Jalj's Not-In-Order-Always-Changing Top 10 - Bimonthly list # 3: Debut albums!

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Welcome to Jalj's Not-in-order-always-changing-top-10!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY XDBX!!!!!!

I figured i couldn't be calling myself the so called resident list maker while not actively making list for everyone to see...

...so i stopped calling myself so!

I had to take a step back from my bi weekly list due to work, hobbies and school schedule. I still love list though, so now instead of biweekly, Im making this into a bimonthly list!

So heres how this is going to work, Im going to post my favorite things in a list of top 10 and while the list will be numbered from 1 to 10, unless specified, the lists will not be in order. Sure I could just list them in order from my favorite to least but my purpose of these list is to create a "top 10" as opposed to ranking them. To be honest, I don't feel like choosing which is best over another, its hard enough choosing just 10 things . That is another thing, this is MY TOP 10, i know i might put things on here that others will not agree but as human beings are we not entitled to have opinions different from others? Thats where the real fun is!

List #2 for hit songs is still coming as well as other list so thanks for the views and as always, comments and thoughts are welcomed!

So now lets get started with:

Top 10 Debut Albums!

So its no secret to some of you who know me a bit more personally that i am an amateur musician. I play guitar in a folk/rock band, I am a rapper, beat maker as well as do sound design and original compositions. After many years of saying i would one day make a demo, i finally did it! Here is a link to my demo if any of you guys are interested, any feedback is greatly appreciated!

https://soundcloud.com/user-706857100/sets/vol-1

After completing this demo though, i got to thinking...Are artist debut work successful? Like truly successful that it creates such a buzz that the artist is immediately catapulted to stardom or they are recognized for the work? The answer is yes! So lets look at the top debut albums!

1. The Smiths- The Smiths (1984)
Starting off the list is one of my personal favorite groups of all time, The Smiths! The Smiths self titled debut album was recorded during 1983 and released in 1984 under an independent label yet this album didn't stay underground very much, reaching mainstream success in no time. The album established lead singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr as one of England's best writing duos in the 80s. Featuring dark, twisted lyrics, melodic guitar, groovy bass lines, tight drums and a crooner, this album catapulted the band to great heights of popularity that never waned.

Featuring counter culture ideas and a rebellion against the then modern pop music, The Smiths brought a refreshing sound that has withstood the test of time. Upon its release, Morrissey told the producer that he didn't think the album was good enough and most of the songs since then have been remastered. The songs might sound cleaner but the original recordings feature an uninhabited ferocity that speaks of not just the time but the bands talent.

Notable songs are: This Charming Man, Hand in Glove, Miserable Lie and What Difference Does It Make

2. Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath (1970)
In today's metal scene its easy to dismiss Black Sabbath as "not that heavy of a band". However one should only look at the bands that were popular in 1970, the year the album was released: Simon and Garfunkel, The Carpenters, The Guess Who and The Jackson 5. Let that sink in . Black Sabbath brought an intense dark tone and relentless psychotic deep sound that most would attribute to lead singer Ozzy Osborne but in truth that much of that responsibility lies on Tony Ioomi and bassist Geezer.

Iommi developed his unique heavy metal sound after he suffered an accident at a sheet metal factory where he worked. The accident severed the tips of his fretting hand. Refusing to give up on playing, he had to create false finger tips from plastic, but in order to be able to bend and play the guitar to his liking, he had to detuned the guitar. Geezer, a guitarist at heart, didn't play a melodic bass but instead "followed Tony's riff" which added another layer of heaviness.

The album was recorded in one day, 12 hour session. The album upon release was panned by some critics, calling it murky and muddled. Nowadays, the album is praised for its innovative sound and dark and evil lyrics that "bludgeon" the listener.The debut work is praised critics and fans as "the album that changed the face of rock music". Not bad for a debut album.

Notable Songs: Black Sabbath, NIB, and Evil Woman

3. The Doors-The Doors

In 2015, the library of congress of the United states of america, selected "The Doors" self titled album for inclusion in the National Recording Registry. You know what else is in the registry? Dwight D. Eisenhower's "D-Day Speech", Martin Luther King's "I have a dream speech" and Mile's Davis's legendary jazz album "Some Kind of Blue". Lets just say this album is in good company. The doors released their album in 1967, after working on the album extensively in 1966, performing them and perfecting them in the world famous "Whiskey a Go Go" in Los Angeles. Lead singer Jim Morrison and Robby Krieger wrote most of the songs and the album was recorded in just 6 days on a 4 track recorder.

Reception was immediately positive, with the album peaking at number 2 in the U.S, second only to the Beatles "Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band". The album features some of the Doors greatest hits and in reality features the birth of the band as most of the songs were the bands first songs they wrote and performed. The album will live on as one of the best albums.

Notable Songs: Light My Fire, Break on Through, The Crystal Ship, The End

4. Notorious BIG-Ready To Die
Ready to Die was released in 1994 and by 1995 was already double platinum. Today it has reached quadruple platinum status. So what is it about Christopher Wallace's debut album that made it so popular and important of an album? The album features many of the common themes of gangsta rap: violence, guns, drugs and sex. Yet it's the way these themes are retold that makes it different. Featuring "cinematographic" storytelling, Notorious BIG offers a look into the world he was born into and subsequently lived. Theres storytelling that offers not only highs but lows. There is triumph and defeat. There is an man so egotistical and sure of himself but also a man who is regretful and depressed to the point of suicide.

Notorious BIG is more than a rapper, he is a musician. His instrument? his words and voice. Often called one of the best rap/hip hop albums ever released, there's no doubt in any person mind that this is the greatest debut album by a rapper. If you're a fan of progressive bands like Pink Floyd and Genesis, listen to Gimme the loot and Machine Gun funk in that order. There's some crazy storytelling going on between both songs. I bet even David Gilmour and Peter Gabriel would get chills.

Notable Songs: Machine Gun Funk, Gimme The Loot, Juicy, Everyday Struggle

5. NWA-Straight Outta Compton
They say you can take the thug out of the hood but you can't take the hood out of the thug. Well for the members of NWA and their fans, this is a good thing! Released in 1988, the album was received well, not just by the hungry music fans of "the hood" but by critics and professionals in the industry. Dr. Dre's beats and production on the album are considered some of the best in terms of overall quality by many of the best engineers in audio. The lyrics, while heavily criticized were as the teenagers say, "on point" and relevant in creating and starting a dialogue of our society as a whole.

This is 1988, no other music sounded anything like this, this was punk counterculture that promoted anarchy. This music was a bomb that disrupted the music scene for many, many years to come. The music was not just for "urban youth" either, as the music seeped into the suburbs and was listened to people of all types of backgrounds and ethnicity.The album went platinum while having zero radio play and no tour to follow it. NWA was heavily criticized for their lyrics and glorifying gang life but if you listen to this album you'll realize, "being a gangsta is not fun" and that is not the point of this album. The point of the album was to deliver the artistic expression of 5 very hungry and rebellious young men. This album was the most successful of the groups tenure and catapulted many of them into super stardom. The album was meant to as Ice Cube is famous for saying, "fuck shit up". Well fuck shit up it did.

Notable Songs: Straight Outta Compton, Fuck The Police, Express Yourself

6. Guns and Roses-Appetite For Destruction
Selling over 18 million copies in the US and over 30 million worldwide, Appetite for Destruction has the distinction of being the biggest selling debut album for any musical act in the US as well as one of the best selling albums of all time. Borrowing elements from various genres of music thanks to its incredibly talented band members, Guns and Roses exploded onto the scene with an album that not only appealed to the rock fans but almost any purist of music. The album was recorded in 1987 and had producer Mike Clink putting in 18 hour days for an entire month to get the album to engineer what many consider a true masterpiece.

The album was not necessarily praised upon its release, with many critics saying it was too unrefined but now is praised for going against many of the tendencies of the hair metal bands of the time. Not much can be said about this band or its collective effort that hasn't been said, but one thing is for sure, Guns and Roses delivered on their debut album and had they wanted, could of hanged it up after this album and would probably still be as popular as they are today.

Notable Songs: Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child o Mine, Paradise City, Its so Easy

7. Jimi Hendrix and The Experience-Are you Experienced?
Jimi Hendrix's and his band, The Experience, came out in 1967 and asked, Are You Experienced? Truth be told, no one is, not until they hear this album. The album was recorded over a five month period before finally being released in May of 1967. Jimi had been a touring guitarist with RnB bands before being discovered by Keith Richards girlfriend Linda Keith. Although touted as a band, the effort was really to create the perfect backup to Hendrix's unique and talented style of play. In fact, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding had no creative input into the songwriting as Hendrix had written and structured all of the songs before the band even went into the recording studio. The album was a critical success that ultimately changed the history of psychedelic music of the time.

Jimi Hendrix's unique and incredible talent was on full display as he brought in many elements from jazz, blues, soul and R&b. The album is often considered by many future musicians and acts as very influential in their own development of their sound. In 2005 the album was put in the National Recording Registry, a pretty big deal as previously stated. Rueben Jackson of the Smithsonian Institute wrote: "It altered the syntax of the music". Pretty heavy dude.

Notable songs: Purple Haze, Hey Joe, Foxy Lady, Are you Experienced

8. The Beatles-Please, Please me
I could just simply write, "The Beatles" and no one would be able to debate their place in history, whether you like the group or not. But why not give further praise to the Beatles, after all they deserve it . The Beatles released this album in 1963 and dominated the UK charts after the release and were only toppled by their own work, "With The Beatles". Up to this point, there was no real "self sustaining" rock bands. The type of band that not only wrote all their original music, but played their own instruments as well.

The UK charts were mostly dominated by music soundtracks or easy listening/pop artist. McCartney and Lennon wrote most of the songs and are, dare i say, THE BEST writing duo of all time. Beatlemania...It all started with this album. The album came together very fast and easily, because these guys loved music and loved playing more than anything in the world. They had a gift and gave us nothing but magic. There should be a term called BB (Before Beatles) and AB (After Beatles), thats how influential they were. They were bigger than Jesus, and music would never be the same. From writing, to performing, to production. Music would never be the same. Enough Said.

Notable Songs: Love Me Do, Please, Please Me, I Saw her Standing There, Misery, PS I Love You.

9. Beastie Boys-License To ill
The Beastie Boys are known for their love to party. You know what else they are known for? They are known for being the third hip hop group or musical act to inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. You know who are the others? Run DMC and Grandmaster Flash. In case you don't know your hip hop, that makes the beastie boys a pretty big deal. A REALLY BIG DEAL. In 1986 they released License to Ill and as Rolling Stones stated in their now famous review of the album: "Three idiots create Masterpiece". The Beastie Boys offered a unique take on hip hop that was universally accepted as "def" or "excellent" for you younger people.

With the blessing of not just the punk community but the hip hop community, they were able to be get this album to be the first rap album to chart on the Billboard top 100. The distinction of being able to not just cross genres but race has made them into one of the best hip hop groups of all time. License to Ill plays more than just a debut album, it plays like a greatest hits album, with each song being a hit in their own right. And to imagine, they were only getting started!

Notable Songs: Girls, Brass Monkey, Paul Revere, (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)!

9. Pear Jam-Ten
Released in 1991 after only 1 month in the recording studio, Ten was released to lukewarm critical reception. With many complaining that while the album dealt with serious issue, it tried to hard to bring these themes to the forefront. Even Kurt Cobain, a fellow Seattle native said "Pear Jam were sellouts." So what makes Pear Jam and this album good enough for my list? Eddie Vedder's unique vocals and Mike McCready's ridiculous guitar solos, thats what. Despite what many would say is this albums greatest "flaw", I and others would applaud this bands decision to speak out on real life issues.

This album is alluring and sonically as perfect as you can get. While it may sometimes be confused as a "grunge album" or the band as "grunge" don't get it twisted, these guys have nothing grunge to offer. They are a deep in the tradition of rock. These guys are as classic as any rock band out there. Pearl Jam would continue to do things their own way and although never had an album more commercially successful as Ten, they are still recognized for existing in a world of posers as true unique artist. Seriously though, dont call Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains, grunge. Its quite insulting to them and me!

Notable Songs: Jeremy, Alive, Even Flow, Why Go

10. Pavement-Slanted and Enchanted
Released in 1992 and recorded between 1990 and 1991, Pavement is one of the the few bands that no one knows about but might sound familiar. Why do they sound familiar? Because even though the record is over 25 years old, their influence is still heard in music today. Considered by the most snobbiest of music critics as "the best indie album" of the 1990's and "one of the most important indie records of all time" this album features a clean and basic sound that borrows the best elements from past artist.

Listen to any indie album after 1992 and its hard to not hear the influence of this band in their work. As an audio engineer in training, i can tell you that artist to this day are still using many of the recording techniques used on this album. Even after all these years. One listen and you might just turn into one of those snobs who say this is the "quintessential indie album". From Weezer to Nirvana, they all paid close attention to what Pavement did.

Notable Songs: Summer Babe (winter version), Trigger Cut: Wounded Kite at :17, In the Mouth of a Desert

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