The first CDs that I bought myself, as opposed to had bought for me were
Pink Floyd, Animals
Roger Waters, Amused to Death, and I forget the third, but there was one more. Damn, it’s going to drive me crazy now.
Previous to that, I’d just listened to my father’s CDs, or borrowed them, or had them bought for my birtday, Christmas, etc.
Van Morrison’s Moondance - on vinyl of course. Can’t remember how old I was - but it was a looong time ago
Beatles ‘Red Album’, casette, about 11 years old (probably 1983).
Santana - Self-titled debut, Abraxas, Caravanserai, and Moonflower. All on vinyl. I was 16, I think. My father had just bought me my first turntable ( inexpensive Onkyo ) and the above were semi-shots-in-the-dark, based on me having recently watched Woodstock on PBS and really enjoying the Santana performance. I wasn’t disappointed and that was my favorite band for at least the next few years.
I actually was just beginning to get interested in 60’s and 70’s rock at that point, having listened to a lot more to soul and funk ( i.e. Brothers Johnson, Commodores, Parliament, etc. ) earlier in my teens. The grizzled old sixties survivor running the local used record store grew to adore me - I bought tons of classic 60’s and 70’s stuff for the next couple of years on used vinyl and it made his heart feel good to see a youngster listening to that stuff ( this was in the mid-eighties, roughly ). He also hooked me for awhile on jazz fusion. Later I moved on to more traditional jazz and blues. Then eventually ( and late, again ) older punk and new wave, then world music. I finally caught up to the contemporary scene just a little Nirvana broke.
That is, just a little before Nirvana broke into the mainstrem consciousness.
It was that Bart Simpson song, I bought it on vinyl. I’m not sure how old I was, but I was pretty young.
Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody on 45. I would have been 8 or so.
To my everlasting shame the first album I bought (and the first concert I went to) was the superfantabulous…BAY CITY ROLLERS. I was 12. Yes I know, I am old and all my taste is in my mouth! But I loved them, and got all their autographs 
(can I redeem myself by saying I lost the auographs about 20 years ago?..no? I didn’t think so)
“Wimoweh” on 45 single by some cover band I forget. I was about 11.
The first non disney record I ever got was a 45 of Another one Bites the Dust by queen. I was 8ish I think?
Then I got a casette player. It was blue and you had one big yellow button that when pressed half way would fast forward and all the way would eject. My nana promised me if I took care of that for a year I could pick out a real boom box. I was probably 10 or 11 then. I also picked 2 tapes: Synchronicity by the police and Olivia Newton John’s greatest hits.
I don’t remember what was my first CD…
The Beatles’ White Album on CD back in … '88. What can I say, I’ve never dug this modern stuff. I did have music before then but my parents bought it for me.
This is one baffling question for me. I don’t believe I ever bought a 78 for myself, although I had quite a few of them. If I ever had a 45 it was one that would have had one of those little “spiders” in the middle of the hole, since I never had a 45 player as such, just a 3-speed. Which leaves 33’s. If I remember right, the first 33 I bought for myself was Elvis’s Greatest Hits (Vol I) with Heartbreak Hotel, Don’t Be Cruel, etc.
The reason I’m hesitant on this is that I may have first bought one of those drugstore specials, with something about “jazz” in the title that wound up being one of the worst experiments in melting vinyl into a disc shape that ever happened. All I remember about the record (I still have the thing) is that Stan Getz was among the dozen or so artists on the label, but you couldn’t tell what instrument was being played more than half the time. I wound up buying quite a few of those cheapies over the first few years of my record collecting. I just couldn’t see spending the $3 it took for a name brand record.
In any case, I would have been no younger than 11 when that happened, probably 13.
Me too!
Actually, my guitar teacher always stars the new session by having everyone go around the room and introduce themselves, and last time he used this question. For a really cool guy with excellent taste in music, his own “first” was something really cheesy, but I can’t remember exactly what it was. (My excuse was that Mom already had all the cool stuff; Beatles, Janis Joplin, Bob Marley, etc. so I didn’t need to buy that.)
My first purchase was Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes”, on a 45rpm record. Age 13.
Tearoses I am gonna win the “most pathetic” award unanimously for sure.
Wham-Make it big- Cassette-8 years.
Ok you can all start laughing now!
Best of Blondie and some Journey album. I think I was around 11.
Album (vinyl) - Elton John’s Greatest Hits - sometime in 1975. Still have it, too.
CD - Three, actually: The Police’s Synchronicity, Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual, & Hall & Oates’ Greatest Hits - all purchased in 1986. Traded the Police disc after getting their all-inclusive Message in a Box. Still have the others.
Kriss Kross CD (I wonder what ever happened to them) back when I was 7 or 8. Still have the CD. Probably haven’t touched it for 10+ years.
First record I ever bought with my own money was Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean on 45. I was 10. It cost fifty cents.
My first cassette purchase was Primus’–Sailing the Seas of Cheese. Still one of my favorite albums. Bought it when I was 14.
My first CD purchase was the Supertones’–Supertones Strike Back. Puchased when I was 21. I had a hard time moving into the CD age.
My first Vinyl purchase was Vitalogy by Pearl Jam. Bought when I was 17. A great album, and it was released first on vinyl, then CD. Love putting it on the record player whenever I can.