response 3 of 39:

Jun 3 21:09 UTC 2002

I don't recall the first CD that I bought.  It was probably something lame
like Madonna or Billy Ocean.

The first record I bought was a K-Tel record called "Dancing Madness".  I
still have it.

response 5 of 39:

Jun 3 21:23 UTC 2002

The first LP I bought was most likely a Herb Albert and the Tijuana
Brass album: possibly that old mono copy of the "SRO" album which 
I loved and which has never been reissued on CD.  Probably around 1966,
five years before I started listening to rock music. 

The first CDs I owned were received as gifts:
    STOP MAKING SENSE by Talking Heads
    Gershwin's AMERICAN IN PARIS by the Labeque sisters.
But to answer oval's query precisely, the first CD I bought myself
was SIGNING OFF by UB40, their first album.  And the sound quality on 
it is terrible.  I should find out if there has ever been a decent issue.
This was in 1985.
 
First DVD I bought was THE MATRIX, I think, and I still have never 
gotten around to watching it.  I don't think I ever owned an 8-track
recording, and cassette purchases through the years were too spotty 
to note: first cassette might have been New Order's POWER CORRUPTION &
LIES which came out in a six-month period when I didn't own a good 
stereo.

response 7 of 39:

Jun 3 23:48 UTC 2002

Hm, let's see... 
LP:  Steve Miller, "Book of Dreams"
CD:  Huey Lewis & the News, "Small World"
VHS: "Six String Samurai"
DVD: "Lathe of Heaven"
MiniDisc: Pearl Jam, "Yield".

Not sure about first (pre-recorded) cassette, but it certainly would have been
some local band.  Back before I had a turntable I'd still buy the vinyl and
then make a cassette on somebody else's stereo.  Say, that'd be considered
piracy today.

response 9 of 39:

Jun 4 02:05 UTC 2002

First DVD was "Contact".  I have no idea what the first CD was.  Probably
something folk.  First LP was certainly something classical.  I bought a bunch
of VHS tapes at the same time.  I think "Cat Ballou" and "Body Heat" were
among them.

response 11 of 39:

Jun 4 03:48 UTC 2002

My first LP was The Carpenters "The Singles -- 1969-1973".

My first 8 track was a Ktel collection of humorous songs.  I got it for 
Christmas; I never bought an 8 track for myself.

My first cassette, hmm, not counting blanks I think it was AC/DC "Back 
in Black".

My first VHS tape was... I've never bought a VHS tape for myself.  My 
first rental was probably "My Name is Nobody".

My first CD was a collection of marching music but I'm not sure which 
one.

My first DVD was The Aristocats.

The first software I bought was the WWIV BBS program, which I bought as 
shareware.  The first software on disk I bought was Tetris, which ran 
on an 8 MHz PC.  The first software CD I bought was Microsoft Money 
Deluxe.

response 13 of 39:

Jun 4 07:10 UTC 2002

  The first CD I bought for myself was Talking Heads' "Little Creatures."

  The first DVD I purchased was Juzo Itami's "Tampopo"

  I'm not sure what the first LP I purchased for myself was, but I vaguely
  recall that it may have been a Jefferson Airplane collection (probably
  "The Worst of..") The first LP I owned was Cat Stevens' "Tea For the
  Tillerman"; it was a gift from one of my sisters..

  The *second* LP I owned, which was a gift from my aunt, might actually
  be worth some money today due to kitsch/collectible value.  It was an
  album entitled "Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk".  One side was soundtrack
  music from "Star Wars" and the other side consisted of three amazingly bad
  synthesizer tracks which, IIRC, were titled "Other", "Galactic" and "Funk"
  and were by someone who went by the name "Meco"

response 15 of 39:

Jun 4 13:06 UTC 2002

First 45 -- "The Battle of New Orleans"
First LP -- *probably* the Partridge Family, though I can't recall. 
First cassette tape -- don't recall.
First 8-track tape -- Both Sides of Leonard Nimoy (the one with the "Ballad
of Bilbo Baggins" on it. I also had the movie soundtrack of "JC Superstar".
First CD -- James Keelaghan, "My Skies", 1993. At a concert of his.
First VHS -- I think it may have been a combination purchase of "It Happened
One Night", "The Dark Crystal", and "Ladyhawke" from a going-out-of-business
sale and given to the kidlings and I as Christmas presents.

response 17 of 39:

Jun 4 14:13 UTC 2002

The first LP I ever bought was Elton John's "Honky Chateau".  I don't
remember the first in other formats.

response 19 of 39:

Jun 4 16:22 UTC 2002

I'm pretty sure the first CD I ever bought for myself was Eric Clapton, "From
the Cradle".  I know that the first DVDs I bought were Pulp Fiction and The
Shawshank Redemption, purchased at the same time because I couldn't decide 
which of them deserved more to be my first DVD.  Ironically, I haven't watched 
either of them yet.  

response 21 of 39:

Jun 5 00:12 UTC 2002

My first CD was of Bach's Double Violin Concerto.  Some young
squirt named Midori was on one of the fiddles.

response 23 of 39:

Jun 5 14:26 UTC 2002

First LP purchased - renaissance motets, recorded by a group I was singing
in.  Jim's first LP was not purchased, someone gave him all his records when
they were throwing them out.  He does not know where they came from.  His
entire collection is mostly Dianna Ross and Glenn Yarborough, about 8 of them.

Never purchased any prerecorded tapes except used at Kiwanis.

Never owned an 8-track tape but we have a radio-cassette-8-track player, used.

Never purchased a VHS tape.  Own one give us by Charcat - Lil Abner.

Have never owned a DVD or player.  Or purchased a CD, but own a small
collection given us mostly by Tim Ryan plus a few that McNally donated to teh
Kiwanis electronics dept and that the volunteers went through first.  Plus
two CDs given to me by friends who recorded them - piano music by the friend,
and E. European fiddle music played by the friend.

I own about 12' of vinyl records mostly purchased for $4/bag or given to
us by John Morris, who used to be sort of a disk jockey for a classical
program.  And a fairly large collection of tapes which we recorded over Jim's
free magazines on tape from library CDs.
You can also find LPs at the curb after yard sales.