first CDs ever

About a month ago I posted about the thirtieth birthday of the CD (if you missed it you can check it out here) It was more of a look back on its history, the first CD ever released and all that kind of stuff. But instead of focusing on the slow demise of Gen X's music format of choice, I decided to ask some people what their first CD ever was and to remember how stoked they were to get it. Some of the albums are hilarious, some are terrible and some are killer. 

Since I'm much too old and bitter to think that the younger generation could listen to anything but garbage I though for a laugh I would ask a couple of the younger servers at work what their first CD was. Bob Marley "Legend" was the first girls' reply. Crap.. that's pretty solid. I was semi-shocked, expecting to get a response along the lines of Spice Girls.  The next kid, a nightclub employee named Cody admitted that he put money in Fred Drust's pocket and purchased Limp Bizkit's "Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavoured Water." Now we're back in business, that is absolute garbage. My faith in my lack of faith in the young kids' music has been restored. 

Matt Spencer of Lost Mile Productions rocked out to Stone Temple Pilots "Purple" early one, which may have been their last killer record. Hybrid Fighting Method founder T.J. Kennedy also rocked out to some 90's grunge, purchasing Soundgarden's breakthrough record "Superunknown, as was Devin, a Toronto bartender who cranked out the record that started it all, Nirvana's "Nevermind" after his official first CD, Poison's "Flesh & Blood" proved to be unsatisfactory. Jessica Cameron (follow here here @JessicaCameron_) who has appeared in every indie horror film in the last few years it seems danced to Madonna's "True Blue" after playing the cassette version to death. Toronto based personal trainer Cassandra Hope also went with Madge early on going with the Material Girls greatest hits compilation "The Immaculate Collection."

Not too many hip hop albums on here, and these shouldn't even qualify.. but it's the closest we got. "Space Jam" the soundtrack (didn't Michael Jackson's video from the film have Kriss Kross and Macauley Culkin in it?) was purchased by Toronto actor/writer Gerry. I'm pretty sure I saw the video, presented by Master T on XTendamix. Remember that show? It was like "Rap City" only much smoother. Less confrontational. Anyways, the World's Sexiest Comedian Nicole Arbour was bumping the aforementioned XTendamix's Much Dance Mix 1992 on her boom box (Sorry, is that terminology terribly outdated?). Remember when they used to have music videos on that Much channel? Toronto bartender Charlie got jiggy with it to Will Smith's "Big Willie Style," while actor Josh hung tough and was willing to admit his first disc was New Kids On the Block. Muskoka funnyman Tyler Morrison's father certainly wasn't joking around when he bought Tyler copies of ACDC "Who Made Who" and "Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap" which we all know are pretty bad ass records. 

North Toronto restauranteur and long time rocker Dan (Drums & Flats) got into CDs early on, mid 80s, and among his first purchases were U2's "Rattle & Hum" and Dire Straits "Brothers In Arms." The Dire Straits album was also the first choice of retired musical suit Scott, who also remembers buying a Sting album, the current one at the time with his first CD player. Christina, a graphic designer was loving the hair/glam rock, turning up Def Leppard "Retroactive" (a compilation of bsides and outtakes spanning the bands entire history.. ya) to an 11 of a possible 10. Karen, a bar manager, spun Guns & Roses' "Appetite For Destruction" in the late 80s, as was most of the country, whereas Toronto trainer Karen listened to the "Romeo & Juliet" soundtrack during her teenage years in the mid 1990s.

Jason Loewenstein, of Sebadoh and Circle Of Buzzards' first CD was Slint's last. "Spiderland" was released on Touch & Go in 1991. He also remembers a very early purchase of Mission Of Burma's "Rykodisc Collection" which had the longest running time of any album at the time of its release (nice little factoid Jay!). Crimes In Paris vocalist Rayce Veitch got his punk rock on with the simultaneous purchase of the Offspring's "Americana" and NOFX's "Punk In Drublic", while Crimes guitarist Stu Miller chose the classic rock stylings of the Forrest Gump soundtrack (a double album of great classic rock tracks). Gizz Lazlo, member/former member of US Bombs, Kill Detail, Dead Lazlo's Place and The Freeze, has what may be the best first album, Montreal rockers' Doughboys third album "Happy Accidents." He said when he first saw the oddly shaped case he scooped it up immediately and called it a good day. Ottawa based punkers Off By An Inch's singer Chris' got Down By Law's "punkrockacademyfightsong" after years of collecting cassette and records. The Clearing's vocalist Stephan got a copy of Duran Duran's "Decade" as a gift along with his first CD player from his uncle. The first album he actually went out and purchased was Megadeth's "Countdown To Extinction."

Anyways, that's about all. The actual release date of the first CD player/CD was the first of October 1982 when the number one song was John Cougar Mellancamp's "Jack & Diane," the number one film was E.T. and people couldn't get enough of Dallas and the Ewing family on the tele. Not sure if the CD will hit 40 or even 35 years, but it is nice to reminisce, so thanks for those who read this, who contributed and people who just love music. Cheers!

happy birthday CD!

Look what's almost 30 years old. Barely made it (and hasn't quite yet). The compact disc was released commercially in October of 1982. A optical digital audio disc had been in the works since the early 70s with Sony and Philips leading the charge. Sony demonstrated their first generation "compact disc" in September 1978, while Philips unveiled theirs in March 1979. The two companies decided to join forces an re-develop a disc and the neccesary player together. The first test CD was manufactured in Germany and contained Richard Strauss's "Eine Alpensinfonie," with a public demonstration following on a BBC program, playing the album "Living Eyes" by the BeeGees. ABBA's "The Visitors" was the first album to be mass manufactured, although Billy Joel's "52nd Street" was the first CD actually for sale, with a release date the same as Sony's first CD player on October 1, 1982. After being on the market for a few years and the player went down in price, it became the main format music was released on, peaking from 1992-2000. But, the CD got swallowed up in the digital media boom that they started. From their peak in 2000 to 2007, sales have dropped by almost half as people turn to digital downloads, streaming and satellite radio for their music needs. The first CD I ever got was Pearl Jam's "Versus" for my 13th birthday, the last one being the new Down By Law album "Champions At Heart" at their gig last week, but before that... no idea.

The compact disc was supposed to replace the LP (long play record) which had been the industry standard since 1948 (and record in some form have existed since before the turn of the 1900s). But you can't keep good quality down, as LPs have had a resurgence in the last few years, I think because they were tired of having music and having nothing with it. There is something about the packaging, inserts, artwork in its full intended size that make it feel like something special (even if it isn't). Not to mention the warmth of the sound. I got to go halfsies with my dad record collection with my sister, and scored some classics, and I love scratches... Makes the sound even better, unlike CDs where if it get scratched, not only does it not play but it won't eject and you have to go at it with a butter knife to extract the CD. The problem with records is the size, which is also the best part. Weird how that works.. My grandfather used to own a car dealership, and one of the mechanics actually designed a way to play 45s (no LPs) in his vehicle with a spring loaded kind of contraption that hung under neath the dash. No report on whether it worked worth a damn. First record I bought, that was not acquired from my dad, was Strung Out's "Twisted By Design" and the last one was King Crimson's "Beat" off of eBay. 

So since records couldn't be moved to a car, another format had to be introduced. Since they recorded on big 3-4 inch tape in the studio, a brain wave came along to have a miniature tape and a tiny little spool with lots of moving mechanical parts. The first one was, in my opinion, a disaster. It was the 8 track, developed by a slew of companies, including General Motors and Ford. Mostly a North American phenomenon, no one in Europe really adopted the format. It would jam when it was too hot out, or would spit the tape out at you (while the cartridge itself remained in the player) when it was cold out. Could play when they got dirty and there was definate head alignment issues. The 8 track was phased out of stores in the fall and winter of 1982 and were made available on as mail orders or in "tape clubs" through a couple labels like RCA and Columbia. Apparently, Kurt Cobain wanted Nirvana's third and final studio album "In Utero" to be put out on 8 track, as well as the standard (in 1993) CD and cassette versions. I only have one 8 track. Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors" for 10 cents at a yard sale.

During around the same time as the invention of the 8 track, there was also an audio cassette (cassette, tape), which had a lousier resolution than that of a (properly working) 8 track, and was semi-popular, particularily among bootleggers, but really took off at the start of the 1980s with the introduction of the Sony Walkman and by the late 80s cassette outsold the LP and the CD. The demise of the cassette coincided with the drop in prices in CDs and the players, offering much better sound quality (even though the audio quality of early CDs is debatable) for a slightly higher prices and once CD became the default media in cars it all but put the nail in the cassettes coffin. The first album anyone got for me was a cassette my dad gave me on my 8th or 9th birthday, what every kid needs, Def Leppard's "Hysteria." Awesome. The most recent one was found at a Salvation Army. Doughboys' "Crush" for 50 cents. I don't have a cassette player, and I have it on MP3 and CD so I probably won't listen to it, but whatever, someone should have it.

So digital downloads are winning right now. 

That's all. If you would like to read about more audio formats then ask that google guy. He knows everything. Have a good night kids!