Re: Let’s come clean with each other....

Oh, we’ve probably already done this thread, but maybe not...

-your first 45

- your first lp

- your first lp which you considered punk/new wave/ alternative

- your most embarrassing music-related admission

For me:
-monster mash

-after kiddy albums, my first self-purchased lp was billy Joel’s ‘52nd Street’. It was new at the time, my friends liked him. I’m still surprisingly kind toward his music because of our history.

-probably the Police debut, though I think Regetta de blanc was already released. This was what I saw as my first ‘non-mainstream’ purchase. The gateway drug.

-as a pre- and early teen, I was certain that the soundtrack to The Bee Gees / Frampton ‘sgt peppers’ was FAR SUPERIOR to anything those dirty hairy hippies the Beatles could come up with.

First 45: "Philadelphia Freedom" b/w "I Saw Her Standing There" - Elton John
First album (that I purchased myself): Elton John - Greatest Hits (the one where Elton wears a white suit & hat on the cover)
First punk/new-wave album purchases: The debut albums by Devo and The B-52's, bought the same day at the same store, when I was a senior in HS. (I had a few albums already by artists who would eventually show up in the first Trouser Press guide -- David Bowie, Cheap Trick, Blondie, Television -- but I didn't think of any of them, at the time, as being "alternative" to anything.)
Most embarrassing music-related admission: I have a lot of embarrassing ones, but I can't think of one that stands out to me as "most" embarrassing. Let me get back to you.

First 45: Paul McCartney - Coming Up; our three local rock stations always only played the b-side, which was the live Wings version of the solo a-side, which surprised the hell out of me when I first dropped the needle in the groove shortly after purchase...

First LP: The Beatles / 1967-70; my friend Ron had me listen to a tape of it during free period in junior high and I was hooked right from the start...

First punk/new wave/alternative LP: The Undertones - All Wrapped Up; I distinctly remember being intrigued by the cover image and ultimately purchased it on the strength of the back cover liner notes...

My most embarrassing music-related admission: Criticizing Iggy And The Stooges’ Raw Power as being a lame-ass live album of no consequence without ever hearing a note of it, basing my misguided opinion on the cover image...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/2020 12:04AM by the 801.

I am really OLLLLD!

First 45: "Imagine" - John Lennon. I wanted to buy a record, this meant a 45 at the age of seven, I asked my parents to stop at a hippie record store we passed by in the San Fernando Valley and I went in there with my dollar and had no idea what to buy, only that I wanted a record, which I though were the greatest things - even at that age. I had just started listening to KHJ-AM the previous year and was hearing Top 40. I didn't know what to buy as I had limited knowledge of the bands names. I was in there for about 20 minutes before my mom came in after me and I had to make a choice. I recognized Lennon from The Beatles, who had just broken up by that time, I think, and went with that. I had not previously heard the single prior to purchase. I played it on my inherited RCA tube record player that ONLY played 45s.

First LP: "Naturally" Three Dog Night

First New Wave LP: Hard to remember exactly. Maybe DEVO "Duty Now For The Future?"

Most embarrassing music related admission: On first listen I disliked the albums "Black Sea" and "Living In The Plastic Age." On second - completely different reaction.

Former TP subscriber [81, 82, 83, 84]

[postpunkmonk.com]
For further rumination on the Fresh New Sound of Yesterday®



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2020 05:17PM by Post-Punk Monk.

Maybe not so embarrassing, but the music-related memory that stings the most: passing up the chance to see Queen in 1982, on the grounds that I had to work that night. I could've called in absent, but I just figured, "I'll catch 'em next tour."

Probably the most embarrassing one involved seeing the cover of metal band Jag Panzer's debut record in the store.



I took this record to the counter and asked the clerk, "Jeez, what kind of degenerates would have an album cover like this?" He pointed to two very tough-looking, very indignant-looking metal dudes behind me and replied, "Why ask me? You can go ahead & ask them yourself."

Yeah, but at least you missed the "Hot Space" tour. As a Queen hater*, I am amused by the ire cast towards that album. It's just another Queen album to me.



* But not a Queenhater




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2020 09:40AM by Post-Punk Monk.

> Yeah, but at least you missed the "Hot Space" tour.

One might see that as a silver lining, if one had been an archetypal stateside Queen fan -- i.e., a fan who used to like Queen, but who gave up on the band after (A) they started including synthesizers on their records, (2) they embraced more dance-oriented material (along with other songs in their usual style), and/or (iii) Freddie changed his appearance to look less glam and more gay. None of those applied to me. I didn't think Hot Space was the group's best work, but I sure didn't hate it.

But the Hot Space Tour included Queen's first Colorado appearance since their debut American tour, when they opened for Mott The Hoople in 1974. And as it turned out, that 1982 show in Denver was the band's last appearance in my home state. Opportunity gone for good.

You all have much better memories than I do. I also tend to wrap up records that were gifts or my parents' records that I listened to a lot when I think of this kind of stuff. But that's not in the original proposal, so we'll go with money spent.

Let me see...

1st 45 purchased with my own money: Pretty sure it was Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy."

1st LP purchased with my own money: I have been wracking my brain about this. I remember the first LPs that were considered mine (given to me by my dad as Xmas or birthday presents), but not what I bought for myself. I think it was a cassette of Survivor's Vital Signs. I bought a 45 of U2's "Pride" at the same time.

1st punk/new wave/alternative LP: If you count the Smithereens, it was their Especially For You album. (I bought Richard Thompson's Daring Adventures at the same time, if that counts.) If not, it was the Sex Pistol's Never Mind the Bollocks on cassette. A customer at the bookstore I worked at, with whom I often talked music, couldn't believe I hadn't heard it, and made a dub for me. I then had to have my own copy.

Most embarrassing music-related admission: This is only tangentially related to TP music, but I'm counting this one because I fucked up in public...twice.

Years ago, I was sent to cover Coliseum (who I hope to write an entry about for this site) at the Relapse Records showcase at SXSW. I was blown away by their heavy-as-hell, prog-and psych-frosted black metal and wrote a glowing review. (Coliseum fans in the audience are now thinking, "Black metal? Wait a minute...")

A few years later, I was assigned Coliseum's album Sister Faith for review in The Big Takeover. I was shocked by the shift from metal to postpunk, and said so in the review. (Still my favorite Coliseum album, by the way.)

It was probably a year later that I realized that, back then, it was not Coliseum I saw, but Tombs, who were on right after Coliseum. (This revelation came after soaking myself in both band's catalogs, and seeing Coliseum again at Chaos in Tejas.) All these years later I'm still not sure if the bands switched timeslots, or I just misunderstood the times. But that mistake influenced not one, but two reviews, both of which are in print, so no taking backsies. Nobody's ever said anything to me, but I cringe whenever I think of either.

1st 45: My mother and my maternal grandmother gave me a bunch of their old Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Chuck Berry singles, and I listened obsessively to them. (I was fortunate enough to see the King in concert in 1974.) The first 45 I can remember anyone buying for me was “Suspicious Minds” b/w “You’ll Think of Me.” I love, love, love both of those songs. If I recall correctly, the first single that I ever bought was Dickie Goodman’s 1975 novelty hit, “Mr. Jaws.” The second single that I bought was David Bowie’s “Golden Years.” I wish I could say that I bought the Bowie disc first!

Incidentally, one of the records my grandmother gave me was a 10-inch 78 Chess single of “Maybellene” b/w “Wee Wee Hours,” which I accidentally dropped and broke in half when I was six or so. I was inconsolable for a week.

1st Album / 1st Trouser Press-type Album: My Grandmother bought me a copy of The Touch of Leonard Nimoy. She also bought me various Elvis albums, and gave me her copies of Meet the Beatles and Beatles ’65. As a rule, I was pretty good at convincing either my parents or Grandmother to buy me records. The first album I ever bought, which also qualifies as a TP-type lp, was Blondie’s Parallel Lines. Deborah Harry was my Farrah Fawcett.

My most embarrassing musical admission: I was a big fan of Ray Stevens’ single “The Streak,” which Grandmother, god rest her soul, bought for me. I also somehow came into possession of a 45 of Wendy Bagwell’s “Here Come the Rattlesnakes (Parts 1 & 2),” a comic monologue concerning his gospel group the Sunliters’ performance at a Kentucky snake handling church, which at the time sounded simply insane to me.

First 45: I've never been big into 45's, but the oldest I own is the Inmates "Dirty Water" b/w "I Can't Sleep". Still holds up.

First LP: The Beatles Yellow Submarine. Traded it in a few years later as part of a load with which I bought used copies of Systems of Romance by Ultravox and Magic, Murder and the Weather by Magazine. Big win on that trade.

First punk/new wave LP: I received Think Pink by the Fabulous Poodles as a Christmas gift; a few months later I bought London Calling with my own hard-earned money. I still have both.

Most embarrassing: this is really bad. In the early 90's. Nickelback was being promoted as part of the wave of new alternative groups coming out of the British Columbia scene (alongside others like Moist, I Mother Earth and the like). I had only heard one or two songs from their first few records, that sounded alright, so I bought their new record, Silver Side Up when it was given a push by my local record store, just before they made it really, really big. Took me half of one listen to realize I'd made a terrible mistake and there was nothing alternative or good to be heard on that cd.

-your first 45
I have no idea where it came from, but I had a 45 of Bay City Rollers "S-s-s-aturday ni-ight"

- your first lp
That I purchased with my own money? I really don't remember! I*think* it was something Hall & Oates related. I loved those guys when I was like 10-11 years old. Let's go with Voices.

- your first lp which you considered punk/new wave/ alternative
This one I remember...Outlandos d'Amour on cassette

- your most embarrassing music-related admission
In high school, I thought the Red Hot Chili Peppers were the greatest thing. As an adult, I chalk it up to the folly of youth. Listening to them now makes me cringe.

First 45: Jim Stafford "Cow Patti"

First LP: Foreigner "Double Vision"

First LP which you considered punk/new wave/ alternative: Blondie "Eat to the beat". I got my dad to buy me the record because I loved the song "Dreaming" that I had heard on the radio (still one of my all time favs). My cousin told me they were a Punk band so that made them even more exciting to me at the time.

Embarrassing music admission: I was born in 1969 so my earliest musical memories start in the mid 70's. I distinctly remember hearing the song "Hotline" by the Sylvers and telling my parents it was my favorite song of all time. I must have been 7 years old at the time. Is there a more 70's song?

[www.youtube.com]

-your first 45: Theme from Star Wars - Meco. Every week my brother and I would listen to Casey Kasem hoping that the Star Wars theme would be number one. It never did, this was when "You Light Up My Life" was number one forever.

- your first lp: Steve Miller - Book of Dreams.

- your first lp which you considered punk/new wave/ alternative: Devo - Are We Not Men? - I didn't know anything about it before I bought it. Dynamite magazine had published a list of weird bands (Kraftwerk was one) and Devo had been mentioned as being descended from a race of brain-eating apes. So when the record store had that album as part of a 3 for $10 deal, I had to get it. Listening to that for the first time was quite an experience but obviously I liked it because I continued to buy their albums as they came out.

- your most embarrassing music-related admission: one of those other albums I bought was Styx "Pieces of Eight"and from time to time still listen to Styx songs (sorry, Delvin).

-your first 45 pretty sure it was Delta Dawn by Tanya Tucker, it was catchy and my mom liked it so she let me buy it. I was like 5-6 years old!

- your first lp the first one that I actually purchased was Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder. The first album that I remember my sisters buying was Toys in the Attic, we used to have dance parties to that record. So good. I also remember wearing out Carol King Tapestry and the Carpenters . Also can't leave out the king, Elvis.

- your first lp which you considered punk/new wave/ alternative The Clash first one and London Calling were my introductions. However very soon after when MTV came out I discovered a ton of music and genres I had never heard before. I still remember coming home from HS in 1981? and turning on MTV for the first time. It was like I went into a trance, this can't be real!

- your most embarrassing music-related admission well this one is pretty easy for me. I absolutely love Wham and George Michael, Erasure, Yazoo and many others. I can really embarrass myself trying to sing Midnight by Yazoo. I have been "caught" many times by the misses belting that one out when I thought I was alone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2020 05:03PM by upper90.

... there's nothing wrong with Yaz or Erasure. I'm not a Wham! fan but some of George Michael's stuff still holds up.

I suspect I'm younger than some of you. My mom has a great record collection (much of which made it to me, including Paul Simon, Joan Baez, Miles Davis, Modern Jazz Quartet, Dylan, and others), but I recall the first pop cassettes given to me as the soundtrack to CATS and then Huey Lewis and the News' Perfect World.

R.E.M. really changed my life with "The One I Love" and "End of the World as We Know It" and Green was probably the first cassette I had specifically asked to buy. I saw that world tour at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, although that wasn't my first concert — I saw Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine at the closing ceremony of the Pan American Games. Then I got Murmur and was completely confused. I spent summer between junior and senior years of high school working as a park ranger in Oregon and remember the other, college-aged kids playing a lot of Indigo Girls, 10,000 Maniacs, Jimmy Buffett, and similar in the trucks. Tori Amos' Little Earthquakes came out at the start of 1992, my senior year of high school, and I saw and VCRed the performance of "Crucify" on late-night television. Around the same time, perhaps the same night, I saw Richard Thompson and Crowded House on one of the late-night music video shows ... and those are still core artists to me almost 30 years later.