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Best debut album ever?

These lists always end up as "good albums by people I like"

I cannot believe that even the posters of these suggestions really believe that they are offering up to us " The best debut album EVER '
I stand by' Can't buy a thrill', why would I say otherwise?
 
Sadly, the answer is obvious, it’s ‘Are you Experienced’. That must have sounded like a transmission from another dimension in 1967.
 
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
 
There's a further interesting point to raise in terms of debut v first solo record. Van Morrison was a successful singer in in Them before his solo records so is the first Them record his debut?

If not, then Lennon's Plastic Ono Band record would become a contender ( I'm not a Lennon fan but this record crops up in quite a few top 10 of all time lists) or David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees - one of the best first solo records I know.

So, is a debut a first recording by an artist either solo or as a member of an identifiable band? I tend to see it as the former - someone's first appearance on a recording as anything other than a bit part player whoever they are with.

Looking through Stefane's list above there a real mix of the two - Sandy Denny, Curtis Mayfield and Gram Parsons, for example 9 3 long term favourites), were all established artists by the time they went solo.

Kevin
 
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These lists always end up as "good albums by people I like"

I cannot believe that even the posters of these suggestions really believe that they are offering up to us " The best debut album EVER '

Other than Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures you'd be right :D
 
Sadly, the answer is obvious, it’s ‘Are you Experienced’. That must have sounded like a transmission from another dimension in 1967.

I remember quite a bit of the sixties ( can't remember last week sadly :( ) and it strikes me that a great deal of what was released sounded like a transmission from another dimension. We were lucky to be hearing so much for the very first time; even those cheeky popsters the Beatles sounded mind blowing with tracks like Tomorrow Never Knows. So did Floyd, The Moody Blues, The Velvets, a lot of the West Coast sound, The Silver Apples, Terry Riley...... the list is very very long.
The stuff that we heard for the very first time back then has now been recycled so much by every band that followed that we forget, maybe , quite how radical so much did sound when hearing it for the very first time.
But I do grant that Hendrix was way up the list in WTF factor.
 
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

Some things I’ve never tried, so thanks.

The definitive of ‘debut’ has acquired an elastic meaning across the thread. In that spirit, I’d add:

Frank Sinatra, In the Wee Small Hours;
Roland Kirk, Introducing; and
Brian Eno, Here Come the Warm Jets.
 
Just saw this thread and immediately my mind went 'Kate Bush - The Kick Inside'. But I see I am hardely alone in that thought.

A second thought was Emerson Lake & Palmer first album. I know they kind of had history from King Crimson and the Nice but still the ELP schtick was something new. Still one of my favorites of all time.

Led Zep 1 was ground breaking too.
 
I don’t think we’ve had the first Stooges album yet, which is surprising. It should certainly have been on my list. I missed the first Black Sabbath album and ITCOTCK off too.
 
I don’t think we’ve had the first Stooges album yet, which is surprising.

Yes we did, way back in post 7, though admittedly that was part of a list rather than a single nomination. I don't remember noticing The New York Dolls debut anywhere though.
 
I am of the opinion that a 'debut' should be the first time the artist has been heard. This disqualifies a lot of what's been put forward but I think it is a justifiable position.
 
Perhaps Pablo Honey should get a mention? If ever a rock album was ever going to prove to be "ground-breaking", this surely has to be at or near the top.
 
Perhaps Pablo Honey should get a mention? If ever a rock album was ever going to prove to be "ground-breaking", this surely has to be at or near the top.

I’m not convinced. Radiohead are one of those bands that took a few albums to find their feet and I’d argue that it wasn’t until Kid A that they really arrived! Pablo Honey is a bit too generic grunge to my mind, I’ve never really connected with it. The Flaming Lips are similar, lots of albums before they really knocked the ball out if the park with The Soft Bulletin and then Yoshimi.

PS I’d argue Eno peaked a lot later too with Music For Airports, Apollo etc. That is when he really found his ‘thing’.
 
The ones that immediately spring to mind have all been mentioned already

Joy Division
Massive Attack
Portishead
Arctic Monkeys
 
Perhaps Pablo Honey should get a mention? If ever a rock album was ever going to prove to be "ground-breaking", this surely has to be at or near the top.


I mentioned it back at post #7

along with the Stooges first album...
 
These lists always end up as "good albums by people I like"

I cannot believe that even the posters of these suggestions really believe that they are offering up to us " The best debut album EVER '

I thought it was obvious the OP was asking for opinion. You may just be taking life too seriously.
 


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