The last Open Thread demonstrated that you never forget your first vinyl – and readers really responded with almost 100 comments – and counting.
The Beatles got a lot of love, of course. Ed C. practically wore out the “Meet the Beatles” album he got on his 13th birthday in 1964….and many others cited the Jackson Five and Jimi Hendrix’ “Are You Experienced.” But some reader’s music history goes back farther than that.
I am older than dirt. My first record (not an album) was “Happy Trails to You” sung by Roy and Dale Rogers. Deep tracks! It came with a shiny new record player. I grew up with very few toys so I remember most of them. This gift was special and was played constantly.
-Pat
Some other very…niche first vinyl picks were Linda A.’s “Alvin and the Chipmunks;” the theme from Star Wars, or Julie B’s copy of “Richard Chamberlain Sings, ”… but Reader Gail wins the novelty vinyl prize:
l saved my allowance to purchase; most likely very early 60’s, Huckleberry Hound The Great Kelloggs TV Show. Still have it and play it every once in a while.
-Gail
You Bought it Where?
Readers recalled buying their first vinyl at long-gone retailers, like the K-Tel store, Sears, Columbia House (five albums for a penny!) or Woolworth’s..
My first album was “Are You Experienced” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and I purchased it for $3.97 at my local Woolworth’s store in the summer of 1968. I bought it with money that I made babysitting and cleaning Summer resort cottages near where my parent’s bought a pre Civil war ‘shack’ in northern Wisconsin when I was eleven years old. What great memories!
-Mary O.
Family Ties
Dozens of readers credited a sibling or older relative for their first musical experiences, with sweet memories they shared.
My aunt Jane! She was so hip! I remember her coming to our house for Thanksgiving wearing the coolest powder blue suede knee hi boots! Then, I got to go stay with her for a week the following summer! She had lots of great music. But the one album that blew me away was Pink Floyd, Dark side of the Moon! I felt so grown up buying my first album; I still have it! Thank you for introducing me to so many new things that summer! Love you!
-Pam
Ellen R. became a lifelong Frank Sinatra fan at nine, thanks to “it Was a Very Good Year” and her dad (“He bought the album for me the next day – and I’ve loved it ever since.”) Marvin K. felt the same way about “Peter and the Wolf:”
My first vinyl album was Peter and The Wolf, a 78 rpm album given to me by my father when I was about 10. The recording was by Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony. The story was magical and the music was lyrical.
Cleta B was introduced to jazz by her older brother….
They were Wes Montgomery’s “A Day in the Life,” Les McCann with Eddie Harris’s “Swiss Movement,” and Lou Rawl’s “Soulin.” I am a huge jazz fan to this day, although I still love my classic R&B.
First Vinyl Holdouts
Many readers still hold on to their first love: Reader Mary H. still listens to the first Led Zeppelin album, and Jean S. still has and loves “Mr. Postman,” just as much as Reader Connee loves Little Eva’s ‘Locomotion” and Landyce loves “Bobby’s Girl”
Readers R. Webb, Jana J, And Rose Marie cited the “Grand Canyon Suite” as their first purchase, since it made an indelible impression…
In a high school class, “a movie period” about the Grand Canyon and the background music was “The Grand Canyon Suite” by Fredric Grofe…I fixated on that music and at first chance went down to the music store, which sold vast amounts of sheet music and had three of four listening booths both of which are extinct in the modern era. I still have the album with a torn and worn cover and it plays well.
-R. Webb
You’re Listening to….What??
Shannon W. recalls starting with Johnny cash on her Raggedly Ann and Andy record player but soon traded up to a cassette of Jon Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet.” Readers like Claudette and Laura loved their first vinyl even though the topics went right over their heads; Claudette loved “Me and Mrs. Jones” and Laura loved “Hair.” Reader Donna L. enjoyed her copy of “Who’s That lady” by the Isley Brothers, until…
as soon as my dad got home from work, he came to my room and grabbed the record and broke it. He said he didn’t want me listening to Demon music.
A Final Note
It was lovely to read all the comments. I’ll let Reader Jana J. have the last word…
Virge, thank you so, so much for this article! Entertaining, fascinating, and uplifting … I just happened to open it this morning with my first cup of tea and sat and read every post. Marveling at the power of music and the role it played and plays in our lives.
We’ll leave the comments open for a while, so feel free to add your first vinyl album – and see you next time!
ORIGINAL TEXT
On June 1, digital music was born – at least, as far as many are concerned, with Napster, according to this summary. It changed how we hear music – but I’ll never forget my first vinyl album.
I am still resisting Spotify because I’d rather curate my own music. And besides, I like the sense of occasion that listening to an album creates. You picked one according to your mood, poured yourself (and your company, if you had any) an adult beverage, and perhaps indulged in other mood altering substances.
I still remember the albums my late husband played the first time I came over:
Go for Baroque (for Pachabel’s Canon) and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (for the Great Gig in the Sky).
Music Playlists
Over the years, I still curate music to match or even change my mood and to be honest, Mp3 files make it easy to mix and match: for uplift, Handel’s Messiah or the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth; for motivation, Right Now by Van Halen featuring the peerless work of Guitar God Eddie Van Halen (still missed!):
and This Could All be Yours Someday by Guster.
Vinyl Rules
Still I hold on to my vinyl and continue to add to my collection and play them (and isn’t it funny that the younger folks have rediscovered vinyl?). And in my case, it all goes back to my very first album when I went to Tower Records and bought Sly and the Family Stone Greatest Hits. (Number two was Simon and Garfunkle).
Now my collection spans vinyl, CD’s, audio cassette (yes!) and audio files…but I think my original vinyl – not the remastered stuff! – still sounds best.
Your Turn
But that’s me. How about you? What was the first album you bought – and why? Do you still listen to it? Share your experience in the comments!
Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send Open Thread suggestions to editor@seniorplanet.org.
