The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / What Was The First LP Album You Purchased?

**Posted by mace** February 13, 2025 11:42 am

When I was in my teens I only bought 45 RPM records. Why? Many LP's in the early to mid 60's had an artists monster current hit plus a bunch of filler material. Much easier to go to Sam's and purchase only the songs you wanted for .66 each. When Progressive Rock became popular on FM stations, groups began to put a great deal more effort into the quality of the music recorded for their albums. The first three LP's I ever purchased were 1. Whipped Cream & Other Delights-Herb Alpert &the Tijuana Brass. 2. Get Ready-Rare Earth. 3. Bridge Over Troubled Waters-Simon & Garfunkle. My album collection grew over the years to include British Invasion groups, Funk, Motown, Disco, and most groups from the 70's and 80's that would fit the Classic Rock format today. I even have some Country [ish] stuff including Charlie Daniels and Marshall Tucker.

**Posted by Paul Jeffries** February 13, 2025 12:12 pm

The first LP record I bought with my own money was Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, back in 1978 when I was 11 years old. IIRC, record albums were somewhere in the price range of $8.99 at the time, so that took about a month's worth of saving up my $2 per week allowance. It was well worth it and it is still one of my favourite albums to this day. Although I did eventually by a CD copy of the album, I still have the vinyl record. It's not something I want to part with.

PJ

**Posted by Leslieville Bill** February 13, 2025 12:12 pm

I owned a few singles as a kid because they were cheap and my parents paid for them on occasion.

The first LP I bought with my own money was a New World Record by the Electric Light Orchestra.

It started a life long interest in ELO. I went to three of their concerts. The best was in 2016 when my wife and I were on vacation in the Netherlands. We splurged for row 8 tickets. It was a blast!

**Posted by Saul** February 13, 2025 12:31 pm

McCartney - RAM. As a 9 year old I liked the lyrics to Uncle Albert... But I ended up more Stones than Beatles (actually more Grateful Dead, Dylan, Doors, etc) . I still have almost all my vinyl, but only one is Beatles (white album).

**Posted by bbqguy1962** February 13, 2025 12:35 pm

I'm pretty sure the first one I bought was "Changes One - Bowie" - looking back I have no idea where I would have heard it as a 14 y/o. Somehow my parents let me go see him by myself at MLG in 1978 at 16.

**Posted by newsguy1** February 13, 2025 12:50 pm

With my own money?
I am pretty sure it was a Beatles album, but I can't remember which one.
I seem to remember it was "Help."
That was one of my favourite movies too.

**Posted by g121** February 13, 2025 12:50 pm

the first album i 'bought' (tbh, my mom bought on my insistence .. i was in grade 3 or 4) was ..

**Posted by RadioAaron** February 13, 2025 12:57 pm

**Posted by paterson1** February 13, 2025 1:11 pm

I can't really remember. It was either the Monkees first album or a K-Tel 24 Power Hits. I also would often just buy a single rather than the whole LP when I was a kid.

**Posted by Ale Ont** February 13, 2025 1:53 pm

First single I bought was "Easier Said Than Done" by the Essex.
First album Was Beatlemania.

**Posted by Jody Thornton** February 13, 2025 2:19 pm

I remember my first singles. I was five in 1975, and my mom noticed I never really took to GI Joe, but loved records, and my parents' VM Record Changer (branded as Viking from Eaton's). The singles were "Black Superman" from Johnny Wakelin, "Jackie Blue" from the Ozark's and "Magic" from Pilot. They were purchased at Sam's at Eastgate Square in Hamilton.

As for LPs though, I know I bought a couple compilations soon after from K-Tel, including Disco Party and The Platters. Terrible pressings, but I was too young to know better.

**Posted by Shorty Wave** February 13, 2025 2:31 pm

Like a few of you, I also used to buy singles, get the hit, skip the fillers! My first album though was “The Magician’s Birthday” by Uriah Heep. My sister was a fan and they rubbed off on me, plus it had a cool Roger Dean cover!

**Posted by Easily Amused** February 13, 2025 3:08 pm

I recall standing in the record department at Two Guys discount department store in Amherst and just about selecting 'The Who Sell Out'. I hesitated, put it back, and instead went with my alternate choice 'Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones Ltd'. 🙁

Fortunately, in later years my tastes refined.

**Posted by Tq345** February 13, 2025 5:08 pm

I too bought 45s as a youngster, mainly because they were the hits I heard on the radio, and because my parents were not music lovers, so all they had was one of those old portable phonographs. When I was 17 I was able to scrounge up enough to buy a secondhand Viking stereo with a turntable and built in radio tuner. It was just slightly better than the old phonograph, but good enough to finally invest in albums.

My first was Universal Juveniles by Max Webster, followed quickly by The River from Bruce Springsteen, and I was on my way ...

**Posted by steindaveman** February 13, 2025 7:13 pm

I used to win a lot of 45s from the local radio stations as a kid, and the occasional album. Sure wish I still had that Sly Stone pre Woodstock compilation. First one I remember purchasing with my own money was Hotel California, circa 78.

**Posted by RadioAaron** February 13, 2025 7:17 pm

Growing up, my grandmother from the UK would visit every summer, and she would bring with her the entire Top 20 45s from the UK charts as a gift each time. That was instrumental (ha!) in forming my love of music

**Posted by Muffaraw Joe** February 13, 2025 7:38 pm

I bought 2 Albums at Sam the Record Man, at Bayshore Mall in Ottawa.

Steely Dan- Can't buy a thrill and Elton John's- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

I was 13, I had taste.

**Posted by Dale Patterson** February 14, 2025 11:02 am

The Trogg's Greatest Hits (1966)

First single was Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys (also 1966). Actually. my mom bought it for me at Sam's. Not sure if I paid her back.

Last edited by Dale Patterson (February 14, 2025 11:05 am)

**Posted by darcyh** February 14, 2025 11:39 am

Great question and I should know the answer but really don't remember the first album.

I do remember my first 45 RPM single. It was "Crimson & Clover" Tommy James and The Shondels. Paid 69 cents for it at Dutch Boy food market on Margaret Avenue in Kitchener. I still have the record and it will play albeit very scratchy.

**Posted by DX** February 14, 2025 1:35 pm

Jody Thornton wrote:
I remember my first singles. I was five in 1975, and my mom noticed I never really took to GI Joe, but loved records, and my parents' VM Record Changer (branded as Viking from Eaton's). The singles were "Black Superman" from Johnny Wakelin, "Jackie Blue" from the Ozark's and "Magic" from Pilot. They were purchased at Sam's at Eastgate Square in Hamilton.

As for LPs though, I know I bought a couple compilations soon after from K-Tel, including Disco Party and The Platters. Terrible pressings, but I was too young to know better.

I was 12 at the time and those are three great singles. I consider Jackie Blue to be one of the best songs of the 1970s, and Magic was very good, lives on to this day as a pharmaceutical commercial jingle and I know for a fact that it was a pop rock song that was liked back in the day by a co-founder of a Canadian heavy metal band that is a household name to this day. The hidden gem is Black Superman, completely lost to time now, but an ear worm that rings through my head 50 years later, thanks to CKOC back in the day. My wacky conspiracy theory: if everyone had given the Black Superman song a chance when they were little kids, there would be no need for DEI.

**Posted by betaylored** February 14, 2025 4:48 pm

First purchase (with money I earned by mowing the lawn for my Dad): Bee Gees and their Main Course album.

The albums I bought as a tween, then teenager, that I listened to at university, Crime of the Century, Yellow Brick Road, I Robot, Night and Day, Regatta de Blanc, to this day, they're the most amazing vinyl time machines.

Last edited by betaylored (February 14, 2025 4:52 pm)

**Posted by Hansa** February 14, 2025 5:31 pm

I bought Glen Campbell's "I'll Paint You A Song" from the corner grocery store (yes, corner stores used to sell LPs). 8 or 9 year old me liked "Rhinestone Cowboy" but didn't realize that musicians could produce more than one album and that "Rhinestone Cowboy" wasn't on this one. In retrospect this may have turned me off country music for life. The album came out in 1975 so it must have been a remainder being sold at discount by the time it ended up at the grocery store because I doubt I could have saved up enough quarters at that age to buy a new release.

The second LP I ever bought was the Star Wars soundtrack.

Last edited by Hansa (February 14, 2025 5:34 pm)

**Posted by Jody Thornton** February 14, 2025 7:04 pm

@Hansa, was that the one with "Southern Nights"?

My dad had some Glen Campbell LPs that I enjoyed as a kid, including "By the Time I Get To Phoenix". There were some good LP cuts on that one, including "Hey Little One", "You're Young And You'll Forget", and Glen's rendition of "Homeward Bound", who's I much prefer to Simon and Garfunkel's.

As for other stuff, my dad made the unfortunate choice of switching to 8-track, and that was the only way to hear "Southern Nights" and "Rhinestone Cowboy" in our house.

**Posted by Hansa** February 14, 2025 7:16 pm

Jody Thornton wrote:
@Hansa, was that the one with "Southern Nights"?

Sadly not

Side 1:

"I'll Paint You A Song" (Mac Davis) - 4:08[2]
"Marie" (M. Torok, R. Redd) - 2:34
"Ol' Norwood's Comin' Home" (M. Torok, R. Redd) - 1:48
"Everything A Man Could Ever Need" (Mac Davis) - 2:29

Side 2:

"True Grit" (Don Black, Elmer Bernstein) - 2:29
"The Repo Man" (Mac Davis) - 1:54
"Norwood (Me And My Guitar)" (Mac Davis) - 2:37
"Private John Q" (Roger Miller) - 1:53
"Down Home" (Mac Davis) - 2:05

Last edited by Hansa (February 14, 2025 7:17 pm)

**Posted by mace** February 15, 2025 4:30 am

Now that we all have our very first record. What did you play it on? My parents didn't have one of those combination tv/radio/record player piece of furniture. We had a Seabreeze record player. It came with detachable speakers.

**Posted by Jody Thornton** February 15, 2025 4:39 am

I mentioned having an Eaton's Viking Record Player System. The plinth/chassis had an amplifier built in, with a Voice of Music record changer built in. It came with either two-way or ported single-driver speakers and a metal grille over top the drivers.

I went to lookup the changer a couple of days ago on the VM site, and this appears to be the changer mechanism pictured here. It came with a ceramic cartridge on it and a red flip stylus:

https://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/popup_pics.asp?FOLDER=modelfinderpics/r&FILE=A1272.jpg&TITLE=A1272

We also had a console from Westinghouse, where my grandfather worked. It had a BSR Monarch changer in it:

https://www.radiomuseum.org/images/radio/bsr_great_britain/plattenwechsler_ua15_1316661.jpg

**Posted by mace** February 15, 2025 8:12 am

And all record players had the capability of playing 16/33/45/78 rpm records.

**Posted by Jody Thornton** February 15, 2025 12:50 pm

mace wrote:
And all record players had the capability of playing 16/33/45/78 rpm records.

As did the VM Changer I mentioned

**Posted by JohnW** February 15, 2025 1:05 pm

Illinois Speed Press - Free Ride - in 1969.
Anybody remember that one?
I bought it specifically for the cut P.N.S. (When you come around)

Without giving my age away, my first 45 was Elvis's Hound Dog in 1956.

**Posted by Damian** February 15, 2025 10:48 pm

Boy, do I ever feel old
”Gunfighter Ballads” by Marty Robbins 1960