mp3 Mixtape: Top Ten album openers of all time
Ever listen to an album for the very first time and you know it’s going to be great from the very first song? I’m pretty certain this phenomenon happens all the time. After having a major discussion with Mike Roffman about our favorite album openers, he and I came up with some awesome cuts. Here’s ten of some of the best album openers of all time:
10. Black Flag - Rise Above
9. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Around The World
8. The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
7. The Who - Baba O’Riley
6. The Screaming Blue Messiahs - Sweet Water Pools
5. The Replacements - I Will Dare
4. Guns N’ Roses - Welcome To The Jungle
3. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
2. Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
1. Megadeth - Holy Wars…The Punishment Due
And then there’s REM’s Finest Worksong, which kicks off Document.
Hi Jay
Just seen your top ten album openers of all time - you’re not wrong about Immigrant Song!
I’m just writing to you to let you know about a really exciting new band we’re working with. They’re called King of Conspiracy, they’re currently touring the UK playing a jet-propelled brand of Parisian Post-Punk dubbed ‘primitive yet intelligent’ by Artrocker magazine, and we’ll be releasing their debut single ‘Youth Against the Empire’ (b/w ‘Chinese Rings’) on CatCutter Records on March 2nd.
You can read a press release and stream or download the tracks HERE:
http://asketchforsummer.googlepages.com/artistpage822
I hope you’re as excited about King of Conspiracy as we are and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the track. If you’d like any more information about the band then just let me know.
All the best,
Neil
Neil Laurenson
CatCutter Records
I don’t know how I missed this two months ago, but “Wish You Were Here” doesn’t open the album. “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” kicks off that album…maybe that is what you (my god) was trying to get at (and it is a classic opener, for the record). I don’t know if it qualifies as top 10.
Sweet Water Pools still makes my hair stand on end…. http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=kWtuWU1KyFI&feature=related
Geez, “Wish you were here” !!!!
Yes.
Jay, I would definitely, definitely, definitely have to agree with you on Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song (of course)…and Baba O’Riley.
and I would agree with Matt’s addition of Whole Lotta Love.
Pretty nice list. I’d definitely add ‘Black Dog’ from Led Zeppelin IV, ‘Whole Lotta Love’ from Led Zeppelin II.
Always found it ridiculously great how Jane’s Addiction opened their first two studio albums, especially “Stop!” from Ritual de Lo Habitual. Good list, mainstream appeal forgiven.
Regular John off the QOTSA debut.
Oh and one more kickass opener: “Satan is Real/Straight to Hell” off Hank Williams III’s “Straight to Hell” double disc. Any disc that references the Louvin Brothers and kicks ass with a fiddle is good in my book.
Gotta agree with the Chili Peppers track, that was an awesome opener for an album that (sadly) couldn’t keep up with the energy of the first track. I’s also like to add “The Grudge” from Tool’s Lateralus. That’s a nice punch to the face.
There have been some great album openers. Check out the following list (granted my age is showing, but some are fairly recent and the others are timeless) Great topic!
How about Hell’s Bells? (AC/DC Back In Black)
We Die Young/Man In the Box (Alice In Chains Facelift)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club BAnd (Beatles… see ignorant comment above)
Luke’s Wall/War Pigs (Black Sabbath Paranoid)
More Than a Feeling (Boston Debut Album)
Ten Thousand Fists (Disturbed Ten Thousand Fists)
Roadhouse Blues (The Doors Morrison Hotel)
Aqualung (Jethro Tull Aqualung)
Purple Haze (Jimmi Hendrix Are You Experienced)
Lights (Journey Infinity)
Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin Zeppelin II)
Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd Second Helping)
Enter Sandman (Metallica Black Album..How could you miss this one?)
Spirit Of Radio (Rush Permanent Waves)
Yeah “Anonymous”, I guess people win some and lose some.
You’re more than welcome to share your opinion, but there are other better ways to do that.
one more time…
great “high fidelity” reference anonymous poster…thought about leaving that one myself…
If I were to rearrange these songs, I’d move Megadeath down a couple of notches….all in all, nice list. Sucks about the troll though.
Smells Like Teen Spirit?
Oh, that’s not obvious enough, Jay. How about the Beatles? Or fucking, fucking Beethoven? Side one, track one of the Fifth Symphony!
How can someone with no interest in music write for a music blog?
Yeah, Id agree Anonymous.
My Name Is Jonas HAS to be on this list… that is one of my all time fav openers…