Guybrush

If this thread already exists, I'm sorry! However, I'm guessing it doesn't.

So on to the point. I often find debut albums to be quite exciting. There are many reasons, but most basically, it's just fun to see where bands and artists come from, and often - what made them popular.

In this thread, I'd like for people to write a little about debut albums they find are great or otherwise interesting. For example, you could write about one debut album per post. Of course, some words about why you think it's good along with some trivia or other interesting information is a nice added bonus.

There are many great debut albums, but I'll start it with this one :



Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)



Favourite tracks : Moving, The Saxophone Song, The Man With the Child in His Eyes, The Kick Inside


Being a bit of a musical prodigy when she was young, Kate Bush signed a contract with EMI at the mere age of 16 after having been "discovered" by David Gilmour. During the time between the contract and her first album, she would write more than 200 songs. In 1978, when she was 19, she released her debut album, The Kick Inside. The album, she says, contains songmaterial written throughout her teenage years, from 12-13 to 19 years of age. The album spawned a few singles. "Wuthering Heights" (inspired by Emily Bronte's novel by the same name) possibly remains her best known song today and was the first single by a female artist to reach number one in the UK.

The album is a progish-poppish-rockish-album that draws from different influences, both in music and lyrics. Kate Bush's extremely unique voice gives much of the album a light and upbeat feel to it. The album also feels wonderfully creative and musically uncorrupted, perhaps because of her young age. Without elaborating too much, the production is good and feels very much like a 70s record.

Later in her career, Kate Bush would go on to produce her own albums, removing herself more and more away from the mainstream. For me, however, The Kick Inside remains her finest work to date and I think it's a definite should-have for any serious collector. It's definetly up there among my favourite debut albums.

So to conclude : If you don't know it - get it!


So what are your favourite debut albums?

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Roygbiv

God, there are so many.

I guess I'll have to go with Arcade Fire - Funeral.
Favourite songs include - Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels), Une Anne Sans Lumiere, Neighbourhood #3 (Lights Out), Wake Up, Rebellion (Lies).

Everyone knows about this album. It's certainly a huge hit in Canada.

The title of the album was inspired by the death of a number of relatives in the band. It's a very man vs. self sort of album, with most conflicts between people as opposed to society, which they would get to in their follow up Neon Bible. Despite the number motif, the album is not really a concept effort, though that's arguable, of-course. The album's sound is rather expansive, with violins, violas, xylophones, French horns a number of other orchestral instruments used in a number of the songs, and apparently all in unison in Wake Up.

They're sort of send-chills-up-your-spine material, with lyrics that could possibly be too saccharine for a number of people, but just perfect for those with a knack for imagery and the bittersweet. If you haven't heard of them, do check them out if you have an open mind. They're definitely not for everyone.

By the way, I think I'll have to check Kate Bush out now : )

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dac

The Strokes - Is This It?

Perfect blend of rock and pop. Perfect song writing. Perfect voice (for the band). Absolutely perfect. This was the album that defined my high school years. It was the album that broke me away from the Taking Back Sundays and Dashboard Confessionals polluting my brain. Is it a hipster album? Yes. Was it "cool" to like The Strokes? Sure. But that doesn't take away from the beauty of it. The song writing was perfect; you never knew what Julian Casablancas was talking about, but you knew what he was feeling. The guitar riffs were as plentiful as they were catchy. The bass lines were gorgeous, yet simple. Is This It, the title track, remains my favorite bass line of all time. The sound of the album could have been mistaken for something written by The Velvet Underground yet it was still uniquely original. Every track is a standout, but Hard to Explain would be my favorite.

Also: good choice Roygbiv.

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Barabajagal

T.Rex - My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows (1968)

Before Marc Bolan went glam, he wrote some of the strangest psychedelic folk songs known to man. If you know Bolan's vocals by the song "Get It On", these early pigmy-squeaks might be a lot to swallow (they were for me). But like many unconventional vocal styles, the initial discomfort of listening to them will fade and the listening experience is quite rewarding after that.

Marc claimed with this album he wanted to do what Pink Floyd did with "Piper at the Gates of Dawn," only acoustically. I only what to know where in the world this music came from, and how such a cacophony of acoustic instruments can sound so cool

This is a WEIRD album and will not be for everyone, I can tell you that. But it's definitely one of my favorite debuts (not to mention the kickass cover and title!)

Janszoon

Yeah. People like to crap on the Strokes but that really is a great album. There's not a bad song on it and it has this hard-to-explain bittersweet vibe that permeates the whole thing. "New York City Cops" is probably my favorite song on that album.

MURDER JUNKIE

Why do the Strokes get to bang ridiculously hot chicks?

That's what I wanna know about the Strokes

dac

Yeah it kinda sucks how they took that song off after 9-11. I had to order the European version online to get it, but it was well worth it.

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Janszoon

"Murmur"—REM

REM's first full length may quite possibly be their best album. There's something about this album, sort of like what I said about the first Strokes album, that's very bittersweet. And somehow this album has always felt old to me, like some vinyl you dust off in the back of a record shop that brings back nostalgic feelings through the crackles and pops. I first heard it only about four years after it came out, but even then it still somehow sounded old.

Anteater

Magma - Kobaïa (1970)

Hmn, what to say about one of the most interesting debuts of the decade, and from a French group who nobody at the time paid attention to until they were simply too big to ignore. With this steller debut, the first to be sung entirelly in a completely made up language called Kobaian constructed by drummer, founder and composer Christian Vander, came the beginnings of a particularly awesome genre of music called Zeuhl and some of the best jazz-fusion known to man. Fans of this group tend to overlook their first album because of its off-kilter and somewhat inconsistant experimental tendencies compared to later works (as they were still in the midst of discovering their sound at this point), but on its own merits this is quite the listen nevertheless.

Barabajagal: Nice choice there. Been wanting to dl T.Rex's debut for some time now, but having trouble getting it...

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

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lucifer_sam

Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame (1971)

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