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Giuseppe Zangara

Best Album Openers.

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Mainly inspired by the albums I've been putting on my iPod this afternoon.

 

Mission of Burma - That's When I Reach for My Revolver

The Wedding Present - Dalliance

Pixies - Debaser

Cannibal Ox - Iron Galaxy

The Fall - The Classical

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The Wedding Present - Dalliance

Pixies - Debaser

 

These two would certainly make my list.

 

My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow

Black Flag - Rise Above

Joy Division - Disorder

Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

Tom Waits - Singapore

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Song For Joy

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My Picks

 

Pink Floyd-Speak to Me/Breath

Cabaret Voltaire-Breathe Deep

Spiritualized-Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

My Bloody Valentine-Soft as Silk (But Warm Inside)

Stone Roses-I Wanna Be Adored

Alice in Chains-Rotten Apple

Coil-Are You Shivering?

Wu-Tang Clan-Bring Da Ruckus

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Cabaret Voltaire-Don't Argue

Velvet Underground-White Light/White Heat

The Orb-Little Fluffy Clouds

Godspeed You Black Emperor-Moya

Portishead-Mysterons

Massive Attack-Angel

Tricky-Overcome

Public Image Limited-Albatross

Can-Paperhouse

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Wu-Tang Clan-Bring Da Ruckus

 

I can't believe I forgot that one.

 

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) by The Arcade Fire, while not an all time great opening track, is the best song from said album.

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"Debaser," "Only Shallow," and Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" may be my all-time favorite starts. Some more that I've been loving lately:

 

The Cure - "Plainsong"

XTC - "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead"

Slint - "Breadcrumb Trail"

Ghosface Killah - "Iron Maiden"

Pavement - "Summer Babe"

 

...Which reminds me that I need to go buy the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain reissue.

 

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) by The Arcade Fire, while not an all time great opening track, is the best song from said album.

I prefer "Rebellion (Lies)," but it's a strong #2. The best opening song I've heard from this year's releases is probably Les Savy Fav's "Meet Me In The Dollar Bin," though I really like the start of the Madvillain album too.

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Elvis Costello and the Attractions - No Action

This is a great song. Welcome To The Working Week and Accidents Will Happen are both fantastic opening songs for their respective albums, too.

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Guest TheLastBoyscout

Elvis Costello - No Action

Devo - Girl U Want

Iron Maiden - Moonchild

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Some off the top of my head:

 

Roxy Music - Do the Strand

The Beatles - Come Together

The Byrds - So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star

The Kinks - Victoria

Pink Floyd - One of These Days

Talking Heads - Born Under Punches

The Who - Baba O'Riley

The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner

 

I'll think of more later.

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Red House Painters - Grace Cathedral Park

The Byrds - Mr Tambourine Man

The Kinks - David Watts

REM - Radio Free Europe/Drive

Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska

Silver Jews - Random Rules

The Posies - Dream All Day

Uncle Tupelo - Slate

Wilco - Misunderstood

The Jayhawks - Blue

Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone

The Heavy Blinkers - All That's Left Are Waves

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Diamond Dew

Belle And Sebastian - Stars Of Track & Field

Mark Lanegan - River Rise/Carry Home

Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter

Love - Alone Again Or

Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey

The Ramones - Blitzkreig Bop

Ron Sexsmith - Thinking Out Loud

The Kingsbury Manx - Pageant Square

Noahjohn - Standing On A Snake

Green Day - 2000 Light Years Away

Metallica - Enter Sandman

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Air - La Femme D'Argent

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Kind of extensive selections here, almost to the point of underming the thread.

 

Guns n Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle"

Patti Smith - "Gloria"

Marilyn Manson - "Irresponsible Hate Anthem"

Foetus - "Clothes Hoist"

And the best, of course, NWA - "Straight Outta Compton"

 

 

Discounting non-song intros for these;

 

Motley Crue - "Shout at the Devil"

Lil Jon - "Throw It Up"

Ice Cube - "The Nigga Ya Love to Hate"

DMX - "Ruff Ryder's Anthem"

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King Crimson - "21st Century Schizoid Man"

Nirvana - "Serve The Servants"

Beatles - "Taxman"

Tortoise - "TNT"

Fiona Apple - "On The Bound"

Radiohead - "Airbag"

Radiohead - "Everything In Its Right Place"

Tool - "Stinkfist"

Sufjan Stevens - "Flint (For the Unemployed and Underpaid)"

Chris Isaak - "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing"

 

And I'll second a couple that have already been mentioned:

 

My Bloody Valentine - "Only Shallow"

Rolling Stones - "Gimme Shelter"

Portishead - "Mysterons"

Guns 'n Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle"

Wilco - "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart"

Beatles - "A Hard Day's Night"

XTC - "Respectable Street"

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About four of the five Pavement albums open up with what ends up being in the top three songs on the album. They were good at that.

 

And then there's...

 

Pixies -- "Cecilia Ann"

Wilco -- "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart"

Husker Du -- "Something I Learned Today"

Pink Floyd -- "Astronomy Domine" (actually most of their albums started out phenominally)

Devo -- "Uncontrollable Urge"

 

And -- oh, dammit -- I had a REALLY good one. I'll post it when it comes back to me.

 

 

 

EDIT: Oh, right "This is the Way" by Joy Division.

Edited by 5_moves_of_doom

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Inc's nailed most of mine, but cos he's silly he missed 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us' which is the best debut single ever to crack the UK top ten.

 

Butthole Surfers - 'Jimi' (Even though the 'Day of the Dying Alive' version from HDLSD b sides collection is superior)

 

that's all I can think of at the minute.

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Guest Loss

Prince - 1999

Prince - Let's Go Crazy

 

Those both stand as my two favorites. The album version of "1999" is quite awesome actually, with a crazy funk party at the very end of the song and the whole "Don't worry, I won't hurt you ..." thing at the beginning.

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Machine Head - "Davidian" - Burn My Eyes

Stuck Mojo - "Pigwalk" - Pigwalk

Metallica - "Fight Fire With Fire" - Ride The Lightning

Slipknot - "(Sic)" - Slipknot (second track, but the first song)

Chevelle - "The Clincher" - This Kind Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)

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