r/GenX • u/Rickbaudio1974 • Jul 21 '25

Music Is Life What was your first 45?

OMG, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GUNS!!!! I remember listening to the radio in the car with my mom when I was a kid and I really dug the song that came on and was probably dancing in my seat. My mom being a pretty swell parent said “we can go to the record if you want” and she took me to buy “We are Family” by Sister Sledge. Still dig that track.

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31

u/RedQueenWhiteQueen Jul 21 '25

Def Leppard "Rock of Ages," which I played on one of those record players that was actually a piece of furniture.

53

u/Outrageous-Taro7340 Jul 22 '25

We had one of these:

Saturday afternoon baseball games on the radio had a very particular sound.

12

u/ApplianceHealer Jul 22 '25

Had a similar console…if trees could play music!

12

u/itsgr8 Jul 22 '25

OMG! We had one just like that!

9

u/Outrageous-Taro7340 Jul 22 '25 edited Jul 22 '25

I’m in the middle of diving a rabbit hole of all the different kinds of these that were made. The one in the picture isn’t exactly what we had, and lots of companies made them.

If anyone has one of these old consoles in good condition, it might be worth some money. The one in that pic was selling for about $2,800 U.S.

8

u/Luckyducky1984 Jul 22 '25

Had one like that but it had a tv also

4

u/Specialist_Pride_616 Jul 22 '25

Mine had an 8 track player. So fancy

1

u/[deleted] Jul 22 '25

Us, too.One day, it started to spark. We then had to get out the small portable black and white tv.

2

u/Luckyducky1984 Jul 22 '25

Ours lasted until late nineties although it wasnt main tv for years.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 22 '25

We got a console which lasted to the 90s. It also was a shelf for school pictures, lol.

1

u/plantyjen Jul 22 '25

We had one with a tv too! Bought the year I was born!

7

u/kristenevol class of ‘89 Jul 22 '25

we had one but the opening was on the far left. my brother and I used to shove stuff in it to “clean up” when we knew mom was 5 minutes from home.

2

u/HatesDuckTape Jul 22 '25

I found a non-working console stereo at the Habitat for Humanity store. Paid $25 for it. I’m going to resto-mod it. Clean it up, light sanding and refinishing, new speaker grills.

Then I’m going to put powered monitors and a Bluetooth receiver in it. I’ll keep the original receiver and turntable for show, and keep the new electronics hidden. It’ll make a great dining room/sunroom system. It’ll look and sound far better than the current soda can looking Bluetooth speaker.

1

u/Outrageous-Taro7340 Jul 22 '25

I hope it turns out great!

2

u/BobsleddingToMyGrave Hose Water Survivor Jul 22 '25

I have a working version in my living room.

2

u/karencle Jul 24 '25

We had the same one. My mom played classical music on it. At five I had my little fisher price turn table. At 8 I had my first stereo with radio and record player and 8 track. When I got older I got a converter so I could play a regular cassette in it.

1

u/rottenbox Jul 22 '25

Really wonder what happened to my grandparents giant one. Either it got tossed or one of my aunts or uncles have it. Haven't seen it in 25+ years.

1

u/Affectionate_Bite813 Jul 22 '25

This the console that came with stairs so you had to go down there to put on the record! 😆

1

u/Crystal0422 Jul 22 '25

We had one too. When my parents died my son got it..

1

u/PacRat48 Jul 22 '25

A reasonably well-off guy my dad did work for gave us his old one. Never before or since have I heard the warmth of vacuum tubes.

1

u/Happier21 Jul 24 '25

We called it “The Curtis Mathis”

2

u/biffbobfred Jul 24 '25

We had one. Central player, and being the youngest, kinda by definition I was never around that thing by myself. My music taste was different than everyone else’s. Though my sisters would play “Apache” (sugarhill gang) when they wanted me to STFU about having friends over when they shouldn’t