album issued to cd

[david21]

What was the first album/L.P sold in c.d format,I think it was billy joel(can't remember the name of the album) but my mate's think it was either dire staits or genesis...please put us out of our misery.

[jenstar]

Apparently it was indeed Billy Joel: http://cassette.by.ru/history/compactdisc.htm - I always thought Karajan's recording of Beethoven's Fifth was the first CD, so I've learnt something today too!

[Mattk]

i also seem to recall dire straits having some sort of 1st with cd's.was it 1st cd single maybe ?

[bruin]

I recall it being Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms as Phillips pioneered the c.d. format and Dire Straits were the mainstay artists for them at the time it was a coup for both artist and label..

[lookslikemik]

There's a more comprehensive history of the launch of CD here:

http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-20/h5.html

Ignoring the fact that it's pretty self-aggrandising (being Sony's own site), it's pretty clear that 52nd Street was the first.  These were no more than gimmicks at the time though, as very few domestic players existed.

Brothers In Arms was the first really big commercial success on CD, as with the advent of affordable CD players it's reckoned that many people bought it on CD to replace their vinyl copies.  Also, it was the first album to be specifically recorded and mastered digitally with the aim of maximising its sound quality on CD.