First album you got by established artists

[abcdefz]

Okay, here's the scenario:


Think back to when you first heard about some music artist who was already past their prime (or dead, or whatever), and you decided to give that artist a shot.

What was the first album you heard by the artist?

Try to stick to stuff you chose to explore rather than "Yeah; my brother played Damn the Torpedoes all the time and that's how I got into Tom Petty."

See what I mean?

If there's a story, tell it.



Me:

John Coltrane - Blue Train: I wanted to investigate jazz and I'd read that Coltrane was the fan. I had to order it, because our record store in Warsaw, Indiana only carried AMJ radio pap-jazz. Steve tried to talk me out of ordering it, in fact.

The Clash - Sandinista!: I read a five-star review and it sounded intriguing. Plus it was THREE RECORDS, which kinda blew me away. I picked it up in Chicago when our theater class went up there for a mediocre performance of a pretty awful play. But at least I got to hear the Clash for the first time when I got home.

Frank Sinatra - Come Fly with Me: I figured it was time to check out Sinatra, and this sounded like a good bet. It's pretty good, but not half the album A Swingin' Affair! is. Killer title track, though, and stuff like "Autumn in New York" is only better by Billie.

Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?: Okay, but his voice still gets in the way for me, 'cause he clearly didn't care. Of his albums, I strongly prefer Axis:Bold As Love.

Robert Johnson - King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2 For some reason, my local store could get this one and not the first volume for a while. Still, it was good stuff, and I liked some of the songs. Kind of alien to me, though. But when I finally got my mits on the first volume, it all fell into place and I went on a blues rampage for about three years.

Bob Dylan and the Band - The Basement Tapes
The Band - The Last Waltz
Neil Young - Tonight's the Night

I got these two babies on 8-track for a buck each as the 8-track era ended. Holy crap! I dug into Neil a bit more and never got nuts about him, and only three of The Band's studio albums matter much, but.... whoa. Heady stuff.

[Drederick Tatum]

Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers. my mother had the LP with the workable fly and I used to constantly zip it up and down as a kid...kinda suspect really but then at age 8 I'd worked out how to use the record player and that was that. party time.

[kll]

Michael Jackson - Thriller

[DroppinScience]

Let's see here...

The Clash - "London Calling": Me and my brother were both getting into ska music a great deal and we kept asking a friend of ours for ska recommendations (with a bit o' punk on the side). I was told that The Clash were a seminal punk band that made an album with some ska-influenced songs. So I tried that one and it was love at first listen.

Nirvana - "In Utero": This was less than a month after the suicide of Kurt Cobain (I got interested in Nirvana mere WEEKS before the death, so I was pretty devastated, naturally). I got this one because it had "All Apologies." I was initially turned off because it was "difficult" and I was only 11 and very new to the whole music thing (I guess "Nevermind" was what I was looking for) and didn't listen to it again until 7 years later. Then I'm like: "Well, damn. This is a good record. Let's listen to the rest of their stuff."

Jimi Hendrix - "Axis: Bold as Love": I read that Flea from RHCP said it was one of his favorite albums. So I got into Jimi at the recommendation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Run-D.M.C. - "Run-D.M.C." Now I had been meaning to try out their albums for quite awhile, but I didn't get around to it until the death of Jam Master Jay. So I figured that it was about time to try some albums.

Beastie Boys - "Licensed to Ill": I was really into the Hello Nasty-era stuff around 2000, but didn't get any albums 'til '01. So I went with this one to help cure my post-9/11 blues. I didn't make it to this board until Oct. 2002, though. ;)


Depeche Mode - "Violator"

The Cure - "Disintegration"

(No real "stories" for these ones, I was just told that these are the albums to start off with to get into those bands)

[Drederick Tatum]

Iggy and the Stooges - Raw Power. I saw it in a chain music store for about $10 which was supercheap for this shop so I thought since I'd heard so much about it and since the cover looked awesome I'd buy it. got home and was blown away. reading the liner notes only got me more interested, Iggy: "I was sitting..., snorting big Chinese rocks of heroin under one of these grand English oak trees in Kensington Garden outside the Kesington Palace..."

[roosta]

Ice Cube - Amerikkka's Most Wanted - Was into NWA, wanted to get into his solo stuff so went out and go this. Next week got Death Certificate and the other one that i cant remember the name of right now
Ice-T - O.G. Original Gangster
Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique - Got a lend of my sisters copy of Check Your Head, liked it, went out and got this

[mickill]

For almost every rap group/artist I've ever really been into, I started with the first album by them, with the exception of:

Ice T - I had a 12" for The Coldest Rap, but skipped Rhyme Pays. The first album I bought of his was Power. The cover (http://images.windowsmedia.com/img/prov_w/300_80/075992576529.jpg) kinda spoke to me.

LL Cool J - I started with Bigger And Deffer, but I had a really bad dub of Radio on cassette. It belonged to my cousin who had taped it by putting his portable cassette recorder up to the stereo playing the original copy. So in the background I could hear him talking to a friend. When I got the actual album from a store, it took some time for me to adjust to the lack of talking in the background throughout the album.

Run DMC - I wasn't really listening to rap yet in 1984. I started with Raising Hell, which sort of took over my obsessions with Thriller or Like A Virgin.

I grew up on The Beatles, Stones, Elvis and other big names in rock. I pretty much heard nothing but "best of" albums by them, though, as a child.

[Auton]

Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon...first and best impulse music purchase I ever made
Elvis Costello and the Attractions- This Year's Model... then I got every single one of his albums after that. beautiful man.
Peter Gabriel #3- took me 3 years to get into it, but man... was it worth it. One of my absolute favorite albums/artists now
David Bowie- Scary Monsters (and super creeps)
Led Zeppelin- In through the Out Door
The Who- The Who Sell Out
Bob Dylan- Blonde on Blonde
Brian Eno- Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy
Roxy Music- Siren
Rolling Stones- Some Girls

etc

I tend to avoid purchasing a group's "BIG HUGE FAMOUS ALBUM" first, which explains the randomness of choices like "In through the out door"

[icy manipulator]

just about every east coast 80's/ early 90's hip hop act. had a big electronic phase then about 3 years ago started to like hip hop and i've been buying older albums ever since, eg grand master flash, sugar hill gang, beastie boys, run dmc, public, de la soul, krs one, the whole lot

[Rancid_Beasties]

INXS - Shabooh Shoobah

I always liked INXS. Like when I was growing up I used to love a few of the songs especially of X and kick. But you know, Hutchence died before I really began to appreciate music. So by the time I bought one of their albums, i did it based on the fact that I heard a grinspoon cover of INXS's song - don't change, it was alright but I wanted to hear the original. Unable to download the song anywhere, I had to go and but INXS's third studio album off ebay. Its got the sweet 80s pub rock vibe INXS perfected, and although it is probably one of their least known albums outside of australia, its good to hear a band that started off solid, built on that foundation and kept going strong with only one bad album. That is until rockstar inxs came along :(

[Kid Presentable]

I was pawning somebody's VCR and saw a copy of Led Zepp IV for three dollars.

Bought it, loved it. Got twenty dollars for the VCR. Ah, scumbaggery. (y)

[Junker]

Molotov: All there albums.

Once I asked a friend of mine to record a cd with the songs he had in his hd. So, he made a miscellaneous and in the middle of a lotta songs there was Molotov's "Gimme The Power". After hearing this song I started to purchase Molotov's albums and got stucked.

[abcdefz]

Okay:

A lot of the folks mentioned above I heard for the first time when new albums came out (The Wall, Tattoo You, Double Fantasy, Ramones' Pleasant Dreams, "Love Will Tear Us Apart," Thursday Afternoon, etc.).

Of the others:

Nirvana - A couple of years ago I scored a copy of In Utero, also. It didn't do anything for me -- seemed self-consciously, fussily "difficult." I'll try again sometime.

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique: I worked with Keith, a very moody guy, at a record store. He INSISTED that the Beastie Boys had put out a fantastic album. Knowing only some of License to Ill, I scoffed. Eventually, he threw on PB and I was BLOWN AWAY and we played it way too much. This got me primed for about half a year later when Check Your Head came out, and I loved that one. A mix of PB/CyH songs and songs from Sugar's Copper Blue and Beaster became one huge workout tape for about half a year.

Public Enemy - Nation of Millions to Hold Our Water: Paul's Boutique opened up rap for me a little bit, so I checked into some stuff, including PE and KRS One and stuff. I liked some of the stuff on Nation of Millions, but its naive racism put me off, as well as using that shrill whistle on just about every damkn song. Yeah, you got a black quarterback; I'll step back.

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel: We're talking about that fourth album. Why'd I get it? It was a full digital recording on CD, and that was back when you bought just about anything that was DDD -- including Bop 'til You Drop and stuff like that. But I fell for it, head over heels. I photocopied the lyrics to "Wallflower" and blew 'em up on my dorm room wall. It sure didn't hurt that Gabriel scored Birdy, by the way. Anyway, this fourth album was a huge stoner album for us.

Roxy Music - Siren Yep: me, too. It was another of those one dollar 8-track tapes in the clearance section. I really, really dug that album, even if I don't care for Bryan Ferry's affected singing. He's better than Hendrix at that, but not much.

[greedygretchen]

when i was @ 18, i was helping my dad paint a room and we were listening to a classic rock station (of course I had wanted to listen to kroq but was outruled) and i heard golden slumbers/carry that weight for the 1st time...the dj said it was the beatles off the abbey road album i ran right out and bought the cassette tape (i couldn't afford the cd) and thus commenced my love affair with the 4 lads from liverpool, before then i only knew the beatles' songs they played on the oldies stations like i wanna hold your hand and she loves me etc. i had always just considered that my parent's music- i didn't know! :o

[mickill]

I got every studio album by The Beatles from Please Please Me to Let It Be on CD on the same day. I'd heard so many of these songs in some form or fashion over the years, but to have each in it's proper context was quite awesome. Abbey Road is probably my favorite album ever.

[DroppinScience]

I got every studio album by The Beatles from Please Please Me to Let It Be on CD on the same day. I'd heard so many of these songs in some form or fashion over the years, but to have each in it's proper context was quite awesome. Abbey Road is probably my favorite album ever.

My dad did the exact same thing for me (only "Please Please Me" was years later) when I got into The Beatles because of the Anthology series. :)

[greedygretchen]

I got every studio album by The Beatles from Please Please Me to Let It Be on CD on the same day. I'd heard so many of these songs in some form or fashion over the years, but to have each in it's proper context was quite awesome. Abbey Road is probably my favorite album ever.

yeah, for me it was a total domino effect. abbey road, then revolver, then the white album, then rubber soul...you get the picture. i even came to appreciate the "oldies" that i hadn't really heard on oldies radio (which again i reiterate that i was forced to listen to by my parents in the car and during household chore days)

[mickill]

My dad did the exact same thing for me (only "Please Please Me" was years later) when I got into The Beatles because of the Anthology series. :)
I remember thinking, damn, it's all over now. I figured I heard most of their best stuff. Then I got the Past Masters albums and heard Rain for the first time. That was nice.

[mickill]

yeah, for me it was a total domino effect. abbey road, then revolver, then the white album, then rubber soul...you get the picture. i even came to appreciate the "oldies" that i hadn't really heard on oldies radio (which again i reitrerate that i was forced to listen to by my parents in the car and during household chore days)

Funny how that happens. I used to fight over the radio dial with my dad too. I think he had better taste in music than I did, now that I think about it.

The domino effect happened with me too. Only, I was listening to the next album each hour or so. I didn't go in order either. I started with Revolver, I think.

[greedygretchen]

I think he had better taste in music than I did, now that I think about it.

lol, yeah, now i appreciate that i know all those old songs!

[yeahwho]

I bought Jar of Flies when it came out and took it on a road trip to SF. Now I'd heard of Alice in Chains but always figured they were a hair/metal band of little significance.... I'd always just change the channel or ignore the songs.

I think because I lived in downtown Seattle during the whole grunge scene I had to kind of back away at some point....Anyway....I was listening to Happy Mondays, House of Love, Charlatans UK, Inspiral Carpets...

So at about 3:00 AM on a road trip to SF, CA. I pop in the Jar of Flies CD and I'm completely blown away by Laynes double voice technique and the whole bands muscianship. It hit me like a spiritual awakening driving through the redwoods.

Consequently when I purchased the harder stuff it all made sense, this is one of the finest bands to come out of Seattle.

[funkdoc2005]

Jimi Hendrix-I heard the song fire on a car commercial, and went on the internet to see who it was. I got "Are You Experienced" and loved it.

Led Zeppelin-Heard "Rock and Roll" on Cadillac commerical, and I then bought Led Zeppelin I.

Beatles-Wanted to see what was the big deal about them, so I bought "1". Been a fan since.

Alot of stuff is recommended to me by Amazon or my Launch radio station

[PaddyBoy]

Run DMC - Raising Hell
PE - It Takes A Nations
LL Cool J - BAD
Slick Rick - Great Adventures
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Jam - All Mod Cons
Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life

[PaddyBoy]

Funny how that happens. I used to fight over the radio dial with my dad too. I think he had better taste in music than I did, now that I think about it.

The domino effect happened with me too. Only, I was listening to the next album each hour or so. I didn't go in order either. I started with Revolver, I think.

I've gone Abbey Road, Revolver, White Album, Sgt Pepper, Rubber Soul, Let It Be, Help!, Beatles For Sale and then Hard Days Night.

Love the oldies, especially I Should Have Known Better and I'll Follow The Sun.

[abcdefz]

I got every studio album by The Beatles from Please Please Me to Let It Be on CD on the same day. I'd heard so many of these songs in some form or fashion over the years, but to have each in it's proper context was quite awesome. Abbey Road is probably my favorite album ever.



Oh, man.

I remember having to wait a few months in between the release of each batch of Beatles albums on CD. I think they did it to make people buy some of those first albums.

I think they really started getting good around Beatles for Sale.

Anyway.

The Beatles, when first out on CD, was numbered just like the rekkids were. Just so you know.

[BangkokB]

When I was a kid, I was into KISS. RocknRoll All Over being the 1st lp I owned. Hard to believe that they put that out and Destroyer the same year. Late 70's My parents were into mainstream: Rod Steward "Blondes have more fun", Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, KC and the Sunshine Band, Fleetwood Mac "Rumours", and Seals and Crofts Greatest Hits being the 8 track moments I remember most~strangely I still like Seals and Crofts. Then 80's contemporary Christian music*which strangely explains my love of Black Metal* became their standards and that was a grim period in my life...There's no way to slice it other than Sandy Patty sucks. Thank God for walkmans and Christmas gifts.

The 1st time I got stoned I was listening to Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and didn't know if it was the song or the drug but I was in love. That was the 1st band that I bought their whole CD collection.

[abcdefz]

When I was a kid, I was into KISS. RocknRoll All Over being the 1st lp I owned.



Oh, wow. I remember the stickers from that album being plastered on my brother's notebook...

[BangkokB]

Yea,
I was around 6 so thanks to people my age Ace left....But at least he went out on a Rocket Ride

[minorthreat]

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home or Blonde on Blonde

Pink Floyd - The Wall