What was the record you bought before your first 'indie' record?

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The much more interesting follow up question to the well responded to first 'indie' record you bought (and I've got to say I thought I would have a lot more argument on that front). This is probably a lot harder to remember, but see if you can.

What was your last purchase before you bought that 'indie' record. And do you still like it?

― Pete, Thursday, 11 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Just about impossible to remember (13 years ago!), but I would bet it was some kind of classic rock. The two things that are coming to mind are Dire Straits _Love Over Gold_ and Pink Floyd's _Wish You Were Here_. Still like the latter OK (though I know longer have it), haven't heard the Dire Straits in close to ten years. From what I remember, though, I'm not crazy about it.

― Mark Richardson, Thursday, 11 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Probably Duran Duran's _Notorious_. I still like the singles.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 11 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

As a sad person, I bought the original soundtrack of "Star Wars".

― Arthit Promprasit, Friday, 12 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Wow...this is a tough one, but in the same week I bought Crooked Rain, I bought Weezer and Siamese Dream. Do either of those count as "indie"? If so, then it's gotta be...Superunknown I guess, which I don't even think I still have, but I might still listen to if I did.

― larmey, Friday, 12 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Hah!!! I remember wot I bought before I got that Beechwood "Indie Top 20"... It was "Quadrastate" by 808 State!!!! My first record purchase informed by tha megamighty John Peel!!!! And the brilliance of that record gave me courage to dip mmy toes in the murky world of "proper" indie... (Just as well, before it turned to complete rubbish!!!!!)

Old Fart!!!!!!

― Old Fart!!!, Friday, 12 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Methinks the dividing line between indie and not-indie is a bit blurred with some of these responses (PAVEMENT!!). Anyway mine is properly embarrassing i.e. "The Final Cut" by Pink Floyd, as far as I can recall. I thought back then it was pretty awful- in fact it was probably the single record that woke me up to how terrible all the music the people at school listened to was. I think now it is even more awful.

Much as I'd like to claim my indie kid period and my classic FM rock period were totally discrete, I wasn't ready to give up on the Floyd quite yet - it took a post-Xmas purchase of "The Pros And Cons Of Hitchhiking" achieve *that*.

― Tom, Friday, 12 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

A seamless, if harrowing, progression in the space of a few short months from Big country & Then Jericho, fleeting AoR pitstop courtesy of Frazier chorus, Kirsty McCall, Prefab bloody sprout and a brief rethink saw me thrown to the bosom of indie pop (cue smiths & seemingly ubiquitous House of Love debut). If only this accelerated evolution had continued i would surely by now be boasing a teefal- style cranial capacity and hopelessly withered limbs, but as we all know the indie dream is a terribly sticky cul-de-sac.

― cw, Friday, 12 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

The Wall, I think. At least that's the last one I remember.

― JM, Friday, 12 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

well I am sure it was a single. I never bought full albums before I discovered Eels' Beautifal Freak.. but which single..

hmm Dune? or Annie Lennox.. or.. hmm. I guess It was some kind of Dune single.

Ludo

― Ludo, Friday, 12 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

*Gulp*. I think it was, er, "Ancient Heart" by Tanita Tikaram. If not the final nail in my lingering gloomy female singer/songwriter obsession of the mid-late 80s, then certainly the day I ordered the coffin.

― Michael Jones, Friday, 12 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

When I was 12 I bought 'One Step Beyond' by Madness and fucking loved it. So there.

― DG, Friday, 12 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Pink Floyd seems to be a common thread here...could it be that Waters et. al. somehow drive their fans to indie-dom?

― Mark Richardson, Saturday, 13 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

I was all over indie long before I actually found any of the albums, as the local college radio station played the good stuff, but I never went into any of the collegetown stores to buy that stuff. So before I bought my first "indie" album, I had bought very few albums, of mostly total crap. I think, however, that I had bought the Goo Goo Dolls' "A Boy Named Goo" which is still a good album, although I'm not sure about the 'mats comparisons (playing style is similar, but songwriting style is utterly different). And a damn sight better than their next album.

I should listen to the Goo Goo Dolls more.

― Sterling Clover, Saturday, 13 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

my experience was somewhat similar to sterling's. "so. central rain" turned my head in grade 5 when the only albums i had were bon jovi and def leppard and "teenage riot" did something similar in grade 6 but i didn't actually have any r.e.m. albums for years (and then they were dubbed). and i kept with the rock for years until i actually got a sonic youth album between grades 10 and 11 (dubbed off a dub). but anyway, the last album i acquired (dubbed, most likely) before _eponymous_ was, fuck, i don't know, some rock shite, classic or modern. might have been the tea party.

― sundar subramanian, Monday, 15 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

You're never above bringing class-conscious rants into popcrit, are you, Tom? Get over it. Mind you, by 1983 Pink Floyd were rotten, Waters's influence having overwhelmed the band, turned them into a vehicle for endless, churning dirges whose message never extended beyond The Modern World Is Terrible.

Ahem. My first indie album actually *bought* was, embarrassingly recently, Blur's "The Great Escape". I don't think I actually bought singles at all for the period leading up to that, preferring the time- honoured method of taping the Top 40 show (my actual interest in music was pathetically little back then). So I genuinely can't answer this question.

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 15 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

"Tom"!??!?!? I thought it was Pete's that started the question and Mark that brought up the "Floyd -> Indie" thread?!?!?

Old Fart!!!!

― Old Fart!!!, Monday, 15 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Class conflict, Robin? Do me a favour! The reason the music that the people at school listened to was rubbish was because IT WAS RUBBISH, not because they were posh. (I was barely less posh, anyway) The fact that it was a closed community encouraged the malaria-like transmission of bad tastes, but that's about it.

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 15 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Of course. It's only because I still cling to an overtly romantic mid-teen vision of pop as a classless utopia that I get offended by your comments, for which I have no real defence given that you know the territory and I don't. And "The Final Cut" is indeed fucking atrocious.

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 15 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

Um, I can't even remember what my first indie purchase was, much less what the album prior to that was! I can assure you it was something fabulous, but then again it always is.

Hell, I don't even remember what my *last* purchase was :)

You lot have good memories is all I can say.

― Ally, Tuesday, 16 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

the first album i ever bought was pavement's brighten the corners. that sorta counts as indie, and i never bought an album before that. previously i owned a spice girls cd and an alanis morroset cd, gifts. i wish i could say that i hated the spice girls and alanis, but i was young and easily influenced by my friends. with the pavement cd, my tastes became more indie, although i used to buy the occasional modern rock cd. about a year and a half ago i went to the pavement message board and asked what cool indie bands would be fun for me to listen to, and that was the defining moment in my music listening life.

― sandy, Monday, 22 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago) link

two months pass...

prior to the records i listed before i was into van halen, hendrix, and black sabbath.

hendix is ok, van halen is only interesting in an ironic sense, like i think those early VH records are funny, cheesy etc. so in essence i quit taking van halen and black sabbath seriously. actually i take black sabbath semi seriously. i hadn't listened to pink floyd during that time but i probably would have been into it (anything prior to "darkside of the moon")

in retrospect i can justify hendrix and sabbath but i can't justify liking van halen except that i thought they were better than duran duran, which is what most of my friends liked.

― jason, Monday, 16 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I bought that Marillion live album two days before JAMC's 'Barbed Wire Kisses'. Sez it all, dunnit ?

― Geordie Racer, Tuesday, 17 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Oh, so this must be the follow up question ...

Probably, "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" or these Haircut 100 singles that I wish I had here at school - if only I had a record player. (I can't listen to Duran Duran anymore on account of Simon Le Bon's voice.) When I was young, 'indie' meant British music, so there wasn't much discontinuity.

― youn, Tuesday, 17 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

That fellow out of Haircut 100 went to my old school. True fact, that.

― DG, Tuesday, 17 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

I'm not sure. It was probably Pet Shop Boys' _Please_, unless you want to count some of the other LPs I got from Columbia House at the same time as the "Pretty In Pink" soundtrack (the first three Madonna albums, The Bangles' "Different Light", and some others I'm forgetting).

The first album I owned which wasn't a kiddie album was Men Without Hats' _Rhythm of Youth_.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 17 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

six months pass...

Hmmm. Probably either "Ram" by Paul McCartney, or whatever Chic album had "Freak Out" on it. (I wish I'd kept that in better condition.)

― DeRayMi, Tuesday, 6 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Peter Gabriel, 'Security'. Luv it!

― dave q, Tuesday, 6 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Sad thing is, my first record was an indie record. And a bloody awful one, which perhaps is not amazingly surprising.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 7 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

i think it was probably Public Enemy

― gareth, Wednesday, 7 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Sting's Dream of the Blue Turtles

― Lord Custos, Wednesday, 7 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

metallica "master of puppets"

― bob snoom, Wednesday, 7 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Probably Black Crowes "Southern Harmony and Musical Companion".

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 7 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

The Beatles. A box of all studio records (vinyl) without "Magical Mystery Tour". Not a shame really.

― alex in mainhattan, Wednesday, 7 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

None. The first record I bought was an indie. An astronomical data record on the "Kepler Label" called "Harmony of the worlds". For 25 cents. I was nine years old and really into astronomy. It's still the creepiest record I own.

― Brian MacDonald, Wednesday, 7 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

wait - totally lying - i bought double nickels on the dime in mmm 1989? soooooo i have no idea. maybe for fun i will say "white trash" by white trash, with their breakthrough single "apple pie"

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 7 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

one year passes...

Hmm. I'm going to take some liberties with the question and assume the question is "first new wave/punk related record." That would be the Police's _Regatta de Blanc_, early 1980. I'm almost positive that the LP I bought just before it was Dire Straits' _Making Movies._ Or Rush's _Moving Pictures.

― mike a (mike a), Monday, 17 March 2003 20:11 (twenty-one years ago) link

I wanna say Neil Young's ReAcTor.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 17 March 2003 22:17 (twenty-one years ago) link

I think Daydream Nation was my first indie, purchased the same day as Master of Puppets (if that answers your question). (I don't remember what I bought before that.)

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 00:31 (twenty-one years ago) link

I bought Nutty Animals, Gene Simmons solo album and the Grease soundtrack on my birthday when I was seven. This was all at the local convenience store which strangely enough sold records.

― S Samson, Tuesday, 18 March 2003 00:33 (twenty-one years ago) link

oh, and the first "indie" album, the purchase the followed ReAcTor (which I got on used cassette), was Crooked Rain, which was a full price CD.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 01:47 (twenty-one years ago) link

X's Los Angeles was my first indie record. As I recall I bought it the same day I bought the first Pretenders album (was Sire indie back then?).

― Chris Barrus (xibalba), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 01:52 (twenty-one years ago) link

The (almost) complete works of Chris de Burgh were all in my possession before I ever shelled out for Boys Don't Cry on tape or Fuzzbox's "Self" on 7" (the latter may be excused for being sort-of indie).

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 02:40 (twenty-one years ago) link

i LOVED that Fuzzbox song.. must try and find a copy

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 02:41 (twenty-one years ago) link

Tucky Buzzard-Alright on the Night. It's shithot.

― Arthur (Arthur), Tuesday, 18 March 2003 06:51 (twenty-one years ago) link

seven months pass...

"Matador" by Jeff Wayne and his orchestra. It was the ITV theme tune to the 1982 World Cup.

― flowersdie (flowersdie), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 11:22 (twenty-one years ago) link

i bought coil's "horse rotorvator" Thrill Kill Kult's "confessions of a knife" and belly's "star" on the same day.

― Felcher (Felcher), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 17:50 (twenty-one years ago) link

I bought the remix of "Tainted Love" and then the classic "Martika's Kitchen". Then it all went downhill when I bought Mudhoney's "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge".

― adaml (adaml), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 18:13 (twenty-one years ago) link

In fact, that gives me an idea for a thread...

― adaml (adaml), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 18:14 (twenty-one years ago) link

Actually, before that I bought lots of house/techno stuff like T-99 and 808 State.

― adaml (adaml), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 18:15 (twenty-one years ago) link

I suppose it was either Kick by INXS or Savage by the Eurythmics - I was really taken with the Beethoven (I Love To Listen To) single. In regards to my music life it was probably the sound of the door to indie creaking open.

― David Merryweather (DavidM), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 18:31 (twenty-one years ago) link

two years pass...

In one of my first trips to a record store (Nottingham, 1988) I bought Billy Idols Greatest Hits, A-Ha's Scoundrel Days, Bruce Springsteen's Tougher then the rest 12", Simple Minds Once Upon a time, Big Countrys The Crossing Mini LP and The Jesus and Mary Chains Barbed Wire Kisses compilation.

A mixed bag indeed! A change was clearly underway...

― Arnar Eggert Thoroddsen (arnart1802), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 12:01 (eighteen years ago) link

First indie record was the LP of Life's Rich Pageant. I believe the last record I got before that was a cassette of Mott The Hoople's greatest hits.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 12:34 (eighteen years ago) link

16th cd I bought monty python sings, 17th pulp different class

― methanie tanner (methanie tanner), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 12:47 (eighteen years ago) link

Hmm let's see [squints eyes and rubs wizened jaw]...my first indie was Never Mind the Bollocks, I don't care what label produced it. Probably purchased on the heels of Aerosmith's Rocks, or the Rocky Horror s/t.

― Collardio Gelatinous (collardio), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 13:05 (eighteen years ago) link

A double whammy of The Blow Monkey's It Doesn't Have To Be This Way and Simply Red's Do The Right Thing. These were my transition records from an even more terrible Dire Straits / Jean Michelle Jarre period. It wasn't long before I was plunged headlong into the world of The Smiths and the NME

― holojames (holojames), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 14:08 (eighteen years ago) link

Can't remember exactly, but it was probably either late 80s house like Coldcut or Bomb The Bass (but not either of those) or maybe something by Talk Talk, Queen, Depeche Mode (actually I guess they might count as indie, so they would be my 1st indie purchase).

xpost actually I did buy the Blow Monkeys Singles LP probably around the time I got my 1st indie!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 14:13 (eighteen years ago) link

i'm gonna say house of pain; it probably wasn't, but i can't even remember what my first indie record was.

― the Enrique who acts like some kind of good taste gestapo (Enrique), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 14:18 (eighteen years ago) link

"indie" is to genre classification what "hispanic/latino" is to ethnic classification.

― Collardio Gelatinous (collardio), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 15:12 (eighteen years ago) link

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