CD singles

Key Releases

First Promo CD Single Dire Straits, "Brothers In Arms - Live in 85" (DE 1985; Vertigo 884 285-2). Very limited, less than 400 (possibly 200) issued. Listed here as a promo as it's not clear where it was actually sold, even though it's listed as the "first commercial compact disc" by some sources; the tie-in with Philips (who sponsored Dire Straits' 1985 European tour) hints at this being a promotional item. Original pressing has blue-and-white "Philips Compact Disc Presents Dire Straits Live In 85" logo on otherwise-pink cover; a later repressing with the same catalog number replaced this with a full color "Live in 86" logo as the tour plodded onward.^[1]

First US Promo CD Single: Two-track promo for Don Dorsey's Bachbusters, shipped Feb 1986 by Telarc (US)^[2].

First One-Track US Promo CD Single: .38 Special, "Like No Other Night", shipped 15 April 1986 by A&M (US)^[3].

First Commercially-Released CD Single: Unclear. It really depends on where you draw the line between single and EP -- by my way of thinking, if it has its own name instead of being named after the main track, it's not really a single. Some candidates:
- Ruby Turner with Jonathan Butler: The Ruby Turner EP (3 Feb 1986;^[4] Jive Records (UK) JIVE C? 109). Three-track EP in a standard jewel case.
- John Martyn: Classic John Martyn (Feb 1986; Island Records (UK) CID 265^[5]). Five-track EP in Digipak.
- Warner Bros. started issuing four-track "single/EPs" in Japan in the summer of 1986, with the earliest I know of being a-ha's 45 R.P.M. Club (Warner-Pioneer 28XD-444; 25 Jun 1986).
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood: "Rage Hard" (ZTT ZTID 22), UK 1986; other formats were issued 22 Aug 1986 in the UK but print ads for that release only mention vinyl versions so the CD was probably released sometime later, but definitely before November 1986^[6].
- The format went wide in November of 1986 with a significant number of releases in the UK, notably Genesis' "Land of Confusion" (Virgin SNEG 3-12)^[7]

The First Two US CD3 Promos were issued in late 1987 for Squeeze (A&M) and a compilation featuring Echo & The Bunnymen (Warner Bros.)^[8]. (Likely there were earlier classical promos.)

First Commercially-Released US CD3: Frank Zappa, "Peaches en Regalia" (Rykodisc RCD3 1001; US Aug? 1987)^[9]