Friday 22 June 2018

About CDs

I was genuinely excited when CDs were introduced. Technology and music, two things I have always been passionate about, coming together. What was not to like?

I wasn't one of the vinyl purists who bemoaned the lack of surface noise, the compression, the benefits of analogue. By contrast, as someone whose music collection included an unhealthy amount of cassette tape, I wasn't just ready for the new format, I was desperate for it.

Before I bought the hi-fi featured yesterday, my first CD player was a Philips D6800 portable effort, the size of a fairly substantial hardback book and soon prone to skipping. Having bought that in an Argos sale, I was ready to buy some actual CDs. And my first foray into this shiny new world was at a now-defunct shop with the awful-in-retrospect name of See These CDs. I bought not one, but two, blowing £28 in the process. And these are what I bought. Yes, these are my first CD purchases, photographed on the dining table this morning some 28 years later. Brand new, these two would set me back £12 now...

Both excellent, still. Here's a track from each.

12 comments:

  1. Out of Time by REM and Rites of Passage by the Indigo Girls purchased on a trip to Boston before I even owned a CD player!

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    1. Nice. As was buying CDs before owning a CD player - you had clearly seen the future!

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    2. I felt that when I got one I would need something to play!

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    3. Can't argue with that logic!

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  2. See These CDs? In Norwich? I knew the owner!

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    1. The very same. Spent a lot of time in there in my student days.

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  3. The conundrum was buy CDs first, and then get a player. Or get a CD player and then have nothing to play?
    I went for the first option and Jimmy Page's Outrider (my first CD - you always remember your first) went unheard for about 18 months.

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    1. Seems hard to imagine now, in these days of streaming services and cheap, or even free, MP3s.

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  4. The Man Of Cheese27 June 2018 at 13:16

    Languishing in a plastic tub in my loft are the first 2 I bought-Going Steady(The singles) by The Buzzcocks and a compilation by The Ramones. As I couldn't afford any others for a while they were played near constantly for many weeks. Then it was the pleasure of the reduced CDs in Woolworths,or even better those that had lost their sleeves and could be had for a steal.

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    1. Oh yes, mate, now you're talking. Buzzcocks' Going Steady is one of those albums that I think every home should own, a bit like Snap!, George Best, Hatful of Hollow, The Stone Roses first album... actually, "albums every home should own" would make quite a good blog series...

      And yes, I have a fair few CDs bought cheap without sleeves too.

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  5. I can't remember what I bought first, but I quickly got suckered into trying to replace my favourite vinyl with CD versions. One of the first CDs I know I owned was Faith by George Michael...but I'm pretty sure I had the LP first.

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    1. Ah, the format sucker punch. I replaced loads and loads of cassette tape.

      Hipsters are probably replacing their CDs with vinyl now...

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