# great opening songs on debut albums **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392 "2010-02-25T15:22:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/41 "2010-02-25T21:36:20Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > “I Saw Her Standing There” - The Beatles (UK Debut “Please Please Me” and technical first US album “Introducing The Beatles”, but not first US Capital album “Meet The Beatles”) > “Cherry Bomb” - The Runaways > “Running With The Devil” - Van Halen > [@Ludovic](#): > > There should be another thread for bands whose best song is the first song on their first album 🙂 > > Speaking of which – Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath. (Although Warning from the same album is slightly better, so while it is a great opening song it isn’t quite their best.) I don’t get no respect. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/42 "2010-02-25T21:40:21Z")
[Disorder - Joy Division](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrzGpVOPcTI) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/43 "2010-02-25T22:13:43Z")
> [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](#): > > And I was going to go was going to go with “Clash City Rockers” since that was the first song on the US release, which is the only one I’m familiar with. But then again if you go with US version ('79) it technically wasn’t their first album. OK, so I’m not going crazy. I thought “Clash City Rockers” was the first song off the eponymous album, but then I looked it up to make sure and it had “Janie Jones.” Now it all makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/44 "2010-02-25T22:37:34Z")
Dire Straits made a very nice debut with “Down to the Waterline” on their first album. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/45 "2010-02-25T22:42:02Z")
“I Will Follow” - U2 ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/46 "2010-02-25T22:42:28Z")
Almost Medieval - Reproduction, The Human League [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4zBMkMHFXU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4zBMkMHFXU) ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/47 "2010-02-25T22:48:16Z")
Since I Lost My Baby - The Temptations — [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqQc7j\_Vs-M](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqQc7j_Vs-M) ---
**Author:** ![parthenokinesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@parthenokinesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parthenokinesis)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/48 "2010-02-26T00:25:51Z")
“Personality Crisis” - New York Dolls, (self titled) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/49 "2010-02-26T01:02:10Z")
“We” by the Roches. Brilliant song (they still play it, though have updated things a bit) “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum (US version; the UK version also starts with a great one: "Conquistador’) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/50 "2010-02-26T06:28:34Z")
In alphabetical order: [Stand Up For Rock And Roll](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjxxhYas0CM) by **Airbourne** - _Runnin’ Wild_ right out of the fucking gate. [Swamp Devil](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RwrGJzkjO0) by **Artimus Pyledriver** kicks off with a scream and you can practically here tires squealing. The song sounds exactly like a song called ‘Swamp Devil’ by a band with this name should sound. [Planet Claire](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsGWWsCzl4E) by **The B-52s** was a great song. With it’s “Peter Gunn” rip-off bass riff and theremin intro, it clearly and quickly defined the band’s sound and the quirky lyrics and delivery cemented their sound into your brain. It wasn’t like you ever heard a B-52s song and had to wonder if it was them once you had heard them. [Rays On Pinion](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRv90zFtADU) by **Baroness** is an amazingly powerful debut opener. [Rain Wizard](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezgbKwxLs-0) by **Black Stone Cherry** rocks. Very promising debut album opener, and prolly more like mana from heaven if you really like **Black Crowes**. [Trip Like I Do](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rpVnP7sMKo) by **The Crystal Method** was an awesome intro to the band. [Twist Of Cain](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLFVfOCSWgw) by **Danzig**. [Uncontrollable Urge](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRENoPisFYk) by Devo pretty much let you know that this wasn’t your ordinary band from Ohio. (Bonus! This footage is from _Urgh! A Music War_.) [Let’s Have A War](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8B2WuudHXs) by **Fear** is about as incendiary a first track as there is. [I Ran](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUjIA3Rt7gk) by **A Flock Of Seagulls** was a strong opener for the album and garnered them a lot of airplay for their signature sound. [Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiqmEibSY0I) by **Funkadelic**. 'Nuff said. [In The Meantime](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgGyX7WPxuQ) by **Helmet** crushed you as soon as it started, and the band continued to pummel your ears for 37 glorious minutes. [The Aural Underground](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D7yYKdvokY) by **Mammal**. Only one album from this band, but they come out swinging. [Motorhead](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvGpX2A-WAQ) by Motörhead rocks and sets the tone for the band perfectly. [Loose](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ruHfeq87qo) by **Primer 55**. I only needed to hear like 6 seconds of this before I bought the album. I wasn’t disappointed. [You’re Gonna Get Yours](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYblg4i2HD8) by **Public Enemy** was practically a musical manifesto. [Bombtrack](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp3kcHchD1Y) by **Rage Against The Machine** is one of the best first impressions that any band will ever make. [1969](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0mRfECsHrc) by **The Stooges** was pretty much unforgettable after one listen. [March of the S.O.D.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAIg9rlZzkw) by Stormtroopers Of Death really captured the bands trademark sound and began the brutality: 21 songs in 28 minutes and every song is a winner. I love the opening blast of this song! Dancing On Plato’s Tomb by **Universal Congress Of** was an jawdropping thumper to open with. It let everyone know that this was not gonna be **Saccharine Trust** version 2 ya know what I’m sayin’? (sorry no link… this is a pretty obscure band, even for the internet. If you like loud funky swinging jazz you’d prolly like this.) [The Root Of Our Nature](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUnzXe1j_o8) by **400 Blows** is loud and oddly compelling, like the rest of the album. As always, I could prolly spend all day listing great first songs off debut albums, but I’ll stop here and post more on my blog. This is a great subject, and fun to listen to all these tunes! Thanks for a reason to go back to some of this stuff on purpose, without waiting for shuffle to find it! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/51 "2010-02-26T06:56:02Z")
[Kitty](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01cew2EupTg) by the Presidents of the United States of America. Kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it. Kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it. Kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it. Kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/52 "2010-02-26T07:03:56Z")
From a flip through my iTunes… Arcade Fire - “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” Girls - “Lust for Life” The Knux - “The List” (one of the most underrated albums of recent years) Gillian Welch - “Orphan Girl” LCD Soundsystem - “Daft Punk is Playing At My House” ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/53 "2010-02-26T07:06:51Z")
The dB’s - “Black and White” The Velvet Underground - “Sunday Morning” X - “Your Phone’s Off The Hook But You’re Not” The Feelies - “The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness” The Jesus & Mary Chain - “Just Like Honey” The Replacements - “Takin’ A Ride” New Order - “Dreams Never End” Sugar - “The Act We Act” XTC - “Radios in Motion” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/54 "2010-02-26T07:21:32Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > [Disorder - Joy Division](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrzGpVOPcTI) Damnit, this was gonna be mine! Well, I’ll have to go with _Double Dare_ from _In The Flat Field_ by **Bauhaus** , _Reel Around The Fountain_ by **The Smiths** off **The Smiths** , _Bone Machine_ off _Surfer Rosa_ by **The Pixies** (or \*Caribou \*off _Come On Pilgrim_ if you prefer, both are great), _Tanz Debil_ off \*Kollaps _by **Einsturzende Neubauten** , Bittersweet \* off Vengeance_ by **New Model Army** , _Black Planet_ off _First and Last and Always_ by **The Sisters of Mercy** , and _Here with Me_ off \*No Angel \*by **Dido** A problem I have with these sorts of things is that a lot of my favourite bands put out a hell of a lot of singles and EPs before they put out an album. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/55 "2010-02-26T07:27:29Z")
Nice list, **woodstockbirdybird**! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/56 "2010-02-26T07:40:48Z")
Another great one: “Take It Easy” by the Eagles from their debut album. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/57 "2010-02-26T17:32:27Z")
Primus: John the Fisherman ---
**Author:** ![Trick\_Rider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Trick\_Rider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trick_Rider)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/58 "2010-02-26T22:13:33Z")
“Cochise” by Audioslave - Mostly because it captures their sound so well “Siddhartha” by Fire Engine Red - Fairly obscure, but it’s short and sweet “Mother’s Arms” by Black Diamond Bay - Immediately sucks you in and never lets go ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/59 "2010-02-26T22:19:15Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Nice list, **woodstockbirdybird**! Thank you, my good man! ---
**Author:** ![CateAyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@CateAyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CateAyo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392/60 "2010-02-27T00:32:27Z")
“Suite Judy Blue Eyes” Crosby, Stills and Nash eponymous debut album [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-opening-songs-on-debut-albums/530392.md?page=4)