So without further ado, this leads us inexorably to the subject of today's business. To wit:
...and the best/most immediately memorable lead-off track to a great album is...???
Discuss.
No arbitrary rules whatsoever, although I was tempted to add "excluding the Beatles or Stones". But heck -- if that's the stuff you wanna pick, go for it.
In any case, if you were wondering what I'm going for, it's this (which may surprise you).
To which I can only add -- wow. And the song that opens their previous (debut) album is pretty fucking amazing too. 😎
Alrighty then -- what would YOUR choices be?
And have a great weekend everybody!!!
[h/t Sal Nunziato]
Here are four, three from debut albums, that I still play regularly:
ReplyDelete21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson
Precious - Pretenders
I Will Follow - U2
Begin The Begin - R.E.M.
- Paul in DK
Begin the Begin is a fantastic opening song
DeleteWelcome to the Working Week - Elvis Costello
ReplyDeleteI'm On Fire - Dwight Twilley Band
Gotta say, since everything nowadays is on my computer and played back with shuffle on, I don't really experience "albums" anymore. Kinda wipes out anything from the 21st century. What's left of my memory goes instantly to the trifecta of the first three Elvis Costello albums - "Welcome To the Working Week", "No Action" and "Accidents Will Happen." They MADE you want to hear the rest of the album.
ReplyDeleteTrivia note I learned a year or so ago. Each of this songs start with Costello's voice before any instruments pop in.
Good trivia! I'm embarrassed I never noticed that
Delete"No Action" from This Year's Model by Elvis Costello as well here.
ReplyDelete20th Century Man Kinks Muswell Hillbillies
ReplyDeleteBookends Theme/ Save the Life of My Child Simon & Garfunkel Bookends
Get Up , Stand Up Wailers Burnin'
rs
Oooh, that Wailers song is a very cool choice. 😎
DeleteUncontrollable Urge - Devo. Pretty auspicious opener, and intentionally echoes I Wanna Hold Your Hand, the lead track on Meet the Beatles.
ReplyDeleteBoy, it's hard to beat that Nazz song. Great choice.
ReplyDeleteAnd ditto on the first three Costello records.
Hey Grandma from Moby Grape's debut.
Ooh Mama Ooh from Moby Grape '69.
Victoria from the Kink's Arthur.
Combination of the Two from Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills.
Not Where It's At from Del Amitri's Some Other Sucker's Parade.
Options from Gomez's Whatever's On Your Mind.
Statesboro Blues from Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore.
Bonus points for including the track from Moby Grap 69. 😎
DeleteThanks. They were such a great band. CJ
Deletelike a rolling stone from highway 61 revisited
ReplyDeletefuneral for a friend/love lies bleeding from goodbye yellow brick road
I'm fairly sure it was you, Steve, who regaled the Move's 'Split Ends' compilation as a Stereo Review Best-of-the-Month LP. So I nabbed a copy and proceeded to wear out 'Do Ya.'
ReplyDeleteYeah, that sounds like me. 😎
DeleteVan Morrison had a great run between 1968 and 1972:
ReplyDeleteAstral Weeks
Stoned Me (Moondance)
Domino (His Band and Street Choir)
Wild Night (Tupelo Honey)
Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile) (Saint Dominic's Preview)
- Paul in DK
Echo the above choices. Will add Thunder Road, Take it Easy from Jackson Browne's 2nd album, and my sleeper choice: Windfall from Son Volt's Trace.
ReplyDeleteHurricane - Desire album, Dylan
ReplyDeleteRocks Off - Exile on Main Street, Stones
Holiday in the Sun - Sex Pistols
Wouldn't it be nice - Pet Sounds, the Boys
Introduction - CTA, CTA
I feel the earth move - Tapestry, Carole King
Glad - John Barley Corn Must Die, Traffic
Cinnamon Girl - Every Body Knows this is Nowhere, Neil Young
"Glad." Oh, yeah. 😎
DeleteAllman Bros - "Statesboro Blues" - Live at The Fillmore East
ReplyDeleteJimmie Dale Gilmore - "Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown" - After Awhile
Graham Parker - "White Honey" - Howlin' Wind
Tom Waits - "New Coat Of Paint" - The Heart Of Saturday Night
Delbert McClinton - "It's Love Baby" (24 Hours Of The Day) - Genuine Cowhide
"Song For The Walls" - Eric Ambel - Loud & Lonesome
"M-M-Motor Vehicle" - Ben Vaughn Combo - The Many Moods Of Ben Vaughn
"Teacher Teacher" - Rockpile - Seconds Of Pleasure
Ooo- I was coming back to post the Rockpile and GP songs. Good choices.
Delete"Milk Cow Blues" The Kinks from 'Kinks Kontroversy'.
ReplyDeleteIt starts the album off with a farewell to the 'Savage Young Kinks' era. From the very next track "Ring the Bells" we dive deep into the next phase of Kinks' history with the British viewpoint era.
"Crimes Against Nature" from the Weasels album of the same name. And so the decline & fall of Western Musical Civilization begins!
Captain Al
I was waiting for the Weasels. 😎
DeleteFrom my personal, well worn collection
ReplyDeleteIn A Big Country. - The Crossing, Big Country
All I Want - Blue, Joni Mitchell (dulcimer)
Prelude - Nothing To Hide , 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
Time of the Preacher- Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson
Don't Renege on Our Love - Richard & Linda Thompson, Shoot Out the Lights
ReplyDeleteSubterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home
Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers
Come Together - Beatles, Abbey Road
Don't Do It - the Band, Rock of Ages
Court and Spark - Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark
Court and Spark is, imo a Brilliant album. Closing with Trouble Child sliding directly in Twisted with the piece de resistance being Cheech and Chong at the end.
DeleteWish I picked this
Thunder Road - Springsteen
ReplyDeleteRocks Off - Exile on Main St
How is it that no one has yet to mention Who's Next with Baba O'Riley?
ReplyDeleteOr Young Man Blues from Live At Leeds…
Delete- Paul in DK
Just one more -
ReplyDeleteBoys of Summer - Building the Perfect Beast, Don Henley.
I'm happy to say my best friend was on the board for that album (engineer)
So many great and deserving nominees. Nice to see “Victoria”. “Young Man Blues” from Leeds reflexively makes me want to watch Jerry Maguire.
ReplyDelete“Back in the Saddle” from Rocks
“Kid Charlemagne” from The Royal Scam
“More Than a Feeling” from Boston’s debut
“Sweet Home Alabama” from Second Helping
“Stranglehold” from Ted Nugent’s debut
Seems it might be a classic rock morning here. Thanks :)
Lots of great entries, and many I would have suggested. I'll add:
ReplyDeleteWorld Where You Live - Crowded House (US version of their LP; Mean to Me led off elsewhere and on the CD later)
Black Cow - Aja, Steely Dan
Rough Boys - Empty Glass, Pete Townshend
Message In a Bottle - Regatta de Blanc, The Police
Surrender - Heaven Tonight, Cheap Trick
O, My Soul - Radio City, Big Star
Your Phone's Off the Hook (But You're Not) - Los Angeles, X
Vanishing Girl - Psonic Psunspot, Dukes of Stratosphear
Spirit of Radio - Permanent Waves, Rush, and a bunch by Yes and Genesis and other bands I won't mention here
Randy Newman; Sail Away [In America....]
ReplyDeleteThe Roches We [...are Maggie and Terri...]
Both songs, both first lines, suck you in immediately
Dumb Things- Under The Sun, Paul Kelly
ReplyDeleteKodachrome - There Goes Rhymin' Simon
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteNo one has mentioned The Clash
DeleteLondon Calling - London Calling
Gotta put in a vote for "Good Times, Bad Times" from Led Zeppelin I.
ReplyDeleteAnd Good Times from the second Easybeats album.
ReplyDelete"Be-In" from Dandy Warhols Come Down
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNext week: best album ending songs!
ReplyDeleteCaptain Al
“Party Line” - Kinks Face to Face
ReplyDelete“Rikki, Don’t Lose That Number” - Steely Dan Pretzel Logic
“Gimme Shelter” -Stones Let It Bleed
“Break On Through” -Doors
The title track of Funkadelic's Maggot Brain
ReplyDeleteEmerald Eyes- on Mystery to Me FMac
ReplyDelete