with Keavin Wiggins

In honor of Rocktober, instead of some heavy topic this month I thought that a little reader participation would be fun. This was a topic that was brought up recently on one of the few message boards I frequent and it was a lot of fun there.  What’s the topic you ask?  Your first! No, not that first, although that would make for some spicy reading! No, I’m talking about your first record, cassette and/or CD. 

I know I can speak for most of us when I say that the first record is like the first time, something you never forget. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a few firsts that clearly stick out in my mind. The very first record I personally owned, the first record I bought and the first CD’s I purchased. So I’ll write a little about those and then we’ll get to the best part, where you get to share your “first” in the Fan Speak! 

First record: The first record I personally owned is a bit of a cliché, it was The Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s”.  I was around 7-years-old and they had just aired this terrible made-for-TV movie based on the album (I thought it was cool at the time). A few days later I was over at my neighbor and best friend’s house and his sister was about to throw out her copy of “Sgt. Pepper’s”. I saw the name and snagged it.  I remember on first listen I was little disappointed that it wasn’t the soundtrack to the movie, with the recordings that were used in it. (Cut me some slack, I was just a kid!). But after a few spins, I feel in love with it. 

I recognized a lot of the songs from my mother playing them and from the radio. I am fortunate to have a really cool mom. Growing up she was constantly playing music and she had this insane record collection; must have been over a 1000 records in there ranging from classic rock to Motown to classical music. I was literally weaned on The Beatles, Stones, The Temptations, The Eagles, Marvin Gaye and even Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. 

Once I got my hands on a personal copy of “Sgt. Pepper’s” that was all she wrote, I played in constantly on this cheap little phonograph which had a cardboard box covered contact paper for a case and one tinny little speaker.  My mom saw what was happening and gave me a ton of old 45’s. The Stones’ “Satisfaction”, Marvin Gaye’s “Grapevine”, The Temp’s “My Girl,” The Four Seasons’ “Oh What A Night”, The Eagles “Hotel California”, Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and the pride of my collection The Beatles' “Nowhere Man,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “Help!”.  Not a day would go by over the next few years where I wouldn't break out the records and play them at top volume on my little phonograph. 

My mother added to my collection over time, picking up used copies of Beatles albums (she didn’t trust me with her copies), other classic rock stuff and a ton of KISS albums. 

The first record I even saved up for and bought was Def Leppard’s “Pyromania” (this was before they turned into a full on pop band).  Like I wrote about in the last antitorial, this was about the time that Quiet Riot’s “Cum on Feel The Noise” was getting constant spins on MTV, and it opened the little metalhead inside of me. 

There was an older kid who lived down the street named Johnny. He was about 16 and drove this cool primered muscle car. One day he asked me if I wanted to go with him to the record store.  He bought a copy of “Pyromania” and threw it in the tape deck for the drive home. Once I heard “Rock, Rock”, I was sold. I had to have that album and within a few weeks Johnny was driving me down to the record store to buy it. I literally wore it out, I played it so much. 

Fast forward about 3 years and CD’s were just becoming a more mainstream curiosity. That year I hoped and prayed that my parents would buy me a CD player for Christmas, but come that fateful, ol’ Santa Dad hadn’t left me one under the tree. So the day after Christmas I took the money I had saved up from my paper route and rode my bike down to the local stereo shop and bought a CD player. I rode my bike home and dropped that off and headed over to the record store and bought my first CD’s; Ozzy’s “Blizzard of Ozz” and KISS’s “Unmasked” (the only makeup era KISS CD on the market at that pointYes, growing up I was a huge KISS freak, which was really out of fashion. But that’s another story.) 

After that I spent the next few years replacing my record collection with their CD cousins. I have spent thousands of dollars over the years on music but out of all the records and CD’s I ever owned it was those first ones that will forever stick out in my mind. 

Now that you’ve sat through my longwinded recollections, it’s your turn to share your “First” stories.  Everyone has one, so don’t be shy; Tell us about it in the Fan Speak below. (If this works out, maybe we can do a first concert experience sometime in the coming months.) - Keavin

Fan Speak:
What was your first? 

Fan Speak:

Posted by Bret:
Queen's News of the World. The one with the big robot holding the dead members of the band. I liked sci-fi (still do) and thought that this was a wicked cover. The songs still hold up over time. Just ask anyone at a sprots event:"We are the Champions"...

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