I got my first CD player when I was 13-years-old; it was very exciting for me. It was a large boom box proudly purchased at Circuit City, when your order would still come out of the back and down a conveyor belt. Until that point in time I had been living in a world of cassette tapes, almost wearing out the tape of the soundtrack to The Lion King. But when I got my first CD player I was ushered into a world of lasers and optical readers, which I would proudly inhabit for the next decade.
Along with my first CD player came my first CD. I had a lot of options back in 1994. The musical landscape was populated with the likes of Pearl Jam playing their grunge rock and Ace of Base trying to usurp ABBA’s throne as the most popular Swedish export not found at Ikea. Among the numerous musical choices at my disposal, though, one artist rose above all the others. The first CD I ever purchased in my life was none other than Alapalooza by Weird Al Yankovick.
In my defense, in 1994, I was firmly rooted in the nerdiest period of my life. I watched Star Trek: The Next Generation religiously, I played Magic: The Gathering every day and spent my time at summer camp that year reading the Star Trek Encyclopedia. So, in light of how I chose to live my life, a Weird Al Yankovick CD made perfect sense. I was a nerdy kid from the suburbs so I wasn’t going to be listening to Snoop Doggy Dogg and I hadn’t yet developed a crush on Lisa Loeb.
It’s a little embarrassing that my first CD was a Weird Al Yankovick album. I look back on that purchase as a significant moment in my life, though. It was the first CD I bought for myself and that purchase helped me shape my own musical identity, independent from whatever my parents listened to on the radio.
What was the first album you ever purchased?
I'm pretty sure my first album was either Now 4 or Mandy Moore's So Real. My first boom box is still out in the garage collecting dust. My second one is sitting in my closet. Any buyers? Or anyone want an iMac that only needs a power supply to work? No? No one?
ReplyDeleteOuch. A collaboration of pop one-hit wonders is way worse than a Weird Al CD. Also, this is my blog, not your personal Craig's List.
ReplyDeleteMy first LP (that is what we called albums back in the day) was Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water". That is dating myself!
ReplyDeleteCobb, no wonder you like Simon and Garfunkel so much. Even though they're way before my time, I still think they're pretty great.
ReplyDelete