Great debut albums
Posted by Andrew Adams on April 17, 2009
Filed Under Culture, Music, Pop |
NME has a special issue this week to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of “The Stone Roses”, hailing it as “the greatest debut album ever”. Now I have to say I have never been a big fan of the Roses anyway and never really got the whole Manchester “baggy” thing but I guess it was one of those albums which perfectly captured the moment, a bit like “Sgt Pepper” or “Never Mind The Bollocks”. But strip away all that and consider the album purely on its own merits and it’s, well, OK. Not bad. It has a few decent songs but only one great one (”I Am The Resurrection”). Greatest debut album ever? Hmm…I would humbly suggest the following nominations for that accolade
1. The Velvet Underground - “The Velvet Underground and Nico”
2. The Jesus and Mary Chain - “Psychocandy”
3. The New York Dolls - “The New York Dolls”
4. Roxy Music - “Roxy Music”
5. Patti Smith - “Horses”
OK, maybe a bit narrow in terms of style and the timeframe but it’s not as though I stopped buying music in 1985, I just can’t think of any truly great debut albums since then which would stand up against those above, and I think you have to an extent consider works which have stood the test of time. Anyway, alternative suggestions greatfully received.
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9 Responses to “Great debut albums”
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Similar times I’m afraid:
The Ramones - “The Ramones”
Can’t argue with that. There are others worth a mention from that era as well - Television, Talking Heads…
Great times.
I think the Stone Roses’ debut owes much of its impact to the surrounding (lack of) competition. Not to say it’s not good, as I like it; more that they struck out and did something different from the surrounding plodding. At least, that’s the impression I got.
Probably something similar with The Smiths, where the debut album has a few standouts but the whole is remembered fondly as the start of something many people love, and so forth.
Anyway: suggestions. Reflecting my own biases etc etc, how about
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Portishead - Dummy
British Sea Power - The Decline of British Sea Power
The first two have, I think, stood up well over the years; and I shamelessly love the third, so really had to include it.
BTW, is there a difference between “best among debut albums” and “best album which happens to have been a debut”? Hope the question makes sense.
Yeah, Unknown Pleasures and Dummy would certainly be contenders. I haven’t heard “The Decline of British Sea Power but I’ve got “Open Season” which is pretty good. If I was to add a couple which I love but would not appear on many people’s lists I would say “We Are The Pipettes” and the first Go!Team album.
BTW, is there a difference between “best among debut albums” and “best album which happens to have been a debut”? Hope the question makes sense
Yes it does and I think you have a point. What you said about the first Smiths album makes sense in that respect - it’s about signifying the start of something, not just (or perhaps even) being a great album in its own right.
I’m tempted to say ‘it’s th NME, what do you expect’ - when it’s the 20th anniversary of Definitely Maybe it’ll be labelled the greatest debut ever - the same will hapen when it’s 10 years since the arctic monkeys’ first album.
I absolutely love the first Stone Roses album but I’m always a bit wary of things being hailed as ‘the greatest debut ever’ since it inevitably ends up looking like hyperbole based more on the perceived (real or otherwise) impact an album had than on the actual quality.
Though in the spirit of the post, on the electronic tip, can i also give a shout out to Homework by Daft Punk and Dubnobasswithmyheadman by Underworld. and with hip hop, Ready to Die by Notorious BIG and Enter the 36 Chambers by Wu-Tang Clan also deserve mentions.
Great selections; I’d probably go for the Velvets or Unknown Pleasures, but please indulge my spasmodic listing…
Piper At The Gates Of Dawn - Pink Floyd
As the Roots Undo - Circle Takes The Square
Never Mind The Bollocks… - The Sex Pistols
Entertainment! - Gang Of Four
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables - The Dead Kennedys
Is This It - The Strokes
Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Marquee Moon - Television
First Love - Emmy The Great
Are You Experienced? - Jimi Hendrix
Isn’t Anything - My Bloody Valentine
The Fall of Math - 65daysofstatic
Fever To Kill - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Doors - The Doors
De-Loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta
Generation Terrorist - The Manic Street Preachers
…
God, I feel better for that.
Yes, I was fully intending to include Generation Terrorists in the list, I can’t believe I left it out. I don’t know all of the ones mentioned by Ben and OC but Television, Pink Floyd and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are good shouts.
I’ll also throw in the first Suede album, “Are We Not Men? We Are Devo” and Eno’s “Here Come The Warm Jets”. As an aside, I saw David Byne live the other week, doing stuff that he and Eno had collaborated on recently and in the past and it was fantastic.
Sinc 1985? Try these for size:
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Nas - Illmatic
EPMD - Strictly Business
I would’ve included Dummy, but I think Portishead’s latest is their best (though I appreciate that’s not the question). Same goes for Erykah Badu, whose albums got steadily better, and Public Enemy, whose second eclipsed their debut.
The all-time list must also include The Specials and Gang Of 4’s Entertainment, embarrassing public school Marxists though they maybe.
But this is the best debut ever.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fzfixqw5ldde
I disagree that I am the Resurrection as being the only great song on the Stone Roses album. “This is the One” is great as well.