For the Record: Show & Tell

When the self-titled album Fleetwood Mac came out in 1975, I fell in love with every track on the album. Then I found out that there was a bunch of great albums that the band had produced before that one, prior to Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joining the band, going back to 1967. I ended up buying pretty much everything they had ever recorded, back when they started out as a British Blues band: “Heroes Are Hard to Find,” “Albatross,” “Mystery to Me,” “Bare Trees,” “Penguin.” I even found a rare album at a used record store called Zounds in Boston that had Fleetwood Mac on side one and Christine Perfect on side two (Christine McVie’s maiden name before marriage to John McVie, and before officially joining the band). The album “Rumours” came out in 1977, cementing their position as one of the great bands of all time. Then in the early 1980s, I hit the jackpot, when perusing the discount record bins at Lechmere Sales in Cambridge. The one and only album recorded by Lindsey and Stevie, two years before joining Fleetwood Mac: “Buckingham Nicks.” It’s considered one of the greatest lost albums of all time. Story goes that when Bob Welch, who was lead sing and guitarist at the time, told Mick Fleetwood that he was going to leave the band to start a solo career, Mike asked Lindsey to join the band as his replacement (Buckingham Nicks were the opening act for Fleetwood Mac when they were touring in Southern California). Lindsey said the he and Stevie were a package deal, so Mick hired them both, and as they say “the rest is history.” As for the album “Buckingham Nicks,” it’s considered a recording masterpiece by many. Lindsey apparently lost the original master tapes, so the album has never been officially made into a CD or digital format, making it an even rarer find. – John Goodwin, Londonderry

The first album I bought with my own money was Simon & Garfunkle “Sounds of Silence.” I bought it at the Piggly Wiggly supermarket in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida (yes, they sold records in grocery stores, once upon a time) and immediately set out to become an intense yet sensitive poet with a cape and a cigarette like Paul Simon. My parent bought me a cheap guitar that chewed up my fingertips as I wrote my first song — a sophmoric rip-off of “I Am a Rock” titled “Uncertainty” (I still remember a few lyrics). It was around 1966 and I soon graduated to Dylan and The Who and never looked back (until now!). I think the fact that the lyrics were right there on the back of the album was what cinched the brain-change for me with music and poetry intertwined seductively amongst my virginal neurons. – Rick Broussard, Concord

The first album I owned was the ‘Muppet Movie’ soundtrack on vinyl. – Chris Kane, Manchester

Growing up this was definitely my favorite album. I had to replace it twice because it got played so much it got scratched. I eventually bought it on cassette to listen to in my car and then when CDs came out, I bought it again. I love every song on that album. – Kerry Query, Dover

My first vinyl was a Sesame Street sing along! I loved it until my brother left it on the heater in our trailer and it melted. I haven’t gotten over that yet. But my first grown up vinyl was the Eagles Hotel California. – Shelby Robinson Rossetti, Manchester

The first album I bought with my own money was Led Zepplin ll. The album that changed my life was Meet the Beatles. Sadly, I sold all my albums about 10 months ago – about three months before my granddaughter got into vinyl. – Debora Gerard, Woburn, Mass.

I think an album that really grew my interest in music was ‘Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison.’ I thought it was such a badass album. How do you go from singing to church-goers to guys in prison? It shows how great he could connect with people. The energy from the crowd really adds a lot. – Jack Belanger, Hollis

I was a physics student at UNH in the 70s, and I use to listen to Bruce Pingree on WUNH. I think I might have known Bruce already, since we were both from Concord. Anyway, half asleep one night, I heard this great piano piece on WUNH. I missed the name of the artist and the song, so I immediately called up Bruce at the station, and he told me it was an 8 minute song called ‘Wind,’ by Circus Maximus. I went into Concord the next weekend, and at French’s Music ordered it. I’m not sure if Bruce would remember me, or the incident. I love the piano in it, but the vocals are so, so. I still have the stereo system I built in the 70’s while at UNH (Heathkit) with a dual turntable tracking at 1.5 grams, so my record collection is pretty intact. I was the old guy on the floor, and other dormmates use to love to listen to some of my old 60s albums from time to time. – Thomas Biklen, Concord

“The first record I ever bought was a 45 single from Caldor on Rt. 9 in Framingham, MA. It was Convoy by CW McCall, a novelty record perfect for my 5 year-old tastes. The first LP I bought was from the same store when I was a mature 7 year-old – it was side 4 of Kiss Alive II. which was all I could afford. My older brother had the money to cover sides 1, 2 and 3, which is where all the cool “live” (aided heavily by overdubs, edits and flat-out not-live performances) songs were. I got the 5 other songs. But that sparked my interest in mid-to-late seventies guitar rock and just a year or so later I bought what is ultimately still my favorite rock album of all time, Heaven Tonight by Cheap Trick. 10 great songs from beginning to end, including what might be the best rock song ever recorded, Surrender.” — Barry Kane of Manchester

“It was a pretty big deal at the time and I may date myself, but my first record was Def Leppard’s ‘Pyromania.’ I was really into Def Leppard … and ‘Rock of Ages’ was pretty much every other song on the radio. I really liked that, I really wanted it, my birthday was coming up, and my older sister surprised me with that “And a side note: We did have a real record player, but the needle was always broken because we abused it. But we had a Fisher Price record player, which was indestructible. And I did play Def Leppard on that Fisher Price record player.” — Sean McDonald, WMUR anchor and host of “New Hampshire Chronicle”

“My first record was ‘Something New’ by the Beatles. It was kind of a compilation record. My brother and I picked it up at French’s Music in Concord. They sold records and instruments, and since I grew up in Concord, that’s where we went. “There’s one record in particular, though — in the early ’80s I was doing a show at The Riverside Club in Portsmouth. There was a woman who went by the name of Cristina who was doing dancy/new wave stuff. One record she cut was her version of ‘Is That All There Is?’ which was a big hit for Peggy Lee. Well, Peggy Lee’s people sued her for doing that, so it never officially came out. But the 12-inch single was sent to me. It’s definitely one of those pieces where I’m only one of a handful of folks who actually saw it.” — Bruce Pingree, WUNH radio host for 49 years

“The first record I ever bought with my own money was Elton John’s ‘Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player.’ I paid $4.99 for it at a store called Giants in Dover, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I couldn’t wait to get home and drop the needle on it and play it from start to finish, which I did repeatedly for hours. And for the record, even though I took that first journey back in 1973, I still do it today with that album. I listened to it start to finish barely a week ago, and it’s just as good today.” – Greg Kretschmar, radio personality, host of “Greg and the Morning Buzz”