Which of these is the best debut album?

brianlux

We had a discussion on debut albums in the past, now let's do a poll!   I'm sorry to so greatly limit the number of choices, but that's how it works here.  I've chosen albums that are generally highly regarded as great debut albums but, inevitably, some of your favorites will not show up here.  Let's just keep it fun and vote for one of those listed.  You can always add a non-listed debut album in your post. 

OK, here we go!

static111

The Doors: self-titled

The Doors no contest

vito

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

C'mon Brian you know I respect you as a poster and Who fan so where's the Who My Generation? I read your explanation and I do love DS debut but, really and there would be no debut album from the Ramones if it wasn't for the Who's My Generation album. 😎

Poncier

Van Halen 1.

brianlux

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

Wow, Jimi in the lead in the early going- excellent!  All of the choice are great too, of course.

I got the idea for this thread from this very cool book I just finished reading called Jimi Hendrix and the Making of Are You Experienced by Sean Egan.  At the end of the book, Egan discusses the notion of great debut albums and gives fair mention to some of the above, but leans toward AYE himself. 

That reminds me of another thread I want start based on something he said.   Coming soon...

eeriepadave

Torn between PJ and LZ. Jimi's up there as well. Others are decent, although some I haven't listened to at all. personally I would have thrown in GNR's Appetite for Destruction (ironically released 35 years ago today) as well as The Strokes "Is This It"and Arctic Monkey's "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"

tempo_n_groove

The Doors: self-titled

I voted for the Doors because I love the in your face Break on Through and a perfectly finale song in The End.  The End is one hell of a crescendo of a song.

PJ is second on that because I loved their Master/Slave intro/exit and the same in your face and mellow exit song.

Doors for me.

Honorable Mention Licensed to Ill and Kill em All.

dankind

Ramones: self-titled

DE4173

Led Zeppelin: self-titled

 Van Halen, but Led Zeppelin from the ones listed 

brianlux

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

Zep takes the lead. 
I was a big fan of that album when it came out (still give it respect, but not so much a fan these days).  A high school friend of mine turned me on to that record.  He was a huge fan.  One day he came over with his Marshall stack and set it up out in the back yard and showed me a few Zeppelin riffs he had learned.  Pretty sure you could hear that a mile away, haha!

cutz

Led Zeppelin: self-titled

It was between Led Zeppelin and Jimi.

Now way to be able to choose both>LOL

dankind

Ramones: self-titled

brianlux said:

Zep takes the lead. 
I was a big fan of that album when it came out (still give it respect, but not so much a fan these days).  A high school friend of mine turned me on to that record.  He was a huge fan.  One day he came over with his Marshall stack and set it up out in the back yard and showed me a few Zeppelin riffs he had learned.  Pretty sure you could hear that a mile away, haha!

I have a buddy who told me that he thought it was new Janis Joplin music the first time he heard it. 

Kearn5y

Pearl Jam: Ten

Would have picked Appetite for Destruction if it were a choice

brianlux

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

dankind said:

brianlux said:

Zep takes the lead. 
I was a big fan of that album when it came out (still give it respect, but not so much a fan these days).  A high school friend of mine turned me on to that record.  He was a huge fan.  One day he came over with his Marshall stack and set it up out in the back yard and showed me a few Zeppelin riffs he had learned.  Pretty sure you could hear that a mile away, haha!

I have a buddy who told me that he thought it was new Janis Joplin music the first time he heard it. 

Must have been the hair on Robert's chest that clued him it wasn't Janis, right?

HughFreakingDillon

Pearl Jam: Ten

Ten for me. I just think it was so different than anything I’d heard before out of a rock record. Doesn’t hurt it came out when i was 17, my future favourite band, and is swimming in nostalgia from that time period. 

goldrush

Pearl Jam: Ten

Admittedly I’ve only heard 7 of the albums on the list, but Ten is the clear winner for me. It’s the only one of the 7 with no skippable tracks, it’s just a ridiculously good record.

OffSheGoes35

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

Brian, there should've been two options only for this poll...
Jimi Hendrix and Jimi Hendrix. Now everything is all messed up. People are voting for Ramones...and if someone votes for Dire Straits just for shits and giggles, that is literally what I just might do.

May God/Jimi have mercy on our souls.

OffSheGoes35

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

Hobbes, I thought you would vote for Dire Straits just because...

Hobbes

Ramones: self-titled

OffSheGoes35 said:

Hobbes, I thought you would vote for Dire Straits just because...

OffSheGoes35

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

I wonder which choices the guys in Pearl Jam would make? 

Poncier

OffSheGoes35 said:

 and if someone votes for Dire Straits just for shits and giggles, that is literally what I just might do.
 

Yeah, I've never heard Dire Straits mentioned in the conversation of greatest debut albums before. The vast majority of folks would only know Sultans of Swing off the album.
It being a choice when Van Halen, Appetite For Destruction, Boston, Talking Heads 77 and a slew of others aren't there is puzzling.

brianlux

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

OffSheGoes35 said:

I wonder which choices the guys in Pearl Jam would make? 

Oooh, good question!

OffSheGoes35

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

Poncier said:

OffSheGoes35 said:

 and if someone votes for Dire Straits just for shits and giggles, that is literally what I just might do.
 

Yeah, I've never heard Dire Straits mentioned in the conversation of greatest debut albums before. The vast majority of folks would only know Sultans of Swing off the album.
It being a choice when Van Halen, Appetite For Destruction, Boston, Talking Heads 77 and a slew of others aren't there is puzzling.

To be fair, I really shouldn't be allowed to discuss poll choices. I was the genius who decided Wild Wild West should be a choice for Favorite 90's Western. 

Sorry Van Halen didn't make the cut, I would vote for them over Dire Straits any day.

OffSheGoes35

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

brianlux said:

OffSheGoes35 said:

I wonder which choices the guys in Pearl Jam would make? 

Oooh, good question!

Wouldn't it be nice to know? Someone should find out for us. 

josevolution

Led Zeppelin: self-titled

Good times Bad times 
really strong opening song for a debut album! 

brianlux

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

OffSheGoes35 said:

Poncier said:

OffSheGoes35 said:

 and if someone votes for Dire Straits just for shits and giggles, that is literally what I just might do.
 

Yeah, I've never heard Dire Straits mentioned in the conversation of greatest debut albums before. The vast majority of folks would only know Sultans of Swing off the album.
It being a choice when Van Halen, Appetite For Destruction, Boston, Talking Heads 77 and a slew of others aren't there is puzzling.

To be fair, I really shouldn't be allowed to discuss poll choices. I was the genius who decided Wild Wild West should be a choice for Favorite 90's Western. 

Sorry Van Halen didn't make the cut, I would vote for them over Dire Straits any day.

It was a bit frustrating being confined to ten choices.  I could easily have done twenty!

mookieblalock

1. Boston
2. Lynyrd Skynyrd
3. Led Zepplin

brianlux

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

mookieblalock said:

1. Boston
2. Lynyrd Skynyrd
3. Led Zepplin

Nice to see Boston recognized (but again, with only 10 options available here, not enough space for more choices).  Boston have often been maligned as AOR, commercial radio rock, etc., but who cares?  I always thought those first two records were terrific. 

mickeyrat

Led Zeppelin: self-titled

TEN was and is still deeply resonant with me. Hit in a place no other band has reached.

BUT I still have that question, what must people have thought when ZEP I came out

brianlux

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced

mickeyrat said:

TEN was and is still deeply resonant with me. Hit in a place no other band has reached.

BUT I still have that question, what must people have thought when ZEP I came out

Zep I was pretty big around my area.  As I recall, in the Bay Area, the debuts that seemed to have the biggest impact included Zep I, Are You Experienced, the first Doors, but also some of the local acts debuts like the self-title Grateful Dead LP, the s/t Santana (s/t), and the s/t Quicksilver Messenger Service.  As much of an impact as Zep I made, those local acts where a huge deal out here and made just as big an impact as some of the others.  It would be interesting to be able to find local sales figure.  Jeez, ALL that music was big back then!

One one thing I do remember though is hearing Zep I for the first time with Page hitting that two-beat sharply repeated chord and Bonham's  drums coming up in the mix.  Hugely effective.

And as much as Zep I was big, I think Zep II and III were probably just as big or more so.  "Whole Lotta Love" was a favorite when a number was being passed around.  You'd get around 1:24 and things would start getting freaky.

GB281198

Creedence Clearwater Revival: self-titled