411 Music Ten Deep 7.16.09: Top Ten Debut Albums

Posted by Andrew Moll on 07.16.2009

It's the first edition of 411 Music's Ten Deep, and what better way to start than to look at the greatest debut albums of all-time? See where Guns N' Roses, Pearl Jam, Jeff Buckley and others ranked on the list of the best debuts from the Music Zone's newest column, Ten Deep.

Hi, hello and welcome to the new column here at 411 Music, Ten Deep. This column has been running in the Movies/TV zone since September and has now made its way to the Music zone. If you don't know who I am, my name is Andrew Moll and I used to write A Short Column About Music until last week, and I'm very excited about doing this new column. Just so you know, my tastes tend to occasionally be a tad obscure, so don't get angry if you see something you haven't heard of. Take it as a recommendation and check it out. So, with all the introductions out of the way, let's get this show on the road.

(Disclaimer: All opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of 411 Music and its staff.)

Top Ten Debut Albums

10. The Clash - The Clash

When The Ramones first played in England in the mid-1970s, they helped kick start a burgeoning UK punk scene. In their wake were a number of bands like The Damned and The Sex Pistols that played fast and furious rock that didn't exactly revel in musicianship. But one band that could play as well as any other in the world came from the same scene. The Clash combined elements of rock, punk, dub and other genres on their eponymous debut album , a record that stands above peers like The Ramones self-titled debut and Never Mind the Bollocks.

There's a primal anger to songs like "White Riot," "I'm So Bored with the U.S.A.," and "London's Burning." The Clash played these songs with expert musicianship as singer Joe Strummer barked the lyrics with plenty of attitude and conviction. But the music also went beyond simple three-chord rock, with reggae-inspired songs like "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" and a cover of "Police & Thieves," while also celebrating older tracks like "I Fought the Law." Each track is great and shows a band railing against the system it despises and displaying youthful aggression.





But there is also an intellectual and passionate side to it all, as The Clash began to earn their title as "The Only Band That Matters." No punk band was more willing to stand up for what they believed in and branch out away from any limitations of punk music than The Clash as they showed on albums like London Calling and Sandinista!, and it all started with their classic debut. The Clash set the stage for one of the great bands of all-time, and that's more than enough to earn a spot on this list.






9. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)

In the wake of grunge, people were looking for the next big thing in alternative rock. It turned out to be power-pop band from Los Angeles named Weezer. Led by guitarist/singer Rivers Cuomo, Weezer emerged in 1994 in the post-Nirvana world with an album full of catchy songs that were loud and filled with irresistible hooks. The band also came with a keen sense of humor, as seen in the classic video for "Buddy Holly" and may of Cuomo's lyrics.

Those lyrics would often touch on moodier subjects like alcoholism and loneliness, but Cuomo delivers all of it in a fun manner, never wasting time wallowing in his own torment. There are simply far too many hooks and melodies on the album to not enjoy listening to it, no matter what the subjects may be. Singles like "Undone (The Sweater Song)" and "Say It Ain't So" have become alternative rock staples and are now considered as classics of their era. But the greatness of the album comes not just from the singles, but the other tracks as well. From the pop culture fun of "In the Garage" to the epic feel of "Only in Dreams," this is a near-flawless album.




The album is so good, in fact, that it has in some ways cast a large shadow over the rest of their career. Weezer's next album Pinkerton was louder and more abrasive than its predecessor and focused on themes regarding love and sexual frustration. After that album's poor reception, the band came back a few years later and has spent the remaining time attempting to recapture the power-pop magic of their first album. While the results have been mixed at best, it's an inadvertent testament to the quality of The Blue Album that its ten classic songs still stand as some of the best work the band ever released.






8. Pearl Jam - Ten

Much like Weezer, Pearl Jam ‘s debut album has dominated the rest of their career and it's easy to understand why. Ten is full of legendary tracks that have as much of an impact now as they did when they were released in 1991. The group came from Seattle like their metal and punk influenced peers. But Pearl Jam was always a classic rock band, taking cues from acts like Neil Young and The Who. This is a Seventies rock record, updated for the angst and delusion of the early 1990s.

Each band member plays an important part on the album, with Mike McCready's blistering solos and Stone Gossard's songs that are infused with riffs and grooves. But this is Eddie Vedder's album. The singer's booming voice dominates each songs, giving them everything he has to offer. It's no surprise that personal songs like "Black" and "Alive" made Vedder a "spokesman of his generation." He has never lacked sincerity, and that kind of direct connection helps make Ten such an emotional album. At the same time, while it probably wasn't intended to be this way, it's an important album, one full of themes like homelessness ("Even Flow"), suicide ("Jeremy") and more. And no performer is better suited for that type of approach than Vedder, an earnest rocker with impassioned delivery.





Ten has murkiness to it that combines with a classic rock sound to create a memorable album that is a document of its time, but the songs are so good that they never sound dated. As time would go on, Pearl Jam would grow but never completely distanced themselves from the album as many of the tracks became concert staples. These tracks also turned Pearl Jam into one of the world's biggest rock bands right out of the gate, and the group weathered the storm to become one of rock's elder statesmen. Not bad for a group that personified teenage angst.






7. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted

While Pearl Jam excelled in earnest rock, Pavement went the other way, wrapping their feelings in cryptic wordplay and non sequiturs. It's tough to make a lyric like "Lies and betrayals/Fruit covered nails," sound like a generational rallying cry, but Pavement found a way. Slanted and Enchanted is the ultimate lo-fi album, with the amateur recording acting as part of the album's aesthetic. The greatness of the album comes from the fact that it works as well as a pop album as it does as an alternative album.

Lead singer Stephen Malkmus was able to craft melodic songs that sounded somewhat off-kilter, shunning verse/chorus/verse structures and using plenty of angular guitar riffs and unconventional rhythms. Released in 1992, this album stood in stark contrast to the grunge that was dominating the airwaves with Malkmus positioned as the voice of slackers everywhere. To say that though is to underestimate how good a band Pavement was. All the songs, including "Summer Babe (Winter Version)", "In the Mouth a Desert," and "Zurich is Stained" have a real emotional depth to them that isn't always noticeable at first listen. But the more you listen, the more the hidden parts of the album jump out, like the infectious melodies and Malkmus' brand of poetry. For a band that apparently sang about nothing, they were able to encapsulate melancholy and burnout as well as anyone on a song like "Here."





Today, Pavement is considered possibly the best indie rock band of all-time. The lo-fi aesthetic would be left behind as the albums began to sound better and get more expansive, but for many Slanted and Enchanted is still their best work. It's tough for a band to come on the scene and sound as much in shambles as they did, but Pavement proved they were more than just California slackers.






6. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?

Nobody sounded like Jimi Hendrix when his band The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their debut album Are You Experienced? in 1967, and musicians have spent the last forty-two years trying to sound like him. Unfortunately, few have been able to even come close to matching Hendrix's manic take on the blues and psychedelic music. Never before had sounds come out of a guitar like the ones Hendrix created, but Are You Experienced? showed that he was more than just a guitar wizard; he was a highly skilled songwriter and emotive singer as well.

The contributions of bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell are huge as well as their playing gives many of the songs a feeling of jazz improvisation. They were the perfect backing band for Hendrix as he was capable of going off in any direction at any moment. Classic tracks like "Purple Haze" and "Foxey Lady" are raw and energetic and show a level of guitar playing that is still unmatched. Hendrix also showed a tender restraint on songs like "The Wind Cries Mary" and "Hey Joe." When a song didn't call for an epic and wild guitar solo, Hendrix didn't provide one. An album full of nothing but impressive guitar work ultimately becomes uninteresting and pointless, and Hendrix knew this. He made sure each song was of a high quality that updated the blues for a new generation.





Hendrix would be dead only three years later, but the impact of his band's debut album is still felt today. No musician has been able to replicate his combination of guitar mastery and songwriting prowess on one album like Hendrix did on Are You Experienced?. There is absolutely no filler on this record whatsoever and inspires anyone today that picks up a guitar.






5. Arcade Fire - Funeral

Arcade Fire came out of Montreal in 2004 with a majestic album called Funeral. The name was apt, as a few members of the band lost people close to them during the recording of the album. The record as a whole gives off a feeling of both sadness and celebration, but ultimately the album is about the redemptive power of music.

Right from the first track "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" the album is theatric and vast, and singer Win Butler shows off his howling voice. What follows is an album full of introspection and passion, with songs like "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" and "Crown of Love" being just two of the highlights. Childhood is another dominant theme on the album, and it shows up on the album's two most cathartic tracks, "Wake Up" and "Rebellion (Lies)." These two songs are absolute anthems, and I dare anyone to listen to them and not immediately be inspired by them.





It's become a theme in indie rock this decade to become detached from deep emotions and focus more on being cool than fostering real feelings. The large collective known as Arcade Fire don't worry about this; they have no being uncool and wearing their hearts on their sleeves.






4. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico

In terms of how many artists were inspired by a single album, you can make the argument that The Velvet Underground & Nico is the most influential album in rock history. Andy Warhol managed the band in their formative years and gave the band a certain notoriety simply due to their association with the artist. That notoriety ended being well deserved as their debut was filled with unconventional songs about heroin, S & M, and more.

The album goes back and forth between a catchy pop/R&B record and an abrasive, shocking sound. Two songs, "I'm Waiting for the Man" and "Heroin" cover the same lyrical territory but do so in completely different ways. Much of the instrumentation came from John Cale, who used a viola to help create a haunting quality to many of the songs. That quality meshed well with Lou Reed's monotone vocals, but much of the haunted feeling for the album comes from Nico, a model that Warhol made a part of the band. To top it all off Warhol created one of the most iconic album covers of all-time, a yellow banana with plenty of double-meaning. It all came together to make a classic record.





Any band that has been considered punk, new wave, alternative or anything similar owes a huge debt to the Velvet Underground and this album. It's now heralded as a classic by mainstream critics, a huge achievement for an album that barely made a dent when it was released.






3. Jeff Buckley - Grace

Very few artists have ever had as much raw and natural talent that Jeff Buckley had. His father Tim was an accomplished folk artist in the late 1960s and early 1970s that dies while Jeff was still young. He never got to know his dad, but he was blessed to have a gifted voice just like his father. Buckley developed his voice and music by playing numerous shows in New York City before preparing his debut album.

To have an instrument like that voice gave Buckley a head start on other young musicians, but Buckley was more than just a skilled singer with a wide vocal range. He was also a talented guitar player and songwriter who also had a knack for taking cover songs and making them his own.. That's most exemplified by his cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" that become Buckley's best known song. The song is epic and over-the-top and Buckley uses his voice for everything its worth, and the result is stunning. Luckily that song doesn't overshadow the rest of the album. Songs like "Last Goodbye," "Lover, You Should Have Come Over," and "Dream Brother" portray maximum emotion with an ambitious streak, as well.





Sadly, Buckley would die three years later and Grace would stand as the only studio album he would release before his death. It's common for a musician to become more popular and more talented in death, but in Buckley's case any accolades that have come his way are more than deserved. Obviously one would wish they could hear more work from Jeff Buckley, but Grace is so good and covers so much ground that you don't feel as if Buckley was unable to get to anything he wanted to.






2. Television - Marquee Moon

I've written about this album before and it's definitely one of my favorites. Television was one of the first bands to play at CBGB's, the legendary club in New York, and that's where they developed a sound that was nothing like the two minute punk blasts of The Ramones.

The songs on Marquee Moon are long and of the epic variety. Guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd have some of the best interplay ever put on record, and the title track serves as a classic. It's almost like a garage-jazz album, full of extended flourishes with just enough of some rough edges to make the album exciting and daring. Many of the songs also have a tension that continues to build before being resolved in a guitar flourish while Verlaine delivers his poetic lyrics with plenty of New York attitude.





I could go through each song and tell why it's amazing, but just do yourself a favor and track down this album. Television's career never took off from here, with only two more albums being released, but that doesn't change the fact they crafted a punk classic by shattering all punk rock conventions.






1. Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction

No band ever made more of an impact from the beginning of their career than Guns N' Roses. Their debut Appetite for Destruction was nasty, dirty, edgy, dangerous and everything that makes hard rock great. Singer Axl Rose contained more attitude than most bands combined and he led a rag-tag group of L.A. rockers to MTV and rock immortality.

From the opening riff of "Welcome to the Jungle," it's clear that GNR is nothing like the glam rockers of the era. There was nothing wholesome or friendly about this album, as it becomes clear Rose didn't see Los Angeles the same way his peers did. L.A. was the jungle to be afraid of and Rose made that perfectly clear on tracks like "Mr. Brownstone" and "My Michelle." Despite all his fear and anger, Rose was also able to display a certain sweetness on "Rocket Queen" and especially "Sweet Child O' Mine." It isn't all Rose, though; guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin are the men who make the album as aggressive and gritty as it is. They were able to take Rose's lyrics and ideas and provide the appropriate soundtrack for them. This wasn't an album about partying and girls; this was about the real-life issues that the band saw every day. If any album killed hair metal, it was probably Appetite for Destruction.





Although they were poised to become the next Rolling Stones, GNR were never able to reach the heights they did with their debut. GNR Lies had good songs and both discs of Use Your Illusion covered the same ground as Elton John while also keeping an edge, but none of them were Appetite. None of that really matters, since the songs on their first album was all GNR ever needed. For a band to have classic songs like "Welcome to the Jungle," "Paradise City" and more on one album is a stunning achievement. The fact that album was their first just makes it more impressive. No debut in rock had the impact and quality that Appetite for Destruction, and that is evidenced by the fact that whenever people talk about the great debuts, this is the first one that always comes to mind.



That'll do it for this week, so thank you for reading the first ever 411 Music Ten Deep. If you have any questions, comments or concerns feel free to let me know, and make sure to leave your own lists in the comments. I'll see you all next week.