Ten Great Debut Albums
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Okay. Picture this. There you are, a fresh young band struggling like mad to somehow stick your music in other people's ears. Then one day it happens. You land yourself a dirty big grubby record deal. You probably proceed to keel over but you've no sooner picked yourself up off the ground that you find, among the bus tickets and chewing gum wrappers of your pocket, an advance from those friendly suit-toting record company boys and girls. A big fat wad of an advance it does be. What to do? Blow it on some admirable rock and roll excess? Or hole yourself up for a few weeks in a studio in an earnest attempt to deliver an incredible career kick-starting debut album? Or, if you have the tooth of the devil, might you attempt to do both? Anyway, humble reader, let us for the moment put to the side such dilemmas of the freshly-signed because here do come 10 great smokin', screaming, killer debut albums - as nominated and written by various visitors to CLUAS. |
REM - 'Murmur' |
Gomez - 'Bring it On' |
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 Released
in '83 Murmur' shot R.E.M. to success in the US college scene, winning
Rolling Stone's 'Album of the year' while selling around a million copies.
Largely a muffled and low-key album, it has none of the bombastic guitars
and poppy tunes you might associate with later day R.E.M. It's a subtle
- almost depressing - album distinguished by a particularly organic
sound. Obscured lyrics, out of tune pianos and a touch of early 80's
disco wound together by Peter's Rickenbacker pluckings and Mike's piano
and 'lead' bass playing. Still one of my favourite R.E.M. albums, I've
only been listening to it for 9 years. (submitted by Brian Scanlan) |
 Step
back for a second to 1998. The year Gomez won the Mercury Music Award
for their debut, probably the most justified decision in many years
for that particular jury - and since then too. An album with a great
mix of jazz, blues, rock and some pop thrown in here and there for good
measure - a record that caters for so many tastes. Instrumentally, they
pull it off with great ease - they may not necessarily be the slickest
of musicians, but they succeed without doubt in creating a catching,
seducing sound. Vocally it's just superb, with Ben Ottewell's bluesy,
gravelly vocals playing lead most of the time, a perfect compliment
to the warm feel of the surrounding instruments. (Submitted by
Philip Dunlop) |
The Band - 'Music from the Big Pink' |
Joy Division - 'Unknown Pleasures' |
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 The
Band's groundbreaking debut album "Music from the Big Pink" created a music
revolution all of its own on its release in 1968. It went on to influence
some of the top musicians and songwriters of the time and gave a whole new
direction as to how popular music would sound. The Band were of a rare breed
in that they possessed not just one, but three great singers and songwriters
in Danko, Robertson and Manuel. The end result was an album of eleven beautifully
diverse, pure, superbly crafted songs. It's very simple - all you have to
do is to listen to tracks such "Tears of Rage" (co-written by one
Bob Dylan), "Wheels on Fire" and the
closing "I Shall be Released" to see straight away why this is unarguably
one of the great debut albums.(submitted by Declan Power) |
 It's
rare for the beginning of an album to still sound exciting 21 years after
its original release but 'Unknown Pleasures' can justifiably claim this.
One only has to witness the first few seconds of 'Disorder' where Peter
Hook's doomy bass gives way to Bernard Sumner's screaming guitar. And then,
the voice of God-like Ian Curtis
makes its presence felt. It would be churlish to cherry-pick records when
quality control is maintained throughout but 'She's Lost Control' deserves
special mention; it tells the story of Curtis's struggle with his epilepsy.
Like the rest of the Unknown Pleasures it is a magnificently intense moment.
This seminal band proved that all the energy of the punk movement could
be formed into something totally original and memorable. The follow-up 'Closer'
was perhaps even better but this is where it all started. (Submitted by
Jonathon Leonard) |
Belle & Sebastian - 'Tiger Milk' |
JJ72 - 'JJ72' |
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 What
more can be said about "Tigermilk"? Released as a college final year
project by these Scottish hopefuls, only 1000 vinyl copies were pressed.
Brimming with energy, great tunes and sweetly innocent (or are they?)
lyrics, word of mouth made sure this band went on to a peculiar sort
of stardom. Re-released in 1999 (what with so many bootlegs and floating
around) to great acclaim (again). If you don't have it already, add
it to your collection. And that's an order. (Submitted by R Lawton) |
 Recently
only this year, this album is a stunning debut from the Dublin trio.
Its songs explore the height and depth of human emotions. Lead singer
Mark Greany's choir boy voice is a powerful instrument and a standout
feature of JJ72's music. Singles such as 'October Swimmer' and 'Oxygen'
have the ability to make their audience feel things that they've never
felt before. This album also hints that the group has massive potential
to do greater things in the years to come.(Submitted by James Healy) |
Jeff Buckley - 'Grace' |
Tindersticks - 'Tindersticks' |
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 Measured.
Soaring. Cathartic. Moving. Soaking. Frightening. Engaging. Tragic.
Prophetic. One could go on. And on. It has all been written before. The
beauty, the voice, the potential, the tragedy, the loss. No one, I repeat
- no one - should be denied this. It is beyond 'great'. Truly.(Submitted by Martin Devine) |
 Released
in 1993, the first Tindersticks' album managed to eclipse anything released
that year. Despite accusations (that have continued to this day) that they
manage to sound alike on every single song, this is an album of striking
differences - try and compare "The Not Knowing", "Marbles" and "Jism" (by
far the best song here). All in all the perfect experience to draw you into
the warped but melodious mind of the wonderful Tindersticks. (submitted
by B Whelan) |
Sinead O'Connor
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Power of Dreams
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 Now
this was quite something. It was 1987 and Ms. O'Connor took her musical
destiny by the scruff of its emerging neck. Not just satisfied at being
blessed with a voice from some heavenly, but haunting, place she insisted
on this, her debut album, that she write, arrange AND produce the whole
she-bang. What's more she was but a mere whipper-snapping 19 years old at
the time. And pregnant. The result was a compelling and on occasion astonishing
work. From the brash confidence of the single 'Mandika' to the almost unbearable
anguish of 'Troy' it was clear that here was a singer who was set on hanging
around for quite a while. (Submitted by Eoghan O'Neill) |
This came out when the rest of the world was convinced that shoegazing was the way to change the face of rock'n'roll. Maaaaaaan. Suddenly 'Immigrants, emigrants and me' appeared, delivered by 3 teenagers from Walkinstown, Dublin. Songs about what songs are supposed to be about. Music how music started. Filled with the angst and joy of being seventeen, this album comes off as an energetic, bouncy thing that just screams "WE'RE 17! WE'RE SIGNED TO POLYDOR! OH.MY. GOD!". The Power of Dreams went on to produce some unfortunate attempts at re-creating this, and some very unfortunate attempts at trend-setting hair-cuts, but never succeeded. God bless the acoustic guitar. (Submitted by Ray Heffernan) |
Also make sure you check out the other ten lists:
ten
great film soundtracks
ten
great one-hit wonders
ten great
hidden album tracks
ten
great b-sides
ten great
rock & pop instrumentals
ten
great naff songs of the eighties
ten great
cover versions
ten great
album openers
ten
great Irish singles that time forgot
