Posted by Great album openers are a fine art. They grab your attention and set the tone, they introduce you to the album and, in the case of debuts, the band as a whole. In celebration of this I have compiled what I consider the 15 best album openers, I have restricted myself to rock and metal as it is what I know and listed them in chronological order.
1. The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter
Let It Bleed, 1969.
From ‘Brown Sugar’ and ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ to ‘Start Me Up’ The Rolling Stones are a band that know how to start an album. My choice of ‘Gimme Shelter’ was pretty instant, a moody and atmospheric track telling about the horrors of war which is deeply evocative of its time. Also, the record it kicks off is one of their best – the country, rock and blues fusion Let It Bleed.
2. Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love
Led Zeppelin II, 1969.
It could have been ‘Immigrant Song’ or ‘Black Dog’, but this belter from Led Zeppelin II just pipped them to the post. From the thunderous roar of the guitar and the iconic riff, to Robert Plant’s impassioned howl and the psychedelic breakdown – this is a stone cold classic.
3. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath, 1970.
A deliciously dark track with an ominous, drawn out riff and an oppressive atmosphere fueled by the occult and satan, all of which gallops to a raucous finish. From these gloomy elements heavy metal was born and the Brummie quartet’s impact only grew from there.
4. Jethro Tull – Aqualung
Aqualung, 1971.
This folk, rock and prog hybrid about a cold, leery and down on his luck homeless man kicks off Jethro Tull’s fourth album Aqualung, their biggest selling and most lauded amongst a back catalogue of greats.
5. David Bowie – Changes
Hunky Dory, 1971.
After three weird, psychedelic and middling albums, Bowie wrote most of Hunky Dory on piano, fused art pop to glam rock and hired the ivory tickling skills of Rick Wakeman – and the rest is history. This LP, my favourite of his, is the start of the Bowie behemoth and you do not need me to tell you how brilliant ‘Changes’ is.
6. Deep Purple – Highway Star
Machine Head, 1972.
Bursting out of the blocks like a speeding bullet, ‘Highway Star’ is a frenetic hard rocker with oomph to spare – fueled by Richie Blackmore’s fiery guitar solos, Jon Lord’s urgent keys and Ian Paice’s wonderful drumming. Just do not listen to it whilst driving, unless you want to get done for speeding. N.B. Track down the 1997 remix, its the better version.
7. Bruce Springsteen – Thunder Road
Born to Run, 1975.
After two acclaimed but commercially ignored albums Springsteen had one last shot to make it big. The result? A rock n roll bonanza, whose youthful lyrics of angst, feeling trapped, escapism and chasing the American dream were matched by the taut production and epic sound. The starting gun to this fist pumping glory is the grand, rock n soul opus ‘Thunder Road’.
8. Iron Maiden – Aces High
Powerslave, 1984.
The rip roaring, battle of Britain tale ‘Aces High’ gets the blood pumping. It is full of twin guitar flourishes, Bruce Dickinson’s air raid siren vocals and Steve Harris’ trademark galloping bass. Its mother album, Powerslave is a cracker and lead to the mammoth World Slavery Tour – lasting 331 days, taking in 189 gigs and nearly resulting in Bruce walking out from exhaustion.
9. Slayer – Angel of Death
Reign in Blood, 1986.
One of the big four thrash metal bands, Reign in Blood is seen as one of the all time great metal albums and its furious aural assault is unleashed by perhaps their best track – the pounding ‘Angel of Death’, whose brutish sound is matched by horrific lyrics based on the acts of Nazi Josef Mengele. Although if you ask me I think they are a tad overrated (don’t hurt me).
10. Guns N’ Roses – Welcome To The Jungle
Appetite for Destruction, 1987.
Some might call it peaking too soon, but the famous, world wide smash ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ opens the curtains to their famous, world wide smash debut record Appetite for Destruction – a big, sleazy and aggressive wake up call to the hair metal saturated rock charts of the time.
11. Motley Crue – Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood, 1989.
Talking of sleaze, Motley Crue is up next! A band more interested in sex and drugs finally decided to sober up (temporarily), enlist production supremo Bob Rock and concentrate on rock n roll. This adrenaline fueled, 80’s rock favourite heralds Dr. Feelgood – a big and brash display of glam metal at its best. With this record they finally did what they had been threatening to do since 1981, make a good record.
12. Judas Priest – Painkiller
Painkiller, 1990.
After the cheesy Turbo in 1986 and the turgid Ram It Down two years later, Priest were back with a vengeance on Painkiller. The speed metal title track blasts away the cobwebs, with Scott Travis’s monster drumming, Tipton and Downing lightning guitar work and Halford’s other worldly shriek.
13. Megadeth – Holy Wars… Punishment Due
Rust in Peace, 1990.
Good things happened in 1990 it seems. This barnstormer of a track, about metals favourite topic (warfare), is a frenetic and changeable display of thrash metal at its finest. It is timeless and is off Megadeth’s best album Rust in Peace. Not just Megadeth’s best album, one of metals best albums.
14. Pearl Jam – Once
Ten, 1991.
One of the foremost grunge bands introduced themselves to the world in emphatic style, and influenced the alternative rock dominated 90s. It is raucous, story driven, anthemic hard rock with the song, and the album as a whole, fully deserved of the praise heaped upon it.
15. The Darkness – Black Shuck
Permission to Land, 2003.
Lowestoft’s finest and their vintage mix of Thin Lizzy, Queen and AC/DC struck a chord with the public in 2003. This in your face number – about a bothersome dog who loiters by Blythburgh church – is a corker.
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