Best debut album

135

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  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,646
    edited January 2011
    Iron Maiden
    Lynyrd Skynryd
    Van Halen
    Black Sabbath
    Led Zeppelin
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited January 2011
    cnh wrote:
    One thing that is quite obvious about a large chunk of the discourse above, as well, is how 'generational' many of the picks are?

    I guess the music you come of age to is an inescapable legacy.



    I think a lot of times it has to do with the way music is produced now vs then. Back in the late 60's and 70's when rock was not necessarily "mainstream", artists put together a body of work on an album. Typically it was the best they had...and made for some really good music from start to finish. If it wasn't any good they often did not get a second chance and they and their music faded away. If you look at rock albums over the years, their first few efforts were their best. It and they were fresh...and often their later work was uninspried and just a rehash of their earlier work and either bad or boring.

    Since the 80s and the digital age...it seems music has been put on MTV in the 80s and 90s and the internet of late and the albums are "pieced together" based on how the video was recieved or how the MP3 singles fared. Albums are "marketed" before they even go on sale based on better demographics and statictical data. Maybe a couple of "hits" and a bunch of filler...saving some good stuff for the next release to make sure there is enough to stimulate interest. It has been awhile since I've heard a debut album that I thought was excellent from start to finish (which is my definition of a great album). There are some recent artists I like alot, who have some great albums...but I can't classify their debut as such.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,203
    edited January 2011
    One artist that comes to mind as not having a great debut but finally hit their stride and hit it big. AS Shack eluded to as a great album but not a debut

    No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom.

    515X2DA0BAL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • thesurfer
    thesurfer Posts: 574
    edited January 2011
    shack wrote: »
    I think a lot of times it has to do with the way music is produced now vs then. Back in the late 60's and 70's when rock was not necessarily "mainstream", artists put together a body of work on an album. Typically it was the best they had...and made for some really good music from start to finish. If it wasn't any good they often did not get a second chance and they and their music faded away. If you look at rock albums over the years, their first few efforts were their best. It and they were fresh...and often their later work was uninspried and just a rehash of their earlier work and either bad or boring.

    Since the 80s and the digital age...it seems music has been put on MTV in the 80s and 90s and the internet of late and the albums are "pieced together" based on how the video was recieved or how the MP3 singles fared. Albums are "marketed" before they even go on sale based on better demographics and statictical data. Maybe a couple of "hits" and a bunch of filler...saving some good stuff for the next release to make sure there is enough to stimulate interest. It has been awhile since I've heard a debut album that I thought was excellent from start to finish (which is my definition of a great album). There are some recent artists I like alot, who have some great albums...but I can't classify their debut as such.

    Well put, look at AC/DC, REO, Journey, Tom petty, just to name a few, there best work, came later, not on there debuts, and once they had that big breakthrough,, they could never top it,,
    Not an Audiophile, just a dude who loves music, and decent gear to hear it with.
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  • Bababouey
    Bababouey Posts: 129
    edited January 2011
    There are so many great debut albums.
    The ones already mentioned are all fantastic.
    The first Zeppelin album was a mind blower when it came out.
    I will never forget the impact it had at the time.
    Some that have not been mentioned....not in any order of importance...
    Fresh Cream
    Progressive Blues Experiment. Johnny Winter
    The Beatles first album... Meet The Beatles
    Jeff Bech Truth
    Yes.. The Yes Album
    Uriah Heep.. Salisbury
    Blood Sweat & Tears.. Child is father to the Son
    Crosby Stills & Nash... self titled
    The Band.. Music From Big Pink
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2011
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    A record that I like a lot (and not that I'd admit that just anywhere!) but it wasn't her debut per se.
    Actually knew that, but after axing Carole King's Tapestry and a couple other female artists who put out really obscure debuts... I finally said, "eff it, no one will catch me"... Oops ...

    One more:

    c3387843166.jpg

    What do you do for a follow up when 90% of your "Best of" compilation will always be your debut LP?
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,083
    edited January 2011
    I'm going to go with either Boston or Carole King's Tapestry....

    BDT
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2011
    Bababouey wrote: »
    Progressive Blues Experiment. Johnny Winter
    The Beatles first album... Meet The Beatles
    Yes.. The Yes Album

    Pretty sure Johnny had a self-titled (S/T) debut released earlier the same year as PBE...

    Introducing The Beatles was their first U.S release.... very rare and I own an original copy; I think Meet... was like their 4th in the UK...

    Yes Album was Yes' third release... S/T was their first; Time and a Word was their second... both are worth a listen.
    unc2701 wrote: »
    +1
    If you look at a lot of these, some or all of the artists in question had been recording previously. This one is a true debut AND also was one of the most ground-breaking albums of its time.
    … and as much as I love, respect and cherish most all of the music in this thread, I was truly stunned by Portishead’s Dummy…

    Shack, h9,
    Good job pickin’ up the ladies with Heart and Jewel…

    How could I forget one of the most fun of all-time... my #1 guilty pleasure...

    c49634296y6.jpg
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • Big Dawg
    Big Dawg Posts: 2,005
    edited January 2011
    I'd agree with most of the albums mentioned so far. A few that I don't think anyone has suggested yet:

    41cC8vQadUL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

    41XKWM2M8RL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

    61AHDKmDpFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
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  • Bababouey
    Bababouey Posts: 129
    edited January 2011
    Meet The Beatles was the first release in Britian.
    In Canada it was called Beatlemania and in the U.S. it was Introducing..
    The self titled Johnny Winter came out after PBE (if we are talking about the same album.Black background with headshot of Johnny. Has Leland Mississippi Blues on it.)
    I will have to look for the earlier Yes albums, thanks for the feedback.

    Glen
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  • bobman1235
    bobman1235 Posts: 10,822
    edited January 2011
    I thought Please Please Me was the first British Beatles album?
    If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
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  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited January 2011
    Big Pink was okay, but completely overshadowed by the masterpiece second album.
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  • coolsax
    coolsax Posts: 1,824
    edited January 2011
    Rick88 wrote: »
    Ah, there's my girl.:wink:

    For Jewel fans I cannot recommend her 2 disc Blu-Ray set "The Essential Live Songbook" highly enough.

    As far as vocals go, it is my reference Blu-Ray concert disc...

    I will have to check this out.
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  • carpenter
    carpenter Posts: 362
    edited January 2011
    DJ Shadow, Endtroducing.

    28371.jpg
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited January 2011
    Since most here are dredging up debuts from the 'golden era' of classic rock....remember this debut?

    boc.gif

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,460
    edited January 2011
    Lady Gaga's "The Fame" certainly deserves mention here as well. I did not care for the CD version at all. I picked it up on vinyl to please the wife, and it sounds like an entirely different recording. It has become standard play on the SDA's now and the bass in this recording makes them dig deep.
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  • sda2mike
    sda2mike Posts: 3,131
    edited January 2011
    mike oldfield...........tubular bells
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  • bobman1235
    bobman1235 Posts: 10,822
    edited January 2011
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    Lady Gaga's "The Fame" certainly deserves mention here as well. I did not care for the CD version at all. I picked it up on vinyl to please the wife, and it sounds like an entirely different recording. It has become standard play on the SDA's now and the bass in this recording makes them dig deep.

    Wow. Just.... wow.
    If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,460
    edited January 2011
    Country Certifications....

    Australia 3
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    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 17,329
    edited January 2011
    bobman1235 wrote: »
    Wow. Just.... wow.


    I have to agree with him on this one as it is very well recorded and as he said it does make the SDA's dig deep.. I was shocked that when I let my son put her Album on I was like WOW but in a good way,I went out and bought my own copy it was so GOOD!!!:wink:

    Beleive me I was last person that thought I would ever own anything by LADY GAGA..
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited January 2011
    nooshinjohn,
    [edit] never mind....

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • bobman1235
    bobman1235 Posts: 10,822
    edited January 2011
    There's more to a good album than it being "well-recorded." You could have the highest fidelity recording setup in the world and **** into it. Crystal clear, and depending on your diet, a good amount of bass.

    Lady Gaga has a lot of catchy stuff, and I don't fault anyone for enjoying it, but I have a hard time with someone saying it's the "best ever" (EVER!) when 90% of it is just computer generated (including her voice). I would hope "best ever" would take into account musicianship, or at the very least, a little bit of longevity. If Lady Gaga's album holds up in 2025, I will gladly eat my words.

    (and yes, you're allowed your opinion. I'm also allowed to mock your opinion :) )
    If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,460
    edited January 2011
    bobman1235 wrote: »
    There's more to a good album than it being "well-recorded." You could have the highest fidelity recording setup in the world and **** into it. Crystal clear, and depending on your diet, a good amount of bass.

    Lady Gaga has a lot of catchy stuff, and I don't fault anyone for enjoying it, but I have a hard time with someone saying it's the "best ever" (EVER!) when 90% of it is just computer generated (including her voice). I would hope "best ever" would take into account musicianship, or at the very least, a little bit of longevity. If Lady Gaga's album holds up in 2025, I will gladly eat my words.

    (and yes, you're allowed your opinion. I'm also allowed to mock your opinion :) )

    Agreed Bob. I think the big reason for her success is that she has combined Disco and Glam-Rock, using the same hooks and rythm that was popular decades ago into a style that is both unique and all her own. It is quite rare for an artist to capture the the hearts of the fickle young and their parents in the same way she has. When she performed here at Purdue, there were as many middle aged adults in attendance as there were teenagers.

    I must disagree with you that we need to wait and see how her album holds up decades from now before we include it on the list. There are plenty of "one-hit wonders" out there that had spectacular and influential debut recordings and were never heard from again. Even if she never records another note(fine for you I guess) this album's success and huge impact it has had globally means that this recording will be a major influence on popular music and new artists for decades to come.
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited January 2011
    IMO Gaga is the current hot act that will be here today and gone tomorrow. More flash than substance.
    There are plenty of "one-hit wonders" out there that had spectacular and influential debut recordings and were never heard from again.

    This is a bit of an oxymoron. IF they are influential that means they have some sort of lasting impact on the future either by their current work or how it affects future artists. Hard to be very influential during 15 minutes of fame. There is nothing new or earth shattering in what she does...just another outlandishly costumed pop techno act that is hot right now.

    I do think "greatness" must stand the test of time. Lots of fads in music (or anything for that matter) that was the greatest of the greatest at the time. Now...nobody cares.
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited January 2011
    shack wrote: »
    IMO Gaga is the current hot act that will be here today and gone tomorrow. More flash than substance.



    This is a bit of an oxymoron. IF they are influential that means they have some sort of lasting impact on the future either by their current work or how it affects future artists. Hard to be very influential during 15 minutes of fame. There is nothing new or earth shattering in what she does...just another outlandishly costumed pop techno act that is hot right now.

    I do think "greatness" must stand the test of time. Lots of fads in music (or anything for that matter) that was the greatest of the greatest at the time. Now...nobody cares.

    C'mon now...Jenny Jenny who can I turn to? I got your number on the waa..aaa...lll..

    You know it!

    If you do - isn't that a lasting impression for a one hit wonder like Tommy Tutone? :biggrin:

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 5,064
    edited January 2011
    OK...if your going to go with Dee-Lite, you have to go with this also:

    TheB-52%27sTheB-52%27s.jpg
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,960
    edited January 2011
    heiney9 wrote: »
    41R7s1Ji5rL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

    Was her later stuff more polished? yes. Was her later stuff a bit more mature? yes. But this stands as an excellent debut album. It's a very raw recording at times, it can seem a bit unfinished and takes on more of a "sketch book" of lyrics and melodies, but it's one thoroughly enjoyable piece of work and great debut.

    Jewel - is one of my all time favorite female artists.

    H9

    Have you heard her song Emily? It was from a movie soundtrack (Crossing Guard?)... it is an astonishingly, hauntingly beautiful song.

    I would definitely echo at least an extremely honorable mention for Dire Straits' eponymous first album (my favorite full album of theirs, bar none) and the Pretenders debut (was that one also eponymous? I don't remember anymore).
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited January 2011
    Erik Tracy wrote:
    C'mon now...Jenny Jenny who can I turn to? I got your number on the waa..aaa...lll..

    You know it!

    If you do - isn't that a lasting impression for a one hit wonder like Tommy Tutone? :biggrin:

    The fact you remember it doesn't make it "great"...just memorable. I remember "Macarena", "Who Let the Dogs Out", "Ice Ice Baby" and "I'm Too Sexy" as well...

    It needs to have longevity as being great...not just longevity. :wink:
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

    "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase

    "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,460
    edited January 2011
    My future's so bright... I gotta wear SHADES!:tongue:
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    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • inspiredsports
    inspiredsports Posts: 5,501
    edited January 2011
    Jimmy,

    Just wanted to chime in and say Thanks!

    I have been enjoying this thread immensely, and actually using it as a play-list as somehow I've managed to accumulate much of what's been listed so far in at least one format or another.

    Great Thead!
    Greg
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