# Best Rock Band Debut Album? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 25, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698 "2011-10-25T02:07:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/21 "2011-10-25T04:12:45Z")
_Horses_ by Patti Smith is top drawer. Stone Roses self-titled first album is a superb debut, albeit not in the same league as Horses - just thought I’d mention it since they announced they’re re-forming for a couple of concerts v recently. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/22 "2011-10-25T04:17:47Z")
“August and Everything After” by Counting Crows. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/23 "2011-10-25T04:32:42Z")
I was born in 1961, so a lot of my favorite albums were already “classic rock” by the time I started paying attention to rock music. It’s hard for me to judge how fresh or innovative many albums may have seemed when first released. Still… even though the overall quality of the album is mixed, I have to think \*\*\*Are You Experienced? \*\*\*by the Jimi Hendrix Experience was the boldest, most innovative debut album by any rock band at any time. I can think of numerous BETTER debut albums (or, at least, numerous debut albums I like better), but none that was more likely to make people say, “WOW- I’ve never heard anything like THAT before.” ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/24 "2011-10-25T04:34:52Z")
Boston ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/25 "2011-10-25T04:41:23Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 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**. Yet he was still a teenager. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/26 "2011-10-25T07:03:13Z")
Velvet Underground deserves a mention at least. ---
**Author:** ![Barrington\_Trout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@Barrington\_Trout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrington_Trout)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/27 "2011-10-25T11:16:16Z")
The Band ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/28 "2011-10-25T12:23:10Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Jimi Hendrix Experience: _Are You Experienced?_ > Meat Loaf: _Bat Out of Hell_ > Santana > Traffic: _Mr. Fantasy_ > Renaissance > Kak > Emitt Rhodes How can they _all_ be the best? 😕 My pick: **Elvis Costello, My Aim Is True**. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/29 "2011-10-25T14:42:14Z")
So many candidates, but I’m going to go with [The Decline of British Sea Power](http://www.amazon.com/Decline-British-Sea-Power/dp/B000XJ5U2G/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319553571&sr=8-1-spell) by British Sea Power. It’s got uptempo rockers like “[Remember Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua4BiBV6i6o&ob=av2n)” along with sweeping epics like “[Lately](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmRSuTjLKaU).” (Those latter two are YouTube links.) It’s at times literate, explosive, angsty, and abandoned, which makes for a perfect rock album. Their follow-ups are good, but don’t compare to _Decline_. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/30 "2011-10-25T14:45:02Z")
A tie between The Doors and Bat Out of Hell. The latter gets my vote because all the songs were written by a single person–the genius that is Jim Steinman. And it is the best selling album with that attribute. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/31 "2011-10-25T14:46:23Z")
**Boston** for sure. Shame nothing else they did lived up to it. Bat Out of Hell was technically Meat Loaf’s second album. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/32 "2011-10-25T16:23:08Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > 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. You win the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/33 "2011-10-25T16:39:20Z")
X-Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescents They appeared, made arguably the best punk album ever, then broke up almost immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/34 "2011-10-25T16:45:13Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > If the OP’s asking for acts whose first album was their best, I nominate Cheap Trick. **Trick** ’s first record had a _couple_ of good songs but was largely ignored. Or did you mean **‘In Color’** , which was there 2nd album? ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/35 "2011-10-25T16:47:03Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Boston > [@Laggard](#): > > Boston > [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > **Boston** for sure. Shame nothing else they did lived up to it. My vote as well. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/36 "2011-10-25T17:36:25Z")
Ill go along with **Appetite for Destruction**. For the last 10 years, I will take **Costello Music** by The Fratellis. Shame they imploded so fast. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/37 "2011-10-25T17:43:36Z")
_My World 2.0_ [ducks & runs] ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/38 "2011-10-25T17:47:38Z")
The first thing I thought of when I saw this topic was “Boston”. Also, much as I love Bat Out of Hell [an argument can be made that it wasn’t his first album](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoney_%26_Meatloaf). ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/39 "2011-10-25T17:50:12Z")
Another vote for **The Doors** self-titled debut album. Not eve my favourite debut rock album (That would probably be Pearl Jam’s _Ten_) but the influence The Doors had is unsurpassed by any other debut. No question. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698/40 "2011-10-25T17:58:34Z")
I vote for The Doors as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-band-debut-album/600698.md?page=3)