# The wrong foot: Albums with a lame first track **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515 "2008-12-17T03:23:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rhythmonly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rhythmonly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhythmonly)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/21 "2008-12-17T21:27:34Z")
Wasn’t it Keith Richards that said an album was one great song, along with 10 tracks of shit? ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/22 "2008-12-17T21:45:51Z")
Iron Maiden’s brilliant _Number of the Beast_ album – containing such timeless classics as “Run to the Hills”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “The Prisoner”, “22 Acacia Avenue”, etc. – starts off with the less-then-spectacular “Invaders”. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/23 "2008-12-18T00:44:01Z")
I wouldn’t say it’s awful, but I almost always skip “I Feel You” when listening to Depeche Mode’s “Songs of Faith and Devotion”. It’s just got a different feel than most of the rest of the album. A lot of electronic bands also include intros that often are tedious and useless. The opening track to VNV Nation’s “Matter + Form” is a prime example. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/24 "2008-12-18T01:47:24Z")
Checked my ipod and found a few. **Tom Waits** - the opening track to _swordfishtrombones_ is always skipped in favour of the sweet ‘Shore Leave’ **The Walkmen** - _Bows and Arrows_ I can sit through a couple minutes of their noodling around with the opening track ‘What’s In It for Me?’ or I can skip to the awesomeness of ‘The Rat’. Hmmm, decisions decisions. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/25 "2008-12-18T02:43:17Z")
> [@DataZak](#): > > I always skip the first song in **LIVE** ’s _Throwing Copper_ cd (“The Dam at Otter Creek”) and go straight to “Selling the Drama”. I used to do this, and then one day decided to give Dam at Otter Creek a listen when I had time to pay attention to it, and now I love it nearly as much as the rest of the album. ---
**Author:** ![rolandgunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cdc98d/32.png) [@rolandgunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rolandgunslinger)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/26 "2008-12-18T03:12:40Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > Iron Maiden’s brilliant _Number of the Beast_ album – containing such timeless classics as “Run to the Hills”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “The Prisoner”, “22 Acacia Avenue”, etc. – starts off with the less-then-spectacular “Invaders”. What??!! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63gdZAsl62E](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63gdZAsl62E) Of course I’m A huge Maiden fan.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/27 "2008-12-18T05:04:26Z")
King Crimson’s “Court of the Crimson King” starts with “20th Century Schizoid Man”. I’m sure many people like this song. I could see the argument made that it provides a contrast to the rest of the album, and I’m sure that the band and producer knew how it sounded and exactly why they wanted it there, but to me, it just seems out of place. It’s not really representative of the rest of the material. When I listen to that CD, I invariably start with track 2. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/28 "2008-12-18T05:44:48Z")
Just for me personally (I have no sense it’s a widely shared opinion or anything), the track “Custard Pie” is, if not the rock-bottom worst track on _Physical Graffiti_, at least in the bottom 2 or 3. (Yeah, I guess it’s better than if they’d led off with “Down by the Seaside” but still…) ---
**Author:** ![Euryphaessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Euryphaessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euryphaessa)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/29 "2008-12-18T06:23:47Z")
Pearl Jam’s \*\*No Code \*\*opens with Sometimes, a sort of quiet, weird little song that doesn’t have a lot to it. I still quite like it (and \*\*No Code \*\*is a kind of different album, too), but the second track (Hail, Hail) would have been a more grabbing opener. Knowing Pearl Jam, this was probably the effect they were going for. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/30 "2008-12-18T12:23:22Z")
> [@rhythmonly](#): > > Wasn’t it Keith Richards that said an album was one great song, along with 10 tracks of shit? If Keith thinks 10 out of every 11 Stones songs are shit, that probably explains why I’m not a fan. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/31 "2008-12-18T12:32:41Z")
> [@rhythmonly](#): > > Wasn’t it Keith Richards that said an album was one great song, along with 10 tracks of shit? I seriously doubt that, from such an album oriented band. Phil Spector did say something similar. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/32 "2008-12-18T12:51:35Z")
“Cluster One” on Pink Floyd’s Division Bell is unlistenable, and of course the first track. Of course, I know a lot of folks who think the whole album is unlistenable anyway, but I disagree with that. And I LOVE Billion Dollar Babies. I second (or third) the “Dam at Otter Creek” song. In the days of cassettes, songs like this made me not listen to the whole album because I didn’t want to have to fast forward to get to the good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/33 "2008-12-18T17:19:34Z")
Both Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! albums. Just awful…these guys hide the gold in all of the other tracks. I just don’t know what they’re thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/34 "2008-12-19T01:33:31Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > I’ve never been a big fan of “Drive My Car” by the Beatles. The whole “beep beep / beep beep / yeah” sounded too novelty-ish and beneath them. > > I love the rest of _Rubber Soul_ though. In the U.S., Rubber Soul had I’ve Just seen a Face as the first track. Drive My Car was the first track on Yesterday… and Today. But that album didn’t really get started until Nowhere Man (Track 3) Speaking of the Beatles: Abbey Road - Track 1, Come Together; not bad, but Track 2 is Something Sgt. Pepper - Sure, you need Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band to introduce it, but it’s completely forgotten with Track 2 - A Little Help from My Friends ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/35 "2008-12-19T02:10:49Z")
The US release of The Clash’s self-titled debut opens with “Clash City Rockers,” the worst song on the album. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/36 "2008-12-19T05:07:29Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Alice Cooper’s best (IMO) album, Billion Dollar Babies, starts with the clunker “Hello Hooray”, which is poor not just in context to the great other songs on the album, but poor in general for Alice’s whole catalog. I usually hit skip if it comes up on my iPod. Looking at the credits, it is the sole song that was not penned by the band. > > 1. “Hello, Hooray” (Kempf) – 4:15 > 2. “Raped and Freezin’” (Cooper, Michael Bruce) – 3:19 > 3. “Elected” (Cooper, Glen Buxton, Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith) – 4:05 > 4. “Billion Dollar Babies” (Cooper, Bruce, Smith) – 3:43 > 5. “Unfinished Sweet” (Cooper, Bruce, Smith) – 6:18 > 6. “No More Mr. Nice Guy” (Cooper, Bruce) – 3:06 > 7. “Generation Landslide” (Cooper, Buxton, Bruce, Dunaway, Smith) – 4:31 > 8. “Sick Things” (Cooper, Bruce, Bob Ezrin) – 4:18 > 9. “Mary Ann” (Cooper, Bruce) – 2:21 > 10. “I Love the Dead” (Cooper, Ezrin) – 5:09 I beg to differ! Hello Hooray is one of my favorite Alice tracks, although I’ve got to say that first note is a bitch to hit live. It’s a powerful song. The line, “God, I feel so strong!” has brought me up many times when I needed a boost. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515/37 "2008-12-19T05:46:58Z")
> [@Jeff](#): > > **Tom Waits** - the opening track to _swordfishtrombones_ is always skipped in favour of the sweet ‘Shore Leave’ I love “Underground.” One of the songs that got me into Tom Waits, actually. > [@batsto](#): > > “Cluster One” on Pink Floyd’s Division Bell is unlistenable, and of course the first track. Of course, I know a lot of folks who think the whole album is unlistenable anyway, but I disagree with that. I don’t quite think the whole album is unlistenable, but “Cluster One’s” unlistenability is exacerbated by the following track, “What Do You Want From Me,” being arguably the album’s best. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wrong-foot-albums-with-a-lame-first-track/477515.md?page=1)