I don't remember much, but I remember......

This is embarrasing but it was Iron Maiden Somewhere in Time. Cut me some slack. I was young.

I don't have a clue what my first LP was, more than likely early Led Zeppelin or Spooky Tooth's "The Mirror". The most memorable was Born to Run by Springsteen I picked up when I was 16. I was out selling stuff on the street to raise money for the Ski Patrol and at the end of a long day we dropped by a local record emporium here in Montreal, Phantasmagoria. At the time I had a B&O turntable someone gave me (and I fixed), a NAD3020 integrated, and Mission speakers. I really wasn't familiar with Springsteen at the time, I was more into British rock and metal but bought it all the same, mostly cuz I liked the record cover. I'll never forget the first time I cued it up and listened to Thunder Road. I still love that record. My first CD was Peter Gabriel; I had bought a first generation "perfect sound forever" Yamaha CD player for $1200 and there were only two titles available, Gabriel and the 1812. Listened over and over again to the new digital wonder, and as much as I loved Gabriel's work, my ears kept telling me the CD phenomena wasn't quite as good as the hype. I bought the Gabriel release on vinyl to compare, and I went back to listening to my turntable to compare (a Thorens TD147 with an Ortofon pickup). I tried to return the CDP, no luck, and as a student who worked his ass off as a labourer all summer to raise the cash I was less than happy with wasting $1200.

First LP is a memory too faded to recall. I do remember my first Pioneer table, and how the Grado I had odered to go with it took what seemed like weeks to show up ( I was a ripe old 13 at the time). My first CD ... I was 15 and the first gen 2 players (read CHEAP) were at the local electronics superstore. I took all of my birthday money and $99 later I was on my way home with the player and a copy of Beethoven 6. I was in heaven until my music teacher had me bring the player over to listen to on his system. His Linn/Roland/RS-1B system revealed the player as the hunk of junk it really was. I bought records over CDs 3:1 until I was in college and couldn't afford to replace my dead Pioneer table. Bought a turntable a few months ago, and am returning to analog as a staple in my system again.

I don't remember the first LP that I bought (I'm pretty sure it was lame), but thankfully I remember the first LPs that I PLAYED (to the chagrin of my older sibs). At about age 6 or so, I played and played (and played) S&G "Bookends,", "Tommy" by The Who, and Iron Butterfly "Inagaddadavida" (unsure of spelling there). Aaaaah, that simplistic drum solo replays in me noggin sometimes.........I now have excellent LPs of the first two, and wouldn't waste my money on the third (in my opinion). Hmmmmm....I think I'll go play "Hazy Shade of Winter" right now! Thanks for the nostalgia trip tireguy!

As a cerfified geezer (72+), my first was a couple of 78 rpm jazz records by Johnnie Guarnieri bought sometime in the early-mid l940s, played on a Sears Silvertone phonograph with a cactus needle. Top that! I still have 'em and they never sounded better.