Red Mosquito

theplatypus wrote:

ridleybradout wrote:Some noteworthy others whose first album is probably their best:

Well... I mean...

Um, yeah, probably not the best one to lead off with. It fits more with the OP's comment about arriving with a fully formed debut without a bad song.

3 obvious ones, and I'm sure I'll get crap for at least one of them

Lament wrote:

I'd say the Clash hit a massive growth spurt after the first album. The first was had a lot of promise, but they really delivered on it with what came afterwards.

Can't argue with the Pistols, but it's kinda like Jeff Buckley, one and done. That said, I doubt they would have followed this with anything that topped it. Lightning in a bottle.

MattA75 wrote:3 obvious ones, and I'm sure I'll get crap for at least one of them

Appetite may be the greatest debut album of all time, in my book. I thought about Zeppelin 1, which rules, but I think 2 really topped it. Van Halen 1 is the quintessence of what I'm talking about here -- a perfect debut and although the band made a lot of great music afterwards, I'm not sure they ever truly topped this in terms of delivering a complete package. Love all of these choices!

Oh, and stip -- good call on Counting Crows! That would certainly compete with Appetite on my short list of best ever debuts. Such an underrated band, esp live.

PryTo wrote:I'd say the Clash hit a massive growth spurt after the first album. The first was had a lot of promise, but they really delivered on it with what came afterwards.

I agree that they had a massive growth spurt, but I would also say they "arrived" with a fully-formed, cohesive vision that required them to go into a different direction after the first album because there really wasn't much further down that path for them chase down after they'd done it so well on the debut.

Right, but I'd argue (subjectively, of course) that their best work came afterwards. Same with U2 and Pink Floyd, both mentioned here. Great debuts, but not the albums I'd choose if I could only pick one album that represented their best work. To be fair, I probably wouldn't pick Please Please Me as the quintessential Beatles album either. And we've discussed Liz Phair, so you know I'd give it to whitechocolatespaceegg -- in opposition with you and pretty much everyone, ever.

Whoever mentioned Rage Against the Machine, yes. Wu Tang Clan, definitely. Hendrix, absolutely.

This is another one I haven't seen on here. Not my favorite Smiths album, but pretty much summarized everything they were about. The tunes got better as they progressed, but the complete package (sound, image, etc) was there from the get go.

Good one, re: The Smiths.

I think it's actually their best record; I've always enjoyed their early material a lot more than the later albums. The Smiths, Hatful of Hollow, Meat is Murder: all great.

The Smiths are one of my absolute favorite bands ever, but I wouldn't hesitate to put every other album of theirs above the debut. I do love it though. The production leaves a lot to be desired though.

Hard to say which Smiths album is my favorite. I think most of them are great. That said, the debut is probably my least fav. Meat is Murder is awesome.

It's always been The Queen is Dead for me. That's as good as pretty much any album ever to my ears.

There's an edge of slightly sordid desperation on the first few Smiths records that the cold, sparse production really suits; the more lushly-produced later records just dilute what made them such a great band for me.

Still, unarguably great. I hope they never reform.

At the risk of turning this into a Smiths thread:



You've got everything now
And what a terrible mess I've made of my life

This is The Smiths I love; I'd take this over anything on The Queen is Dead (or anything after, for that matter).

See, to me the more lush production is necessary to complement Morrissey's lyrical attempts at taking things that are actually kind of ordinary or mundane and framing them as cinematic, life-altering, end of the world-type trials and tribulations. I think it augments the spirit of the story-telling perfectly, especially on tracks like Cemetry Gates, The Boy With the Thorn in His Side, There is a Light That Never Goes Out, and this, my favorite Smiths song ever...



I dunno. I guess whereas I prefer my Cure when they're sparse and cold and detached, I prefer my Smiths to be warm and engaged.

The first album does have some of my all-time favorite songs on it. Specifically Reel Around the Fountain and Still Ill.

I'd probably go with Queen is Dead or Strangeways as my favorite Smiths albums, but there's not a bad one in the bunch. Both of those albums, every song is perfect. BTW, I recently discovered this song -- never knew this is where that lyric (from Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others) came from.

One of the best things about the Smiths is the humor in the lyrics, which are underscored by Morrissey's vocal style/performance and everything the band is doing musically. (Marr gets all the accolades, but the rhythm section destroyed.) That dark, twisted humor comes through in so many of their best songs, from the first album to the last. Take your pick, there are a million, but this one is a perfect example.



Separate Smiths thread anyone?

PryTo wrote:One of the best things about the Smiths is the humor in the lyrics, which are underscored by Morrissey's vocal style/performance and everything the band is doing musically. (Marr gets all the accolades, but the rhythm section destroyed.)

Yes! A thousand times this.

PryTo wrote:Separate Smiths thread anyone?

Is there one? Or maybe there's a Morrissey thread...

http://forums.theskyiscrape.com/viewtop ... =morrissey

The Moz thread.