I may have missed it, but I don't think The Clash's first album was mentioned here (with the exception of the Uncut list). Definitely a worthy candidate

Others I think are worthy of inclusion:

The Who - My Generation
Led Zeppelin - S/T
Talking Heads - Talking Heads 77
Pretenders - S/T
Joe Jackson - Look Sharp
Wire - Pink Flag
The Undertones - S/T

Oops, I see The Clash was mentioned several times. My bad.

quote:

Originally posted by Arthur2Sheds:

Joe Jackson - Look Sharp

Excellent call! I can't believe UNCUT missed JJ, the Brits love him more than we do.

I just thought of two more. One of which, Mark F mentioned awhile back: Marshall Crenshaw. The other hasn't been mentioned at all-- even UNCUT missed it: The Police, Outlandos d'Amour.

I can't speak for anyone else but The Mars Volta's debut album blew/blows me away every time.

The Alanis Morissette and Bjork albums aren't their debuts, strictly speaking. AM had 2 dance-pop albums before JLP, and Bjork had an album out in 1977. Just being picky, though.

Adding: The Darkness - Permission To Land. Pity about the overcompression...

Throbbing Gristle - Second Annual Report

Oddly enough First Annual Report was recorded before this, but not released until much, much, much later.

some of my favorites of the last 20 years.

-"Definitely Maybe" - Oasis
-"The Stone Roses" - The Stone Roses
-"Is This It" - The Strokes
-"Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"- The Arctic Monkeys
-"Suede" - Suede
-"Dummy" - Portishead
-"1" - Tindersticks
-"Up The Bracket" - The Libertines
-"Franz Ferdinand" - Franz Ferdinand
-"Elastica" - Elastica
-"I Should Coco" - Supergrass
-"Parachutes" - Coldplay
-"Ten" - Pearl Jam
-"Blue Lines" - Massive Attack
-"Slanted and Enchanted" - Pavement
-"Turn on the Bright Lights" - Interpol
-"Black Rebel Motorcycle Club" - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
-"Who will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?" - The Unicorns
-"Funeral" - Arcade Fire
-"The Coral" – The Coral
-"Return To The Sea" - Islands
-"Echoes" - The Rapture

some of my favorites include
"The Creek Drank The Cradle"- Iron & Wine
"Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not"- Arctic Monkeys
"Silent Alarm"- Bloc Party
"Is This It"- The Strokes
"Turn On The Bright Lights"- Interpol
"Oh, Inverted World"- The Shins (even though they recorded an album under Flake Music)

quote:

Posted by Maximum Jack UNCUT is a British magazine, so it is pretty biased toward UK acts.

Look again mate. The list is pretty evenly spread between Brit and US acts.

I too would kick out the Monkeys and the Libertines and from your list stick in Black Flag and DJ Shadow.

But UNCUT aren't biased. I've been reading them since inception. That charge won't wash.

quote:

Originally posted by Ishmaels Coffin:
But UNCUT aren't biased. I've been reading them since inception. That charge won't wash.

I can't profess to being there from the beginning, but I was an avid reader for several years early this decade. I still have all of my issues, because I really do think they do superior work. I also still stand by my assertion that there is a bit of a British bias. Let's look at their cover stories from issue #42-#59 (a small sample size, but quite telling):

The Beatles
Springsteen
2000 Exposed (conglomerate picture)
100 Singles
Bob Marley (neutral, but he's always been bigger in the U.K.)
Bowie
Depeche Mode
Dylan
Beatles
Radiohead
Elton John
The Who
Pink Floyd
REM
Stones
George Harrison (Eulogy issue, can't fault them here)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young


UK - 9
US - 4
Neutral - 4 (including the GH cover)

I'd say if anything, Uncut is more closely aligned to the US. It certainly draws heavily from Americana, and Springsteen, Dylan, The Hold Steady, The Flaming Lips, for example are absolute staples of the Uncut ethos.

24 (23.5 if you want to be picky) of this years top 50 albums in Uncut are from American artists, and 9 out of the last 10 number one album of the years in Uncut have been American.

I don’t know about you guys but despite all of that hype, I love Arctic Monkeys and their debut!

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
I don’t know about you guys but despite all of that hype, I love Arctic Monkeys and their debut!

Couldn't agree more. It says a lot about the quality of a band when despite being hyped to obscene levels they can still rise above it and produce two excellent albums.

quote:

Originally posted by Borachon:

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
I don’t know about you guys but despite all of that hype, I love Arctic Monkeys and their debut!

Couldn't agree more. It says a lot about the quality of a band when despite being hyped to obscene levels they can still rise above it and produce two excellent albums.

You guys can like it all you want, but saying it's better than say, the Undertones' debut is just ridiculous.

I bought the Arctic Monkey's debut because of all the rad reviews, and hardly made it through my first listen. There wasn't anything that grabbed me. I listened to it repeatedly for over a week, but it never stuck.

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:

quote:

Originally posted by Borachon:

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
I don’t know about you guys but despite all of that hype, I love Arctic Monkeys and their debut!

Couldn't agree more. It says a lot about the quality of a band when despite being hyped to obscene levels they can still rise above it and produce two excellent albums.

You guys can like it all you want, but saying it's better than say, the Undertones' debut is just ridiculous.

Why?

quote:

Originally posted by Borachon:

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:

quote:

Originally posted by Borachon:

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
I don’t know about you guys but despite all of that hype, I love Arctic Monkeys and their debut!

Couldn't agree more. It says a lot about the quality of a band when despite being hyped to obscene levels they can still rise above it and produce two excellent albums.

You guys can like it all you want, but saying it's better than say, the Undertones' debut is just ridiculous.

Why?

Look, I understand that taste is subjective. I get it. There are probably a gazillion people who actully like the AM's debut more than the Undertones'. However, there is one thing that isn't subjective, and that's influence. I'm not arguing that the AMs aren't influencial (heaven help us), but as of right now there is no way that their album could possibly be as influential as the Undertones' debut. It just hasn't had enough time on the burner. And, before you say it, I realize this is not a list of the most influential albums. But that is the criteria that I think is most important when considering a "Greatest" or "Best of" list, which is why I usually prefer to make "favorites" lists.

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:

Look, I understand that taste is subjective. I get it. There are probably a gazillion people who actully like the AM's debut more than the Undertones'. However, there is one thing that isn't subjective, and that's influence. I'm not arguing that the AMs aren't influencial (heaven help us), but as of right now there is no way that their album could possibly be as influential as the Undertones' debut. It just hasn't had enough time on the burner. And, before you say it, I realize this is not a list of the most influential albums. But that is the criteria that I think is most important when considering a "Greatest" or "Best of" list, which is why I usually prefer to make "favorites" lists.

I would never, and could never in 2007 argue that the Arctic Monkeys are as influential as The Undertones were/are. Who knows, maybe in 20 years time I can make that argument.

However, that wasn't what you said. You said anyone who thought Arctic Monkeys debut was "better than" The Undertones debut was being "ridiculous". That's an entirely different argument, and one which can be made in 2007, especially when, as you say, taste is subjective. Influence, to me, says nothing about the quality of a band or an album, and I wouldn't force myself to believe I enjoyed an album more just because it had been influential.

quote:

Originally posted by Borachon:
I wouldn't force myself to believe I enjoyed an album more just because it had been influential.

Neither would I, I think the White Album blows, that doesn't mean I don't think it is monumentally more important and better than most of my favorite albums.

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:
I think the White Album blows

Blasphemer.