What are the greatest debut albums of all time? Britain's Independent newspaper has selected 35 titles it considers the most important in the history of rock. A list topped by “Unknown Pleasures“, the album with which Joy Division made their debut in 1979. “The so-called second-album syndrome, and the pressure that follows a great debut, is often talked about – The Independent notes in its introduction – But this tends to overshadow the discussion of the debut itself. While it's true that many artists have struggled to live up to expectations after a triumphant start, that shouldn't diminish what was achieved with those first records. They are statements of intent, capable of changing or reshaping the industry, inspiring other musicians and fuelling a fundamental debate about how we understand music... Debut albums can turn an unknown artist into a global phenomenon.”
Here is the ranking of the 35 greatest debut albums of all time according to The Independent (full feature here)
35. Arctic Monkeys – “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”
34. The Beatles – “Please Please Me”
33. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Fever To Tell”
32. Franz Ferdinand – “Franz Ferdinand”
31. Oasis – “Definitely Maybe”
30. Lady Gaga – “The Fame”
29. Kendrick Lamar – “Good Kid, M.A.A.d City”
28. Led Zeppelin – “Led Zeppelin”
27. The Jesus And Mary Chain – “Psychocandy”
25. Eminem – “The Slim Shady LP”
24. The Who – “My Generation”
23. The Strokes – “Is This It”
22. Run-DMC – “Run-DMC”
21. Roxy Music – “Roxy Music”
20. Jay-Z – “Reasonable Doubt”
19. Black Sabbath – “Black Sabbath”
18. Sex Pistols – “Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols”
17. The Clash – “The Clash”
16. Guns N' Roses – “Appetite For Destruction”
15. Daft Punk – “Homework”
13. Kanye West – “The College Dropout”
12. Pink Floyd – “The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn”
11. Lauryn Hill – “The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill”
10. Dizzee Rascal – “Boy In Da Corner”
9. Beastie Boys – “Licensed To Ill”
8. Notorious B.I.G. – “Ready To Die”
7. Ramones – “Ramones”
6. N.W.A – “Straight Outta Compton”
5. The Velvet Underground – “The Velvet Underground & Nico”
4. Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Are You Experienced?”
1. Joy Division – “Unknown Pleasures”
Recently, Uncut magazine also took a crack at ranking the greatest debut albums of all time. To mark the anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's debut with “Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.”, as well as its cover feature on the Stone Roses, Uncut has relaunched its list of the “100 best debut albums” of all time, “from Elvis Presley to Eminem, from the Arctic Monkeys to Led Zeppelin“. A list originally published in the August 2006 issue. These are “one hundred astonishing bursts of glory that announced rock's key players and shook up the music world”, writes Uncut. “From Elvis Presley's first record in 1956 to the electrifying arrival of the Arctic Monkeys fifty years later, rock retains its fascination with the shock of the new, with the idea that it can still produce decisive historical turning points. The debuts gathered here fall into different categories. Some represent relatively modest beginnings, with few hints of what their creators would go on to become and achieve. So, Bob Dylan's self-titled album is a world away from the dazzling carousel of 'Blonde On Blonde', while the Beatles' first record is as culturally distant from 'Sgt Pepper's' as Gerry & The Pacemakers are from Pink Floyd“, the magazine notes. “On the other hand, there are artists who never managed to match the definitive achievement of their debut – Uncut further points out – 'Marquee Moon' by Television, for instance, or 'The Lexicon Of Love' by Abc, are works so fully realized that they leave no room for further development. Guns N' Roses and The Stone Roses, meanwhile, more or less buckled under the weight of premature adoration. Many of the debuts on the list – such as those by PJ Harvey, Spiritualized, Roxy Music and Byrds – instead work as formidable indicators of what their creators would go on to build and refine in the years that followed”.
So here's Uncut's ranking of the 100 greatest debut albums of all time (full feature here)
100. Arcade Fire – “Funeral”
99. Suede – “Suede”
98. Foo Fighters – “Foo Fighters”
97. Vashti Bunyan – “Just Another Diamond Day”
96. PJ Harvey – “Dry”
95. The White Stripes – “The White Stripes”
94. Mercury Rev – “Yerself Is Steam”
93. The Birthday Party – “Prayers On Fire”
92. Spiritualized – “Lazer Guided Melodies”
91. Throwing Muses – “Throwing Muses”
90. Franz Ferdinand – “Franz Ferdinand”
89. Elastica – “Elastica”
88. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers”
87. Dr Feelgood – “Down By The Jetty”
86. The Undertones – “The Undertones”
85. Elvis Presley – "Elvis Presley"
84. Tricky – "Maxinquaye"
83. Little Feat – "Little Feat"
82. The Pop Group – “Y”
81. Pearl Jam – "Ten"
80. Cheap Trick – "Cheap Trick"
79. Jackson Browne – "Jackson Browne"
78. The Libertines – “Up The Bracket”
77. Eminem – “The Slim Shady LP”
76. Guns N' Roses – "Appetite For Destruction"
75. The La's – "The La's"
74. Kate Bush – “The Kick Inside”
73. Pavement – “Slanted And Enchanted”
72. The Strokes – “Is This It”
71. Scritti Politti – "Songs To Remember"
70. Judee Sill – "Judee Sill"
69. Echo & The Bunnymen – “Crocodiles”
68. Buzzcocks – "Another Music In A Different Kitchen"
67. Suicide – "Suicide"
66. Beastie Boys – "Licensed To Ill"
65. Dexys Midnight Runners – “Searching For The Young Soul Rebels”
64. Neu! – "Neu!"
63. Pere Ubu – “The Modern Dance”
62. The Associates – “The Affectionate Punch”
61. Leonard Cohen – “The Songs Of Leonard Cohen”
60. Richard Hell & The Voidoids – “Blank Generation”
59. U2 – "Boy"
58. Tim Hardin – “Tim Hardin 1”
57. Pixies – “Come On Pilgrim”
56. Bob Dylan – “Bob Dylan”
55. Ian Dury – “New Boots & Panties!!”
54. Randy Newman – “Randy Newman”
53. De La Soul – “3 Feet High And Rising”
52. ABC – “The Lexicon Of Love”
51. Moby Grape – “Moby Grape”
50. The Jesus And Mary Chain – “Psychocandy”
49. Talking Heads – “77”
48. The Pretenders – “Pretenders”
47. NWA – “Straight Outta Compton”
46. The Slits – “Cut”
45. Jeff Buckley – “Grace”
44. Orange Juice – “You Can't Hide Your Love Forever”
43. Siouxsie And The Banshees – “The Scream”
42. The Modern Lovers – “The Modern Lovers”
41. Public Enemy – “Yo! Bum Rush The Show”
40. Wire – “Pink Flag”
39. Bruce Springsteen – “Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ”
38. Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band – “Safe As Milk”
37. Magazine – “Real Life”
36. Arctic Monkeys – “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”
35. Black Sabbath – “Black Sabbath”
34. Steely Dan – “Can't Buy A Thrill”
33. Gang Of Four – “Entertainment!”
32. MC5 – “Kick Out The Jams”
31. Elvis Costello – “My Aim Is True”
30. Oasis – “Definitely Maybe”
29. Nick Drake – “Five Leaves Left”
28. The Doors – “The Doors”
27. My Bloody Valentine – “Isn't Anything”
26. Buffalo Springfield – “Buffalo Springfield”
25. The Mothers Of Invention – “Freak Out!”
24. Big Star – “#1 Record”
23. The Flying Burrito Brothers – “The Gilded Palace Of Sin”
22. R.E.M. – “Murmur”
21. The Smiths – “The Smiths”
20. The Specials – “The Specials”
19. The Sex Pistols – “Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols”
18. Patti Smith – “Horses”
17. The Beatles – “Please Please Me”
16. New York Dolls – “New York Dolls”
15. The Rolling Stones – “The Rolling Stones”
14. Pink Floyd – “The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn”
13. The Byrds – “Mr Tambourine Man”
12. Ramones – “Ramones”
11. The Who – “My Generation”
10. The Stooges – “The Stooges”
9. Roxy Music – “Roxy Music”
8. Joy Division - "Unknown Pleasures"
7. Led Zeppelin – “Led Zeppelin”
6. The Clash – “The Clash”
5. The Band – “Music From Big Pink”
4. The Stone Roses – “The Stone Roses”
3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Are You Experienced”
2. Television – “Marquee Moon”
1. The Velvet Underground & Nico – “The Velvet Underground & Nico”
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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Claudio Fabretti, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.
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