Second City’s Spin on Record Store Day

April 19th is Record Store Day! To celebrate, The Second City thought we’d dust off some deep cuts to reveal the answer to this question:

What’s the first album you ever bought with your own money?

August and Everything After, Counting Crows. It turns out that “everything after” was a string of less-successful albums. –Tim Ryder, Second City e.t.c. Ensemble Member

It was Ace of Base, The Sign. And yes, I regretted it about two hours later. –Daniel Strauss, The Second City’s Incomplete Guide to Everything Ensemble Member

Rush, Presto.  Wasn’t that everyone’s first album? –Sandy Marshall, VP, SCC

GREASE! On 8-track, because I was cool. I used to sing at the top of my lungs while wearing extremely large headphones until my brother came into my room to inform me how terrible I sounded. Thanks, Paul.  –Carrie-ann Pishnak, Marketing & Communications Manager, SC Hollywood

Steely Dan, Aja. I became obsessed with this album at age 12 because we did warm-ups to the song “Peg” in choreography sessions for Boy Choir.  There’s a lot of information about me in that last sentence. –Klaus Schuller, Excutive Director, SC Canada

American Beauty, The Grateful Dead (at ARS in Winnetka – initials stood for A Record Store – they also sold bongs).  –Kelly Leonard, SC Executive Vice President

First Band on the Moon by The Cardigans, arguably the crown jewel of nineties Swedish pop music.  Why?  Because this album featured the hit single “Lovefool,” made popular by Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 masterpiece Romeo + Juliet.  Upon first viewing of the film (and Leonardo DiCaprio’s young, nubile body in a slinky chainmail costume), I knew I had at last become a woman. –Ariel Dumas, RedCo

No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom. I was in grade school, and I don’t know where the money came from, which is seriously disturbing to me in hindsight. Lemonade stand? Couch cushions? Another child?  –Kristina Felske, SCN Contributor

My first album purchased with my own money was Paul McCartney’s Pipes Of Peace, which led to the purchase of many more lovably mediocre Paul McCartney albums through the years.” –T.J. Shanoff, Co-Creator, The Second City’s “Jewsical”

It was 1996. DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince’s Code Red and Hanson’s MMMBop, on tape, with my allowance.  –Hope Hudson Haynes, SC Executive Assistant

My first music purchase was the cassingle of Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is a Place on Earth.” I was nine. My music choices only got more stereotypically gay from there.  –Jeffrey Bouthiette, Head of the Music Program, SCTC

It was an Ace Of Base tape, because someone had to be cool in middle school. –Claire Swanson, BoxCo

Green Day, Dookie. That is, if you count “my own money” as the 1 cent for 12 CDs from Columbia House.  My dad picked out the rest.  –Natalie Shipman, TourCo Alum/Training Center Faculty

The first album I bought myself was The Rugrats Movie Soundtrack, and I’ve been a huge Busta Rhymes and Lisa Loeb fan ever since.  –Aasia LaShay Bullock, Urban Twist Ensemble Member

The first album I ever bought with fake money under a different name that probably directly affected the collapse of the company BMG was KLF’s The White Room. The first with my own diner waitress money was All Eyez on Me, 2Pac. –Nikki Pierce, SCN Contributor

Selections from Jesus Christ Superstar. I haven’t outgrown my Andrew Lloyd Webber phase. –Chrissy Borne, BizCo Account Coordinator

TLC’s CrazySexyCool because I was 11 and still 10 years away from being any of those things (except crazy; I hit that one at 18). –Caitlin Kunkel, SCN Contributor and Writing Faculty

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magic (At the ripe age of 10… on cassette) –Dan Wagner, IT Manager

Leon Russell’s Carney, 1972. –Alison Riley, Producer

Eleventeen by Daisy Chainsaw. I bought it because Darlene mentioned them on an episode of Roseanne. I’m not kidding. –Jana Liles, PR and Marketing Assistant

Wilson Phillips… on tape. Still rockin’ the denim and Chynna’s short hair. Hold On. –Jessica Antes, Youth and Teen Program Assistant, SCTC

The first vinyl I purchased for myself at a garage sale was the 45 of Theme from Close Encounters of The Third Kind. It had warped in the sun. But it didn’t stop me for discoing away in front of the mirror. –Edmund O’Brien, SCTC Faculty

Cloud Nine by George Harrison. I had no idea who George Harrison was. I just liked the video for “Got My Mind Set on You.”  –Jeremy Dabbs, Communications Manager, SCTC

Piledriver: The Wrestling Album 2 (on vinyl). –Aaron Sjoholm, Operations Manager, SCTC

Janet, by Janet Jackson. So risqué! –Courtney Hummel, Account Coordinator, SCC

KoRn’s Issues album … because I have them. –Eric Schinzer, SCN Contributor

Repo Man soundtrack at Record Swap in Homewood. –Heather Whinna, Manager

My first album bought with my own money was Time by Third Day. LIVE ON, CHRISTIAN ROCK. –Katie Tyner, Manager

The neon green album cover stands out. Sugarcubes! Birthday was my jam! –Dionna Griffin-Irons, Director of Outreach & Diversity

Not even gonna lie… the first album I ever bought was Cher’s Believe. I was 10 going on 40… and practicing my inner drag queen routine. (Slowly bows head)  –Haydee Souffrant, SCC Executive Assistant

Do 45s count? If so, the first 45 I bought was “Mickey” by Toni Basil. I used my birthday money and played it almost nonstop for a month (maybe two). It created some friction in our family, but we’ve mostly moved beyond it. –Robin Hammond, Director of Marketing

The first album I bought myself was Third Eye Blind’s eponymous first album. Don’t feel bad. I had to look up what eponymous meant, too. –Tim Ottolin, SCN Contributor

Mitch Albom. –Eileen Montelione, SC LA Ensemble

The Simpsons Sing the Blues, just so I could listen to “Do the Bartman” over and over. –Rich Alfonso, SCN Contributor

In my first trip to Sam Goody, I bought cassettes of R.E.M. Green and “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Even Worse. I’m very proud of 9-year-old me having such good taste. –Cully Johnston, Box Office Manager

I remember very vividly going to Sam Goody at the mall and buying The Smith’s The Queen is Dead and Talking Heads’ Remain in Light.  Can you get anymore stereotypically weird teenager than that? –Rob Gornik, Box Office

New Kids on the Block Hangin’ Tough (1988). I saved up my allowance for that and a Jordan barbie doll! –Lisa Barber, GreenCo

The first album I ever bought was the Ghostbusters II soundtrack, featuring national treasure Bobby Brown. –C.J. Tuor, HouseCo Ensemble Member

Design of a Decade: 1986-1996,  Janet Jackson. –Emily “Miss Chapman if you’re nasty” Chapman, SCC Account Director

Nirvana, Bleach AND Incesticide, at the same time. Side note: I am wearing a flannel shirt today. –Casey Pilkenton, SCC Account Coordinator

I think it was either the Sabrina, the Teenage Witch soundtrack or a Diana Ross and the Supremes Greatest Hits CS. 9-year-old Rebecca was pretty baller. *Brushes shoulder off* –Rebecca Penn Noble, Event Coordinator

Same trip: Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms & Howard Jones’ Dream into Action. Ah, the 80s. –Joe Ruffner, Associate Producer, SC Theatricals

Brought to you by Second City’s American Mixtape, now playing at the UP Comedy Club and coming this June to The Garner Galleria Theatre in Denver!