Fine, fine album it undoubtedly is. But, I suggest there is quite a bit of contest.
Oasis – Definitely Maybe (still the best Oasis album)
Ramones – Ramones (No real reason – it just “is”)
Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks (Yes, it is a debut. It just took a bloody long time to come out, meaning it was a sort of Greatest Hits/Final Death Throes album too)
Dexys Midnight Runners – Searching For The Young Soul Rebels (much like Oasis above, I maintain that this is their very best offering)
Now that covers a couple of genres, but if we’re talking American Rock of the late 70s/80s, this is one of the key albums to play LOUD – in fact, I’m going to do just that now
1984 was the first Van Halen album I owned.
It was, and still as if I’m in the right mood, good (although, not “great”).
Not a patch on the debut though.
Shouts also to Mogwai Young Team, The Clash (the absence of top 10 hits really makes that record), Marquee Moon, VU & Nico, Illmatic and Rage Against the Machine. The latter, in particular, is an interesting case – they basically perfected their sound at the first time of asking, and pretty much everything you need by them is on that debut.
For me, it’s down to Quintessence ‘In Blissful Company’ (an album with a really distinctive atmosphere/production/arrangements that makes it feel greater than the sum of the parts) or the Mahavishnu Orchestra ‘The Inner Mounting Flame’.
I think I was absent that day. Possibly attending a day-course on wearing fisherman hats, shaking maraccas and dancing awkwardly in a slow-motion sideways-gorilla fashion.
Unknown Pleasures
Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
The Clash
Never Mind the Bollocks
Crocodiles
Kilimanjaro
The Rolling Stones
Astral Weeks (first proper solo album)
Velvet Underground and Nico
Talking Heads 77
Marquee Moon
The Smiths
The Stone Roses
Suede
The La’s
Fuzzy Logic
Songs from a Room
The original release didn’t include Virginia Plain. Also, the CD version I bought a couple of years ago has the most shrill sound. Bloody awful. Finally, For Your Pleasure is, undoubtedly, their masterpiece. Byron, himself, agreed with my opinion.
Couple more suggestions (which I should’ve remembered/included above):
Brian Eno – Here Come The Warm Jets (what the third Roxy Music album would’ve sounded like if Brain, rather than Bryan, had been in charge)
and in addition to The Sex Pistols and The Clash above, the other two supreme punk debut albums:
Damned – Damned Damned Damned
Stiff Little Fingers – Inflammable Material
Here are ten of my favourite debut albums.
I’ve tried to include a couple of less-known names among the usual suspects.
“Two Sevens Clash” – Culture
“Heart of the Congos” – The Congos
“Sex” – The Necks
The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier
“Yasimika” – Jali Musa Jawara
Astral Weeks
Five Leaves Left
Marquee Moon
Talking Heads ’77
“Roxy Music”
Other people go on about the first BJ album. Yes, it’s historically important, but I’d say his best was Rosemary Lane with LA Turnaround and Avocet jostling for second.
Over the years I’ve grown to love The Orbs Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld and Stone Roses but the one debut that utterly blew me away on first hearing it at the time is Psychocandy.
A handful:
“Jazz As Played In An Exclusive Side Street Club” – Nina Simone
“Safe As Milk” – Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
“Freak Out!” – The Mothers Of Invention
“Are You Experienced” – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
“In The Court Of The Crimson King – An Observation By King Crimson”
I know Debut isn’t technically Björk’s debut but I think it counts.
Club Classics Vol.1 – Soul II Soul
Burial
The Specials
Philharmonics – Agnes Obel
Undertones
channel ORANGE – Frank Ocean
Felt Mountain – Goldfrapp
I Just Can’t Stop It – The Beat
The White Stripes
Meet The Temptations
Supa Dupa Fly – Missy Elliott
Four Tops
Rock Bottom – Robert Wyatt
3 Feet High And Rising – De La Soul
Love Wars – Womack & Womack
Was (Not Was)
good kid, m.A.A.d. city – Kendrick Lamar
A Girl Called Dusty
Please – Pet Shop Boys
It’s a very good album, but Untrue is the masterpiece. I like the debut well enough, but I can’t think of anyone who would make it their favourite Burial album, and on that basis I struggle with it a little as a great debut. Depends how you look at it though – it was still miles ahead of almost everything else released in 2006.
Well, I would make it my favourite. There’s nothing particularly wrong with Untrue, but it didn’t have anything like the same impact on me that the first did. I am aware that this makes me sound like a dreadful record snob, but to my ears it’s a slightly sanitised recapitulation of the debut. Plus it doesn’t have that excellently spooky sample* on the end that has started or finished a thousand mix CDs of mine.
(*from the really not very good Mothman Prophecies. Context is key…)
The Specials is a shoo-in, and I feel the shame that I didn’t think of it first.
The Undertones – would that be with or without Teenage Kicks? It makes no odds to me, but to some (and I think we’ve discussed this one before) you are in the “without TK” camp
Like @Mike-H says, COTCK. Electrifying when you’re 14.
Bubbling under:
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Traffic – Mr. Fantary
Pink Floyd – Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Crosby, Still & Nash
Cowboy Junkies – Whites Off Earth Now!
Pentangle
Jeff Buckley – Grace
Magazine – Real Life
Well @Mike_H, they don’t get many mentions but they were a bit special: sneery punk singer, good musicians, especially McGeoch (best guitarist of his generation?), proggy tendencies. The Light Pours Out Of Me quite brilliant.
I saw the header and my first thought was Dexys and Searching and I see it’s already on here, several times.
From a different place entirely, how about John Prine’s self-titled 1st LP? To this day, it’s the backbone of his live set. Illegal Smile, Paradise, Hello In There, Sam Stone, Angel From Montgomery……
Rigid Digit says
Fine, fine album it undoubtedly is. But, I suggest there is quite a bit of contest.
Oasis – Definitely Maybe (still the best Oasis album)
Ramones – Ramones (No real reason – it just “is”)
Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks (Yes, it is a debut. It just took a bloody long time to come out, meaning it was a sort of Greatest Hits/Final Death Throes album too)
Dexys Midnight Runners – Searching For The Young Soul Rebels (much like Oasis above, I maintain that this is their very best offering)
Now that covers a couple of genres, but if we’re talking American Rock of the late 70s/80s, this is one of the key albums to play LOUD – in fact, I’m going to do just that now
Uncle Wheaty says
Good as all the albums are, and I own them all, Van Halen still wins IMHO.
Rigid Digit says
1984 was the first Van Halen album I owned.
It was, and still as if I’m in the right mood, good (although, not “great”).
Not a patch on the debut though.
Bingo Little says
Enter the 36 Chambers is the greatest debut album ever made.
Bingo Little says
Although Van Halen would be high on the list.
Shouts also to Mogwai Young Team, The Clash (the absence of top 10 hits really makes that record), Marquee Moon, VU & Nico, Illmatic and Rage Against the Machine. The latter, in particular, is an interesting case – they basically perfected their sound at the first time of asking, and pretty much everything you need by them is on that debut.
SteveT says
Don’t like Van Halen so have to disagree with you however you have opened a hornets nest so for me:-
Songs of Leonard Cohen
Steely Dan -Can’t buy a thrill
Ron Sexsmith – Debut
Elvis Costello – My aim is true
Led Zeppelin 1
Colin H says
For me, it’s down to Quintessence ‘In Blissful Company’ (an album with a really distinctive atmosphere/production/arrangements that makes it feel greater than the sum of the parts) or the Mahavishnu Orchestra ‘The Inner Mounting Flame’.
So, no surprises there then.
Gary says
We’ve talked about this before. If I remember correctly, everybody said it was The Stone Roses and we all agreed. Quite rightly so.
Colin H says
I think I was absent that day. Possibly attending a day-course on wearing fisherman hats, shaking maraccas and dancing awkwardly in a slow-motion sideways-gorilla fashion.
dai says
Unknown Pleasures
Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
The Clash
Never Mind the Bollocks
Crocodiles
Kilimanjaro
The Rolling Stones
Astral Weeks (first proper solo album)
Velvet Underground and Nico
Talking Heads 77
Marquee Moon
The Smiths
The Stone Roses
Suede
The La’s
Fuzzy Logic
Songs from a Room
Gary says
You missed off High Land Hard Rain, Eden and Blue Lines, silly you.
Gary says
And what about Rickie Lee Jones? Eh? Eh?
Moose the Mooche says
AND Fulham Fallout???
dai says
Yeah, I missed a few. Many artists peaked with their first album.
ianess says
Harpic
Milk
Hobnobs
Yogurt
Muesli
Jelly beans
Popcorn
Coffee
Chicken
That’s my shopping list. Fascinating, no?
Rigid Digit says
Fascinating, yes.
Why do you choose Harpic over Domestos?
Is it a regional thing, or brand loyalty?
Moose the Mooche says
We’ve given enough money to them feckin Greeks
Moose the Mooche says
Harpic III was the peak, tho’
Fin59 says
Roy Harpic?
ianess says
Harpic Bizarre
ianess says
Harpic 3? The one with Hats off to Harpic?
Moose the Mooche says
Yes, not to mention Since I’ve Been Scrubbing You and Out On The (incredibly clean) Tiles.
ianess says
The Lemon (Scented) Song.
Daz’d and Confused
Moose the Mooche says
Nonetheless, the Pong Remains The Same.
Fintinlimbim says
Roxy Music
Rolling Stones,
Jimi Hendrix.
Colin H says
Ah, Roxy – Finto could have a point there…
ianess says
The original release didn’t include Virginia Plain. Also, the CD version I bought a couple of years ago has the most shrill sound. Bloody awful. Finally, For Your Pleasure is, undoubtedly, their masterpiece. Byron, himself, agreed with my opinion.
Tiggerlion says
Brian is a better judge. He said Stranded.
Rigid Digit says
Couple more suggestions (which I should’ve remembered/included above):
Brian Eno – Here Come The Warm Jets (what the third Roxy Music album would’ve sounded like if Brain, rather than Bryan, had been in charge)
and in addition to The Sex Pistols and The Clash above, the other two supreme punk debut albums:
Damned – Damned Damned Damned
Stiff Little Fingers – Inflammable Material
duco01 says
Here are ten of my favourite debut albums.
I’ve tried to include a couple of less-known names among the usual suspects.
“Two Sevens Clash” – Culture
“Heart of the Congos” – The Congos
“Sex” – The Necks
The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier
“Yasimika” – Jali Musa Jawara
Astral Weeks
Five Leaves Left
Marquee Moon
Talking Heads ’77
“Roxy Music”
duco01 says
Oh, hang on – I’ve thought of another couple of crackers:
Bhundu Boys – “Shabini”
Bert Jansch – “Bert Jansch” (a tip of the hat to Colin H for this one)
Colin H says
Other people go on about the first BJ album. Yes, it’s historically important, but I’d say his best was Rosemary Lane with LA Turnaround and Avocet jostling for second.
Johnny Concheroo says
Jack Orion for me, followed by It Dont Bother Me. But yes, the debut is historically the most important
duco01 says
Hmmm . … I’ve just thought of another couple of absolute gems!
Karen Dalton – “It’s So Hard to Tell Who’s Gonna Love You the Best”
Judee Sill – “Judee Sill”
Clive says
Over the years I’ve grown to love The Orbs Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld and Stone Roses but the one debut that utterly blew me away on first hearing it at the time is Psychocandy.
How about this for a statement of intent?
dai says
Yep, but as for intent, nothing ever came close subsequently to matching it.
James Taylor says
August and Everything After
Mike_H says
A handful:
“Jazz As Played In An Exclusive Side Street Club” – Nina Simone
“Safe As Milk” – Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
“Freak Out!” – The Mothers Of Invention
“Are You Experienced” – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
“In The Court Of The Crimson King – An Observation By King Crimson”
Johnny Concheroo says
Some great choices there Mike. I’ll take all of those except Nina, which I’ll replace with The Beatles Please Please Me
Tiggerlion says
Here’s a few more for consideration:
I know Debut isn’t technically Björk’s debut but I think it counts.
Club Classics Vol.1 – Soul II Soul
Burial
The Specials
Philharmonics – Agnes Obel
Undertones
channel ORANGE – Frank Ocean
Felt Mountain – Goldfrapp
I Just Can’t Stop It – The Beat
The White Stripes
Meet The Temptations
Supa Dupa Fly – Missy Elliott
Four Tops
Rock Bottom – Robert Wyatt
3 Feet High And Rising – De La Soul
Love Wars – Womack & Womack
Was (Not Was)
good kid, m.A.A.d. city – Kendrick Lamar
A Girl Called Dusty
Please – Pet Shop Boys
Mike_H says
But…
“Rock Bottom” was Robert Wyatt’s “sophomore” album. “End Of An Ear” was his first (and not all that special).
Moose the Mooche says
Tchuh! The word “sophomore” must always be followed by “effort”. Have you mislaid your AMG style manual?
ianess says
Drain buster
Grapes
Melon
Crisps
Redbush tea
Caramel nibbles
A few more that I’d forgotten
Moose the Mooche says
Crisps is a veritable sonic cathedral of potato
ianess says
Thai Chili ‘Sensations’ in particular. What a noise!
Moose the Mooche says
Some of the things on your list are better enjoyed when you’ve had drugs.
An ecstasy for Melon, for instance.
ianess says
What would you suggest to accompany Drain Buster?
Moose the Mooche says
Tramadol and a cocktail cherry.
ianess says
Or dope. Everything goes with dope.
Moose the Mooche says
Especially Crisps, Crisps II, Crisps III, Crisps IV…
Mike_H says
My AW Style Guide slipped down the back of the sofa. I’ve only just relocated it.
My bad.
Whoops…
Bingo Little says
Some tremendous albums on that list, but Burial? The eponymous debut album is miles behind Untrue, which was released just a year later.
Channel ORANGE is a great shout, definitely one of the best debuts of recent years.
Kid Dynamite says
Re: Burial. No it isn’t.
Tiggerlion says
Burial’s debut is superb. It fair blew my ears off. However, I agree Untrue is better.
Bingo Little says
It’s a very good album, but Untrue is the masterpiece. I like the debut well enough, but I can’t think of anyone who would make it their favourite Burial album, and on that basis I struggle with it a little as a great debut. Depends how you look at it though – it was still miles ahead of almost everything else released in 2006.
Kid Dynamite says
Well, I would make it my favourite. There’s nothing particularly wrong with Untrue, but it didn’t have anything like the same impact on me that the first did. I am aware that this makes me sound like a dreadful record snob, but to my ears it’s a slightly sanitised recapitulation of the debut. Plus it doesn’t have that excellently spooky sample* on the end that has started or finished a thousand mix CDs of mine.
(*from the really not very good Mothman Prophecies. Context is key…)
Rigid Digit says
The Specials is a shoo-in, and I feel the shame that I didn’t think of it first.
The Undertones – would that be with or without Teenage Kicks? It makes no odds to me, but to some (and I think we’ve discussed this one before) you are in the “without TK” camp
Tiggerlion says
Indeed I am. Undertones is simply perfect and any additional material, no matter how wonderful, makes it unbalanced.
minibreakfast says
Appetite For Destruction, obvs.
SixDog says
Yeah. Pretty much that.
Or The Stone Roses. It’s an age thing.
Welcome to the Jungle kicking off a debut album is pretty bloody damn near perfect.
Manifesto in 5 mins. Awesome
Uncle Wheaty says
True, that might just shade Van Halen.
Fin59 says
Patti Smith: Horses
Game over.
Declan says
Like @Mike-H says, COTCK. Electrifying when you’re 14.
Bubbling under:
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Traffic – Mr. Fantary
Pink Floyd – Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Crosby, Still & Nash
Cowboy Junkies – Whites Off Earth Now!
Pentangle
Jeff Buckley – Grace
Magazine – Real Life
Declan says
Oh okay. ITCOTCK. Stills.
Mike_H says
“Real Life” very very nearly got into my list, Declan.
Declan says
Well @Mike_H, they don’t get many mentions but they were a bit special: sneery punk singer, good musicians, especially McGeoch (best guitarist of his generation?), proggy tendencies. The Light Pours Out Of Me quite brilliant.
huskerdude says
#Record
Dummy
Murmur
Come On Pilgrim
huskerdude says
As in #1 Record…
Neil Jung says
Pavlov’s Dog – Pampered Menial
andielou says
Dry- P J Harvey
Boy- U2
Man Alive- Everything Everything
PIL- First Issue
The Smiths
Whatever. People Say I Am…- Arctic Monkeys
Jorrox says
I saw the header and my first thought was Dexys and Searching and I see it’s already on here, several times.
From a different place entirely, how about John Prine’s self-titled 1st LP? To this day, it’s the backbone of his live set. Illegal Smile, Paradise, Hello In There, Sam Stone, Angel From Montgomery……
Rob C says
All the above – 1234 – kerchang – moccasin – smooth whatnot – sleaze – satanism – deodorated . boing. acidophilus. twats hats and the kraken.
Who really gives a fuck ? x
Uncle Wheaty says
Clearly not you.
Omnipresent!
SixDog says
Just realised one astoundingly missed.
NWA – Straight Outta Compton
Scared the bejeezus out of me and laid the template for the entire Gangsta – rap niche