Should I upgrade to Mac OS X v10.7 before I use Time Machine for the first time?

I bought a macbook pro in 2008. I recently purchased an external hard drive and I can't decide what's the best option:
1. Use Time Machine using Snow Leopard 10.6.8 ?
2. Upgrade to Lion before I use Time Machine (first time)
3. Or just drag my photos and music manually (those are the only things I need to back up)
Thoughts?

I see. My only fear is there seems to be a lot of people who orginally were using Time Machine on SL, then upgraded to Lion and now Time Machine becomes screwy.
Also, if I buy a new Mac (eventually) with Lion, I worry that if I've been using TM on SL, the transition to Lion wont be smooth. I may be overthinking this, but I just want to get it right.
But I see your point: I need to get a full back up of my system as it is now before I make any changes. Thanks for your help.

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