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Five Greatest Album Openers, Ever


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Guest KK Rage
Posted

Why has nobody said "Break On Through" by the Doors (As Far as I know)

Guest notJames
Posted
its a great live opener too

True, but Ed Kowalcyzk tries too hard to be a showman. At least he did back when I saw them live (first two albums). Wearing no shirt, sticking out his pigeon chest like a second-rate Jim Morrison. I recall a show at Irving Plaza in NYC about 8 years ago when he tried to set his guitar on fire. The lighter fluid didn't catch well, so after minutes of uncomfortable posturing, he just smashed the guitar (after numerous attempts) and walked off. 5 points for style, minus 50 for execution.

 

True story: Live played at my alma mater (Montclair State University, NJ) to open their Throwing Copper tour ('93-ish, I think), right before they hit it big stateside. I got to interview them and everything. Down to earth guys, funny, lots of backstage stories about Joey Ramone and Iggy Pop... but Ed seemed a bit too stand-offish for me, like he was the king shit.

 

So the show goes off, and we're striking the stage, and Ed walks up to my friend Beth, a beautiful redhead with striking eyes, awesome personality to boot (great kisser too, just don't tell my wife). Anyway, he asks how she enjoyed the show, she says it was good. He then goes on about how he's seen her at some of their other shows... he swears it. She turns to him without missing a beat and says, "I kinda doubt it. I never heard of you guys before today." (D'oh!)

 

To save face, he replies, "Oh you will. You will."

 

Beth rules. ;)

Posted

To Me, an album opener has to set a tone for the album so here are my 5 faves:

 

1. AC/DC- Hells Bells - Back in Black(Those bells are still chilling today, and serves as a time to think back about Bon Scott R.I.P.)

 

2. Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle - Rocks(This song kicks off a classic album the right way, with a swift kick in the ass)

 

3. King's X - Dogman - Dogman(Awesome, heavy album by one of my favorite bands, sets the tone for the whole album: Heavy, Dark and negative)

 

4. Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - Slow Ride - Trouble Is....(Kenny wailing away on this first track just lets you know there is more kick ass blues/rock goodness on the rest of this album. Definitely a fave of mine.)

 

5. Led Zeppelin- Whole Lotta Love- Led Zeppelin II(Classic song to start a classic album. Nuff Said...)

Guest IPCRivalSchools
Posted

My five in no particular order:

 

The Pixies - Bone Machine - Surfer Rosa

Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit of the Summer - Rated R

Rolling Stones - Rocks On from Exile - Main Street

Mission of Burma - That's when I reach for my revolver - Signs, calls and marches

At The Drive-In - Arc Arsenal - Relationship of Command.

 

Ian

Posted

Tom Petty - Free Fallin (Full Moon Fever)

Don Henley - The End of the Innocence (same)

U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name (The Joshua Tree)

Mary-Chapin Carpenter - The Hard Way (Come On Come On)

Sarah McLachlan - Possession (Fumbling Towards Ecstasy)

Guest pochorenella
Posted

In no particular order...

 

Kiss "Deuce" from Alive!

Kiss "Detroit Rock City" from Destroyer

Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from Nevermind

Guns N' Roses "Welcome To The Jungle" from Appetite For Destruction

U2 "Where The Streets Have No Name" from The Joshua Tree

 

Special mentions go to AC/DC "Hells Bells", Def Leppard "Stagefright", Zeppelin "Whole Lotta Love", Tom Petty "Free Falling".

Guest Respect The 'Taker
Posted
1. "Welcome To The Jungle" by Guns N Roses

 

2. "Break On Through" The Doors

 

3. "Achille's Last Stand" Led Zeppelin

THANK-YOU

 

And we have ourselves a REAL music fan, kids!

 

The ever disappering Illusion

Guest C-Bacon
Posted

Man of Action - Matthew Good Band

Giant - Matthew Good Band

1984 (leading into Jump) - Van Halen

Dizzy - Goo Goo Dolls

Deep Six - Matthew Good Band

Guest godthedog
Posted
1. "Welcome To The Jungle" by Guns N Roses

 

2. "Break On Through" The Doors

 

3. "Achille's Last Stand" Led Zeppelin

THANK-YOU

 

And we have ourselves a REAL music fan, kids!

 

The ever disappering Illusion

damn. i've been found out as a fake music fan, & now my entire existence must negate itself.

Guest Agent of Oblivion
Posted

Doesn't that suck? I've had to negate my existence a couple of times.

Guest goodhelmet
Posted

so many great songs... where to start?

 

john lennon "imagine"

 

pearl jam "last exit"

 

beatles "two of us"

 

george harrison "i'd have you anytime"

 

queen- keep yourself alive"

 

rolling stones- rocks off"

 

queen "play the game"

 

elvis costello- "Accidents Will Happen"

 

 

 

and the number one opening track of all time from any album...

 

queen- "death on two legs" or the stones- "sympathy for the devil"

 

FUCK! that's two songs. aw fuck it, they all rule!

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Thanks to Dean, I've gone back and listened to a bunch of things. Blondie's "Waiting on the Telephone" from Parralel Lines is definately top five quality.

Guest JangoFett4Hire
Posted

Debaser- Pixies, Doolittle

Safe From Harm - Massive Attack, Blue Lines

Drive My Car - Beatles, Rubber Soul

And It Stoned Me - Van Morrison, Moondance

Brand New God- Danzig, 4

Guest Black Tiger
Posted

1. "Over The Mountain" Ozzy Osbourne Diary of a Madman.

 

2. "Welcome to the Jungle" Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destrction.

 

3. "Enter Sandman" Metalica The Black Album

Guest TheyCallMeMark
Posted

"Enter Sandman" Metallica

"Once" Pearl Jam

"Over The Mountain" Ozzy (This one actually fooled me into thinking the rest of the album wasn't going to suck).

"Hell's Bells" AC/DC

"Surfing With The Alien" Satch

Posted

"Welcome to the Working Week"

Elvis Costello and the Attractions

My Aim is True

 

That's a fucking great album.

 

"Accidents will happen"

Armed Forces

Posted

I'll get my top five later, but my number one so far is 'Psycho Killer' from Talking Head's Stop Making Sense.

Guest treble charged
Posted

'Superman's Dead' - Our Lady Peace - Clumsy

'Friend of Mine' - treble charger - Maybe It's Me

'Smells Like Teen Spirit' - Nirvana - Nevermind

'Poets' - The Tragically Hip - Phantom Power

'My Name is Jonas' - Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)

 

Just a few that I like.

Guest Kinetic
Posted

Here are a few underappreciated gems that would probably round out my top twenty:

 

Belle and Sebastian- "The State I Am In"

Belle and Sebastian- "I Fought In A War"

Blur- "Beetlebum"

Blur- "Tender"

Leonard Cohen- "Suzanne"

Leonard Cohen- "Bird on a Wire"

Elvis Costello- "Beyond Belief"

Nick Drake- "Pink Moon"

Neutral Milk Hotel- "The King of Carrot Flowers"

Spoon- "Everything Hits at Once"

Guest Incandenza
Posted

"I Fought in a War?" Really? Not only do I not like that song, "The Stars of Track and Field" blows it out of the water.

Guest Kinetic
Posted

Meh. "I Fought In A War" is a strong track, both musically and lyrically. The lament about his woman back home making necklaces for a steady man to wear is touching. The whole first side of that album is pretty strong, actually. "The Stars of Track and Field" is good, but a bit too quiet at the beginning for my taste.

Guest red_file
Posted

Mention Cohen and not "First We Take Manhatten"? That epic paean to...er...the fashion industry? Okay. Hmm.

 

I always thought "Absolutely Cuckoo" was a perfect way to open 69 Love Songs.

Posted
Here are a few underappreciated gems that would probably round out my top twenty:

 

Belle and Sebastian- "The State I Am In"

Belle and Sebastian- "I Fought In A War"

Blur- "Beetlebum"

Blur- "Tender"

Leonard Cohen- "Suzanne"

Leonard Cohen- "Bird on a Wire"

Elvis Costello- "Beyond Belief"

Nick Drake- "Pink Moon"

Neutral Milk Hotel- "The King of Carrot Flowers"

Spoon- "Everything Hits at Once"

'Tender' is a great song but the trouble is its about ten times better than any song on the rest of the album. I don't know what you think but I find it a bit ridiculous that Blur try to discard their superior earlier work in favour of stuff like '13'. 'Parklife' defined the whole era of mid 90's britpop and is a classic album but the band themselves seem to have little time for it.

 

Are Belle And Sebastian liked by the average American indie rock fan? Their last album didn't get overly great reviews over here as I remember.

 

Anyway, staying on topic properly for once......Here's a little uncelebrated bunch that didn't make my earlier top 5 either.

 

"I Wanna Go Where The People Go" -- The Wildhearts

"Thumb" -- Kyuss

"Thinking Out Loud" -- Ron Sexsmith

"Dream All Day" -- The Posies

"Radiation Vibe" -- Fountains Of Wayne

"A Minor Place" -- Bonnie Prince Billy

"The Snow White Diner" -- The Handsome Family

"Pageant Square" -- The Kingsbury Manx

Guest Kinetic
Posted

Belle and Sebastian's first two albums are regarded as classics, while their latest two are regarded as either total garbage or nothing special. That's the impression I get and, surprise surprise, I totally agree with it.

Guest Incandenza
Posted
'Tender' is a great song but the trouble is its about ten times better than any song on the rest of the album. I don't know what you think but I find it a bit ridiculous that Blur try to discard their superior earlier work in favour of stuff like '13'. 'Parklife' defined the whole era of mid 90's britpop and is a classic album but the band themselves seem to have little time for it.

I think the whole first half of 13 is aces--particularly the first three songs. It's the second half's aimless experimental noodling (outside of the short, lovely "Nowhere Left to Run") that's a total drag.

Guest Kinetic
Posted

"Coffee & TV" is at least as good as "Tender," if not quite a bit better. I really like that album a lot more than their self-titled one, which I think takes the experimentation a bit too far and does so at the expense of the songs. But, really, those last two are just like any other Blur album starting with Modern Life Is Rubbish: Four or five stellar songs surrounded by loads of generally tolerable filler.

Guest Your Olympic Hero
Posted

"Battery" (Metallica, Master of Puppets)

"Enter Sandman" (Metallica, Metallica)

"Welcome to the Jungle" (Guns N Roses, Appetite for Destruction)

"Smells like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana, Nevermind)

 

And maybe I'll add another later..

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