There are some nights that I like to go exploring the Internet wilderness, and by exploring I mean venturing into new blog territory. Some weeks back, I became aware of a blogger connected to someone in my family, and I have to say that reading her blog and those of other people she knows has probably made me happier than I thought could happen this year.
On another blog I read (not the blog of a gay person, which I tell you only because of what follows), I left a lengthy comment about politics for someone with whom I disagree. (Fear not: I was my usual civil self.) As a result, someone else responded to me positively, and when I went to check out his blog, he’s a gay Canadian living in the U.S. Figures. I always get along with gay men Canadians. 😉
Something on his blog led me to look for something else, which landed me right in the middle of the blog of someone I know in Houston (who I didn’t know blogged). And THAT took up lots of time, because he’s quite entertaining, and I like him a lot. In one of his blog entries, he was remembering the first cassette tape he ever bought for himself with his own money (the Bangles). That reminded me of a recent conversation I had with Rhonda when I was recalling My First Albums. Which sent me to the photo archives for this:
Now normally I wouldn’t show you a blurry, scratched picture of me being all surly and turning my head away when my mother is trying to take my photo first thing on what is apparently Easter Sunday morning (a guess because I appear to be holding a rabbit). It’s not ME you’re supposed to be looking at, but that olive drab green box (note the arrow) on a faux wooden cabinet against the wall. It’s not a box. It’s the record player my mother bought me when I complained because LYNNE had a record player and whatever LYNNE had I had to have. That poor woman. But I digress.
My father was overseas on the birthday when she bought me the record player. (I say that because it meant he made a little extra pay, which is probably why I got a record player at all. Seriously, there weren’t many luxuries in those days.) It folded up into that little box thing like you see there, but the front pulled down to access the turntable, and the speakers were hooked on the sides but you can’t see them here because they were detachable and connected by SIX FEET of speaker wire so they could actually be in different parts of the room–stereo, woohoo! I would stack way too many albums or forty-fives on that thing, and you just know what kind of damage was done to my records from falling down on each other.
I had a few records I’d inherited from my older siblings, and my cousin Bruce (the one who threw a penny into my mother’s grave on behalf of his late father) had given me some records, too. But when I got the stereo, I also got three albums–brand new albums owned by no one before me. I was the one who got to tear off the cellophane and pull out the pristine vinyl that bore not a single scratch or smudge. And even though I was only like, um, minus two years old or something, I still remember what all three albums were:
Apparently, I was very loyal to Columbia Records.
I wore those things out and can still sing every word of every song on all three of them, I’m sure. Though they are stored with a few hundred others in a window seat in my house, I’m betting they’re unplayable.
And just to bring this full circle, the other arrow is pointing to a bassinet with my Betsy Wetsy doll sitting in it, but it was actually the bassinet of the family member I was talking about in the first paragraph of this post.
Good memories.
I had all three of those albums… and a Betsy Wetsy. My sister had a Chatty Kathy. Then I had to have a Cecil The Seasick Sea Serpent that talked. (There’s Beany & Cecil eps up on youtube. Oy!)
I’m trying to remember what my first album was. I know my first single was Snoopy vs. the Red Baron. And I figure the soundtrack to Mary Poppins (a brand new release!) doesn’t count. I shall have fun thinking about it. Thanks for the memories. 8-D
You’re welcome–and good heavens, you had MARK LINDSAY’s album? Did you have the other two, too?
Hmmm. I definitely had Paul Revere and the Raiders album with “Kicks” on it, and Mark Lindsy’s “Arizona” on 45. Had “Indian Nation” as a single as well.
And the Monkees!!!
I have “Arizona” on my iPod.
What about “Silver Bird?”
Must….go…to…iTunes….
Okay, who is Mark Lindsay?
My first record was Dr Do Little and Tom T Hall’s Songs for Children. I also had some Josie and the pussycat 45’s that you could cut off cereal boxes. Featuring woh? CHERYL LADD
Mark Lindsay was the lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders, and he enjoyed a long run as a teen idol on the covers of Flip, Tiger Beat, etc. His trademark was his ponytail (it went along with their Revolutionary War-type band outfits), and when he cut it off, there were tears a’plenty among tweens and teens of the time.
It’s the record player my mother bought me when I complained because LYNNE had a record player and whatever LYNNE had I had to have. That poor woman. But I digress.
Ha ha! One piece of information parents can comfort themselves with when they’re raising their children is that years later their children will feel guilty for all the stuff they put their poor parents through.
I recently moved my albums to plastic bins I bought because I got rid of the room divider/entertainment center they were stored in.
My mother used to say she got frustrated with me when I was a little kid because I never asked for anything. It made Christmas difficult. It wasn’t that I didn’t want anything, but I knew what a tight budget we were on and felt guilty for asking, so she had to drag stuff out of me.
That sure changed when I hit adolescence and NEEDED everything Lynne had. Even so, I never asked for or expected anything big ticket (for example, a car), and I was also cheap to clothe. Plus, other than contributing to my freshman year, my parents didn’t pay for my college education, so they really lucked out there.
I really enjoyed this post, Becky!
Thanks! =)
Ohhhh I always wanted one of those cool pull down record players with the detachable speakers!! You are so LUCKY! All I ever got was one of these:
My father tried to convince me it was cool because it was “portable” but I knew that portable really meant “to be shared with your sisters” which was So Not Cool.
I SO REMEMBER that record player you’ve pictured. I probably wanted one of those instead of what I had. It’s the way of the surly young teen, no?
My first album was The Partridge Family Album. Hee hee. I also had those three you posted the pictures of….but I always considered the first album I ever bought with my own money to be Imagination by Gladys Knight and the Pips (the one with “Midnight Train to Georgia” on it–pretty obvious I was gay, huh?).
I don’t know if I have any Partridge Family on 45, but definitely not on any albums. And I never owned Bobby Sherman, because he was Mark Lindsay’s heart-throb rival so he was banished from my hearing.
I LOVED Gladys Knight and the Pips.
My big collections from my early, early years of records are the Beach Boys, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Grass Roots, and Three Dog Night. Most of my Beatles stuff was bought later (I had a limited budget and access to Riley’s records, so no Beatles needed), as was just about any other band whose wagon I jumped on.
This reminds me of a youtube video I was going to post the other night and didn’t. I may have to do that next.
Oh, I had all of those….I recently downloaded “Shambala” by Three Dog Night.
Did you ever used to watch this spin…
…?
When my big brother used to
tortureplay his Beatles recordsad infinitim, the kick I got was watching the rainbow blend into itself.My first 45 was “Shame,” by Evelyn Champagne King. I’m 99% sure my first album was Pablo Cruise, but I could be wrong, since I didn’t know at the time back then that this kickass entry of yours would come along in 2008.
This entire comment was done in my sweet Bob Dylan impersonation.
Definitely remember watching that label spin, although it’s another label I think of watching when I hear Capitol (because if you say Beatles, the first thing I see is the Apple that came later):