Via Whet on Twitter, a fun Friday morning thought experiment – what are some of the best opening songs on a debut album?
Things Done Changed–Biggie
Radio Free Europe–R.E.M.
6'1"–Liz Phair
Windfall–Son Volt https://t.co/h8bQLDkACF— Whet Moser (@whet) August 24, 2018
I happen to have made a list of debut albums a while ago, and add to the playlist periodically when I think about it. Not definitive, by any means, even of albums I have in my music library, mostly because I’m a slacker at heart.
I also didn’t include some lead-off songs that I don’t really care for – like The Beatles “I Saw Her Standing There”, Neil Young’s “The Emperor Of Wyoming”, M.I.A.’s “Ba-Na-Na [Skit]”, etc. I also fudged, and didn’t include debut EPs1
Anyway, here’s one hundred songs I’m playing this morning, sorted alphabetically by album:
Edison Diamond Disc Phonograph
- Kinks– Beautiful Delilah (alternate mix)
The Anthology 1964 – 1971 - Guns N’ Roses– Welcome To The Jungle
Appetite For Destruction - Jimi Hendrix Experience– Purple Haze
Are You Experienced? - The B-52’s– Planet Claire
The B-52’s - The Go-Go’s– Our Lips Are Sealed
Beauty and the Beat - Doors, The– Break On Through
Best Of The Doors - Black Sabbath– Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath - Richard Hell & The Voidoids– Love Comes In Spurts
Blank Generation - Ozzy Osbourne– I Don’t Know
Blizzard Of Ozz - Dylan, Bob– You’re No Good
Bob Dylan - U2– I Will Follow
Boy - Cure, The– Boys Don’t Cry
Boys Don’t Cry - Buffalo Springfield– For What it’s Worth
Buffalo Springfield - Steely Dan– Do It Again
Can’t Buy A Thrill - Cars, The– Good Times Roll
The Cars - Clash, The– Janie Jones
The Clash - Waits, Tom– Ol’ 55
Closing Time - Pixies– Caribou
Come On Pilgrim - Randy Newman– Love Story (You And Me)
Creates something new under the sun - Culture– They Never Love In This Time
Cumbolo - Damned, The– Neat Neat Neat
Damned Damned Damned - Björk– Human Behavior
Debut - Oasis– Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
Definitely Maybe - Dr. Feelgood– She Does It Right
Down By The Jetty - PJ Harvey– Oh My Lover
Dry - Portishead– Mysterons
Dummy - DJ Shadow– Best Foot Forward
Endtroducing….. - Wu-Tang Clan– Bring Da Ruckus
Enter The Wu-Tang - Gang Of Four– Ether
Entertainment! - Phair, Liz– 6’1″
Exile in Guyville - Drake, Nick– Time Has Told Me
Five Leaves Left - Scorpions– Speedy’s Coming
Fly To The Rainbow - Arcade Fire– Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Funeral - Funkadelic– Mommy, What’s A Funkadelic?
Funkadelic - Sun Kil Moon– Glenn Tipton
Ghosts Of The Great Highway - Flying Burrito Brothers– Christine’s Tune
The Gilded Palace Of Sin - Postal Service– The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
Give Up - Buckley, Jeff– Mojo Pin
Grace - Springsteen, Bruce– Blinded By The Light
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. - Dr. John– Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya
Gris-Gris - Steve Earle– Guitar Town
Guitar Town - The Congos– Fisherman
Heart Of The Congos - Richard Thompson– Roll Over Vaughn Williams
Henry The Human Fly - Eno, Brian– Needles In The Camel’s Eye
Here Come The Warm Jets - AC/DC– It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)
High Voltage - Daft Punk– Daftendirekt
Homework - Smith, Patti– Gloria
Horses - English Beat– Mirror In The Bathroom
I Just Can’t Stop It - Ian Matthews– Desert Inn
If You Saw Thro’ My Eyes - Nas– The Genesis
Illmatic - King Crimson– 21st Century Schizoid Man Including Mirrors
In The Court Of The Crimson King - Iron Maiden– Prowler
Iron Maiden - Strokes, The– Is This it
Is This Is It? - Prine, John– Illegal Smile
John Prine - Teardrop Explodes, The– Ha Ha I’m Drowning
Kilimanjaro - Metallica– Hit The Lights
Kill ’em All - La’s, The– Son Of A Gun
The La’s - Led Zeppelin– Good Times Bad Times
Led Zeppelin 1 - Beastie Boys– Rhymin & Stealin
Licensed To Ill - Television– See No Evil
Marquee Moon - Martin Carthy with Dave Swarbrick– High Germany
Martin Carthy - New Pornographers, The– Slow Descent Into Alcoholism
Mass Romantic - Tricky– Overcome
Maxinquaye - Moby Grape– Hey Grandma
Moby Grape - Modern Lovers– Roadrunner
Modern Lovers - Flatlanders, The– Dallas
More A Legend Than A Band - CAKE– Comanche
Motorcade Of Generosity - Byrds– Mr. Tambourine Man
Mr. Tambourine Man - R.E.M.– Radio Free Europe
Murmur - Band, The– Tears Of Rage
Music From Big Pink - Costello, Elvis– Welcome To The Working Week
My Aim Is True - Who– Out In The Street [Stereo]
My Generation - Sex Pistols– Holidays In The Sun
Never Mind The Bollocks - New York Dolls– Personality Crisis
New York Dolls - Uncle Tupelo– Graveyard Shift
No Depression - Alexander “Skip” Spence– Little Hands
Oar - Jackson, Michael– Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
Off The Wall - The Only Ones– The Whole Of The Law
The Only Ones - Police– Roxanne
Outlandos d”Amour - Eric B. & Rakim– I Ain’t No Joke
Paid In Full - Wire– Reuters
Pink Flag - Pink Floyd– Astronomy Domine
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn - Poi Dog Pondering– Living with the Dreaming Body
Poi Dog Pondering - Pretenders, The– Precious
Pretenders - Nine Inch Nails– Head Like A Hole
Pretty Hate Machine - Lynyrd Skynyrd– I Ain’t The One
Pronounced ‘Leh-‘Nerd ‘Skin-‘Nerd - Jesus and Mary Chain– Just Like Honey
Psychocandy - Devo– Uncontrollable Urge
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! - Queen– Keep Yourself Alive
Queen 1 - Ramones– Blitzkrieg Bop
Ramones - Jay-Z Feat. Mary J. Blige– Can’t Knock The Hustle
Reasonable Doubt - Pogues– Transmetropolitan
Red Roses For Me - Rainbow– Man On The Silver Mountain
Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow - Judas Priest– One for the Road
Rocka Rolla - Rolling Stones– Come On
The Rolling Stones Singles - Roxy Music– Re-Make/Re-Model
Roxy Music - Roy Buchanan– Sweet Dreams
Roy Buchanan - Run-D.M.C.– Hard Times
Run-D.M.C. – Greatest Hits - Rush– Finding My Way
Rush - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band– Electricity
Safe As Milk
- like the Pixies EP, Come On Pilgrim, for instance [↩]