Some more

Sonics - Here are the Sonics! (Damn, this should be in my top 10...for me, this one is THE punk rock album...although it was out in 1965)
Holy Modal Rounders - Holy Modal Rounders
Olivia Tremor Control - Dusk at Cubist Castle
MC5 - Kick Out the Jams!
Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond
Holocaust - Nightcomers
Boris - Absolutego
DOA - Something Better Change
Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs
Napalm Death - Scum
R.E.M - Murmur
Hawkwind - Hawkwind
The Who - Sings My Generation
Amebix - Arise!
Be-bop Deluxe - Axe Victim
Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
Chelsea - Chelsea

Bob- I'm with you on Horses, I think it is a great album and was one of the firstthat came to mind when this topic was started. Much, much better than anything else she ever did, even though a few of her later albums were decent. There was a short period when I thought it was just about the best album ever, and I still think it has one of the best album covers of all time.

First albums by Pretenders, Clash, and Elvis Costello should all be included.

The Beatles - Please Please Me
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
The Strokes - Is This It
The Shaggs - Philosophy of the World
Metallica - Kill 'Em All

I don't think these have been mentioned yet. Good ones, indeed.

Whoops.

Forgot The Damned and The Sex Pistols!

By the way, I think that Patti Smith's Horses is certainly one of the great rock classics. On the other hand, I can hardly stand listening to it.

Debut albums, tough one, i feel i was too young when alot of the stuff i like now was released, so the debut albums arn't as influential on me as i buy them normally after the second or third ones.

The Prodigy - Experience (First band i went to see live)
Anathema - Serenades
Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
The Verve - All In The Mind
Sash! - It's My Life... (I know, but 2 older brothers, i was raised on this and have fond memories)
Pig Destroyer - Prowler in The Yard
Cathedral - Doom
My Dying Bride - As the Flower Withers
Electric Wizard - DopeThrone
Bjork - Debut

Guess my age reflects in some of my choices.

quote:

Originally posted by Crimson:
Pig Destroyer - Prowler in The Yard
Cathedral - Doom
Electric Wizard - DopeThrone

All excellent bands but not the debuts...Pig Destroyer's was 38 Counts of Battery...Cathedral's Forest of Equilibrium (still their best...and don't think they ever did an album titled Doom). Electric Wizard's was a s/t debut release.

Couldn't even get it right could I.
Pig Destroyer i get mixed up as both were released in same year but can never remember which order.
Not sure what was happening with Cathedral, memory lapse, who knows? Ethereal Mirror was my favourite album though.
Electric Wizard, i'll just claim stupidity and lack of knowledge.

Ready for backlash with this, but:

Crowded House - Crowded House

It's 80's, it's got its share of cheese production, but for 80's pop debuts it's gotta be one of the best..

No backlash here, Commontone. I love everything Crowded House ever recorded, especially their debut. It certainly is an auspicious debut.

How about Buddy Holly's The "Chirpring" Crickets? Not only his debut LP, but the only one released during his lifetime.

Rock today wouldn't be the same without it.

Now Playing: "Come Together" The Beatles

I'm surprised Jeff Buckley's Grace hasn't been mentioned yet! Also I think these may qualify:
Neil Young, Harvest
Ride, Nowhere
The Mars Volta De-Loused In The Comatorium (Though Tremulent EP came first)
The Walkmen Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone

Of course I'd agree with most of the others everyone has mentioned, but these, at least to me, are rather glaring omissions

Harvest is Young's 4th album. His debut was this self titled one that's not supposed to be very good, then there's Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and After The Gold Rush.

Oooo, how could I miss the album that raised me as a child? Weezer The Blue Album? Maybe because I'm still trying to forget their latest piece of garbage.

WEEZER, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE??!?!?!?

Forgive me, Harvest is not Neil Young's debut album, it was his first best seller, guess I should check my facts next time, sorry!

quote:

Originally posted by tmatt:
First albums by Pretenders, Clash, and Elvis Costello should all be included.

I can't really argue with Elvis' debut, although his debut with the Attractions This Years Model is a far superior record. The Attractions barely appear on My Aim Is True, but they tear stuff up on TYM.

This Year's Model may be better than Aim is True, but Aim Is True is still a great album.

Someone reminded me that the Arctic Monkeys made this list from UNCUT:


100 Greatest Debut Albums


100. The 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 Brown - Jackson Brown
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 Coen - The Songs Of Leonard Coen
60. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation
59. U2 - Boy
58. The 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 & Rising
52. ABC - The Lexican Of Love
51. Moby Grape - Moby Grape
50. The Jesus & Mary Chain - Psychocandy
49. Talking Heads - 77
48. The Pretenders - The 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 & 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 - Safe As Milk
37. Magazine - Real Life
36. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am...
35. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
34. Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill
33. Gang Of 4 - Entertainment!
32. MC5 - Kick Out The Jams
31. Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
30. Oasis - Definitely Maybe
29. Nick Drake - 5 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...
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. Televsion - Marquee Moon
1. The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico

So, what's missing? Anyone too high or low? Much as I love the early Beatles, I'm the first to admit that Please Please Me probably doesn't deserve a top 20 position.

It’s a pretty concise and inclusive list, for me at least. I like Arctic Monkeys as high as it is. I only scanned it real quickly but I think Pavement’s album should be in the top 20, maybe 10, I like the inclusion of Eminem’s album, I also think De La Soul should be higher and A Tribe Called Quest should be in there somewhere as well. That’s all I can think of at the moment.

UNCUT is a British magazine, so it is pretty biased toward UK acts. I think the most glaring omission that I can think of, is Los Angeles by X. Others that come to mind:

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden (and they're British!)
De la Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
Black Flag - Damaged
The Plimsouls - The Plimsouls
Metallica - Kill 'Em All
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis (where the hell is the R&B on this list?)
John Prine - John Prine

All of the above I would rank ahead of the Arctic Monkeys, the Libertines, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles albums they have listed.

Edit: I just realized they put De La Soul on their list.

Hmm, I'm a bit confused about one thing on this list. They have an EP listed for Pixies, yet ignored earlier EPs by other artists and placed their first LP (Arcade Fire, MBV).

Otherwise I agree with much of the list. I'd take out those Arctic Monkeys and Franz and slip in Tom Waits, Fugazi, Galaxie 500, Mogwai, Can, X, DJ Shadow, Black Flag and probably bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting.