The Compact Disc audio format is now 25 years old and the earliest releases are now prime collectables. Many websites perpetuate the myth that the first commercially available CD was Billy Joel's 52nd Street (35DP-1) and then go on to list the other 35DP releases as if they were the first CDs ever released. It seemed strange to me that a Japanese company would only release US rock and jazz CDs on the day the CD player was first on sale so I did some investigating. It turns out that the first 50 CDs were a mix of US Rock, Japanese Pop, Jazz, and Classical Music. You can identify the true 1st pressings by the gold tone of the label surface if they were pressed at the CBS/Sony SCR pressing plant and silver if not, the dot matrix font style of matrix number, the smooth sided jewel case, and the lack of a barcode on the back insert. Here is the complete list of the first 50 CDs released simultaneously on October 1, 1982:

Classical by CBS/Sony

38DC 1 BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 5 (FATE), SCHUBERT SYMPHONY NO. 8 (UNFINISHED)    MAAZEL : VIENNA PHILHARMONIC    3,800 yen
38DC 2 BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 3 (EROICA)    MEHTA : NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC    3,800 yen
38DC 3 MOZART HAFFNER        KUBELIK : BAVARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA    3,800 yen
38DC 4 MOZART SYMPHONY NO. 38 (PRAGUE)
KUBELIK : BAVARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA    3,800 yen
38DC 5 MOZART SYMPHONY NO. 41 (JUPITER) KUBELIK : BAVARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA    3,800 yen
38DC 6 BRUCKNER SYMPHONY NO. 4 (ROMANTIC)    KUBELIK : BAVARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA    3,800 yen
38DC 7 TCHAIKOVSKY SYMPHONY NO. 5 Maazel : CLEVELAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA    3,800 yen
38DC 8 SHOSTAKOVICH SYMPHONY NO.5 (REVOLUTION) BERNSTEIN : NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC    3,800 yen
38DC 9 TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 OVERTURE    MAAZEL : VIENNA PHILHARMONIC    3,800 yen
38DC 10 R. STRAUSS ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA    MEHTA : NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC    3,800 yen
38DC 11 STRAVINSKY BALLET MUSIC (PETRUSHKA)    MEHTA : NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC    3,800 yen
38DC 12 HOLST THE PLANETS MAAZEL : FRENCH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA    3,800 yen
38DC 13 DVORAK CONCERTO FOR CELLO    TSUYOSHI TSUTSUMI (Vc) KOSLER : CZECH PHILHARMONIC    3,800 yen
38DC 14 GRIEG PIANO CONCERTO HIROKO NAKAMURA (P), YUICHIROU OHMACHI : TOKYO PHILHARMONIC    3,800 yen
38DC 15 NEW FAMOUS PIECES BY CHOPIN
HIROKO NAKAMURA（P)    3,800 yen

Pop Music  by CBS/Sony

35DP 1    BILLY JOEL / 52ND STREET    3,500 yen
35DP 2    BILLY JOEL / THE STRANGER    3,500 yen
35DP 3    BOZ SCAGGS / MIDDLE MAN    3,500 yen
35DP 4    PINK FLOYD / WISH YOU WERE HERE    3,500 yen
35DP 5    TOTO / TURN BACK    3,500 yen
35DP 6    JOURNEY / ESCAPE    3,500 yen
35DP 7    BARBRA STREISAND / GUILTY    3,500 yen
35DP 8    WEATHER REPORT / NIGHT PASSAGE        3,500 yen
35DP 9    AL DIMEOLA/PACO DE LUCIA / JOHN MCLAUGHLIN - SUPER GUITAR TRIO LIVE (ONE NIGHT IN SAN FRANCISCO)    3,500 yen
35DP 10 BOB JAMES & EARL KLUGH / ONE ON ONE    3,500 yen
35DP 11 BOZ SCAGGS / HITS!    3,500 yen
35DP 12 TOTO / TOTO IV    3,500 yen
35DP 13 SIMON & GARFUNKEL / THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL COLLECTION    3,500 yen
35DP 14 SIMON & GARFUNKEL / BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER    3,500 yen
35DP 15 EARTH WIND & FIRE / RAISE! 3,500 yen
35DP 16 MILES DAVIS / THE MAN WITH THE HORN    3,500 yen
35DP 17 HERBIE HANCOCK TRIO with RON CARTER & TONY WILLIAMS    3,500 yen

Japanese POP Releases by CBS/Sony

35DH 1 EIICHI OTAKI / A LONG VACATION    3,500 yen
35DH 2 MOTOHARU SANO, MASAMICHI SUGI、EIICHI OTAKI / NIAGARA TRIANGLE Vol.2 by MOTOHARU SANO, MASAMICHI SUGI、EIICHI OTAKI    3,500 yen
35DH 3 SEIKO MATSUDA / Pineapple by SEIKO MATSUDA    3,500 yen
35DH 4 MAYUMI ITSUWA / KOIBITOYO    3,500 yen
35DH 5 MOMOE YAMAGUCHI / Again MOMOE ANATO NO KOMORI NO UTA    3,500 yen
35DH 6 THE CANDIES / THE BEST Again    3,500 yen
35DH 7 SADAO WATANABE / ORANGE EXPRESS    3,500 yen
35DH 8 KIMIKO KASAI / KIMIKO    3,500 yen
35DH 9 VARIOUS / NEW MUSIC BEST HIT    3,500 yen
38DG 1 THE SL : SL SOUND IN DIGITAL    3,800 yen

Pop Music by EPIC/Sony

35.8P-1 JULIO IGLESIAS / DE NINA A MUJER        3,500 yen
35.8P-2 MICHAEL JACKSON / OFF THE WALL        3,500 yen
35.8P-3 THE NOLANS / DON'T LOVE ME TOO HARD    3,500 yen
35.8P-4 REO SPEEDWAGON / HI INFIDELITY    3,500 yen
35.8P-5 JEFF BECK / THERE AND BACK    3,500 yen

Japanese Domestic Releases by EPIC/Sony

35.8H-1 CHANNELS / SOUL SHADOWS    3,500 yen
35.8H-2 MOTOHARU SANO / SOMEDAY    3,500 yen
35.8H-3 IPPU-DO / LUNATIC MENU    3,500 yen