# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/41 "2005-11-08T01:25:09Z")
vinyl album–Kingston Trio, 1959 I think. What are these things people keep talking about—CD’s, etc? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/42 "2005-11-08T02:06:27Z")
First 45: _Music Box Dancer_ by Frank Mills (stop laughing at me!) First vinyl LP: _Hi Infidelity_ by REO Speedwagon First cassette: It was either _Balls to the Wall_ by Accept or _Love at First Sting_ by The Scorpions First CD: _Big House_ by Big House ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/43 "2005-11-08T02:17:50Z")
Vinyl: Never purchased one with my own money, but my dad gave me Spike Jones’ Greatest Hits, vol. 1 and 2, which I played incessantly through my early years. At my request, dad also got me (to my great embarassment here today) an (the?) album by Taco - can’t remember the name, but it’s the one with Puttin’ on the Ritz. Heh. That completes my entire vinyl collection, in fact. Cassette, with my own money: also a pair, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars by Edie Brickell, and Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty. Bought them from one of those school fund-raising schemes. CD: Eponymous by R.E.M. Digital track: Step Right Up by Tom Waits Digital album: Uh, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars. Again. Hey, I like it, and I only had it on cassette! ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/44 "2005-11-08T02:29:51Z")
My first vinyl was Pat Benetar’s Crimes of Passion. My mother made me take it back to K-Mart. God what an overzealous Tipper Gore she was. The first one I got to keep was The Game by Queen. My first tape was Motley Crue’s Shout at the Devil. My first CD was Introduce Yourself by Faith No More The first thing I ever downloaded and paid for on Itunes was Where are You by Frank Sinatra. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/45 "2005-11-08T02:39:46Z")
First 45: _Manhattan Spiritual_- Reg Owen & Orchestra First 45, purchased with own money: _Snoopy vs The Red Baron_-The Royal Guardsmen First LP: _Soundtrack from The Graduate_- Simon & Garfunkel First Cassette: _Frampton Comes Alive_ First 8-track: _Tormato_- Yes First CD: _Revolver_- The Beatles First digital d/l: _Loan Me a Dime_- Boz Scaggs First digital d/l album: _Chicago V_ ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/46 "2005-11-08T02:45:40Z")
1st Vinyl i purchased for myself with my own money was an album: Billy Joel: _The Stranger_ for my 14th birthday. I know I owned a few vinyl singles, but I honestly don’t remember what the first one was. 1st cassette purchased was probably Devo _Freedom of Choice_ or Led Zeppelin _Physical Graffiti_ 1st CD I ever purchased was Antonin Dvorak’s 9th symphony. I have never actually purchased a download. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/47 "2005-11-08T02:59:36Z")
Single - I think it was Snoopy vs the Red Baron when I was a kid Album - Fleetwood Mac - Rumors Eight Track (okay, now I’m really dating myself) - Wings - Greatest Hits CD - The Residents - don’t remember which one ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/48 "2005-11-08T03:00:14Z")
Vinyl: Kiss _Alive 2_ Cassette (bought 3 at once…new Walkman): Ted Nugent _Cat Scratch Fever_, Ozzy Osbourne _Blizzard of Oz_, Black Sabbath _Heaven and Hell_. CD: Metallica _Master of Puppets_ Digital: I don’t even know what that is. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/49 "2005-11-08T05:45:38Z")
45 - Bought for me - “Walk Right in” by The Rooftop Singers (Hi **Fishbicycle**! Didn’t we do this before?! ) Bought by me - “Leaving On A Jet Plane” by Peter, Paul and Mary 33 - a record of songs about Robin Hood, with whom I was obsessed. I was about seven. Cassette - not sure, but probably “News Of The World” by Queen 8 Track - don’t remember - maybe a Don Williams tape that I mostly got for my hubby. CD - “Dirty Diamonds” by Alice Cooper. Okay, so I’m a little slow on technology. Finally got a CD player… Download - nope. See above. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/50 "2005-11-08T06:41:32Z")
Vinyl 45 rpm: “Speedo” by The Cadillacs Vinyl LP: Elvis’s first album, titled simply, “Elvis Presley” Cassette: “Best of Kitty Wells” CD: “The Shirelles Greatest Hits” Download: Howlin’ Wolf’s “Spoonful” ---
**Author:** ![RobuSensei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@RobuSensei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobuSensei)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/51 "2005-11-08T12:46:40Z")
Hmmm… First LP: Either Ammonia Avenue by Alan Parsons Project, or the Beverly Hills Cop Soundtrack. (from some LP club…so they only cost me a penny) First “compact cassette”: “Then and Now: The Best of the Monkees” First CD: “Watermark,” by Enya First digital: “Journey of the Sorcerer,” from The Eagles album “One of These Nights.” Also known as the them to “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/52 "2005-11-08T13:39:54Z")
my first 45 I bought from my brother for a dime, it was “Mrs. Robinson”. First one I bought from a store was “What becomes of the Broken-hearted” by Jimmy Ruffin. Still have it, really cool dark and light purple label. With all the skips it runs for about 40 seconds. tape: “Songs in the Key of Life”, “I Am Woman”, & “Frampton Comes Alive”–SWonder, HReddy, & PFrampton. Got them all for xmas one year. album: “All 'N All” by Earth, Wind & Fire cd: “Burnin’” by Bob Marley. I’ve never downloaded anything, don’t know how. ---
**Author:** ![ms.deanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@ms.deanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ms.deanna)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/53 "2005-11-14T04:49:25Z")
Vinyl: The Mothership Connection by Parliament Funkadelic. Can’t remember what cassettes or CD’s I first purchased and I’m too embarassed to mention the 8tracks. ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/54 "2005-11-14T05:58:02Z")
Vinyl: The first two records I owned personally were both 45s. Simon & Garfunkel’s _Sounds of Silence_ and a Peter, Paul, & Mary cut that I can’t remember the name of, except that it had a nonsense verse (or possibly a foreign language one and I just didn’t recognize it as such, I was only about 10). I don’t remember my first album on vinyl, but it was probably either the Moody Blues _Days of Future Past_ or the Beatles _Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band_. Tape was reel-to-reel, then 4-track, then 8-track, and then cassette. First reel-to-reel was a Kingston Trio album with several of their best known at the time such as _Charlie and the MTA_. 4-track I don’t remember, but may have been a Neil Diamond or a Gordon Lightfoot. 8-Track was (I think) Led Zeppelin’s _Houses of the Holy_. Cassette I don’t have any idea, as by the time they became even remotely listenable I had a fairly decent stereo system and so I recorded virtually all my own cassettes. The commercially made ones were so poor by contrast I rarely bought any. I bought several CDs the day I bought my first player. Moody Blues _The Other Side of Life_, Billy Idol’s _Rebel Yell_ and _Billy Idol_, Pin Floyd’s _Dark Side of the Moon_ and _Wish You Were Here_ and Neil Diamond’s _Headed for the Future_, and the Doors _Greatest Hits_. I don’t think I’ve bought any downloadable music. I’ve downloaded songs here and there, but almost always to find a song I was curious about, and then if I liked it I’ve gone and bought the CD. ---
**Author:** ![phoebo32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@phoebo32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phoebo32)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/55 "2005-11-14T22:21:55Z")
Vinyl Single: Bjork - Army of me Vinyl Album: Joan Armatrading - Walk under ladders CD: The Lion King Soundtrack Cassette: Sophie B Hawkins Whaler very possibly Digital: No Idea ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/56 "2005-11-15T01:35:49Z")
45: Norman Greenbaum, _Spirit in the Sky_ Vinyl LP: Beatles, _Abbey Road_ Cassette: (probably) Missing Persons, _Spring Session M_ CD: a Steely Dan “best of” album (that I found very disappointing). ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/57 "2005-11-15T01:45:40Z")
Vinyl: never. Cassette: The Cars, _Heartbeat City._ CD: Sting, _Dream of the Blue Turtles._ Digital/download: never. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/58 "2005-11-15T05:34:09Z")
Vinyl: A 45 of Lady Marmalade Cassette: I’m not sure I ever bought a commercial music cassette. My first eight-track was something by Lou Reed–maybe Rock and Roll Heart? CD: The Police, Synchronicity was in my first order from BMG. All digital: Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/59 "2005-11-15T09:06:56Z")
Vinyl: The J. Giles Band “Freeze Frame” Cassette: NO idea whatsoever, but it was probably pre-owned. CD: I have a feeling it was either Kate Bush “Hounds of Love” or Peter Gabriel “So” Digital: “Hysterical Stars” by Head of Femur ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870/60 "2005-11-15T14:09:00Z")
First 45: “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” Peter, Paul and Mary First LP: “Parsley Sage Rosemary & Thyme,” Simon and Garfunkel, played endlessly on a cheap portable record player until it wore out in less than 6 months First Cassette: Don’t really remember. The earliest I can recall is “Greatest Folksingers of the Sixties.” I never had a big collection of pre-recorded cassettes. When it came to cassettes, I was more inclined to tape LP’s that I borrowed from friends or the library rather than buy pre-recorded stuff. Cheaper, and the sound was usually better. Open reel: “Gold,” Neil Diamond. Or maybe “Madman Across the Water,” Elton John." Not really sure which. CD: “Windham Hill Sampler, 1982.” Digital: I assume you mean downloads off the net. Ain’t never done it, probably ain’t never gonna. With a 28.8 modem, it’s out of the question. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-album-you-bought-on-vinyl-on-cassette-on-cd-all-digital/329870.md?page=4)