Best debut albums
Posted: Sat April 05, 2014 2:17 pm
The Beatles’ debut, Please Please Me, popped up on the iPod recently and I listened to it all the way through for the first time in a while. What an amazing debut album. It really captures what the Beatles were about at that time, which was a band that was still out playing the clubs on a regular basis. That combined with the fact that it was recorded in a single day, basically live in the studio, really gives you a sense of the Beatles as a hot, young, live band. Every single song – even the slow jams – is geared towards dancing. Listen to the groves on this album –- it swings front to back. They never sounded that way again, and ceased touring not long after. It’s too bad. As much as the Beatles later period gets most of the props, I’ve always preferred the young, hot live band they were in the early days, when kick-ass songs and groove took precedent over acid references, politics, and studio innovation. If you haven’t listened to it in a while, I highly recommend a spin.
Anyway, this got me thinking about debut albums. I’m often a bigger fan of second albums, when groups gain confidence, touring experience, and have a larger platform. Good debuts tend to be about potential, whereas the best second albums are a realization of that promise. PJ is a great example of a band that really came into its own on album number two. But what about debut albums? There are bands that hit the ground running, that release a debut that’s fully formed, where everything you need to know about the group – from the songs to the sound to the image – is already in place. Appetite for Destruction comes to mind, as does Is This It? GNR and The Strokes came out of the gate with everything you needed to know. Both are phenomenal debuts without a single missed note or bad song in the bunch. Both bands peaked with these records. Although they released some interesting material afterwards, they were never this good again.
I can think of many more examples, but how about you? What are some of your favorite debut records and why? What makes a debut album great?
Anyway, this got me thinking about debut albums. I’m often a bigger fan of second albums, when groups gain confidence, touring experience, and have a larger platform. Good debuts tend to be about potential, whereas the best second albums are a realization of that promise. PJ is a great example of a band that really came into its own on album number two. But what about debut albums? There are bands that hit the ground running, that release a debut that’s fully formed, where everything you need to know about the group – from the songs to the sound to the image – is already in place. Appetite for Destruction comes to mind, as does Is This It? GNR and The Strokes came out of the gate with everything you needed to know. Both are phenomenal debuts without a single missed note or bad song in the bunch. Both bands peaked with these records. Although they released some interesting material afterwards, they were never this good again.
I can think of many more examples, but how about you? What are some of your favorite debut records and why? What makes a debut album great?
