1982 was the first calendar year in which I purchased music for myself. Prior to then, the only music in the house that didn't spill out of the radio belonged to my parents. But in 1982, I purchased one album on vinyl and one album on cassette tape.
The vinyl I bought was Duran Duran's Rio. "Hungry Like the Wolf" was the single that sold me. At the time, I thought it was the coolest track, ever. Then, I heard "Save a Prayer" and "Rio". I loved this album.
At the time, I kept hearing this track on CFTR by the Stray Cats called "Rock This Town". Prior to this period in my life when I discovered Top 40 music, my diet had primarily consisted of Golden Oldies music from the 1950s found on compilation cassettes purchased at gas stations. I think this primed me for rockabilly and the Stray Cats scratched the itch. I bought Built for Speed on cassette and played that side one like crazy.
I still remember those six songs. "Rock This Town", "Built for Speed", "Rev It Up and Go", "Stray Cat Strut", "Little Miss Prissy" and "Rumble in Brighton". I loved them all.
What was the first album you ever owned?
