You buy that first CD, and pretty soon, there are stacks all over the house (Photo by Joe Mad) Yesterday, to honor the 27th anniversary of the debut of the compact disc, we noted the history of the medium and some of our musical tastes. The celebration continues today with some more fun facts about the venerable CD: * The name "compact disc" was chosen because it was felt it would remind people of the success of the compact cassette. * The first artists to sell a million copies on CD were Dire Straits, with their 1985 album, "Brothers in Arms" * To date, the biggest-selling CD is The Beatles' "1," released in November 2000, with worldwide sales of 30 million discs and counting. And now that we've whetted your appetite, let's keep on browsing the discotheques of our fellow Yahoos: Cliff: "Now That's What I Call Music 1" (an anthology of pop songs). Mitzi: The first album I ever bought (that’s right, vinyl) was "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor, followed by "Ummagumma" by Pink Floyd, and "Led Zeppelin III." Huw: I’m proud to say that the first record I bought with my own money was the theme tune from "The A-Team." If only I’d known about Mr. T’s rap album! Gaylon: My first CD purchase consisted of The Cult's "Electric " (because Ian Astbury ruled), the soundtrack to "The Lost Boys" (mostly for Echo & The Bunnymen's "People Are Strange"), and The Cure's "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" (partly for "Fight," but mostly because I was 18). Adam: Can't remember the first CD ... or record. Maybe "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo? Brian: "Pump”. I still think Aerosmith rules, as my musical tastes haven’t changed since I was a kid. Katherine: My first cassette tape purchase (which is more interesting than my first CD purchase of a classical piano CD): Paula Abdul’s "Forever Your Girl." 1993. Sixth grade. Dave S.: I'm not sure what my first CD was (I think it was a compilation of dance bands from the 1930s). Bur I do remember what the first "adult" record I bought was. In 1964, my sister made me ride my bike to the big department store in town so I could pick up the soundtrack to "A Hard Day’s Night" by the Beatles. I was only 8, but I felt oh so grown up. Adrianna: The first CD I purchased was "Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morissette in 1997. No offense, Taylor Swift and Beyonce, but I miss gritty girl rock. Ali: I grew up with a wall of classical music in the house, so when I first heard Tubeway Army, the weird synthesizers and Gary Numan’s even weirder voice was beyond anything I’d ever encountered. It took a while to get my hands on a copy, but “Replicas” was my first album. Probably not standard issue for eight year olds ... Suggested Sites... Wikipedia: The CD - detailed history of the compact disc. 27 Years -- and Counting - the technical details behind the invention of the CD How CDs work - the behind-the-scenes of the CD manufacturing.

Directory categories: CDs, Records, and Tapes, Vinyl Records, Music, The Beatles, Music History

Archived under: 1980s, Artists, In Character, Music, Music History, Musicians, Rock and Roll, Songs, The Beatles

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Oooohhhh, shiny! (Photo by *** Fanch The System !!! ***) Remember those good old vinyl records, cracking away on your phonograph? Probably not, since on October 1st, 1982, the shiny optical compact disc (or CD) made its debut, and those "stacks of wax" have hardly been seen since. The CD was developed by the Sony Corporation and Philips, and the first test disc -- a recording of Richard Strauss's "Eine Alpensinfonie," played by the Berlin Philharmonic and conducted by Herbert von Karajan -- was pressed in Germany in 1981. (Fun fact: The reason CDs last about 70 minutes? That's the length of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the favorite classical piece of Sony chairman Akio Morita.) The first album ever released commercially was Billy Joel's "52nd Street," which hit the stores in Japan. Other markets, including the U.S., had to wait until March of 1983 to buy their first CDs. Some of our fellows Yahoos were born with the CD, while others get nostalgic over the first vinyl record or cassette they bought. Let's browse through our "discoYahootheque:" Sarah: Alanis Morrissette’s "Jagged Little Pill”." I was one angry and bitter 12 year old. Laura B.: The first CD I ever bought was U2’s "Achtung Baby." Even now, I'm impressed by that teenage decision -- apparently I was wise beyond my years. "Achtung" is still one of my favorite records of all time. It has absolutely everything a classic record should have: heart-wrenching ballads ("One"), pained breakup missives ("So Cruel"), and poppy crowd-pleasers ("Mysterious Ways"). Helene K.: I think the first record I bought was "We Are the World" ... I remember that my mom gave me the money only because it was for a good cause. Jessica J.: My first-ever CD: "Ace of Base." Don’t ask. Dave T.: Okay, I'm old enough to remember a time when CDs did not exist. So the first record I ever bought was Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven on Earth." I felt a bit of a traitor to Kylie, my stated teen idol, but my birthday money only went so far ... Mike M.: The first cassette tape I ever bought was Huey Lewis and the News's "Sports." My first vinyl LP was "The World Class Wreckin Cru" (featuring a much younger and skinnier Dr. Dre), and I think the first CD I ever bought was LL Cool J’s "Mama Said Knock You Out" in 1990 (I was a big fan of vinyl, so it took me a while to give into buying CDs). Terri C.: Don’t remember the first CD I bought, but I remember the first cassette I ever bought (and am now embarrassed to admit) -- it was Madonna's debut album Cathleen: The first CD I bought was Kris Kross’s "Totally Krossed Out." Okay, I didn't actually buy it myself, I received it as a birthday present along with my first CD player/boom box. But I still enjoyed listening to "Jump" on repeat without having to rewind. More musical memories tomorrow ... Suggested Sites... Wikipedia: The CD - detailed history of the compact disc. 27 Years of CDs -- and Counting - the technical details behind the invention of the CD. How CDs work - the behind-the-scenes of CD manufacture.

Directory categories: CDs, Records, and Tapes, Vinyl, Music, Billy Joel, Rock and Pop Music

Archived under: 1980s, Artists, Classical Music, In Character, Music, Music History, Musicians, Rap and Hip-Hop, Rock and Roll, Songs

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"Are we not one-hit wonders?" (Anybody see another hit song?) (Photo by Alterna2) What is it about "One Hit Wonders" that make them just so darn catchy? Most musicians rarely make it to the big time at all, and those that do are usually able to make careers out of it (or at least long enough to reach that elusive #2 hit). But One Hit Wonders are different. They're like the most ephemeral of stars: they shine brightly for a single moment of time, then burn out into oblivion. But if they're lucky, their songs remain for eternity. Inspired by "One Hit Wonder Day" (last week, on September 25th), we asked our fellow Yahoos to share their favorite One Hit Wonder* of all time. (You can find Part One here and Part Two here.) On a side note, many of the below mentioned artists and bands are still recording and performing 10, 20, and in some cases, almost 30 years later -- so props to them for overcoming (or in some cases, embracing) their status as "One Hit Wonders." Mike M.: Wow, there are a LOT of great one hit wonders, but the first one that comes to mind is "Centerfold" by J. Geils Band -- "Na, na, na-na-na-naaa, na, na, na, na-na-na-na-naaaa!" Adam: Easy. "Falco 3" by Falco (it had "Rock Me Amadeus" on it). Wow. I just felt a shiver of embarrassment. Ick. Corinne: The first song I ever loved and still love now is "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo. Adrienne: Peter Godwin's "Images of Heaven" was truly transportive for me in the early 1980s. Brian: Favorite one hit wonder: "Whip It" by Devo. I was always angry my parents never bought me a Devo-hat! JoAnne: "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and I'm not at all ashamed of it. One of the best '80s songs, and one I will bounce around to every time I hear it. Followed very closely by "867-5309 (Jenny)" from Tommy Tutone. Helene L.: My favorite one hit wonder is "My Sharona" by The Knack. I like the guitar riff, the entertaining beat, and the profound philosophy of the lyrics. What bothers me now is the name of the band, "The Knack," because in my native region, a knack is a type of sausage. The parody by "Weird Al" Yankovic, called "My Bologna" is almost as addictive. Dave S.: I was crazy for "Freeze Frame" by The J. Geils Band. It's decades younger than my favorite music of the 1920s, but there was something about that organ riff and their shouting "freeze frame!" that I loved. Sue me. Sarah L.: "I Melt With You" by Modern English. It still gets so much radio airplay (not to mention covers ad nauseum) that few people realize they can't name another song recorded by the same band. Adrianna: There's "The Macarena," does that count? (Editor's Note: Not only does it count, VH1 named "The Macarena" its #1 One Hit Wonder of all time!) (*Please note that "One Hit Wonder" status is as much defined by perception as by actual radio charting status.) Suggested Sites... One Hit Wonder Central - learn about all sorts of One Hit Wonders from the 1950s to the present. Are You a One Hit Wonder? - find out if you are secretly a one hit wonder with this quiz. VH1: The Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s - surely you love one of these.

Directory categories: Music, Rock and Pop, Music Charts, Musical Artists, CDs, Records, and Tapes

Archived under: 1970s, 1980s, Celebrations, Dance, Entertainment, Events, Flops, Heavy Metal and Hard Rock, History, In Character, Music, Music History, Musicians, Rock and Roll, Songs

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Those cats are fast as lightning! (Photo by mK B.) What is it about "One Hit Wonders" that make them just so darn catchy? Most musicians rarely make it to the big time at all, and those that do are usually able to make careers out of it (or at least long enough to reach that elusive #2 hit). But One Hit Wonders are different. They're like the most ephemeral of stars: they shine brightly for a single moment of time, then burn out into oblivion. But if they're lucky, their songs remain for eternity. Inspired by "One Hit Wonder Day" (last week, on September 25th), we asked our fellow Yahoos to share their favorite One Hit Wonder* of all time. (You can find Part One here.) On a side note, many of the below mentioned artists and bands are still recording and performing 10, 20, and in some cases, almost 30 years later -- so props to them for overcoming (or in some cases, embracing) their status as "One Hit Wonders." Mitzi: I’ve always liked "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers. Not sure if they qualify as one hit wonders, but I don’t think any of their other songs ever hit the U.S. charts. Cathleen: My favorite one hit wonder record (and sure to stay that way) was Color Me Badd's "C.M.B." Some may call "I Wanna Sex You Up" their only actual "hit," but "I Adore Mi Amor" and "All 4 Love" made it to the Top 10 in my heart. I'm pretty sure they pioneered the use of numerals instead of words in song titles, an innovative and important achievement in the history of pop music. Think of where texting would be today without these four musical geniuses. Cliff: Hanson's "MMMBop." Huw: I can't say I have a favorite one hit wonder, but I'm very entertained by "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" -- a delightfully ESL track by the Spanish duo Baccara. Chris B.: I hope that both "Kung Fu Fighting" and "If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don’t Want To Be Right" make your compilation. (Editor's note: They have now!) Jessica J.: My top one hit wonder: "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something. Dave T.: Although not my favorite one hit wonder per se, the one that has etched itself permanently into the album of my memory is Joe Dolce's "Shaddap You Face." It was a novelty record which consisted of an American-born Australian offering such times less lyrics as "Whassamatta you? (Hey!) Gotta no respect? Whaddaya think you do? Why you looka so sad? It's-a not so bad. It's-a nice-a place. Ah, shaddap you face!" All this in a seriously dodgy Italian accent to boot. This is largely memorable because it kept a genuine 80s classic (Ultravox's "Vienna") off of the #1 spot in the U.K. and forever tarnishing Midge Ure's reputation. We'll have our final round of humiliating confessions tomorrow! (*Please note that "One Hit Wonder" status is as much defined by perception as by actual radio charting status.) Suggested Sites... One Hit Wonder Central - learn about all sorts of One Hit Wonders from the 1950s to the present. Are You a One Hit Wonder? - find out if you're secretly a One Hit Wonder with this quiz. VH1: The Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s - surely you love one of these.

Directory categories: Music, Rock and Pop, Music Charts, Musical Artists, CDs, Redcords, and Tapes

Archived under: 1970s, 1980s, Celebrations, Dance, Entertainment, Events, Flops, Heavy Metal and Hard Rock, History, In Character, Music, Music History, Musicians, Rock and Roll, Songs

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Do the Hustle! (This is not Andrea.) (Photo by Janine Dupree) What is it about "One Hit Wonders" that make them just so darn catchy? Most musicians rarely make it to the big time at all, and those that do are usually able to make careers out of it (or at least long enough to reach that elusive #2 hit). But One Hit Wonders are different. They're like the most ephemeral of stars: they shine brightly for a single moment of time, then burn out into oblivion. But if they're lucky, their songs remain for eternity. Inspired by "One Hit Wonder Day" (September 25th), we asked our fellow Yahoos to share their favorite One Hit Wonder* of all time. On a side note, many of the below mentioned artists and bands are still recording and performing 10, 20, and in some cases, almost 30 years later -– so props to them for overcoming (or in some cases, embracing) their status as "One Hit Wonders." Andrea S.: The best one-hit wonder of all -– and I say this proudly and with oodles of swing to my hips -– is "The Hustle." When I was a little girl, my parents took disco dancing lessons, and there’s a famous (to our family, anyway) photo of my groove-challenged engineer father attempting to count out the Hustle steps while my three-year-old brother scoots around in his a pair of green feet pajamas. "Do the Hustle!" Laura: My favorite one-hit wonder was Mr. Big's 1989 sentimental instrumental, "To Be With You." As an awkward, swoony, prepubescent 12-year-old, this song seemed to perfectly encapsulate all my cheesy romantic fantasies. Unrequited love! Passion! Heartache! Good times all around. Helene K.: So here is my little French contribution ... can't miss our French one hit wonder (or should I say "le hit?"): "Born to be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez. It's still a number one for any party, wedding, or other events involving dancing, at least in France. Cheesy, easy and yet, it works! Terri: My choices are both from the '80s: "99 Luftballons" by Nena and "Human" by The Human League. More embarrassing revelations on Monday! (*Please note that "One Hit Wonder" status is as much defined by perception as by actual radio charting status.) Suggested Sites... One Hit Wonder Central - learn about all sorts of One Hit Wonders from the 1950s to the present. Are You a One Hit Wonder? - find out if you're secretly a One Hit Wonder with this quiz. VH1: The Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '80s - surely you love one of these.

Directory categories: Music, Rock and Pop, Music Charts, Musical Artists, CDs, Records, and Tapes

Archived under: 1970s, 1980s, Celebrations, Dance, Entertainment, Events, Flops, Heavy Metal and Hard Rock, History, In Character, Music, Music History, Musicians, Rock and Roll, Songs

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