Best first track


Whenever I put Eric Clapton's Behind The Sun album on and the first track She's Waiting comes on my heart sings- other albums with a great first track suggestions? 

keithsax

Some more,

You're gonna miss me-The 13th floor elevators

Welcome to my nightmare- Alice Cooper

Godzilla-BOC

Help-The Beatles

Paint it Black-The Rolling Stones

Village GreenPreservation Society-The Kinks

White Room-Cream

A Whiter shade of pale-Procol Harum

Fire and water-Free

Deadlock-Can

.......................................

Silly me.  How could I have forgotten:

The Cure  -  100 Years

Because in the grand scheme of things, "It doesn't matter if we all die".

More, and less conventional listings:

Tonio K- Life in the Food Chain-Life in the Food Chain

PJ Harvey- Rid of Me- Rid of Me

Patti Smith - Horses -Gloria

I'm a life long fan of geetar "Classic Rock"

There are some great mentions here.

He's been mentioned before in other threads, I'll do it one more time just because this cut was one of many this 13 year old learned how to play "that sound" on his 1975 Japanese Les Paul copy thru a  cheap transistor amp.

 Side1/Track 1-Stranglehold. Say what you will about ol Ted, he HAD a place in 70's American  R&R history. The album keeps the energy from the lead in to lead out groove.

Ted nugent album cover.jpg

 

 

Jeff Beck - live at Ronnie Scott’s - Bolero.   Actually entire show is awesome.   Jeff played with Tal Wilkenfeld, Jason Rebello, and Vinnie C.   Great show and you know you are on top when Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are in the audience.  And Clapton sits in on a few songs.

Couple more:

John-Madman Across the Water: Tiny Dancer

Johnny Nash-I Can See Clearly Now: I Can See Clearly Now

Jazz has plenty of examples:

Rollins-Saxophone Colossus: "St. Thomas"

Coleman-Shape of Jazz to Come: "Lonely Woman"

Coltrane-Love Supreme: "Part 1"

Brahem, Anour-Thimar: "Badra"

 

For classical, it is hard to pick favorite opening movements or single movement works, but the following come to mind:

Shostakovich-Piano Trio No. 2

Beethoven-Violin and Piano Sonata No. 5 ("Spring")

Mozart-Vesperae Solennes Confessore

Adams-Violin Concerto

Hells Bells prob the all time classic same as Queen live magic etc.

Mozart Symphony 40 always does it for me as well- soon as that needle drops

A lot of good suggestions, but I swear I don't know how anything could top "Gimme Shelter."

A  few more:

Dylan "Free Wheelin'" -- "Blowing in the Wind"

Dylan "Blonde on Blonde" -- "Rainy Day Woman"

AC/DC "Back in Black" -- "Hell's Bells"

The Cure  -  Plainsong

The Cure  -  The Kiss

Siouxsie and the Banshees  -  Dazzle

Selling England by the Pound Oh Yes!- putting it on now had totally forgotten what a cool album

 

I'm just a lawnmower, you can tell me by the way I walk

Genesis-Selling England by the pound

Rush- Tom Sawyer

Deep Purple-Highway star

Roxy Music-Do the strand

Led Zeppelin-Whole lotta love

Queen-Innuendo

Steely Dan-Do it again

David Bowie-Station to Station

Pink Floyd-Astronomy Domine

Lou Reed-Vicious

King Crimson-Circus.......

....................

But there are many greats, the list is endless.

King Crimson "21st Century Schizoid Man"

Beatles "Come Together"

Supremes "Where Did Our Love Go?"

Rolling Stones "Rocks Off"

Bob Dylan "Tangled Up In Blue"

There's a variation on this question involving vinyl releases.  What's the best B-side opening tracks?

 Best Clapton, to me, is Detroit Ballroom, Fall '67- Cream were at their peak live. Sadly, this is not an authorized release. I wish Clapton would legitimate it-- it is purportedly a board recording, but there are at least two different versions. I hate getting behind a bootleg, but it is there as a piece of history. 

As to best "first tracks," I dunno. I listen to a range of stuff, from early heavy rock (now often called "proto-metal") to jazz. I have a visitor tomorrow and was thinking about what to play. I have a lot of records, but got out of the habit of a "short list" of regular players for demonstration purposes. 

And, I'm more into jazz these days than hard rock, but I can dig a psych or heavy rock album for sure: Lucifer's Friend (German Philips the album with Uncle Fester); Crimson- Toronto 2016 Live- Starless; Art Lande And Rubisa Patrol– Desert Marauders (killer jazz record that has an edge; well known cheap heat); Chris Whitley- promo version of Living with the Law-- a/k/a National Steel- fewer cuts, sonically nicer. Standard issue Columbia. 

I'm sure I'll play more tomorrow- but part of it is what the guest likes, no? 

Agree with the Tommy Overture.

Then there's Watch That Man on David Bowie's Aladdin Sane.

I Want to Hold Your Hand on Meet the Beatles.

Yeah, my tastes are antediluvian. But let's get more antediluvian --- First Movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

 

Bright Eyes: "At the Bottom of Everything" from "I'm Awake, It's Morning."

minkwelder I get where you're coming from with Baba O'Riley- it's like comfort food

DSOTM, Pink Floyd - Speak To Me

Nirvana, Nevermind - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

The Who, Tommy - Overture

Jethro Tull - Aqualung

I could go on and on, but I will let others chime in