Friday 22 August 2008

The first record I ever bought

I loved music from an early age and by the age of 4 or 5 would sit and play piles of old records on an old mono record player - one of those old ones in a wooden box with an hinged lid and a speaker at the front. It had a long spindle that allowed you to stack up about 10 disks at once and drop a new one down when the previous song had finished. Ah, technology!

I would listen to The Beetles, Elvis, The Beach Boys, The Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, Tommy Steel, Bill Hayley and a load more that I have forgotten.

Then I started getting pocket money! My older brother realised that if he saved 2 weeks money he could afford a 45 (an old fashioned CD with one song on each side), so I started doing the same thing. I remember standing in the shop looking at the list of the top 30, trying to decide which song to buy. I remember narrowing it down to 2 songs - Robin Gibb's "Saved by the Bell" lost out to this one - Humble Pie's "Natural Born Boogie". The second one to sing is Peter Frampton, who some of you will have heard of even if you haven't heard of Humble Pie!

Have a good weekend! I have a half day today and Monday is August Bank Holiday, so back again on Tuesday! Hah!

9 comments:

Sid said...

My parents never really played music all the time. I got into it quite late and now I'm listening to music all the time. Think I'd die without my iPOD.

Rock Chef said...

Hi Sid - welcome to my blog! I don't have an iPod, I already have enough tunes buzzing around in my head.

You have a blog called GIS and remote sensing. I use GIS a fair bit.

Anonymous said...

I've never heard this one, but I LIKE it!

I know it wasn't the first one I bought, but I remember buying "My Sharona" by the Knack on a 45. Of course, now knowing what the song is really all about, it amazes me that my parents obviously never really listened to what we were listening to!

Ali said...

Okay, so I never bought a 45 till I was about 22 years old - and it was "Return to Me" by Dean Martin. I don't have anything to even play it on, but I love Dean Martin too much to have left it in the store.

I think the first music I ever bought myself was the "Roxette - Look Sharp" tape (yes, tape :) I was an 80's baby remember?) I still have that tape somewhere, even though I don't have anything to play it on either. :)

Have a great long weekend!

Um Naief said...

Gosh, I used to be in love w/ Peter Frampton!!

I still have some 45s, but no record player to play them, altho I did see one in a store the other day. I've saved lots of records as well. I had one of those type of players that would allow you to stack so many 45s and drop one down at a time... those were the days!!! :)

I don't remember what record I first purchased.... I was young though and would buy those silly records, and I went thru a huge stage of loving 60s music, since I was in love w/ The Fonz!!! :)

Chris said...

C'mon, no Rolling Stones?

I have always been more of a Stones fan than a Beetles fan.

People think I'm crazy when I say that I really don't care for the Beetles...

kenady said...

Record players? When I was a kid I had a Disney record player and I would listen to "Cinderella" (the whole movie) on the record. The record cover was actually a book, so you could follow along while you listened. And then I would boogie to the Cinderella songs:) It was loads of fun.

My music currency was mainly 8-tracks and cassette tapes. I had the 8-track soundtrack to "Xanadu" and I would roller skate around the drive way while listening to all the songs.

Thanks for bringing back all of those memories! Have a great weekend:)

Sitting In Silence said...

I have never heard of it either but I sure remember those records...my grandparents had heaps and I used to love going through all the covers and staring at them ...xox

Rock Chef said...

Terri - Glad you like it. I remember My Sharona, but didn't listen to it enough to work out what it was about!

Ali - Most people your age have never even heard of Dean Martin! You are too cool. And Roxette - they were huge, weren't they?

Um Naief - In love with Peter Frampton AND the Fonz? A strange mixture there!

Chris - Of course! I remember playing "Honkey Tonk Woman" over and over again. Later my older brother became an avid Stones fan, but I like them less. The Beetles did some good stuff (and a lot of trash) and I remember thinking it was the end of the world when they split up.

Kenady - We still have some of those records - Pinochio, Winnie the Pooh and Snow White, I think. 8-track? Wow, I had forgotten about those things! The continuous loop used to drive me nuts! We had a lodger who played Elvis 8-tracks all day - I would count how many times "Teddy Bear" came on...

Sitting in Silence - The covers is one thing that I really miss - CD covers just don't have the impact of a well designed LP cover, and with downloads you don't even get that! I didn't expect anyone to know that song - even most people my age don't know it!