Saturday is Record Store Day, an annual event, begun in 2007 to recognize independent record stores around the country.
Instead of downloading a piece of music or ordering a CD from Amazon, some people still get in their cars, drive to a store and buy a record album (yes, that’s what we used to call them) on vinyl.
Through cassette tapes, eight-tracks, CDs and now digital downloading, I’ve been unable to let go of my vinyl albums. I have an embarrassingly large collection, which I’ve never stopped listening to. Let’s just say it’s a closet full.
Barely a teenager, the first album I ever bought was called “Johnny & the Hurricanes Featuring Red River Rock” by Johnny & the Hurricanes, an instrumental, rock ‘n’ roll band from Toledo, Ohio. I redeemed myself a little with my second purchase, “Elvis’ Golden Records.”
We got many dozens of comments when we asked Facebook friends to tell us about their first vinyl album purchases. Here are a few. Don’t judge. What’s done is done. Actually, most of the choices were very classy.
— Ann Bailey: “The Sound of Music” (Soundtrack).
— Bev Benda: “Between the Buttons” by The Rolling Stones.
— Bob Cary: “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin.
— Cole Carley: “Beatles ’65” by the Beatles.
— Judy DeMers: “Meet the Beatles” by the Beatles.
— Ginny Eastman Dullum: “Bobby Sings & Swings” by Bobby Rydell.
— Jeff Erickson: “The Stranger” by Billy Joel.
— Kathy Fick: “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel.
— Ron Franz: “Pete Seeger at the Village Gate” by Pete Seeger.
— Betty Gard: “Something Cool” by June Christy.
— Kevin Grinde: “Chicago Transit Authority” by Chicago Transit Authority.
— Chuck Haga: “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel.
— Nancy Hennen: “Dirty Laundry” by Don Henley.
— Kevin Hentrickson: “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper.
— Eric L. Johnson: “Meet the Beatles” by The Beatles.
— Julie Moravchik: “Grease!” (Soundtrack).
— Erin O’Connor: “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John.
— Paulette Haupt Tobin: “Days of Future Past” by The Moody Blues.
— John Wheeler: “The Partridge Family Album” by The Partridge Family.