DISQUS

scrumble · 1 year ago

Your assessment of Blue Oyster Cult may well be correct with them as a force on the radio, but the tune is consistent with the more eccentric side they had in the first place (Patti Smith co-write, after all). Has the "More Cowbell" thing obscured that aspect forever?

Bolton's "Wait on Love" was co-written by Jonathan Cain so one not to be ignored by purists who stick up for John Waite. "Fool's Game" is definitely first-rate second-rate Whitesnake, the video shows him at the height of his "metal" era, and I'd say the shift to maudlin white soul crooner was entirely because he *looked* like that was what he should be doing. Dig his '79 style, though: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_J_Tpm0N9bc

Far as I know Blue Zone had the "UK" added not because of another band but because it was the name of an advertising campaign from Labatt's Blue beer, whose t-shirt Pamela Anderson was wearing when she got discovered at a football game wearing a beer T-shirt, presumably of her own volition

scrumble · 1 year ago

Fast forward two minutes into that Blackjack video to get to the actual song. If the '80s started a few months earlier it'd have been perfect for this series...

David_E · 1 year ago

Me: "Hey, we should cover some Blue Öyster Cult in our set."
Band: "Okay. What song?"
Me: "Shooting Shark!"
Band: (Narrows eyes)

scrumble · 1 year ago

"Shooting Shark" actually reminds me of the new Death Cab For Cutie single (or vice versa) but, yes, in the grander context this would be like if Death Cab were best known for sounding like Puddle of Mudd or Three Doors Down.

Eric S. · 1 year ago

I've still got to go with his '83 look: http://youtube.com/watch?v=L72uh4u5WCw Plus, this video was all over MTV that summer. It's interesting, because he didn't go right from metal to soul. His album "The Hunger" that has "Wait on Love" is all over the map. It's got some great songs with co-writers like Jonaton Cain/Neal Schon and Martin Briley. But then he does an audio "jump the shark" by co-writing the last song "Walk Away" with non other than Dianne Warren. This last song was also produced separately from the rest of the album by someone named Susan Hamilton. I don't know who she is, but between her and Warren they took his manhood and it was never heard from again.

One other interesting note on "The Hunger" is that of a couple of the song feature the remaining Journey line-up at that time: Cain, Schon, Mike Baird and Randy (American Idol) Jackson. Does anyone know if these were demos or auditions for Bolton as Journey's new lead singer? I believe this is about the time that Steve Perry walked away.

Eric K · 1 year ago

I have read that there were rumors of Bolton replacing Steve Perry. Maybe these songs were auditions of some sort. Too bad it did not happen. It might have saved us all a great deal of agony between Bolton's solo career and Bad English.

Jeff · 1 year ago

My first music purchases were 'Cargo' by Men at Work (which, at the time, I never did enjoy like I do now), and sadly, Kilroy Was Here, by Styx, which I listened to over and over. Both of these were on cassette. My first CD purchase was '. . .Nothing Like The Sun' by Sting, which is still my favorite Sting CD (which I realize isn't saying a lot).

steed · 1 year ago

I know what you're saying about 'Cargo' - I enjoy that more today than in the 80s as well. For some reason I'm a Styx fan, and I think 'Kilroy' is a damn good album. Another one that I don't admit too often.

onebrownjeff · 1 year ago

First 45 Single - probably Meco's "Star Wars Cantina" or Buckner & Garcia's "Pac Man Fever"
First Album - Fast Times At Ridgemont High Soundtrack
First Cassette - Blue Oyster Cult, "Fire Of Unknown Origin"
First CD (s) I bought two at once, U2's Unforgettable Fire, & Tom Waits "Rain Dogs"

jack · 1 year ago

My first music purchase was Duran Duran's "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" on cassette (What the hell does that title mean, anyway?).

First CD purchase was Agent Orange's "We Are the Voice." How random is that?

JohnHughes · 1 year ago

"Seven" = the five band members plus their two managers.
"Ragged Tiger" = a euphemism for "success"

...according to that wacky poet Simon. I dunno either.

Mike · 1 year ago

First 45 Purchase: "Ebony & Ivory"
First LP Purchase: "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell
First Cassette Purchase: "Make it Big" by Wham!
First CD Purchase (because I couldn't afford CDs until I was 15 and actually had a JOB): "Dangerous" by Michael Jackson

Now do you feel so bad???

steed · 1 year ago

Ha. That's quite a group.

thefxc · 1 year ago

1st cassette purchase: The Go-Go's, Talk Show. I didn't "buy" it per se--I was in 6th grade--but I asked for it as a reward for getting straight A's. In a small town ruled my Motley Crue, I got my ass whupped for liking chick rock, but it's a fine album and I stand by my choice...

1st CD purchase: The Cure, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. I was irked at the time because almost every CD those days had bonus tracks on them, but my first CD was one that had one fewer track than the LP/cassette.

This is a very strong list--the Bourgeois Tagg song is one of the great forgotten faux-wave songs of the Holly Knight school (she didn't write it, but doesn't it sound like she could have?).

Book of Love's "Pretty Boys..." is my fave song from them, so I'm glad to see it get a bit of attention.

A bit surprised at Bon Jovi: so did "Runaway" go Top 40, or was it not an official single?

I'd never heard that Blondie track, and it is quite good. What, no singles from The Hunter?

steed · 1 year ago

That always did irk me about Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me - sorry, should have made it a double CD too then.

"Runaway" just made it - hit #39 - as their first single.

Blondie's 'The Hunter' had two singles - "Island of Lost Souls" which hit #37 and "War Child" which didn't chart and frankly, I can't remember even one note of it.

Matracas · 9 months ago

Dave: I couldn't find a way to e-mail you directly so I am replying to this post. I am a Blondie fan and I see that you purchase practicly anything made in the 80's and I 'm wondering if you have the Chequered Past LP anywhere in your collection. I know 2 Blondie members were in that group and the album had no singles and this album is nowhere to be found ¿Any chance you have it and if so, any what you could share it with me? Let me know at matrakas@gmail.com

hemisphire · 1 year ago

1st cassette: Rush - Grace Under Pressure. Still one of my favorite groups.

1st CD: Led Zeppelin - BBC bootleg. I didn't have a CD player yet, but couldn't pass up this puppy (luckily I sold it before it was rendered obsolete by the official release, which oddly I still haven't picked up).

jabartlett · 1 year ago

I can't remember my first single purchase anymore. My first album purchase was K-Tel's "Bright Side of Music." (Donny Osmond! Lobo! Paul Davis!) My first real album purchase was "Hot Rocks 1964-1971" by the Stones. The first CD I ever owned was "Sgt. Pepper."

drcastrato · 1 year ago

first tape: I think Raiders of the Lost Ark soundtrack., followed by Thriller.
first CD: Pantera, "Vulgar Display of Power"
first MP3: The Doves, "Some Cities"

MarlboroTestMonkey7 · 1 year ago

You are strange.

MarlboroTestMonkey7 · 1 year ago

Is it me or doesn't Blue Mercedes Titlow sounds like ABC's Martin Fry? I always thought this a lot ABC single. Harsh delayed reality.

steed · 1 year ago

Oh, it isn't you - that definitely could be an ABC single.

WHarrisBullzEye · 1 year ago

What, no cross-promotion for my interview with the two guys from Blue Mercedes? :-)

My first single may or may not have been Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," and I say that because I can no longer swear if it was my sister or I who bought it.

The first cassettes blend in together, but the holy trifecta of my early tape-buying years was definitely "Thriller," "Pyromania," and Men at Work's "Cargo."

The first CD, however, I absolutely remember: The Icicle Works' "If You Want To Defeat Your Enemy, Sing His Song."

In closing, may I just say that I have an autographed Bonham poster in my collection? "Wait for You" RULZ!!!

WHarrisBullzEye · 1 year ago

Oh, yeah, and the first LP I remember owning? The classic K-Tel compilation known as "Dumb Ditties." For better or worse, it was my first introduction to Chuck Berry, courtesy of "My Ding-A-Ling."

David_E · 1 year ago

Dumb Dumb Ditties! My first LP as well.
First 45: "Can't Go For That (No Can Do) by Hall & Oates.
First cassette: "Ghost In The Machine," The Police.
First CD: "Best of the Alan Parsons Project, Vol. I"
First MP3: "Just When I Needed You Most," Randy VanWarmer (thankyou, Napster)

JonCummings · 1 year ago

I didn't have Dumb Dumb Ditties--but I did have (and still have) both Goofy Greats and Funny Favorites. Screw K-Tel! Ronco RULES!!!!!!

DwDunphy · 1 year ago

Never had Dumb Ditties but I did have Kooky Toones and a similar comedy comp from Ronco Records. I tried to recall the name of it but, apparently, I set it and then forgot it.

steed · 1 year ago

Oh shit - I can't believe I missed that interview with them. I have to go back and read it right now.

forwardgirl · 1 year ago

W, we must be of an age - the Thriller and Pyromania cassettes were de rigeur when I was in the 6th grade. And I remember riding home from the mall with my Dad with the Cargo LP on my lap, ready to run in and play it as soon as we got home.

I think my first 45 I hadtohadtohadto get was Moving Pictures 'What About Me'.

MarlboroTestMonkey7 · 1 year ago

First tape: unlisted, cheaply made but durable as a tank, venezuelan or mexican Beatles compilation
First 45: Michael Jackson's Ben
Last 45: Billy Vera's At this moment ($0.75 discount bin)
First LP: not sure, but it might have been Hall and Oates's Big Bam Boom
Last LP: Little River Band's Get Lucky and/or Anderson-Bruford-Wakeman-Howe self titled.
First CD: The best of Kansas. Bought at a cd store which closed a week after. Had no cd player, nor did my friends or acquitances, had to wait 4 months to transfer to tape. Foolishly overwrote side A.

JonCummings · 1 year ago

First single received (as gift, age 5): "We've Only Just Begun," the Carpenters
First LPs received (as gift, age 6): "Jackson 5 Greatest Hits"; "Up To Date," the Partridge Family
First single purchased: "Philadelphia Freedom"
First LP purchased: "Main Course," the Bee Gees
Last 45 purchased: as discussed somewhere on Popdose, "Radio Ga-Ga," Queen
First CDs purchased (simultaneously, upon receipt of first CD player): "The Joshua Tree," U2; "Document," REM; "Bad," Michael Jackson

wags · 1 year ago

Love that Boomtown Rats song, though I didn't discover it until the 90s... guess like America, I lagged behind on that group...

1st album: Men at Work -- Cargo ** I did have K-Tel's Dumb Ditties as well but I don't count that as I was far from aware of the concept of ownership and/or purchasing at the point that it came into my life.

1st single: Thompson Twins -- Hold Me Now

1st tape: Air Supply's Greatest Hits -- upgrading to cassettes was a MAJOR deal in our house when it finally happened. This selection was made knowing that it had to be vetted by the parents first.

1st CD: continuing in the trend of late adoption of new technology: Nirvana -- Nevermind. (or it was among the first ten)

Elaine · 1 year ago

I had actually heard the Boomtown Rats song early in the 80's. There were a couple of smartaleck student DJ's at our school that played it. They also played "Walk on the Wild Side," which was exotic and scandalous at the time. Wonder where those guys are. . .

DavidMedsker · 1 year ago

Wow, not sure how I missed this thread.

First 45: Captain & Tennille, "Shop Around"
First LP: Kiss, Destroyer
First cassette: Asia, Asia (I think)
First CD: Roxy Music, Avalon (gift), New Order: Low Life (purchase)

"Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls" was one of my least favorite of the Book of Love singles. Hopefully the stuff you're hearing now is from the first album. Love the Boomtown Rats, too. That whole album that "Mondays" is from is great. I also loved the Bourgeois Tagg and even the Bonham song. Nice list, my man.

And I know I shouldn't, but I really like "Shooting Shark." Sue me.

rsbrandt · 1 year ago

First 45: "Loving You's The Right Thing to Do" by Carly Simon.

Hey, that really is Cyd Charisse! As late as the 1970's she was still smokin' hot. By 1988, maybe not so much.

MatthewBolin · 1 year ago

First LP(s): SIgned up for a record club and got "Thriller", "Sports" and "Invisible Touch" at the same time. Then got a couple albums more and cancelled.
First 45: George Harrison, "When We Was Fab"
First Cassette Single (door prize at bar mitzvah): Madonna, "Who's That Girl"
First Cassette Single (bought with own money): Traveling Wilburys, "Handle With Care"
First CD: Tracy Chapman, "Crossroads"

EvilNickname · 1 year ago

In order of purchase:

First CD: Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell II
First Tape: I only have ever bought three tapes that weren't blank, and Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell was the first one of those. It was an upgrade from a dubbed copy, which ommited one song and cut off half of my favorite track, "For Crying Out Loud".
First CD single: 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor - Never Alone (Eurohouse. Can't quite figure out why I bought that as dance is totally not for me.)
First LP: Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell
First 45: Meat Loaf - Paradise By The Dashboard Light (can't stand the song anymore) and Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart.

And yes, I quite dig Meat Loaf.

DwDunphy · 1 year ago

Damn, I guess you would do anything for love.

EvilNickname · 1 year ago

I would. But just not that.

Actually, a couple of months ago, I was asked to do a small presentation about what that magical thing is he won't do. Good fun.

DwDunphy · 1 year ago

My memory kinda sucks but I think it went down like this:

First 45: either "Come And Get Your Love" by Redbone or "Sweet Talkin' Woman" by ELO

First cassette: either The Cars "Candy-O" or Scorpions "Blackout"

First LP: Well, with my own money, it would be Rush "Signals" but I was always a music freak, so people would give me records at every occasion.
Now I'm just a plain ol' freak.

First CD: To further solidify my last self-deprecating comment, I had Phil Collins' "Hello I Must Be Going" a full four months before owning a CD player.

First Holy Communion: Monsignor Bulman threatened to beat us all if we didn't behave.

First National Bank: a damn fine bank.

Stephen Furst: Whatever happened to...?

Quench your thirst: with Lipton Iced Tea. Ahhhhhh! Refreshing-ah!

DwDunphy · 1 year ago

Oh, first 45 received: probably Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now"

cindy · 1 year ago

i thought the boomtown rats single was pulled by the record company because of some lawsuit threatened by the songs quotee(?)'s father.

eddie_w · 1 year ago

Great idea...I like "first" stories too.

First 8-track tape: When I was about 6, I used to borrow my sister's freshly-brought copy of Olivia Newton-John's "Have You Never Been Mellow" so much, she finally bought me my own copy (and wrote my name on it in black magic marker) so I would leave hers alone. I think I probably still can sing every lyric from every song by memory to this day.

First album: The soundtrack to "The Muppet Movie". My sister ended up taking it for herself later (payback, perhaps?).

First cassette: I'm pretty sure it was the soundtrack to "Footloose", right after hearing it numerous times on the bus during a junior high field trip.

First CD: I was VERY late in making the technology switch to CDs...I hung onto my hundreds of tapes all the way until 2000, when I finally made the plunge. But, I did buy some CDs early, and the first one I got was a used copy of U2's "Zooropa".

Excellent post, as always. Keep up the good work!

steed · 1 year ago

Thanks! It never fails to amaze me how the "first" conversation just never seems to get old. No matter how many times someone asks me, I'm more than willing to discuss without hesitation. Seems like everyone here is as well, which is awesome.

Phil · 1 year ago

First 45... "Gonna Fly Now" from the Rocky soundtrack. I still remember buying it at a Kmart when I was 10.

First LP... Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. But not by The Beatles. No, my first LP purchase was of the Bee Gees movie soundtrack. It's far too painful to listen to it now, so I don't even have it on CD.

First CD... "Red Rose Speedway" by Paul McCartney.

Eric S. · 1 year ago

First 45: Don't judge me, but the AM radio influence as a youngster made this either Love Rollercoaster by Ohio Players or Jive Talkin' by Bee Gees

First LP: Four Wheel Drive by Bachman Turner Overdrive (loved "Hey You" and still do, even it is the simplest song ever written)

First CD: Cat Scratch Fever by Ted Nugent (the title song, the attitude, the cover concept...How could this not appeal to a teenage boy?)

First 8-track: Greatest Hits by Alice Cooper (I had never picked up the LP)

Eric S. · 1 year ago

My bad, I mixed up the CD and 8-track

DwDunphy · 1 year ago

There's nothin' wrong with either "Love Rollercoaster" (Say what?!) or "Jive Talkin'".

But Ted Nugent is an armadillo douche.

EightE1 · 1 year ago

First LP: Bee Gees - Spirits Having Flown
First 45: Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
First cassette: Air Supply - Lost in Love
First CD: Tom Petty - Southern Accents

I think the cassette is right -- I had lots of cassettes, taped from my cousins' most excellent record collections before I ever bought a tape of my own. My fave -- the Eagles' Hotel California on Side A, ELO's Discovery on Side B. The LP is dead-on, though; bought it at K-Mart for $5.98. I was a latecomer to CDs; I think I got the Petty used just before I joined both the Columbia and RCA CD clubs and got, like, an instant CD collection.

Most recent CD Purchase: Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Most recent download: Metallica, Angora 1983

My moods are all over the place right now. So are my music selections.

Rob
EightE1

Old_Davy · 1 year ago

First 45: Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane - The Beatles

First LP: I bought Emitt Rhodes self-titled debut album and the first McCartney solo album on the same day. I totally expected Paul's solo album to be great, and had low expectations for Emitt Rhodes. Boy, was I wrong on both counts!

First 8-track: Led Zeppelin - II (if only for "Whole Lotta Love", but ended up liking the whole thing quite a bit)

First cassette: The Partridge Family - The Partridge Family Album (as a cut-out - it was probably my only non-blank cassette purchase ever)

First CD: There were five - 2 by Alan Parsons (I Robot and Pyramid), REM - Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables of the..., Supertramp - Crime of the Century, Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

I am totally in love with anything that Karla Bonoff releases. "Baby Don't Go" is a bit trite, but "Please Be The One" burns with a sexy passion that is irresistible.

I'll stand in that line of Bourgeois Tagg fans as well.

Bubba the Elder · 1 year ago

Shooting Shark! Why, that's Randy Jackson popping the four-string!

Elaine · 1 year ago

These first lists are fascinating. It gives you a glimpse at someone who was in a similar place to yours at the time, or worlds apart. But we're all here today. So that is somewhat profound. ~head cocked to one side~ Who matches me?

1st album I asked for: Grease soundtrack. Wore that sucker OUT. Other albums I wore out were my parents' Linda Ronstadt Greatest Hits, and their Bee Gees' "Night Fever" 45. I also had a soundtrack of Broadway hits on semi-permanent loan from my local library.

1st albums I bought: Journey Escape and Toto IV at the same time I bought Billy Joel's Glass Houses. I got a new turntable for Christmas!
1st 45 I bought: Makin' It by David Naughton. Yeah I said it.
1st cassette? I think it was U2's War.
8-tracks were BMT
1st CDs were "Robbie Robertson" and Traveling Wilburys.

David_E · 1 year ago

Toto IV and Glass Houses, plus Synchronicity, were all I listened to for a good 18 months of my life. No Journey, but Asia's first LP was waiting on deck.

And I still remember singing "Makin' It" in the back of our station wagon, only to have my mom turn around from the front seat and ask, rather accusingly, "Do you know what that means?" [No.] "Then stop saying it." [Shrinks into vinyl seat, unsure why.]

matthew · 1 year ago

first lp - Go West by (yup) Go West
first single - view to a kill by Duran Duran
first cd - operation mindcrime by queensryche

christ on a bike it's a wonder i had any friends.

George · 1 year ago

I think my first LP was either something by Culture Club or Duran Duran.

First cassette was "Victory" by the Jacksons.

And the first cd was "Time's Up" by Living Colour. I do recall that with my cd player I had an offer to join Columbia House and get 4 free cd's and the one's I chose were "To the Extreme" by Vanilla Ice, "Tender Lover" by Babyface, "World Clique" by DeeLite and the Johnny Gill cd with "Rub you the Right Way."

Breadalbane · 1 year ago

First LP: Wall of Voodoo, "Call of the West". Still one of my all-time favourite albums.
First cassette: Either "Stop Making Sense" by Talking Heads, or "Soul Mining" by The The. In both cases, the cassette version had extra or extended tracks, although the extra The The tracks were terrible.
First 45: Talking Heads, "Once In A Lifetime (Live)". Already had this A-side on cassette; bought it for the B-side, the live version of "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)"
First CD: The Smiths, "Louder Than Bombs". Purchased some weeks before I had an actual CD player.

whiteray · 1 year ago

My first purchase with my own cash came in the spring of 1970 and was one of two LPs: either "Let It Be" by the Beatles or "Chicago II" with the silver cover. Both are still on the shelves and both play pretty well - not pristine, but no major scratches. I still love the Chicago, but, looking back, the Beatles' album was a lot worse than it should have been, thanks to Phil Spector.

whiteray · 1 year ago

I should add: First 45 was 5th Dimension's "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In, 1969."

First cassette: "Blood, Sweat and Tears," 1969.

First CD: "High On The Hog" by The Band, 1999. (I was late to the party.)

Elaine · 1 year ago

There is not a perfect place to post this, but since we're on the subject -- where we all fall on the rock/pop continuum -- I wanted to mention there is a relatively new FM station at 100.3 I've discovered in socal. In the last few weeks, I've heard old debut-era Elvis Costello, "Shut Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol, and on the way home tonight I heard Lyle Lovett's "Church." They're all over the place in a good way. I don't remember the last time I enjoyed listening to terrestrial FM radio. listen live. When I told my husband about it, he said, "ah. so they're now creating oldies stations for people *your* age." (please note: he is older than I am.) But anyway it got me thinking. Maybe that's what's really going on here. I don't know who created it (what's AAA?) or what their corporate intentions are, so give it a listen before it starts sucking. 'cuz we all know it will.

JonCummings · 1 year ago

That is an amazing station--it's a bit like the "Deep Tracks" station on XM. So far they don't have DJs, so it's a bit like the "Jack" format except that the songs are more obscure.

However, I've been listening to it for a month or two, and I'm already getting upset when they play a song again that I've heard there before. This afternoon it was "Put the Message in the Box" by World Party. Great song, but come on! World Party had a dozen great songs--play "Ship of Fools" already!

Elaine · 1 year ago

I agree..I hear repeats sometimes, too. But you're right, they're mostly playing and replaying good stuff, as opposed to playing/replaying crap. So, for now I'm willing to stick with it. Always ever ready to bolt, though. I just think I admire a station setup that's trying to mimic someone's ipod. That's what I think is going on.

Every city (it seems) has a Bob-FM station nowadays, which has a similar premise but you hear the same Maroon 5 song 3x/day. At least at The Source, it'll be World Party or obscure 80's new wave.

My hmphs · 1 year ago

Hmm...First 45 I can remember was "Saturday Night" by the Bay City Rollers. Or "Beth" by Kiss. Seeing as SN was released in 1973 and I bought the single at a garage sale, I can't really place the time, but it was around 1976.

First album: "Foreigner", Foreigner
First cassette: "Tonight", David Bowie
First CD: "Umbrella," The Innocence Mission

gavadajoe · 1 year ago

First 45: "Power Of Love", Huey Lewis And The news
First 33: Hmmm... probably "Love At First Sting", Scorpions

danat123 · 1 year ago

1st LPs (xmas gifts from my dad) were Sgt Pepper and G Geils band

1st actual purchase of my own... Cory Hart - the one with Sunglasses at Night and Starship - We Built This City

My shame is palpable

clerck · 1 year ago

Converting Bourgeois Tagg's first into MP3 as I write this, "Electric Train" fading out. Underrated band. Brings me back to the summer of '86 and my first true independence after college. I remember hearing "Mutual Surrender" on the radio for the first time from a station in Lubbock of all places. The year had a bunch of great music opening up to us - Fabulous T-Birds, INXS, Wall of Voodoo, all experienced for the first time. And the club scene w/ Nu Shooz and Jermaine Stewart.

First LPs - "Carpenters" (eponymous) & the J5 Greatest Hits
First Rock LP - "The Grand Illusion", Styx
First 45s (bought in a frenzy w/ cash burning a hole in my first wallet - "The Night Chicago Died", Paper Lace; "You Make Me Feel Brand New", The Stylistics; "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", Steely Dan"; "Who Do You Think You Are", Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods; "Don't Ever Be Lonely (A Poor Little Fool Like Me), Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose; "Wildwood Weed", Jim Stafford. My dad asked me if I had any idea what the latter was about and I was completely clueless.
First 8-Track - My parents were far too un-hip and of-the-now to own one, but this very cool dude with a smoking hot Mopar (forget the exact model, but I can see it now) let me listen to his. I couldn't get enough of The Grassroots Greatest.
First Cassette - Think it was a Seals and Crofts Greatest that someone slid my way. Loved and wore it out.
First CD - I was a vinyl junkie and highly resentful of these pieces of plastic that forced my favorite product of any kind out of stores. I didn't convert until 1997!! Think it was a mix single of Smashmouth's "Walkin' On The Sun". First full lengths were Francis Dunnery's "Tall Blonde Helicopter" and United Future Organization's "3rd Perspective".

Thanks for the topic! Fun to read everyones firsts.