What I would also recommend would be to get a budget in mind. You need mics, monitors, cables, some sort of recording medium, instruments (possibly), and PLENTY of other stuff. There is a butt-load of information at your local library, and probably as many opinions on this as there are people here. I'd recommend thoroughly reading every book you can get your hands on. Not to mention using the search function, there are some really good resources there as well.
Good luck,
Rory