Good rock bands with horrible debut albums

Was just listening to Jefferson Airplane Takes Off and now listening to Surrealist Pillow. What a great album Pillow is and Jefferson Airplane Takes off definitely isn’t.

Other examples?

Pantera’s “Metal Magic.” (Of course, they were like 17 at the time, and definitely showed their budding talent here … )

There’s also – although it may not count – Billy’s Joel’s recording as Attila (one album) before his truly solo stuff.

His first actual album, Cold Spring Harbor was only fair overall, but his next was Piano Man.

Rebecca Black’s single “Friday” attracted a mountain of scorn, but she has grown to be a respected singer.

Elton John’s Empty Sky wasn’t all that impressive, but his second album was a classic.

I blaspheme, but the Rolling Stones first album “England’s Newest Hitmakers” does nothing for me, never has. Compared to what followed it’s terrible IMO.

There were some key personnel changes between the two albums, which made all the difference. Another example of that is Blood, Sweat, and Tears and the change from the Al Kooper era to the James William Guercio/David Clayton Thomas era. (Not that Kooper’s BST Child Is Father to the Man is by any stretch a bad debut album, but it’s distinctly different than the later work.)

It was also recorded at the wrong speed, so that Joel’s voice sounded unnaturally high pitched. Joel said that when he received his copy, he snatched it off the turntable, ran outside, and threw it in the street.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is a disjointed mess, and it wasn’t until their eighth album that Pink Floyd finally found its groove.

gish by the smashing pumpkins was pretty mediocre and they obtained bigger success with their second and third albums.

Gish was hardly horrible. Some of my favorite Pumpkins songs are on that album.

For those of us who aren’t familiar with all of Pink Floyd’s output, which album was that?

I think Dark Side of the Moon was where the rot set in. I wonder had they never had a blockbuster how it would have turned out.

Dark Side of the Moon, of course.

No, that was Cold Spring Harbor, not Attila

Yeah, I know. I replied to the wrong poster. I meant to reply to you to begin with.

My fault. Sorry.

I actually owned that album on 8 track and found it unlistenable due to the speed mismatch. And I owned Atilla after Joel became a star, but didn’t think it was any indication of future superstardom.

Even though I am a big of their music, Led Zeppelin’s first album is fairly mediocre, imho. It’s basically redone American blues.

David Bowie’s first album is corny novelty cheese.

I’m a big ELO fan, but their first album (titled The Electric Light Orchestra in the UK, but No Answer here in the US, due to a clerical error) isn’t very good at all. Most of the “orchestral” instruments on the album were played by Roy Wood, whom I don’t think was particularly well-trained on them, and with the exception of the song “10538 Overture”, I find it to be pretty much unlistenable.

By the time of the second album, Wood had left for other projects, and Jeff Lynne hired actual string musicians for the cellos and violins.

I mean, I get the critique, but if that’s mediocre, I wonder what a good debut is. For me, the opening track (“Good Times Bad Times”) is a musical manifesto for Led Zeppelin and remains my favorite rock album debut opening track ever. It succinctly states who they are and what to expect of them right out of the gate. It’s probably my second favorite Zep album, behind IV.

With the exception of Working Man, I think even the most diehard Rush fan will admit the songs on their debut album weren’t very good. Just basic 4/4 rock songs for the most part.

Slayer’s debut album was hated by most critics.

Even though I am a big fan of their music, Rush’s first album is fairly mediocre, imho. It’s basically redone Led Zeppelin.

ETA: Ninja’ed by Crafter_Man!