The CD Turns 30 Today [VIDEO]

Did you know the CD (compact disc) is 30 years old today? Being in radio most of my life I can remember when I used to play those cue burnt records on the air. But that's another story all in itself. However I do remember making the transition from records to CD's.At that time it seemed somewhat futuristic that a tiny silver disc would revolutionize the way we listened to music. There was even comparisons being made that vinyl records still sounded better than the CD. Maybe I am somewhat partial but I was one of those people that believed that listening to records always sounded better. As a matter of fact I still think today they sound better than any MP3 but that's my personal opinion.

According to answers.com, the first commercially available CD was pressed in Hanover, Germany, by PDO-the Polydor Pressing Operations plant, in 1980. The disc contained a recording of Richard Strauss's Eine Alpensinfonie, played by the Berlin Philharmonic and conducted by Herbert von Karajan.

And although the first album manufactured on CD was The Visitors by ABBA, the first album to actually be released on CD anywhere was 52nd Street by Billy Joel. However, the album was initially only available on CD in Japan. And just in case you were wondering, yes, Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen was the first album to be released on CD in North America.

I can't recall the first album I bought on CD but I certainly thought it was cool to place it into a CD player and just dial up what you wanted to hear. I still listen to CD's today, but it's a fact they will eventually become obsolete in the near future.

What about you? Do you remember the name of the first CD you bought?

Here's a major flashback! I remember when I was a kid you could order 8 track tapes and records through a special mail offer that came in the weekly newspaper.

See if you remember.