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Thanks to Nashville Cream for letting us know that today is the 60th birthday of the 45-rpm single, a format that debuted with Eddy Arnold’s “Texarkana Baby” b/w “Bouquet Of Roses” on March 31, 1949. They’re having readers delve into their record collections to find their favorite examples of that format, but I figured it would be fun to share our first vinyl-single purchases, and where they occurred. My first crush of 45s—all of which were purchased at Pathmark, back when grocery stores thought music was a viable income stream and back when I thought “b/w” was some weird code for the song on side “b” being in black and white (I was young, I dunno)—after the jump.
I was not allowed to watch the movie, and would not see it until some 20 years after the fact.
See above.
Eddie Rabbitt, “Drivin’ My Life Away”
Not sure where I heard this song first. On the radio? I think the New York-area station that was broadcasting Mets games at the time (WHN) was a country station back then.
[Embedding disabled, because Sony thinks it's ... yeah.]
The a-side was actually “My Life,” but I liked this song better. Plus it used the b-word.
Happy Birthday, 45-RPM Records [Nashville Cream]
[Pic via Collector's Quest]
i can’t remember exactly, but it was either:
1: ray parker jr., “Ghostbusters”
or
2: one of those star-wars read-along-and-turn-the-page-when-R2-beeps storybooks
my brother’s first 45 was, believe it or not, the theme to “Greatest American Hero”
I can’t recall exactly, but it was one of three:
Elliott Smith – Pretty (”Ugly Before”). This is most likely, because I generally didn’t/don’t have a lot of interest in 45’s)
Georgia Satellites – Keep Your Hands to Yourself, or
a Mates of State/Dear Nora split single (”These Days”/”Girl from the North Country”)
Yeah… I didn’t start buying 45s till late.
@doctaj: Ha, my first 45 was also that Ghostbusters record. The song’s intro also scared the hell out of me everytime (and it still creeps me out).
I later owned a Disney Christmas 45 that has a part where Mickey actually says “fuck you” if you play the record backwards.
The John Williams Star Wars theme, backed with the song the band played in the cantina. I was bummed when I brought it home and found out it wasn’t the disco-fied version of Star Wars I’d heard on the radio.
After that it was Waylon’s theme to the Dukes of Hazzard, in which he sang an extra verse about not being able to see his face on TV.
Partners in Kryme “Turtle Power” from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles soundtrack
Back in the late 90’s, there were quite a few indie labels that released some amazing 45s. Estrus released a slew of immaculate, colored vinyl singles, In The Red had a jukebox singles series (that came with their own jukebox song labels), and the band Man or Astroman? had a single that contained a cut-out, paper UFO.
I think it may have been Boston’s “More than a Feeling” b/w “Smokin’”
El DeBarge, “Who’s Johnny?” from the Short Circuit soundtrack. Bought at Wal-Mart in 1985 with grass mowing money.
@Nelsonic: Ha! I had that Waylon Jennings 45 too. I need to see if I can download that somewhere.
Honestly not sure, I was buying albums more before I was buying singles (which I did very sporadically in any event). On 7″, it might well have been the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” reissue on the heels of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off success, but I had already been buying 12″ singles for some time before that. The one that still sticks with me is the (still pretty amazing) 12″ mix of a-ha’s “The Sun Always Shines On TV”:
[www.youtube.com]
“Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” b/w “Eat At Home” by Paul and Linda McCartney
The first communally owned 45 for me and my bro was the Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian”.
My personal might be the birthday flexi-disc 45 of that guy Zoom. Anyone remember that “My name is Zoom/and I live on the moon…” Crazy stuff…
Bob Stanley from St Etienne just wrote this nice feature for the UK Guardian:
[www.guardian.co.uk]
My parents had Gary Glitter and Osmonds 7 inches amongst others, and I remember them inexplicably laughing to ‘My Ding A Ling’ by Chuck Berry… my first punk 7 inch was Love Song by The Damned – there were 4 different sleeves available, and I got the Captain Sensible one, of course!
“Invisible Touch” by Genesis
“Twist and Shout” by The Beatles
Bought the same day, the second I got out of seeing Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
January 27, 1984: The Police, “Every Breath You Take”
I was a singles-buyer for only about a year. I had this mad idea that I’d buy all the #1 singles ever but that didn’t last long.
The first one I ever had was the floppy 45 of the “Super Bowl Shuffle” that McDonald’s was selling (or giving away? I don’t remember) with Big Macs. I couldn’t finish the whole sandwich, so my stepdad had to eat the rest for me.
Ah, to be young in the 80s in Chicago!
@Halfwit: love that mates of State/Dear Nora one.
Also, the first one I HAD was a copy of “I’m Getting Nuthin For Christmas” which I think my mom got when SHE was a child, and we’d listen to over and over.
The first I remember saving up my pennies for and buying with my own money was “The Reflex.” It had a six-panel poster sleeve! I’m pretty sure there were several before that I begged my mom for–something from Blondie’s “Autoamerican” (”The Tide is High”?) and @doctaj: the “Greatest American Hero” theme come to mind. (Joey Scarbury, we hardly knew ye.)
@brasstax: That was a serious jam.
I think mine was probably “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang, but I am not sure, really. I did have tons of those storybook 45s, too.
Certainly 90s emo, very likely Texas is the Reason.
I also want to note that I saved up my money to buy such classic 45s as Huey Lewis’ “Stuck With You”, Nu-Shooz’s “I Can’t Wait”, and “Rock Me Amadeus”.
Inside Outside Upside Down b/w Letter To Mama by Josie and the Pussycats, purchased with some box tops from an offer on the back of a Super Sugar Crisps box, 1971 or so.
@Lucas Jensen: Which version of “Rock Me Amadeus” did you have? iirc, there were like 65 different mixes of that single.
Geez, Mates of State? Elliott Smith? Now I feel ancient. The first single I bought with my own money was “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, with “I’m In Love with My Car” on the b-side. I heard Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio and I HAD to hear it again as soon as possible (thank goodness they announced the artist and song title). I had the same feeling about Rock n’ Roll All Night and Iron Man (which they played at the roller rink), but it took me awhile to figure out who sang the songs. I was 6, okay?
@John P Strohm: Yeah, this is definitely one of those ultra-generation-gap revealing comment threads.
Mine, as previously mentioned, was Heart’s “What About Love,” though the first 45 I was aware of wanting, badly, was my mom’s “I Know What Boys Like” 45.
@tigerpop: JEALOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bronski Beat – Small town Boy.
Try having that conversation as 12 year old gay boy with your dad (he loved the song in the end).
“Another One Bites the Dust” Queen b/w “Don’t Try Suicide”.
“We Are the World” and maybe something by Strawberry Shortcake, spun on a turntable just like the one in the photo.
I’m not sure which was first, but it was on Peter Pan records. The greatest record label of the late ’70s.
Adam & The Ants, Prince Charming
Soft Cell, Bedsitter
Same weekend in late ‘81, as I recall. My Dad was fairly unimpressed.
@katesilver – Me too! “We Are The World”.
I got burned on my first album though. I was at Camelot (Turtles?) music and thought “The Spy Who Loved Me, Star Wars, and Orca themes for only $3.99!?”. Well, of course it was by some lame orchestra and not John Williams et al. I still have it though, typing this, I’m not sure why.
the first 45s i remember owning were the theme to “Greatest American Hero” and Waylan Jennings doing that good ole boys theme to “The Dukes of Hazard”.
The first 45 I owned was Kung-Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas. The first one I ever purchased with my own funds was “Whip It” by Devo.
Now I’m going to go drink some Ensure, and put on a Slanket, and watch Murder She Wrote w/ the other old people.
“Kids in America” – Kim Wilde
@katesilver: I had that turntable too! My first 45 was the Village People’s “Can’t Stop the Music” b/w “Milkshake”, with a picture sleeve that features BOTH Bruce Jenner and Steve Guttenberg. I still have it, too.
“eat it” and “that boy could dance” by weird al.
“Cool Jerk” by the Capitols. Still a great song.
My parents, though boomers, never listened to anything made after 1959. For a long time I thought this was all the kind of music that there was to listen to.
@brasstax: I had the one with the American and Canadian versions. I vastly preferred the Canadian version because it had the whole timeline thing in it.
Queen: “Another One Bites the Dust” b/w “Don’t Try Suicide.” I can still remember turning down the volume on the B-side chorus (”nobody gives a damn”) when my mom was around. I think it cost me $1.99 at Roses, but as I still inexplicably own this 45, I could probably just check the price tag.
I loved the storybook 45s, though mine were 33rpm 7-inchers.
@K-Rex: The Peter Pan Records’ versions of some songs were better. I have a friend who has a PP version of the Policewoman theme song that’s straight up one of the funkiest songs I’ve ever heard. I think I had a Peter Pan version of Saturday Night Fever that I preferred to the BeeGees.
Wild Wild Wild — The Escape Club
Wild Wild WEST, I mean.
Mine was either:
Madness “Our House” (B-Side: “Cardiac Arrest”) or
Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls” (B-Side: “A Man Could Get Arrested”*)
* Thanks to songza, I just listened to that for the first time since 1985. I was embarrassed to play it, because the chorus talks about “if you want to learn how to do it!,” and I was at an age where I had just learned what that meant. Figured my parents would be able to read my mind, so I probably only heard it once.
@John P Strohm: “I’m In Love With My Car” is so, so good.
Haha, I should follow this up with a post on CASSINGLE MEMORIES
I had a 45 of Melanie’s “Brand New Key” when I was a real little kid, young enough that I don’t even remember my parents buying it for me but apparently I really dug the song as a toddler.
Monkees 1966: “I’m A Believer”
@Maura Johnston: Brian Adams “Everything I Do (I Do It 4 U)”. Yikes.
Either Meco’s disco Star Wars theme or Fleetwood Mac’s “You Make Loving Fun.” My sister got Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” around that time, but I probably played it a lot more than she did. I also listened to some of my parents’ Elvis and Buddy Holly singles.
“I Think I Love You” by the Partridge Family (featuring Shirley Jones, of course!)
Juice Newton, “Love’s Been A Little Bit Hard On Me” (1982)