I'm listening to the Record Store Day Podcast, and the host often asks what was the first single the guest bought. So here it goes, accounting for mediums -

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What was your first:

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45 Purchase?

Ebony and Ivory - Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney (88 cents at K-Mart)!

Album Purchase?

Around the World in a Day - Prince

12" Remix Purchase?

Something About You - Level 42

Cassette Purchase?

Love at First Sting - The Scorpions

CD Purchase?

The Cure - Head on the Door

Digital Purchase?

I haven't a clue, but I'm guessing Chinese Democracy by Guns & Roses

Post-Digital Middle-Age Album Purchase:

Do to the Beast - Afghan Whigs

Great thread. It's been a minute since I bought some of those so I have no idea. It was a big crossover of inheriting things, getting gifts, and buying stuff. The first 12" was probably a Prince single, like "Let's Go Crazy" or "When Doves Cry."

First CD was Amy Grant The Collection.

First digital was probably the free stuff iTunes used to have every week. Free single of the week stuff. When Pepsi was giving away those iTunes codes under caps, I got a LOT that way. I went for old stuff like a lot of James Brown, Supremes, fun stuff.

Great thread. Post link to podcast.

45 Purchase?
I don't remember. But could be Prince "I Would Die For You"

Album Purchase?
Don't Remember

12" Remix Purchase?
Don't Remember

Cassette Purchase?
Kool & The Gang - As One
Rod Stewart - Body Wishes

CD Purchase?
Ry Cooder - Johnny Handsome soundtrack

Digital Purchase?
David Bowie Dark Star

Post-Digital Middle-Age Album Purchase:

Not sure what this is.

The Podcast is the Record Store Day podcast; I was listening to the Andy Partridge interview when the host mentioned they made it a point to ask about it of their guests: https://pod.link/1482426505

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I was joking a bit about the "Post-Digital Middle-Age Album Purchase:" - While trying to create categories, I wanted to aknowledge the rise of Albums after everyone replaced their Albums with CD's.

sexton said:

45 Purchase? Hot Line - The Sylvers Album Purchase? Grease - The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) 12" Remix Purchase? White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It) - Grandmaster & Melle Mel Cassette Purchase? The Cure - Standing on a Beach - The Singles - I generally don’t buy cassettes, but this was the only way at the time to get all the rare b-sides collected. CD Purchase? Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 - Compact Command Performances: 18 Greatest Hits - I remember it was a Christmas gift. Then I got a free promo of Union by Toni Childs. The first I actually paid for was Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814. Digital Purchase? The first that wasn’t a random single song was most likely one of the iTunes live EPs—-maybe Exclusive Sessions by Tori Amos in 2005.

I preferred buying albums then taping them for the car stereo...but HAD to get the Standing on a Beach for the same reason.

I have some records before these, but they were bought for me and were mostly kiddie records and a couple of 8 track tapes.

45: Isley Brothers ~ Who Said? / Gap Band ~ Humpin' (got them at same time. Technically, the first was one of those flexy-discs. The song was called Makin' Out and came with an issue of Mad Magazine. But I didn't buy it for the record. )

LP: Michael Jackson ~ Thriller / Janet Jackson ~ Janet Jackson

cassette (all of these were from one of those Columbia House penny ads):

Stevie Wonder ~ Hotter Than July
The Dukes Of Hazzard Soundtrack
Stacy Lattisaw ~ With You
Rich Little ~ The First Family Rides Again (I thought this would have President's Rap on it. It sort of did, but it was just skits without music. The President's Rap song was 3 of the skits put to music, which years later I found out were members of War)
Oak Ridge Boys ~ Fancy Free
Stars On ~ Stars On Long Play II
Blondie ~ The Best Of Blondie

12" remix: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 ~ Freedom (not really a remix, but a long version with an instrumental version on side 2. I think the first actual remix single I bought was Show Me by The Cover Girls.)

CD: The Jacksons ~ The Jacksons (1976)

CD single: Madonna ~ Justify My Love (maxi single)

digital: none

I can't remember my first 45 I bought; might have been "That's The Way" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band or "Jungle Boogie" by Kool and The Gang. First album was... the album "Diana Ross," I believe.

onlyforaminute said:

peedub said:

45 - irene cara 'why me?'

This is on my top 10 underrated singles from the eighties.

Maybe we should do a "Who Was Your First Thread"...

purplethunder3121 said:

MarkThrust said:

45 Purchase?

Chase Me - Con Funk Shun

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Album Purchase?

Grease

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12" Remix Purchase?

Prince - Let's Work ... This was the song that made me discover that 12 Inches existed. When I heard the extended version on the radio, I assumed it was a "part 2" on the 45 that wasn't on the album like Rick James had done with "Super Freak" a little earlier. I had assumed that the radio station had edited both sides of the 45 together so they would flow into each other. When I bought the "Let's Work" 45 and "Ronnie Talk To Russia" was on the B Side instead of a "part 2", then I called the radio station to see where they got their long version and they told me it was a 12 Inch to which I replied.... "A 12 Inch? What is a 12 Inch?".

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Cassette Purchase?

Prince - Dirty Mind/Controversy (2 on 1) ... I never bought cassettes back then. I found it ridiculous to buy a cassette of something when I had the capability of buying the vinyl album, recording it onto a cassette myself, and then having both the vinyl and the tape for the price of one. When I saw the "Dirty Mind/Controversy" (2 on 1) tape in the store though, that caught my cusiousity though because I had never seen something like that before (although I already had both albums on vinyl). Other than that, I never bought pre-recorded cassette tapes until they stopped making vinyl and CD players were too expensive to purchase.

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CD Purchase?

Prince - Crystal Ball ... Yes, it's late in the game but when vinyl became extinct but CD players were still too expensive, I had been buying all the releases of that era on cassette, however, "Crystal Ball" wasn't released on cassette. Yeah, there were CD players on a few boom boxes and some tabletop stereos (but during that era, tabletop stereos were much smaller than they previously were with smaller speakers also but who wants portable shit? Hell, I've always had stereos that thumped the walls and disturbed the neighbors so I wasn't settling for that. When I got my tax refund that year, I bought a component system and a CD component and also the "Crystal Ball" CD set.

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Digital Purchase?

None ... I've never bought an mp3 and never will. Yes, I have thousands of them but have never bought any of them. I'll buy something physical that I can hold in my hand but I'll never pay for something that you don't have an original product on your shelf that you can see and hold. Only having an mp3 is like having a homemade cassette of an album rather than having the actual product.

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8 Track Tape?

Prince - Controversy ... Don't forget about 8 track tapes. Actually, this is the only pre-recorded 8 track I ever bought. I always preferred vinyl but you needed tape versions of music in order to play it in cars and all cars had 8 track players at the time. Also, all home stereos (that you could afford) had 8 track players on them. Once I started seeing homemade 8 track tapes, then I found out that there were some 8 track players on stereos that had a "record" button on them so I HAD to have one. When I got one, I made my own 8 track tapes. Same logic as with cassette tapes.... "Why buy something that you can make yourself?"...... I finally got one in 1982 and I be damned if 8 track tapes went out of style in 1983. That's alright though because most of us still had the players on our stereos and in our cars for a few more years.... that is, unless you were spoiled and able to afford to simply buy new stereos at the drop of a hat which most of us weren't.

automatic said:

45 Firefall - You Are The Woman

As a 70s soft rock fanatic,I love that song as well as their other big hit from that period,"Strange Way".