I’d have to go with Led Zeppelin I.
What say you?
The Pretenders.
Boston
So far, I have to give the nod for best 1st album to Turbid North’s Orogeny.
BTW, I don’t think it’s fair to count, say, Neil Young’s first solo album since he was already a recording artist for many years before he went solo (substitute another name if the condition is the same, is what I’m sayin’).
The Doors
Please Please Me.
I vote Talking Heads: 77.
Either Entertainment! by Gang of Four or the self-titled debut by The Clash.
The Cars
I’ll go a little out the box and say the first Chicago album (when they were still called the Chicago Transit Authority). Cause if you just remember them as a cheesy 80s pop act, tracks like these show you how awesome the debut album is.
My pick too.
You can complain all you want about their subsequent albums, but this initial release came out of nowhere and was fantastic. I can still listen to it all the way through. (OK, The End gets a little tiring and verbose, but what a great album.)
REM - Murmur
I enjoy REM’s music, and “Murmur” is truly a great album, but in all seriousness, if I had to pick ONE (1) American public figure, of any note, that I would describe as THE archetypical, original, primordial Hipster, Michael Stipe would be that person, hands down.
(David Byrne would have beat him out by a hair, but he was born in Scotland)
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?
Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell
Santana
Traffic: Mr. Fantasy
Renaissance
Kak
Emitt Rhodes
Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Van Halen I
No one has mentioned Appetite for Destruction yet? Seriously? It totally blows away every one listed so far.
I really don’t see what other album could compete with this one for best rock band debut album.
See, this is what I was talking about in my post: I’m not sure this band should even be a consideration since it’s principal player and songwriter had already been recording for years before he started a new band called Traffic.
If the OP’s asking for acts whose first album was their best, I nominate Cheap Trick.
King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King