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Best debut album ever?

Golden Vanity - Martin Simpson

Good call, which reminds me
Airs and Graces - June Tabor.
I have a signed copy bought from June herself when it came out in 1976 :). Guitar on this one is by Nic Jones.
Who was it in the clubs at that time who used to do "Golden Vanity" with a big build up, a long story intro, lots of Carthy-style tuning, and then sing...
"The Golden Vanity
Sank..."?
 
Having just re-read the thread intuitively I think the ‘winner’ is Kate Bush. I haven’t done 'counting' though.
 
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For me, it looks something like that:

01) Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left
02) The Band – Music from Big Pink
03) Mike Hurley – First Songs
04) Uncle Tupelo – No Depression
05) Curtis Mayfield – Curtis
06) Jackson C. Frank – Jackson C. Frank
07) Guy Clark – Old No. 1
08) Dr. John – Gris-Gris
09) Sandy Denny – The North Star Grassman and the Ravens
10) Gillian Welch – Revival
11) Jeff Buckley – Grace
12) David Crosby – If I Could Only Remember My Name
13) Gram Parsons – GP
14) The Dream Syndicate – The Days of Wine and Roses
15) Cowboy Junkies – Whites Off Earth Now!!
16) James Luther Dickinson – Dixie Fried
17) Country Joe & The Fish – Electric Music for the Mind and Body
18) The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced
19) Rickie Lee Jones – Rickie Lee Jones
20) Leonard Cohen – Songs of Leonard Cohen
21) The Gun Club – Fire of Love
22) Townes Van Zandt – For the Sake of the Song
23) John Prine – John Prine
24) Buffalo Springfield – Buffalo Springfield
25) Son Volt – Trace
26) Grant Lee Buffalo – Fuzzy
27) Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – Safe as Milk
28) The Allman Brothers Band – The Allman Brothers Band
29) Palace Brothers – There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You
30) Liz Green – O, Devotion!
31) New Riders of the Purple Sage – New Riders of the Purple Sage
32) Terry Callier – The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier
33) Trees – The Garden of Jane Delawney
34) The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico
35) Tav Falco's Panther Burns – Behind the Magnolia Curtain
36) Thin White Rope – Exploring the Axis
37) Kris Kristofferson – Kristofferson
38) Big Star – #1 Record
39) Richard & Linda Thompson – I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
40) Television – Marquee Moon
41) Jackie Leven – The Mystery of Love Is Greater Than the Mystery of Death
42) Congregation – Congregation
43) Hazeldine – How Bees Fly
44) Tindersticks – Tindersticks [First Album]
45) Bert Jansch – Bert Jansch
46) Tim Hardin – Tim Hardin 1
47) Laura Marling – Alas I Cannot Swim
48) Lloyd Cole and The Commotions – Rattlesnakes
49) Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes
50) Kate & Anna McGarrigle – Kate & Anna McGarrigle

Jackie Leven's first solo album is, indeed, absolutely bloody brilliant, but it's not 'The Mystery of Love Is Greater Than the Mystery of Death', it's actually an album called 'Control'.

Recorded in Spain, way before Doll by Doll was a thing, in either 1971 or 1975, depending on who you believe, under the alias 'John St Field' - again, according to who you believe, because either bad men or the police were after him. It's a spookily well produced, written and performed blend of hard rock and folk very obviously written and recorded in the proximity of a LOT of LSD. His voice is staggering on it, too. The whole album is staggeringly well made and executed and, for such a great record, is currently very obscure indeed. One of the most baffling 'lost' albums.

 
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I've seen some good entries in this thread, some very good entries, but this is the best debut album you're looking for: Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds!
 
I've seen some good entries in this thread, some very good entries, but this is the best debut album you're looking for: Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds!

It's not Jeff's first album. This is:

R-3238093-1431528293-9553.jpeg.jpg


https://www.discogs.com/The-Jeff-Wa...m-Star-Trek-Planet-Of-The-Apes/master/1026039

Always good to Trek up a thread. :)
 
Going back upthread a bit. Stray were brilliant. Saw them Live a couple of times as a 13/14 year old in the early 70's. Really good band.
 
De La Soul - Three Feet High and Rising
Coldplay - Parachutes
Pearl Jam - Ten
Isaac Gracie - Isaac Gracie

There will be many others, but these come to mind initially…
 
Nirvana's Bleach is one of the worst albums I've ever heard..... a copy went round about 5 people in my circle many years ago when each person listened to it, decided it was crap and gave it away to someone else! What a transformation with their next album!

Funnily enough, I much prefer Bleach to Nevermind, In my opinion In Utero was their finest album
I love these sort of threads though
 
Still can't believe no one has mentioned The Clash's eponymous debut?

it's probably my favourite along with ...

Unknown Pleasures
The Fire of Love
Soul Mining
Another Music in a Different Kitchen
 
Pink Floyd, The The, Oasis, Public Enemy, Rage Against The Machine, Portishead, Massive Attack, Sex Pistols,
 
Still can't believe no one has mentioned The Clash's eponymous debut?

it's probably my favourite along with ...

Unknown Pleasures
The Fire of Love
Soul Mining
Another Music in a Different Kitchen

Yes it's the best Clash album, better than London Calling or any of their subsequent LPs.

Here are some more great debuts that tend to be overlooked.

X-Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescents (1978)
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998)
Tracey Thorn - A Distant Shore (1982)
The Streets - Original Pirate Material (2002)
The Who - My Generation (1965)
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything (1988)
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis (1970)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell (2003)
Traffic - Mr Fantasy (1967)
LFO - Frequencies (1991)
Jamie xx - In Colour (2015)
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels (1980)
Suicide - Suicide (1977)
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)
Spiritualized - Lazer Guided Melodies (1992)
The Blue Nile - A Walk Across the Rooftops (1984)
Daniel Avery - Drone Logic (2013)
 
Yes it's the best Clash album, better than London Calling or any of their subsequent LPs.

Here are some more great debuts that tend to be overlooked.

X-Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescents (1978)
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998)
Tracey Thorn - A Distant Shore (1982)
The Streets - Original Pirate Material (2002)
The Who - My Generation (1965)
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything (1988)
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis (1970)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell (2003)
Traffic - Mr Fantasy (1967)
LFO - Frequencies (1991)
Jamie xx - In Colour (2015)
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels (1980)
Suicide - Suicide (1977)
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)
Spiritualized - Lazer Guided Melodies (1992)
The Blue Nile - A Walk Across the Rooftops (1984)
Daniel Avery - Drone Logic (2013)

Good call with Dexys and Spiritualized
 
Still can't believe no one has mentioned The Clash's eponymous debut?

it's probably my favourite along with ...

Soul Mining

Er Burning Blue Soul...?? which is good in a prototype way.

Or Talking Heads - 77, also New Order - Movement is pretty good.
 


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