OT: Bands/artists whose first album was their best...

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Has to be long form studio album - not necessarily ‘major label’ (so for Nirvana, Bleach is their debut). For your consideration -

- Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction
- Pearl Jam - Ten
- Madonna - Madonna
- Metallica - Kill ‘Em All
- Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
- Oasis - Definitely Maybe

Thoughts? Others?

Love all the music talk lately!

 

[sluggo72]

 

[Nitt1300]

 

[HazletonLion]

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Led Zep and Boston are a bit out of my wheelhouse - any controversy here? I always hear IV and Physical Graffiti for LZ.

 

[PSU Soupy]

THE Cars.......

 

[PSU Soupy]

Led Zep and Boston are a bit out of my wheelhouse - any controversy here? I always hear IV and Physical Graffiti for LZ.

Boston is a definate.....you could make arguments for a many different LZ bests..... except for, In through the out door

 

[Big 0]

Has to be long form studio album - not necessarily ‘major label’ (so for Nirvana, Bleach is their debut). For your consideration -

- Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction
- Pearl Jam - Ten
- Madonna - Madonna
- Metallica - Kill ‘Em All
- Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
- Oasis - Definitely Maybe

Thoughts? Others?

Love all the music talk lately!

I prefer Ride the Lighting and Master of Puppets to Metal Up Your Ass (original title obviously changed on advice by the record company). I have a copy of the original CD release on Megaforce records I found in the cutouts for $4 in 1985.

 

[canuckhal]

Do new line-ups count? If so, Fleetwood Mac Rumours.

This one may be controversial on this board, but Van Halen.

 

[lj4heisman1]

 

[LionDeNittany]

Do new line-ups count? If so, Fleetwood Mac Rumors.

This one may be controversial on this board, but Van Halen.

If so then Back in Black would top almost any list of this kind.

LdN

 

[LionDeNittany]

Has to be long form studio album - not necessarily ‘major label’ (so for Nirvana, Bleach is their debut). For your consideration -

- Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction
- Pearl Jam - Ten
- Madonna - Madonna
- Metallica - Kill ‘Em All
- Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
- Oasis - Definitely Maybe

Thoughts? Others?

Love all the music talk lately!

I would suggest the large majority of bands first albums are their best

Most have significant dropoff and many are never heard from again.

Nirvana? Ah I see they had an earlier album.

LdN

 

[Lion Son/Husband/Father]

This album is beyond great (their second)

 

[throw2oj]

The Band
The Strokes

 

[canuckhal]

If so then Back in Black would top almost any list of this kind.

LdN

Great album and one of the best of all-time,but in comparing to Fleetwood Mac, FM had two new members and a totally different sound.

 

[Nitt1300]

Do new line-ups count? If so, Fleetwood Mac Rumours.

This one may be controversial on this board, but Van Halen.

Rumours was the second with the new lineup, following this one:

 

[TheGLOV]

Has to be long form studio album - not necessarily ‘major label’ (so for Nirvana, Bleach is their debut). For your consideration -

- Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction
- Pearl Jam - Ten
- Madonna - Madonna
- Metallica - Kill ‘Em All
- Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
- Oasis - Definitely Maybe

Thoughts? Others?

Love all the music talk lately!

Excellent post sir.

I'm going to have to think about this one...oh wait....BOSTON!!

 

[Mile High Lion]

Led Zep and Boston are a bit out of my wheelhouse - any controversy here? I always hear IV and Physical Graffiti for LZ.

I don't think there is an album that is clearly the best. The first album, IV and Physical Graffiti are my favorites with II and Houses of the Holy not far behind.

 

[Beachwineguy]

I would disagree with Foo Fighters. The Colour and The Shape was better than the first one IMO.

 

[Lion Lineage]

Arcade Fire - Funeral.

 

[1]

Makes sense that first albums are often the best. Many bands spend years together prior to releasing an album so, when they do put one together, its a compilation of their best material fine tuned over a length of time...

The difficult part is writing more quality original material in a short period of time under the pressure of following up years of work...

 

[CF LION]

Dire Straits - Dire Straits

 

[rudedude]

Yes The Cars, one of my favs during PSU years

In The Court of The Crimson King: King Crimson

Big Star #1 Record

 

[mrtailgate]

Well technically the Blind Faith album was their first album.

 

[kijana]

How about Never Mind the Bullocks from the Sex Pistols? Of course, that was their only album.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Asia

 

[Frank3]

Hootie and the Blowfish

 

[katchthis]

Foreigner

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Makes sense that first albums are often the best. Many bands spend years together prior to releasing an album so, when they do put one together, its a compilation of their best material fine tuned over a length of time...

The difficult part is writing more quality original material in a short period of time under the pressure of following up years of work...

That’s a good point. But, OTTOMH I’d say Radiohead, Tool, The Beatles, Fiona Apple, Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie, Eminem, Queen, Beastie Boys, Jay Z, Motley Crue, Bob Jovi and Nirvana all had their best (to date for some) albums subsequent to their first. It’s subjective of course but interesting to think about.

 

[Obliviax]

CSNY de ja vu
Iron Butterfly. In a godda da vita
Carol King tapestry
Harry Nilsson Nilsson Scmillssion
Peter Frampton Live
Gina Vinelli. Storm at Sun up
Little river band diamondTina cocktail
Jethro Tull Aqualung

 

[Relayer]

I don't think there is an album that is clearly the best. The first album, IV and Physical Graffiti are my favorites with II and Houses of the Holy not far behind.

Physical Graffiti is probably my favorite, most likely because it was a double album and we got twice the amount of great tunes. Stuff like The Rover, Ten Years Gone, In The Light, In My Time Of Dying and Down By The Seaside are all excellent pieces of music.... and they're the songs that never got much airplay on AOR radio stations.

 

[Dunkindonuts]

Asia

Yep. That second record..Mike Stone should have been banned from ever producing again... just shameful. And Geffen actually ALLOWED it to see the bins. Unforgivable. Stone had a new 64 track digital that he had no clue on how to use it, and the entire record sounded like it was recorded in a god damn tin can.

 

[Tri-Power65]

The Stone Roses - self-titled debut album.
Counting Crows - August and Everything After


There are very few groups whose first album is their best.

 

[Tri-Power65]

CSNY de ja vu
Iron Butterfly. In a godda da vita
Carol King tapestry
Harry Nilsson Nilsson Scmillssion
Peter Frampton Live
Gina Vinelli. Storm at Sun up
Little river band diamondTina cocktail
Jethro Tull Aqualung

??? Very few of these are debut albums.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

I would disagree with Foo Fighters. The Colour and The Shape was better than the first one IMO.

This is probably the right call though I really like the sort of 'rawness' of 'I'll Stick Around', 'This is a Call', and 'Big Me'. Lots of angst post-Cobain suicide especially around Courtney Love. But, TCATS has bigger hits - 'My Hero', 'Everlong', 'Monkey Wrench', and 'Walking After You'. I think there are a number of bands who have two albums that could make the claim as best - NIN (Pretty Hate Machine vs. The Downward Spiral), Smashing Pumpkins (Siamese Dream vs. Mellon Collie), Tool (Aenima vs Lateralus), Radiohead (Paranoid Android vs The Bends). Fun discussion.

 

[Dunkindonuts]

That Boston first one was his best.

 

[onetime1]

The Black Crows

 

[canuckhal]

Rumours was the second with the new lineup, following this one:

Maybe the thread should be the album we thought was the first.

 

[Mile High Lion]

Physical Graffiti is probably my favorite, most likely because it was a double album and we got twice the amount of great tunes. Stuff like The Rover, Ten Years Gone, In The Light, In My Time Of Dying and Down By The Seaside are all excellent pieces of music.... and they're the songs that never got much airplay on AOR radio stations.

I completely agree. If asked the old deserted island question regarding what LZ album you could take with you I would say Physical Graffiti 'cause I get twice as much music.

A couple songs that stand out for me. The Rover demands to be listened to while driving down a highway in a fast powerful car. Kashmir is my song when I am hiking in the mountains of Colorado, or anywhere. Whenever I there is a long uphill grade, a couple thousand feet or whatever, up multiple swichbacks my brain puts that song on a continuous loop until I get to the top.

 

[Relayer]

I completely agree. If asked the old deserted island question regarding what LZ album you could take with you I would say Physical Graffiti 'cause I get twice as much music.

A couple songs that stand out for me. The Rover demands to be listened to while driving down a highway in a fast powerful car. Kashmir is my song when I am hiking in the mountains of Colorado, or anywhere. Whenever I there is a long uphill grade, a couple thousand feet or whatever, up multiple swichbacks my brain puts that song on a continuous loop until I get to the top.

MHL, you said it about The Rover. This is a song where one wants to put the volume to its max and crank it from the beginning! Jimmy at his finest!