Frankie Goes To Hollywood?????? are ya kidding me? RELAX, I am just kidding :)
Best "Rock/Pop" Debut Album?
I've been thinking about this for a while and recently rifled through my catalogue to look at some contenders. The criteria I used for selecting the best debut album is based on both impact to the genre and overall musical quality. For example some of the great Rock/Pop bands of the last 45 years didn't exactly come out of the gate swinging grand slams. For example, as great as the Beatles, Stones and even The Who were or are, they're first offering was largely based on covers of American blues and doesn't represent them hitting full stride. Same full stride scenario could also be said for great bands such as Zeppelin, Tull, Aerosmith, Talking Heads, Prince, CSN&Y etc.
Without further ado here is my list:
1. Yes - "Fragile" (Unbelievable debut album. Ushered in a classical sensibility to Rock music that hadn't been tapped into as deeply prior to their arrival on the scene. The muscianship and composition on Fragile is stunning. I put this album as number 1 on my list because of the incredible muscianship and maturity of this first offering)
2. Steely Dan - "Can't Buy A Thrill" (Damn near a flawless debut album. The Dan's influence was huge and made it difficult for critics to even figure how to categorize their style of music)
3. Chicago "Chicago Transit Authority" (Wham they came out of left field and combined horns, percussions and hot guitar licks the likes of which the music scene hadn't witnessed before. Right out of the gate their debut album sounded like it was a veteran work of art)
4. Nirvana - "Nirvana" (What can you say about this debut? It was a solid musical offering with a huge impact on music. Their debut was an invitation to the Grim Reaper for Old School and Hair Spray rock bands. It's influence is still being felt to this day)
5. The Doors - "The Doors" (Unbelievably good debut album. Light My Fire is one of the best Rock songs of all time IMHO. Right out of the gate The Doors brought a style and sound all their own)
Without further ado here is my list:
1. Yes - "Fragile" (Unbelievable debut album. Ushered in a classical sensibility to Rock music that hadn't been tapped into as deeply prior to their arrival on the scene. The muscianship and composition on Fragile is stunning. I put this album as number 1 on my list because of the incredible muscianship and maturity of this first offering)
2. Steely Dan - "Can't Buy A Thrill" (Damn near a flawless debut album. The Dan's influence was huge and made it difficult for critics to even figure how to categorize their style of music)
3. Chicago "Chicago Transit Authority" (Wham they came out of left field and combined horns, percussions and hot guitar licks the likes of which the music scene hadn't witnessed before. Right out of the gate their debut album sounded like it was a veteran work of art)
4. Nirvana - "Nirvana" (What can you say about this debut? It was a solid musical offering with a huge impact on music. Their debut was an invitation to the Grim Reaper for Old School and Hair Spray rock bands. It's influence is still being felt to this day)
5. The Doors - "The Doors" (Unbelievably good debut album. Light My Fire is one of the best Rock songs of all time IMHO. Right out of the gate The Doors brought a style and sound all their own)
125 responses Add your response
My opinion on a top ten list: 10-Truth-Jeff Beck 9-Electric Music for Mind & Body--Country Joe & The Fish 8-The Velvet Underground & Nico-Same 7-Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers-Same 6-Welcome to The Pleasure Dome--Frankie Goes To Hollywood 5-Cars-Same (listen in HDCD; mindblowing) 4-Led Zeppelin-Same 3-Doors 2-Are You Experienced-Jimi 1 Boston-Same Considered the best amongst many critics |
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astral weeks is not a debut I thought that might be the case, since "Brown Eyed Girl" had come first. Shame on me for trusting Amazon By the way, I vote Zaikesman forum hall monitor. :-) |
More corrections not yet noted by others: Harrison's solo debut was "Wonderwall Music" on Apple in '68. Morrison's solo debut was "Blowin' Your Mind" on Bang in '67. As Ben came close to pointing out, Nirvana's debut was "Bleach" on SubPop in (can you believe it?!) '89. (BTW, that "My Sharona" song really began a long and storied career for The Knack, didn't it?) Audiofeil has kindly corrected a few others, now I'll return the favor: "Pick Up The Pieces" was a single off of AWB's '74 Atlantic debut simply entitled Average White Band, but they had an earlier album on MCA, '73's "Show Your Hands". "Centerfield" (WB '85) was John Fogerty's third solo album, after "John Fogerty & The Blue Ridge Rangers" (Fantasy '73 -- there was no band named The Blue Ridge Rangers, it was just Fogerty) and "John Fogerty" (Asylum '75) Anyway, this list could obviously go on and on, but some other notable debuts I don't think were mentioned above are Elvis Presley, "Here's Little Richard", The Ramones, The Pretenders, The New York Dolls, Moby Grape, Gene Clark (solo debut after leaving the Byrds), The Dead Kennedys "Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables", The Dictators "Go Girl Crazy", The Modern Lovers, NRBQ, The Monkees, The B-52s, Pink Floyd "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn", Television, Wire "Pink Flag", The Cars, The Mothers "Freak Out", The Stooges, Derek & The Dominoes...I'll stop before I list a hundred more... FWIW, IMO "Are You Experienced?" is probably the most world-changing debut LP ever released, only 'cause The Beatles did it more with singles at the beginning (as did most artists prior to The Beatles). |
Here are a few more I missed to add to my 60's/70's era list above: THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION - 'Freak Out' PINK FLOYD 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'- I bought this when it first came out in 1967. According to Wikipedia "It is now viewed as one of the better debut albums by many critics." I always thought so even though I may have prefered listening to some of their later work. JETHRO TULL - 'This Was' - still one of my favorite Tull LPs. Saw them perform on their first US tour right after 'Stand Up' came out with Joe Cocker and Jefferson Airplane. Their performance and especially their sound quality was the best I had seen at the time. I was sorry not to see Mick Abrahams perform, much less leave the band, but apparently there were some disagreements about musical direction and he went on to form his own band, Blodwyn Pig. His replacement, Martin Barre turned out to be just fine, however, and a driving force of the band's sound. JONI MITCHELL - 'Joni Mitchell'- I can't believe no one has mentioned Joni. Then again I can't believe Sex Pistols are on this list...to each his own I guess. THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA - 'The Inner Mounting Flame' - I wasn't going to mention this one since it moves more into the jazz realm, but since Metralla did I will too. Saw them in their first tour opening for Yes in Denver. I was pretty amazed and to this day am a huge fan of John McLaughlin. |
Keane - Hopes and Fears - A Stunning debut IMHO (if you've not heard this CD, buy it now!) Cyndi Lauper - She's so Unusual - 80's icon - Hugely Successful debut Fat Parrot - Alanis Morrisette's Jagged Little Debut is not her debut album; prior to this release, Alanis was singing bubblegum tunes like Tiffany.... Calgarian |
THE BEATLES – ‘With the Beatles’ (Meet the Beatles in the US) – perhaps I’m dating myself a bit, but the impact of this LP on the entire world was, and is, unprecedented in the world of popular music. Is it their best work? Hardly (in my opinion Rubber Soul better defines the beginning of their true brilliance), but what a debut! THE BYRDS – ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ THE DOORS – ‘The Doors’ THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE – ‘Are You Experienced’ – I remember when this first hit the record stores, looking at the cover and thinking anyone that looks like this has got to be good. I was only 15 at the time and to say I was blown away when I got to hear it the first time at my best friend’s house is an understatement. That same year I got to see him live on the first US tour. THE WHO – ‘My Generation’ – while it is true that The Who didn’t really start becoming popular until ‘Tommy’ came out I thought they were great from the very beginning and loved their music. Then again I was very much into the music scene, particularly the so called British Invasion. Also saw The Who’s first US tour. They opened for Herman’s Hermits! CREAM – ‘Fresh Cream’ – although ‘Disraeli Gears’ and ‘Wheels of Fire’ are my favorites, ‘Fresh Cream’ was a brilliant debut of what became known as the world’s first super group. JEFF BECK – ‘Truth’ – arguably the greatest rock guitarist, if not the most successful JEFFERSON AIRPLANE – ‘Surrealistic Pillow’ – technically this is their second LP, the first being ‘Jefferson Airplane Takes Off,’ but the original singer and drummer were replaced by Grace Slick and Spencer Dryden. With ‘Surrealistic Pillow’ Jefferson Airplane really did take off becoming one of the most successful San Francisco bands of the late 60’s. BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD – hard to forget these guys! Third LP ‘Retrospective’ covers all their great songs and was one of my favorite LPs in 1969 CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY – first and only release as CTA CROSBY, STILLS & NASH SANTANA IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY – a masterpiece from David and Linda Laflamme whose original group was short lived, but never the less a classic from the late 60’s. They are still performing today. LED ZEPPELIN – not only a great debut, but to many their best overall ELTON JOHN – I’m surprised no one else has mentioned this one. A fabulous debut! GEORGE HARRISON – ‘All Things Must Pass’ – in my opinion the best post Beatles solo effort - in all likelihood because he was overshadowed by John and Paul’s brilliance his own song writing talents didn’t come out until after the Beatles broke up. KING CRIMSON – ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’ EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER – I’m surprised this LP has never been remastered. No one ever surpassed Keith Emerson’s abilities with the all analog Moog synthesizer. An amazing performer to watch. YES – I’m going to have to disagree with Jdlepera’s assertion that this LP ‘sucked big time.’ This has always been one of my favorite Yes LP’s and I feel it is a tremendous debut. Their earliest work is in my opinion their best and I’m in complete agreement about ‘Fragile’ in the history of popular music. I always thought their music went downhill from there on, but still enjoyed them. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND THE EAGLES - ‘Eagles’ – a good debut for one of the 70’s best hybrid rock bands (country, bluegrass, rock). Their second LP ‘Desperado’ remains one of my favorites. STEELY DAN – ‘Can’t Buy A Thrill’ – outstanding first effort of one of the most exceptionally musical bands. A lot of the above listed LPs don’t get a lot of play in my house anymore, but I never tire of these guys. Some of the best recordings of this era. I think they used to mix down on Magnapans. RICKY LEE JONES – great music and a great recording. BRAND X – ‘Unorthodox Behavior’ Well, that gets me through the 70’s and I’m sure I’ve missed some, but it’s late and my brain needs a rest. |
What fun. Yes indeed to "Astral Weeks". Marvellous after all these years - it still thrills me. Many good albums noted here already ... great debut albums often occur when established musicians form a new group - thus Blind Faith, Led Zep; rather than when they start their career - Bowie's first record showed only teasing glimpses of the superstar to come. "Music From Big Pink" - The Band. How can we forget this one? Accomplished musicians created a new style and cut a timeless and influential album. "High Voltage" - AC/DC. A 4-on-the-floor groove as basic as it gets, lifted out of the ordinary by Angus's incedinary solos - fun for Dick and Jane. It wasn't a long way to the top from here for these guys - well, maybe for Bon. "Inner Mounting Flame" - Mahavishnu. This debut album brought a revolution in sound, and a stream of copy-cats. Maybe not quite as good as "Birds of Fire" to follow, but this record paved the way for rock fans to appreciate jazz fusion. Regards, |
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I got here late so most of these have been mentioned. 1. Counting Crows -- August and Everything After 2. Chicago Transit Authority -- Chicago Transit Authority 3. Crosby Stills and Nash -- Crosby Stills and Nash 4. Led Zeppelin -- Led Zeppelin 5. Nirvana -- Nevermind These are not only great debut albums but IMO each one represents the best album these groups put out. I would expect some arguments, especially the Zeppelin but I'll stand by my opinion. |
Right out of the gate? Gotta include Dire Straits debut album. . .completely different sound for the time and Mark Knopfler has managed to stay relevant. Huge "YES" vote for Elvis Costello's "My Aim is True". The vinyl re-issue speaks truth to power on the quality of the record and musicianship (something less than appreciated during the era when the angry young man was new on the scene). Lot's of staying power musically as well. From the obscure file, Lowell George's (he of Little Feat) "Thanks, I'll Eat it Here" is a musical pleasure and sonic wonder. Warner Bros. seemed to care about quality long after others stopped. |
When I think back to hearing Purple Haze for the first time (wasn't it the first cut on side 1?)I can still bring that feeling back, sitting in my room with the black light, posters, and ear bleed spl levels. Didn't need any doobies to get me there. Very powerful experience. oops, I almost forgot: and my mothering screaming her head off to shut the f......music off. She didn't use those words, but can you identify? |
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