Forty years ago today, a magnificent revolution swept across the music industry, making albums more accessible and enhanced audio playback.
The Compact Disc became popular in the late 1980s and evolved into a hallmark of 90s and early-aughts culture. Better than cassette tapes and smaller than vinyls, CDs changed how and where we listened to music. Buying (or receiving) your first CD was no joke. It was a seminal moment for anyone who grew up during that era and one that can’t be replicated.
No one will be able to remember the first song they streamed or which album they first pirated on Napster or Limewire—conversely, we’re unable to forget the sheer annoyance of seeing a file download a bit too fast only to hear this when we clicked play.
So the FTW crew searched the depths of our childhoods memories to share the first CD we owned. It’s a moment that will probably never be recreated in culture again, but one that meant so much at the time.
Charles Curtis: Blind Melon - Blind Melon
“The year was 1994. I had just gotten a big stereo system for a Bar Mitzvah present that included my first CD player (it was all cassette tapes before that, yes I’m that old). I was at a school Earth Day event in which people sold their used stuff, and sitting out on a table for $5 was Blind Melon’s self-titled album, with the Bee Girl from the ‘No Rain’ video right on the cover. Had to have it, even though that song had been huge for about a year.”
Christian D’Andrea: No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
“My first CD was a hand-me-down from an older sister who had no interest in Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten’ (idiot). My first purchased CD? A used copy of No Doubt’s absolute banger for $3 at a flea market. That disc got put to the screws before eventually fading away, replaced by Weezer’s ‘Blue Album’ and vague memories of the entirely-too-loud snare drum of Sunday Morning.”
Caroline Darney: Alanis Morrisette - Jagged Little Pill
“…Or Ace of Base. Now I can’t remember.”
Brian Floyd: Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
Blake Schuster: AC/DC - Back In Black
Mary Clark: Backstreet Boys - Backstreet Boys
“Like many girls who grew up in the 1990s, my original musical love was the Backstreet Boys! The first CD I ever owned was the first Backstreet Boys album, which accompanied me everywhere as a kid as I listened to it constantly with those old portable CD players. So many fond memories of being a Backstreet Boys kid growing up.”
Grae Gleason: Spice Girls - Spice World
“I stole it from my older brother and wrote my name on it with a Sharpie so he couldn’t claim it as his.”
Robert Zeglinski: Ace of Base - The Sign
“Hand-me-down to a five-year-old me. Incredibly formative and forever slaps, will not elaborate further.”
Michelle Martinelli: NSYNC - 'N SYNC
Prince J. Grimes: Nas - Nastradamus
“Little did I know at the time that would go down as one of his worst albums.”
Bryan Kalbrosky: Aaron Carter - Aaron’s Party
“I was interested in learning how he beat Shaq. It was much easier for him than I expected.”
Michael D. Sykes II: Kanye West - College Dropout
“I actually stole it from a cousin who’d been searching for the album in her collection for years before I revealed I’d gotten my greasy 12-year-old paws on it. Undoubtedly a classic album, you don’t really get anything of substance like this from Kanye anymore. He mostly just sucks now. I’ll always be grateful for this album and those times, though.”
Cole Huff: Lil Bow Wow - Beware of Dog
Evan Thorpe: Lil Bow Wow - Beware of Dog
“Bow Wow Wow, Yippie Yo Yippe Yay. Where my dogs at? Bark with me now!
“Back in 2000 not only was I the BIGGEST Lil Bow Wow fan but I wanted to be Lil Bow Wow. I had braids and only wore big ass jerseys to school. So when his first album came out in 2000, I HAD to get it for my birthday. And I got the OFFICIAL CD, not a burned copy from the barbershop. I think the CD is still at my Mom’s house with my name on it so people knew that was MY CD.”
Alex McDaniel: Celine Dion - Falling Into You
Editor’s Note: No explanation was provided. None was necessary.
