My Favourite Debut Albums
Most debuts are good. Some are great. These are the ones I personally consider the best out of all the ones I've heard. |
| 1 |  | AC/DC
High Voltage
5/5
Yeah, yeah, I know it's not their *actual* debut. Shut up. It's still virtually flawless. |
| 2 |  | Backyard Superheroes
Falling With Style
4.5/5
...and they only got better from here. These guys really do need to be better known. |
| 3 |  | Barfighter
Barfighter
4.5/5
Mind. Blown. |
| 4 |  | Billy Talent
Billy Talent
4/5
A very promising first draft for what would be their greatest album ever. |
| 5 |  | Cinderella
Night Songs
4/5
Had they opted for literally any other name and cover style, they would have been much more respected. Just saying. |
| 6 |  | Firehouse
Firehouse
4/5
These guys were so good, they managed to have a career despite being a hair metal band with a debut album released in 1990. |
| 7 |  | Godspeed You! Black Emperor
F♯ A♯ ∞
4.5/5
Not so much an album as an aural experience. The soundtrack to the greatest film never written. |
| 8 |  | Killswitch Engage
Alive or Just Breathing
4/5
The album that popularised the concept of metalcore, and still a strong candidate for best album ever from that genre. |
| 9 |  | Linkin Park
Hybrid Theory
4/5
AOTY for 16-year-old me, and still a massive nostalgic guilty pleasure for thirtysomething-year-old me. |
| 10 |  | Manu Chao
Clandestino
4/5
A few too many songs on this one, but the ones that slap, slap HARD. That initial sequence of Clandestino / Desaparecido / Bongo Bong brooks absolutely NO argument, and tracks like Mama Call and Minha Galera keep the Latin party vibes going strong well into the album's running time. |
| 11 |  | MC5
Kick Out the Jams
5/5
The aural equivalent of a wild hallucinogenic trip. It has to be heard to be believed. |
| 12 |  | Metallica
Kill 'Em All
4/5
Again, this feels like a first draft for its two superior sucessors, but there is no denying the youthful energy of songs like The Four Horsemen, Motorbreath, Seek and Destroy or Metal Militia. |
| 13 |  | Nirvana
Bleach
4/5
Low-key my favourite Nirvana album, even if its sucessor wins out on historic importance. Kurt and Co. would never be this grungy, sludgy or fuzzy ever again - and more's the pity. |
| 14 |  | Poison
Look What The Cat Dragged In
4/5
Once again, this feels like a first draft for their superior sophomore effort, but just you try to deny songs like Talk Dirty To Me or the title track. |
| 15 |  | Ramones
Ramones
4.5/5
Acknowledged as one of the greatest debuts in music history, and with good reason. |
| 16 |  | RDGLDGRN
Red Gold Green
4.5/5
One of the most unique albums I have ever listened to. Shame they chose a different sonic path after this, but this debut remains an absolute gem. |
| 17 |  | Slipknot
Slipknot
4/5
The album that brought me back into harder styles of music at age 14. I don't listen to it so much anymore these days (it has been over 20 years) but the first half of the album is still not to be denied. |
| 18 |  | Stiff Little Fingers
Inflammable Material
4.5/5
My first brush with these guys was a live album, and I didn't get the hype around them. My second was Nobody's Heroes, and I still didn't get the hype around them. Third time around...I got it. |
| 19 |  | The Clash
The Clash
4/5
London Calling's my favourite by them, but this one is a close second - especially as it contains some of my favourite songs of theirs, like Clash City Rockers and I Fought The Law. |
| 20 | | The Prodigy
The Prodigy Experience
4/5
The tracklist reads like a Greatest Hits compilation, and while the next two albums would improve on this debut's sound, it remains a very strong outing in its own right. |
| 21 |  | Social Distortion
Social Distortion
4.5/5
Mike Ness and company's first album is also their strongest and most cohesive. Nearly every song is both memorable and a banger (the opening salvo is absolutely flawless), and at 41 minutes, it hits the sweet spot between being long enough to last, and short enough not to overstay its welcome. Even the more forgettable tracks have their charm, making this one of the best second-wave punk/punkabilly albums, and an absolute must-listen for fans of both genres. |
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