Do you remember your first cd?

Yes, I remember it. But - must I admit what it was? In my defense, I didn't "choose" it. :)

I worked all summer at the golf course (about age 15 I think) to make enough money to get a Pioneer "rack" system from Sears (LoL) that was $800. I had to earn $1,600 that summer as I made an agreement with my father, I could buy that stereo for $800, if I made $800 to put toward my college tuition. The wise man started making me realize if you work hard enough for it, you appreciate it more. (or I think so) Looking back, unfortunately I could have done much better for the money, but this was before I discovered the "high end"...

Anyhow, I worked all summer to make the dough and thought if I was paying retail for the system I asked the sales guy to throw in a cd, so he went over to the rack and came back with a cd and said, "Here is the #1 cd on the charts. It will sound great on your stereo." It happened to be *cough* Debbie Gibson's debut album. Being the first and only cd I had for a few days, it got much more play time than it deserved.

Well that system travelled with me to Ohio State and after discovering Progressive Audio across from campus and the better gear to be acquired, the Pioneer Rack system served well for spinning tunes at fraternity keg parties... :)

Now if that isn't embarrasing... both the cd & the system!

That's kinda funny. I remember the first LP I bought and that was ten years before CDs came out, but I have no idea what was the name of my first CD.

Liquid Liquid because the dealer couldn't get it on tape. Now it's worth $100. First and last time I made money in hi-fi.

Stop Making Sense by the Talking Heads. It was around 1984. I was living in Boston, working for minimum wage at a left-wing printshop. I had seen the movie with a girlfriend, and was blown away. About that time my roommate bought a stereo with a separate CD player. I didn't even know what a CD was. "Dynamic range" he said. Sure enough, it could play *loud* and clean. Actually I think it was his CD, but I made it mine, pogoing all over the apartment to "Burning down the House" when he wasn't home. Great CD, I'm going to have to buy a copy and relive the old days.

I travelled light for many years, just a little tape player and a lot of LPs (no turntable of my own, though), and finally couldn't stand tapes anymore, bought a CD boombox and what was probably the first CD I actually owned -- U-2s Achtung Baby. It's all intentionally distorted at the beginning -- and I panicekd and almost returned the CD player as defective! Now I listen to much more jazz and vocals (partly because that's what sounds good on my system!), but I still have and like that CD, and actually use it to audition new gear (sounds weird because it's so distorted in places, but one of the early songs starts with the drummer (Larry Mullen) clacking his drumsticks together, and I swear I can tell a lot about a system by how well it reproduces that "clack".

Recently got an LP player and starting playing my old LPs. Man, that resonates in every sense of the word.

- Eric

The first CD I bought was:
The Police-Zenyatta Mondatta in the Summer of 1984.