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Thinking about really great debuts, which bands released some of their greatest work (so far in some cases) on their first album? I would look at
Stone Roses Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy Massive - Blue Lines Moon safari - Air Underworld- Dubnobass.... Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
In addition to those:
The Who-My Generation Velvet Underground and Nico Weezer (blue album) The Modern Lovers Pink Floyd-Piper at The Gates of Dawn
Rage Against the Machines debut was one of the best rock records of the ninties. ALso Stone Temple Pilots first record was very kick ass, straight-ahead rock. Marilyn Mansons first record was his best, sadly. In another stratosphere, you have Led Zeppelins first, the Doors first record, and of course......Unknown Pleasures. I am sure there are others I will remember later.
Oasis - Definitely Maybe Echo and the Bunnymen - Crocodiles The House of Love - The House of Love Sugar - Copper Blue
Hum
Alanis Morrisette - Jagged Little Pin (won New Artist, but that wasn't REALLY her first album) Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club
Originally posted by Green Gang Of Four's EntertainmentFirst Television album
yes!!!! Gang of Four...of course the old geezers here have this one figured out 
Some other great debut albums are: Smiths - Smiths Talking Heads - 1977 Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour Of Bewilderbeast Strokes - Is This It
The Stone Roses- "The Stone Roses" The House of Love- "The House of Love" The Music- "The Music" and of course... Electronic- "Electronic"
Is there a law saying that eponymous debut albums are ace?
The Clash - Clash Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True Roni Size - New Forms Smith & Mighty - Big World Small World Gomez - Bring It On Dj Shadow - Entroducing...
Joy Division- Unknown Pleasures Nirvana-Bleach Stone Roses-Stone Roses Oasis-Definately Maybe The Smiths-The Smiths
Joy Division-Unknown Pleasures Jeff Buckley-Grace Death Cab For Cutie-Something about Airplanes Life Without Buildings-Any Other City
Originally posted by Paul Roy Smith & Mighty - Big World Small World
Good choice there, but I always thought that Bass Is Maternal was their debut.
You are right my mistake. I was thinking that was their debut album becuase, that record was the first time I heard any of their music.
In addition to some laudable nominations above, Roxy Music by Roxy Music. Weird, but brilliant. Few songs ever made are better than Ladytron.
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures Sugarcubes - Life's too good
There's too many to name. I've realized upon typing this that most band's best album is their first.
ABC - The Lexicon of Love (has all the great classics)
Erasure also had a good debut, but it doesn't really sound anything like their following stuff. I prefer the debut (it's called Wonderland, right?) but I also really like the second track on their '94 album, I Love Saturday.
I guess I'm not a huge fan of debuts, or I haven't heard enough...
Neu! Pere Ubu - the Modern Dance The Stooges Faust Can - Monster Movie Suicide Meet the Residents Red Crayola - Parable of Arable Land
50 Foot Hose - Cauldron Lothar and the Hand People Silver Apples Amon Duul - Psychedelic Underground
Originally posted by teleharmonium Neu!Pere Ubu - the Modern DanceThe StoogesFaustCan - Monster MovieSuicideMeet the ResidentsRed Crayola - Parable of Arable Land
A very strong list, there. I have to agree with much of that list, but have never heard Red Crayola.
Red Crayola aka Red Krayola were an early psych/weird rock band from Austin TX, that's their first record from '67. Mayo Thompson, Frederick Barthelme (much better known as a writer, his older brother Donald was a great writer as well), and Steve Cunningham. They put out a couple of records back then on International Artists, the label owned by Kenny Rogers' brother Leland, who also put out the original records by the Thirteenth Floor Elevators, also from Austin. Mayo then did a great solo album in '70 that was almost picked up by Columbia but dropped at the last minute. Mayo got into the arts scene heavily in the 70s, doing a lot of work with Art and Language and a lot of stuff that had to do with Marxism. Later in the 70s he got back into music in a big way, producing records for Rough Trade, and putting out new Red Crayola records with a band drawn from some of the bands he worked with such as the Swell Maps, Pere Ubu and Lora (Essential) Logic. He met Joy Division around that time and there was talk of him working with them as producer but it never happened, this would have been in relation to the aborted Radarscope deal. After that Mayo joined Pere Ubu for a while, they did his song 'Horses' and the entire band played on the RC album 'Soldier Talk'. Red Crayola was on and off for a few years, he kept his involvement with the arts and is now a professor at UCLA unless he's quit that since I talked to him last and has been doing more Red Krayola stuff since the mid 90s with some younger sidemen from the indie/post rock/whatever scene (David Grubbs and Tom Watson, mainly, sometimes with ex Minutemen/Firehose drummer George Hurley). If you wanted to check them out I would suggest 'God Bless the Red Crayola and All Who Sail With It' as a starting point.
Originally posted by Graeme In addition to some laudable nominations above, Roxy Music by Roxy Music. Weird, but brilliant. Few songs ever made are better than Ladytron.
graeme - re your avatar - is that a disco ball by the eagle on the picture there? can you enlighten me as to its origin - has saville been on the rob in his images again?
Originally posted by bill gates > Originally posted by AgentWood> AIR--MOON SAFARI> AIR--MOON SAFARI> AIR--MOON SAFARI
debut??????
oops...i mean premieres symptomes (spelling?)
Originally posted by bill gates > Originally posted by AgentWood> AIR--MOON SAFARI> AIR--MOON SAFARI> AIR--MOON SAFARI
debut??????
oops...i mean premieres symptomes (spelling?)
Originally posted by hibster > Originally posted by Graeme> In addition to some laudable nominations above, Roxy Music by Roxy Music. Weird, but brilliant. Few songs ever made are better than Ladytron.
graeme - re your avatar - is that a disco ball by the eagle on the picture there? can you enlighten me as to its origin - has saville been on the rob in his images again?
Oh, no, I just thought it would be faintly amusing to stick a disco ball on a Nazi propaganda poster with a big eagle in a Retro stylee. Clever, eh? Hmmm...
Originally posted by teleharmonium Red Crayola aka Red Krayola were an early psych/weird rock band from Austin TX, that's their first record from '67. Mayo Thompson, Frederick Barthelme (much better known as a writer, his older brother Donald was a great writer as well), and Steve Cunningham. They put out a couple of records back then on International Artists, the label owned by Kenny Rogers' brother Leland, who also put out the original records by the Thirteenth Floor Elevators, also from Austin. Mayo then did a great solo album in '70 that was almost picked up by Columbia but dropped at the last minute. Mayo got into the arts scene heavily in the 70s, doing a lot of work with Art and Language and a lot of stuff that had to do with Marxism. Later in the 70s he got back into music in a big way, producing records for Rough Trade, and putting out new Red Crayola records with a band drawn from some of the bands he worked with such as the Swell Maps, Pere Ubu and Lora (Essential) Logic. He met Joy Division around that time and there was talk of him working with them as producer but it never happened, this would have been in relation to the aborted Radarscope deal. After that Mayo joined Pere Ubu for a while, they did his song 'Horses' and the entire band played on the RC album 'Soldier Talk'. Red Crayola was on and off for a few years, he kept his involvement with the arts and is now a professor at UCLA unless he's quit that since I talked to him last and has been doing more Red Krayola stuff since the mid 90s with some younger sidemen from the indie/post rock/whatever scene (David Grubbs and Tom Watson, mainly, sometimes with ex Minutemen/Firehose drummer George Hurley). If you wanted to check them out I would suggest 'God Bless the Red Crayola and All Who Sail With It' as a starting point.
Thanks for the great info; I've bought the only Red Crayola record I've ever seen (Kangaroo? on Rough Trade. A Portrait Of V.I. Lenin In The Style Of Jackson Pollock is such a great song) and I like that a lot. Seems like his name was on just about every Rough Trade release for awhile.
Green - I think there's some great stuff on Kangaroo? but the lousy bass playing on that record annoys me no end - it sounds like MTV circa '82 - only that record and Black Snakes suffer from that flaw, so if you like that already, it's pretty much uphill from there. Most of the albums are out on CD now. 'God Bless...' will always be my fave, it blows me away to hear them doing 'postpunk' in the late 60s - but better - on 'Dairy Maid's Lament'. The current incarnation of the band is good too, I recommend checking them out if they play live in your area. The current material is on Drag City, tour dates are on that website occasionally too.
Originally posted by AgentWood > Originally posted by bill gates> > > > Originally posted by AgentWood> > AIR--MOON SAFARI> > AIR--MOON SAFARI> > AIR--MOON SAFARI>
debut??????
oops...i mean premieres symptomes (spelling?)
Actually, Agentwood, your first post was correct. "Moon Safari" was their debut. "premieres..." is a compilation of earlier tracks... released AFTER "Moon"!
Originally posted by JORGE TEIXEIRA > Originally posted by AgentWood> > > > Originally posted by bill gates> > > > > > > Originally posted by AgentWood> > > AIR--MOON SAFARI> > > AIR--MOON SAFARI> > > AIR--MOON SAFARI> > >
debut??????
oops...i mean premieres symptomes (spelling?)
Actually, Agentwood, your first post was correct. "Moon Safari" was their debut. "premieres..." is a compilation of earlier tracks... released AFTER "Moon"!
bit confusing, this one. premiers symptoms was released the year before moon safari, and then it was released again the year after, once moon safari became popular. 
Originally posted by AgentWood AIR--MOON SAFARIAIR--MOON SAFARIAIR--MOON SAFARI
French touch
well there are loads of great debuts, so i'll list the obvious ones:
1)New Order - Movement (probably their best album) 2)Joy Division - unknown pleasures 3)stone roses 4)oasis 5)sex pistols 6)metallica
Stone Roses - Stone Roses Leonard Cohen - Songs of... Oasis - Definately Maybe Chameleons - Script of the Bridge Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left Dr John - Gris Gris Bjork - Debut Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
One no one has mentioned but would be my fave debut album Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
others are your usual suspects, The Smiths, Stone Roses, I will also say The Cure's Boys Dont Cry is a damn good debut too. Psycocandy is a top debut as well.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's first one is a goodie too from more recent times. I am not NME so I am not naming either the Vines or Strokes debut albums amongst the best ever cos quite simply their not. Bot good, but no where near as strong as the onez ive mentioned above.
Cheers ALEX
3rd: Cocteau Twins - Garlands 2nd: Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures indisputable 1st: The Jesus & Mary Chain - Psychocandy
I will also say The Cure's Boys Dont Cry is a damn good debut too.<<
actually, Three Imaginary Boys was their debut album. but it's very easy to get the two confused.
hmmm. i also really fancy:
Slowdive - Just For A Day The Stone Roses - s/t (of course) Front 242 - Geography Chapterhouse - Whirlpool Clan of Xymox - s/t Labradford - Prazision LP Mira - s/t Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - s/t SexConsciousYoungModerns - s/t Swallow - Blow The Black Heart Procession - 1 New Order - Movement
among many others who are just slipping my mind at the moment.
