What were the first ever records that you bought and when?

Grandma70s

Bolero….Anton Dolin (Alicia Markova’s ballet partner) did a solo ballet to that music. I saw it several times as a child, but found it very, very boring.

Try looking at one of the Bejart performances - they are quite dramatic and not boring. At least I don't think so.

Tilly8

“Sugar, sugar” by The Archies 1969

We shared a flat in 1969 and the owner's girlfriend used to come round with her young daughter who played Sugar Sugar incessantly. It drove us mad.

Richard Chamberlain's first album. I've still got it and am amazed it still plays! I played it so many times I'm surprised it didn't play both sides at once!!!!

Rivers of Babylon when I was around 7 with some birthday money. It was a couple of years old by then. Loved the B side too.

Oh Carol Neil Sedaka
7 Little Girls sitting in the back seat. Can't remember who sang it. I then used yo buy the cover versions on the Embassy record label in Woolworths Astley were cheaper.

Living Doll Cliff Richard 1961

Jesus Christ Superstar was the first album i ever bought with my own money. I memorized all the songs.

I should add - these were albums, not singles.

Then, the Beatles came…

Johnny Mathis
Elvis (need no last name 😉)
Pat Boone

When I was in high school, had a job after school and on weekends - and had my own money! That would have been in the 60’s.

Dinahmo

I was given a record player for my 11th birthday combined with passing the 11 plus.I had some birthday money and I bought:

The Little Drummer Boy
Apple Blossom Time by Rosemary June
Slow Boat to China by Emile Ford and the Checkmates.

The next record I bought was Are You Lonesome Tonight (Elvis)

I too was given a record player for passing the 11 plus, which was quite near my 11th birthday so it was combined present. It was a portable one that folded up into a case with a handle. The turntable barely took an LP with about a mm. to spare!

But I was very popular after that with lots of invites to friends houses with 'please bring your record player'!!

My first record was 'Puppy Love' by Donny Osmand, which I bought with birthday money and if I remember correctly was purchased from Boots.

Bob Dylan Blowin’ in the Wind. My dad was horrified. 😂

“Sugar, sugar” by The Archies 1969

I was 16 and my boyfriend bought me Puppy Love by Donny Osmond. I cannot remember the first record I bought myself but guessing probably a Cliff Richard as he was my crush too 😂

1957 Paul Anka’s Diana -to play on the Dansette record player I had for my birthday.

Casdon - One infant school I taught at had a headteacher who thought we should not use in school ‘any music the children might hear at home’.

Casdon - Vivaldi is a good example . We all know his FourSeasons now (though my father used to say in a grumbling way “Nobody talked about Vivaldi when I was young”) - but he also composed literally dozens of operas. Can you name one? I can’t. Some music lasts, as you say, and some doesn’t.

I love that record

Grandma70s

I don’t understand why liking classical music is considered snobbery. It’s just a preference. In any case, there is a vast variety of so-called classical. I shouldn’t think anyone knows it all!

It was the first music I knew, partly via my mother’s radio, partly via school, partly via ballet classes.. In fact I doubt if I heard any other sort of music until I left primary school, so it’s part of me. I’ve liked some pop songs but they are ephemeral in comparison.

Classical music is actually just old popular music, which has longevity. Some music from all eras in the last 500 years remains popular, some doesn’t. I don’t think you’re right about all pop songs being ephemeral though, some will stand the test of time - the challenge is in guessing what will be the ‘Greensleeves’ of 2400.

Bolero….Anton Dolin (Alicia Markova’s ballet partner) did a solo ballet to that music. I saw it several times as a child, but found it very, very boring.

I don’t understand why liking classical music is considered snobbery. It’s just a preference. In any case, there is a vast variety of so-called classical. I shouldn’t think anyone knows it all!

It was the first music I knew, partly via my mother’s radio, partly via school, partly via ballet classes.. In fact I doubt if I heard any other sort of music until I left primary school, so it’s part of me. I’ve liked some pop songs but they are ephemeral in comparison.

Another one for Ride a White Swan by T Rex. It was an ex juke box copy as my uncle owned a pub and the juke box machine was updated every couple of months and the removed singles were very cheap as they had the centre section removed to fit into the juke box selector. I had a little adapter to replace the removed middle of the juke box records on my dad's momo record player which he passed on to me and my siblings when he upgraded to stereo in the early 1970s. .

I Believe by the Batchelors as it was my grandmas favourite. She had an old radiogram and I remember listing to Tutii Frutii by Little Richard on it when I was very young.

Callistemon21

^Interesting how a few on here turned to classical music and didn't appear to have any interest in pop or rock thereafter. I see no reason why people cannot embrace a wide variety of music. Snobbery perhaps?^

We used to play the classical stuff as well, perhaps we were strange teenagers.

We did like some of the more rousing stuff, Ravel's Bolero (before that ice skating dance!), Der Meistersingers, Grieg's Peer Gynt and my favourite, The Hebrides Overture.

I used to pound some out on the piano, very badly.

Watch out for the French film "Bolero" which came out recently. Ravel was asked to compose a piece of music by a Russian dancer, Ida Rubinstein who had danced with the Ballets Russes.

The ballet is performed in the film, presumably as choreographed by Bronislav Nijinska. It looks like Isadora Duncan. There are several videos on youtube of the dance choreographed by Bejart with some amazing performers, Sylvie Guillem being one of them.

Apache By The Shaddows. 6s 4p. Played it over and over on my Dansette. Think it was 1959. Still love to hear it

she considered Tchaikovsky to be rather naff and I followed suit.
Oh, and the 1812!

Your friend would have thought we were all naff 😁

Interesting how a few on here turned to classical music and didn't appear to have any interest in pop or rock thereafter. I see no reason why people cannot embrace a wide variety of music. Snobbery perhaps?

We used to play the classical stuff as well, perhaps we were strange teenagers.

We did like some of the more rousing stuff, Ravel's Bolero (before that ice skating dance!), Der Meistersingers, Grieg's Peer Gynt and my favourite, The Hebrides Overture.

I used to pound some out on the piano, very badly.