The Very First CD I Ever Purchased

Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas album was the very first CD I ever bought. I was thirteen years old. I plunked down most of my hard saved allowance and hurried home with my purchase. Once in the privacy of my upstairs bedroom, I carefully ripped into the clear cellophane packaging and gently removed the disc from its plastic nesting. I checked the play surface for scratches and placed it back in the case...because I didn't even own a CD player yet!

Yep. A classic case of cart before horse. It wasn’t until after my birthday in late January that I was able to get a base model CD player after scraping together half of the funds and haggling with my ever frugal parents for the other part.

I was still trying to attach the boxy speakers when I heard the first strains of Silent Night intoned with Bing’s rich baritone. This time it was in digital form.

I grew up listening to this album on vinyl from as early as two or three years of age. But now I had my own copy in a new format for me and millions of others of my generation. I still think it sounds better on vinyl but its availability in a newer format(s) is a testament to its timelessness.

In Merry Christmas, Bing brings older religious carols and secular standards into one, well rounded collection. To this day, I have not heard Mele Kalikimaka or Christmas in Killarney covered by any other artist then or now. It seems that these songs are unique to Bing who made them his own standard of Christmas music through this album.

Readers: what was the first album you bought and what format was it in? Don’t be afraid of dating yourself, for music is timeless! Leave your response in the comment section. I’d love this to spark a discussion!

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