Vinyl: J Geils Band - Freeze Frame Cassette: Either ‘Best of Blue Oyster Cult’ or ‘Best Of Steppenwolf’ CD: U2 - Achtung Baby Download: Only one so far - Kelley Deal 2000, don’t recall which album ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/19 "2005-11-07T14:17:05Z")
LP: Simon & Garfunkel, **Sounds of Silence** 45: Beatles, “Hey Jude” Cassette: **McDonald and Giles** CD: King Crimson, **Discipline** and Marillion, **Fugazi** Download: Stereolab, **Margerine Eclipse** (That’s my first full album purchased as a download. The first track _purchased_ via download was Art Blakey doing “A Night in Tunisia.” I have no idea what the first track I ever _obtained_ via download was; most likely someone’s privately recorded music posted on the old [mp3.com](http://mp3.com).) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/20 "2005-11-07T14:29:29Z")
45: **Snoopy and the Red Baron’s Christmas** , I was 5. Vinyl: \*\*Obscured by Clouds \*\* because it was one of the only Pink Floyd Album’s I could not borrow from my older brother. I was about 12. 8-Track: \*\*Animals \*\* by Pink Floyd. I was about 14. Cassette: \*\*The Worst of Jefferson Airplane \*\* (I was at Navy A School) CD: \*\*Yes Songs \*\* 2bl live CD. Awesome (Bought 1st CD Player Boom Box around 1986 in Hong Kong and a few CD’s to listen to. Yes Songs was the first I picked out. I love the music and the CD was only $16 US when it was still $30 back in USA. Jim [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870.md?page=2)