Another vote for “Horses” by Patti Smith. Best first line of a first song of a first album: “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine!”
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 was fantastic, although there might be some question about whether it was actually a debut album, since the band members were all so well known as individuals.
This was what immediately came to mind when reading the thread title.
I can get behind this. Also, the Ramones freshman effort. And let’s throw in Gang of Four’s Entertainment. Truthfully, I can get behind most of the albums in this thread. There’s no clear winner to me, but if I had to pick, Led Zeppelin I would get my vote today.
Personally, I would say Led Zeppelin 1 and Jimi Hendrix’s Are you Experienced?.
I want to say Jeff Beck’s Blow by Blow but he did have his previous band albums although Blow was semantically his first solo album.
I never was much of a fan of Eddie Van Helen but I do think their 1st album had a huge impact on rock music, rock guitar playing.
Relevant beacuse…?
Another vote for Boston.
Meh. Wouldn’t even make my top 20. Even just limited to hard rock/metal debuts from the '80s, I’d rank Iron Maiden’s first album above it.
This is my vote. How they managed to sound so refined and together is mind-blowing, most bands never pull something together that tightly. Runner-up to Boston for the similar technical achievement, but they had higher technical and studio skill base to work from, they weren’t just a bunch of newbie teenagers.
I would have to go with Boston as well.
Van Halen I would be a close runner-up.
The Stone Roses.
Good album. I really like Carrion.
Van Halen I had the amazing Ted Templeman (“C’mon Dave, gimme a break…”) producing, and he’d been around the block a few times by '77…
Debut album is “Music from Big Pink.” Did you mean that?
Are You Experienced? hands down. If he’d never cut another disc, Jimi Hendrix would still be remembered as the man who revolutionized guitar for this album alone (and for the performances in its support).
Good point. Might be a good spin-off thread about which masterpiece albums were achieved more by producer talent rather than band talent…
I came in to say The Stone Roses. I won’t be going anywhere near the reform tour.
I’m not sure if ‘Lazer Guided Melodies’ by Spritualized counts seeing as Jason Pierce had been half of Spacemen Three.
All worthy candidates, but I’ll go elsewhere and toss in a few less prominent options for consideration:
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Pavlov’s Dog - Pampered Menial
Steely Dan - Can’t Buy a Thrill
Television - Marquee Moon
Jeff Buckley - Grace
The Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Blue Oyster Cult - Blue Oyster Cult
Neil Young - Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
Propaganda - A Secret Wish
Santana - Santana
I’d find it hard to pick between all of the above, but I’ll go with Elvis Costello as there’s not a bad track on the album and it was a genuine harbinger of brilliance to come.
Great call. All the more magnificent as we’d only get one more from the original lineup. Chris Thomas and Nick Lowe twiddling the knobs as producers as well.
I’d like to nominate Vivid by Living Colour. A masterpiece!
Neil Young’s first album was Neil Young. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere followed it.
You think nobody’s going to nitpick you on the Dope? Dream on.
Bad Company. Bad Company.