Entertainment For Lively Minds
Track 1 Side 1
Posted by Iainso on 24 August 2010 - 8:21pm.
Yes, I know it's tired, and that Nick Hornby has done it, but I love a thread like this.
What's the best opener ever?
For me it's "It's No Game (Part 1)", though I reckon "Politik" by Coldplay is up there also.
Over to you....
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Chaaang...
"It's been a hard day's night..."
Best opener with bestest everest opening chord
Good man Sheev!
I thought sure that any contribution you made would involve train noises! ;-)
Because he plays Pet Sounds backwards?
The return of the half-wit Swede!
Todays choice...
.. is Free Fallin' by Tom Petty off his album Full Moon Fever.
Although I reserve the right to change my mind tomorrow.
Five that spring to mind
Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft - Wedding Present
Back In The USSR - Beatles
From Out Of Nowhere - Faith No More
Queen Is Dead - The Smiths
R.O.D. - The Fall
The Queen Is Dead
Is my all-time favourite too, but I was pleased to see R.O.D. on your list. I was in a band called Realm of Dusk in it's honour!
Take me back...
...to dear old Blighty.
The Queen is Dead on The Queen is Dead.
Running Up That Hill - Hounds of Love
Wouldn't It Be Nice - Pet Sounds
Hanging on The Telephone - Blondie.
Off the top of my head.
Debaser
by Pixies.
London Calling and Safe European Home by the Clash.
Not Politik though - I like that album but in the first four lines he rhymes space with space which jars like a jar to me.
Yes
The second Coldplay album really is very good. All downhill from then, I'm afraid....
You're right
about the Coldplay bastards - Politik is a great opener, the only song of theirs I truly love.
I would also nominate
Down on the Street - The Stooges
Rock and Roll Star - Oasis
Rocks Off - Exile on Main Street
Moving on Up - Primal Scream
Son of a Gun - The La's
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Oh and the one on Gran Turismo by the Cardigans
Oh and Elvis Impersonator and Yes by the Manic Street Preachers
Have an up
For Yes
Yes...
Indeed. Fourth word in: C**ts. That shocked me as an innocent 16 year old.
Also - Alive by Pearl Jam. I doubt PJ are that popular round these parts, but blimey that's a good opener.
Alive wasn't the first track
Alive wasn't the first track on Ten. It was Once.
Pedantry aside, I'll go with Juanita from Second Toughest In The Infants by Underworld, and if we're counting live albums, Juanita from Everything Everything by Underworld.
Everything Everything
Everything Everything = one of the best live albums around. 'Juanita' gets you into it immediately. For that have an up arrow!
You're quite correct
Realised this the other day. D'oh.
Good thread
Start Me Up - The last great Stones song
Down To The Waterline - Dire Straits. Their entire career was caught in that intro
Adopts voice of God in Monty Python and the Holy Grail...
Of course it's a good thread, I came up with it etc etc....
Start Me Up is a classic. It was the opener on the Urban Jungle tour which I saw at Wembley in 1990. Oh dear, I feel rather old now....
Waterboys
I gave This Is The Sea a spin this morning, for the first time in years, and Don't Bang The Drum was as thrilling as I remembered it. A minute and a half of piano and trumpet, sounding like the soundtrack from a lost Ennio Morricone soundtrack to a Spaghetti Western, the tension building up, til the band crashes in, to deafening effect - I'd turned the volume up during the opening salvo. Blimey, that cleared the cobwebs out. That's how to start a record! That it's followed by The Whole Of The Moon helps, of course.
You read my mind
Fabulous opening.
The other great "Better turn this up a bi- JESUS H!!!" opener would be the start of The Wall. First time I played that, I ended up in a pylon half a mile down the road.
*goes to shelves to check*
Blitzkreig Bop - The Ramones - The Ramones
Cretin Hop - Rocket To Russia - The Ramones
Babylon - Too Much Too Soon - The New York Dolls
Baba O'Riley - Who's Next - The Who
Where Are You - Where Are You - Frank Sinatra
Gloria - Horses - Patti Smith
The Way I Walk - Fresh Fish Special - Robert Gordon w/Link Wray
"Gloria"
Hell yeah
Not so much a cover as a decontruction
Well
Changes (Hunky Dory)
Accidents Will Happen (Armed Forces)
Battery (Master Of Puppets)
Drive (Automatic For The People)
Burn It Down (Searching For The New Sould Rebels)
Great choices!
Since there is not nearly enough heavy metal around here I´ll take Battery and raise you Where Eagles Dare. The only Iron Maiden song about war, believe it or not. It opens Piece Of Mind. Great album title, that.
(yes, the fans look like idiots)
War is stupid...
"The only Iron Maiden song about war, believe it or not"
Erm, I'm no Maiden expert, but isn't war a recurring theme in their songs?
The Trooper? Aces High? Afraid to Shoot Strangers? Como Estais Amigos?
I could go on......
Well, I was kind of joking. Sorry.
But I want you to know I appreciate your support.
Would also like to say that if you´re familiar with Como Estais Amigos you probably are bit of an expert. Anyone familiar with songs from Virtual XI must be pretty devoted.
Not enough metal you say...
... then you forget South Of Heaven by Slayer
*makes devil's sign with hand. Bangs head*
I did forget South Of Heaven
Thanks for reminding me!
I think you're being a little unfair there.
I know quite a few idiots and only some of them look like that. Arf, arf.
You´re right, of course
I apologize.
Shhh...
Shhh...
Slade
How does it feel ?
Slade in Flame
I love that song.
1, 2, 3, 4!
"Well she was just 17..."
Track one, side one of their debut LP, no less. Still a cracker 47 years later. 47 years! Blimmin' heck!
A corker...
...which is why it was the first song at my wedding. We could do a whole thread on songs that have a count-in. It's just a brilliant way to open an album.
I can remember hearing that for the first time
I was ten or maybe eleven. One, two, three, fah!
Remember going to lift the arm just to be able to hear it again. Jesus never had a fair chance, had he?
The line "my heart went boom, when I crossed that room, and I held her hand in miiiiiiiyyyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiine" may not have resonated at that tender age, but it held a promise of an adventure that sure sounded like something I wanted to try.
Please Please Me – The Album
Brilliant opener and a massively underrated album in my opinion
I Saw Her Standing, Anna, Love Me Do, Please Please Me, Baby Its You, Twist and Shout, There’s A Place, Ask Me Why
there’s nowhere near as many good tunes on the (massively overrated) With The Beatles. Plus the debut has the raw sound (recorded as it was in 24 hours) that none of the successive albums really had.
I could almost start a separate thread on this being my favourite of their first four LPs – if it weren’t for Hard Days Night!!!
"She was just 17"
I was at a karaoke bash last weekend & some sang ISHST.
It went down a storm.
"She was just 17"
I was at a karaoke bash last weekend & someone sang ISHST.
It went down a storm.
"Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, Ecstasy & Alcohol..."
"...C-C-C-C-Cocaine".
We have a winner, surely?
Agreed
Interviewer: So, wow! Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, Ecstasy & Alcohol and Cocaine! Have you ever tried taking them all at the same time?
Josh Homme: Hmmm. I wonder how I came up with the song...
Free
from their eponymous 2nd album, I'll Be Creepin'.
I wanna be Adored - Stone
I wanna be Adored - Stone Roses. As statements of intent go...
Taxman - Revolver (HJHs) cough, cough, rumble, 1,2,3,4,1,2, and into the greatest album ever
Show of Strength - Heaven up Here - The Bunnymen
and has nobody mentioned Like A Rolling Stone yet?
Was scrolling through
to see if anyone had mentioned 'I wanna be adored' and you have, ta.
Half a mile from the county fair
And the rain keep pouring down
Nice one, but....
...if it's Van we are talking about, I'd go with Wild Night off Tupelo Honey.
Epic stuff.
Today it's
Jackie Wilson Said [I'm In Heaven When You Smile] - Van Morrison - St. Dominics Preview
The Jam
In The City "Art School". Hello, we're here!
As we already had Debaser...
How about:
Teenage Riot - Sonic Youth
Just Like Honey - Jesus and Mary Chain
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (Maggot Brain)
Talking Heads - Thank You For Sending Me An Angel (More Songs About Buildings And Food)
The Human League - The Things That Dreams Are Made Of (Dare)
Eric B and Rakim - Follow The Leader (Follow The Leader)
Replacements - I Will Dare (Let It Be)
Primal Scream - Kill All Hippies (XTRMNTR)
One Dove - Fallen (Morning Dove White)
New Order - Fine Time (Technique)
Dawn Landes - Bodyguard (Fire Proof)
Bob Dylan - Hurricane (Desire)
Standing, waiting for a man to show...
Fear Is A Man's Best Friend - John Cale, Fear
Come All Ye - Fairport Convention, Liege And Leaf
Perfect Skin - Lloyd Cole And The Commotions, Rattlesnakes
Farmer In The City - Scott Walker, Tilt
Fairports
Come All Ye from Liege and Lief.
Superb opener, introduces the band and gives a flavour of what's to come.
Now that was bizarre..
Two votes for the mighty Fairport, same song and at exactly the same time
Spooky
I posted Come All Ye in the Introducing The Band thread yesterday!
In a similar vein
as an opener I have always been rather fond of this:
The Concept - Teenage
The Concept - Teenage Fanclub
Search and Destroy - Iggy and the Stooges
But the winner could be:
Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones
Would also add: Fade Into
Would also add:
Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
The Jam
A classic one-two on All Mod Cons, the title track, straight into To Be Someone. And The Who on Quadrophenia with the lengthy ambience of the intro into the storming Real Me.
Also
"Fanfare" - Eric Matthews
"Forkboy" - Lard
"N.W.O." / "Stigmata" / "Thieves" - Ministry
"Spite" - Godflesh
"Why won't you stay" - American Music Club
Have an up...
....for Fanfare. Nice one!
For tonight... alone
Lloyd Cole & the Commotions - My Bag or Perfect Skin
Miles Davis - So What (Kind of Blue)
Public Enemy - Bring the Noise (ITANOMTHUB). As noted on similar threads, hip hop track twos are rock's track ones
The Jam - Pretty Green (Sound Effects)
Oh, and one that never changes
The Pogues - The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn (Rum Sodomy and The Lash)
Da da da da daaah da
Great opening riff, unusual subject matter, nice acoustic middle bit, red hot solo.
How about ...
Kid Charlemagne - Steely Dan - The Royal Scam
Custard Pie - Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
Bright Side Of The Road - Van Morrison - Into The Music
Wake Up - Ian Dury - New Boots And Panties
Brown Sugar - The Stones - Sticky Fingers
Van Morrison - king of Side 1 Track 1
Just looking at the list - has the soiled harp blower of old Belfast town taken the record for the most brilliant Track 1 Side 1s?
The Highway Song
from Highway by Free. Never fails to set me up for the whole album. Sets the tone, sets the mood and tells me that all's right with the world.
The hot new sounds of today
Alone Again Or - Love
Drive My Car
Break On Through - Doors
So who did Drive My Car?
Baby?
Nobody
puts Baby in the Corsa...
I drive a Vectra
So that´s pretty damn close. Beep - beep, beep - beep, yeah!
I'll have a go.
Oblivious - Aztec Camera.
Devil's Haircut - Beck.
Tangled Up In Blue - Dylan.
Coyote - Joni Mitchell.
Black Dog - Zeppelin.
Seven Nation Army -The White Stripes.
ELO
Can't Get It Out Of My Head
Fire On High
Tightrope
Turn To Stone
but my favourite is Twilight
Sorry to be picky but...
Wasn't the first track on Time "Prologue"?
And also...
Eldorado Overture precedes Can't Get It Out Of My Head. But who's counting? All top choices.
And now the votes from the jazz jury
I can't help noticing, fellow members of the Massive, that hitherto there have been precious few jazzy contributions to this thread. Time to put that right...
"So What" - Miles Davis (Kind of Blue) - obviously
"Hat and Beard" - Eric Dolphy (Out to Lunch)
"Ghosts (First Variation) - Albert Ayler Trio (Spiritual Unity)
"Wednesday Morning Prayer Meeting" - Charles Mingus (Blues & Roots)
"Brilliant Corners" - Thelonious Monk (Brilliant Corners)
Have an up
for Brilliant Corners!
I just bought that album + Himself as a double CD and I've been listening to Brilliant Corners ( the album ) all week.
Not sure about Thelonious Himself though...I have an aversion to the piano on its own from growing up with a piano playing older brother terrorising me every day.
Agreed!
Excellent selections, and I've picked a few of my favourites from the clan Coltrane down there *points down*
Todd Rundgren
since (criminally) no one else has mentioned it:
I Saw The Light from Something/Anything
Elbow
Starlings on "The Seldom Seen Kid"
Oh. Controversial!
I always skip it due to the horns.
Takes all sorts etc...
I like the horns
But I like the QuietLoudQuiet type of music (see Pixies)
U2
I Will Follow from Boy
Have an uppy from me Felton...
back when they were really good, that chiming guitar intro still sounds like it means business.
Drake, Young, Stones
I remember being blown away by these openers when I first heard the albums and continue to be in thrall to them...
Time Has Told Me - Five Leaves Left
Tell Me Why - After The Goldrush
Rocks Off - Exile On Main Street
Spot on with all 3
... but especially Drake!
an arresting opening
here's some worthy of a mention:
I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King
Rock N Roll Doctor - Little Feat
Sail On Sailor - The Beach Boys
Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
Highway Star - Deep Purple
Foxy Lady - Jimi Hendrix
In France They Kiss On Main St - Joni Mitchell
Do The Strand - Roxy Music
Oi Duvet, have a fucking
up arrow for Sail On Sailor. What is the rest of Holland like though? Never listened to it. Sail On Sailor was on a great complilation called Real Fidelity and I used to play it when I was a DJ.
Holland is uneven, but not without highlights
From the same era Sunflower and Surf´s Up are definitely the keepers.
Surf's Up
Is a doozy. From cover to last track.
Not sure what doozy means (second language, and all that)
Long Promised Road, Disney Girls (1957), Feel Flows, ´Til I Die and Surf´s Up are great.
Don´t Go Near The Water, Take A Load Off Your Feet, Lookin´ At Tomorrow and A Day In The Life Of A Tree are good enough. Not great, but with a certain charm. Almost sound a bit like demos.
Student Demonstration Time is utter crap.
In my mind
it means utterly fantastic. Although thinking about it it means really deep puddle in Groundhog Day.
So we agree
The closest I came was the doze known from doze off, so I figured you felt the album was boring.
I´ve learned something new today as well. Cheers!
I'm no expert in linguistics
but isn't it possible that it stems from the french word for twelwe; douze ( if my two terms of beguinners french isn't failing me ) ?
Not that it matters, I just find these things interesting...carry on!
Bing!
Ned Ryerson!
got the shingles real bad senior year, almost didn't graduate?
Ola's not wrong
there are some nice tunes on Holland but nothing as life-affirming as SoS. I haven't listened to it for a while though.
The Beach Boys In Concert is a truly great album from 73
It covers the Blondie Chaplin/Ricky Fatarr era. It features both known and unknown and was recorded before they "gave up" all creative ambitions and became a nostalgia act.
A pendant writes
It´s Fataar, surely?
(can I be the first to say)
(can I be the first to say) "Pedant", shurely?
Oh!
I have to agree with you. A writing pedant who can´t spell. Wonderful. But The Beach Boys In Concert is still great.
'
'
future legend
Makes it pretty clear that the Laughing Gnome will not be reprised and that suddenly we're quite a long way from K West....
Its got to be this surely...
Dearly beloved...
Let's Go Crazy - Purple Rain
1999 - 1999
Sign 'O' The Times - er, Sign 'O' The Times
And also REMembered:
Radio Free Europe - Murmur
Begin The Begin - Lifes Rich Pageant
Leaving New York - Around The Sun
The blessed Michael had a couple of corkers too:
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Off The Wall
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - Thriller
Mine...
Arcarsenal from Relationship of Command by At The Drive-in
And from the opposite end of the spectrum, La Femme D'Argent by Air. An amazing bassline and rain. I love rain on a track.
Also - Contract on the World Love Jam off Fear of a Black Planet is an exception to the "hiphop track 2s are rock track 1s" rule...
Relationship of Command
Absolutely sensational album from start to finish. More people should hear this record.
Have an up arrow.
And further vertical indicators
For the glorious La Femme D'Argent. I could listen to that forever.
3
London Calling
Thunder Road (Born to Run)
I'd Have You Anytime (All Things Must Pass)
1,2,3,4, *cough* 1, 2, 3...
Taxman - the HJH's second Imperial phase begins!
Introduction from Bryter Layter
Speed of Life from Low, hell, pretty much any Bowie album has a corker at the front.
Immigrant Song from Led Zep III
Sympathy for the Devil, Beggars Banquet. How strange that must have sounded on first hearing!
Seagull, Nowhere. Ride's finest moment.
The Future - Leonard Cohen
First We Take Manhattan - I'm Your Man
Second Hand News Fleetwood Mac
Mamma Mia Abba
Mr Tambourine Man the Byrds
Do It Again - Steely Dan
Rio - Duran Duran
Felt - Evergreen Dazed (Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty)
Roxy Music - Remake Remodel (Roxy Music)
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Burn It Down (Searching For The Young Soul Rebels)
Gregory Isaacs - Mr Cop (Extra Classic)
The Fall - The Classical (Hex Enduction Hour)
Go Betweens - Bachelor Kisses (Spring Hill Fair)
Lee Perry - Zion's Blood (Super Ape)
Black Uhuru - Youth Of Eglington (Red)
Propaganda - Dream Within A Dream (A Secret Wish)
Sheila & B Devotion - Spacer (King Of The World)
Ten great track 1s randomly plucked from the iPod
More Songs About Chocolate and Girls - The Undertones, Hypnotised
Neat Neat Neat - The Damned, Damned Damned Damned
Tangerine - Buffalo Tom, Sleepy Eyed
Janie Jones, the Clash, The Clash
Changes - David Bowie, Hunky Dory
Kill the Poor - Dead Kennedys, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Cha Cha Twist - Detroit Cobras, Mink, Rat or Rabbit
Down at the Doctors - Dr Feelgood, Private Practice
Merseybeast - Ian McNabb, Merseybeast
Ace of Spades - Motorhead, Ace of Spades
Damn I was just going to post Janie Jones
fantastic drumming, great lyrics and good old Joe quickly working himself up into a lather! Love this song!
The National
Fake Empire
and..
Stephen Stills - Love the One You're With
Spirit - I Got A Line On You
Midlake - Roscoe
Isaac Hayes - Walk on By (only joking)
Mentioning Stephen Stills reminds me
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
I can't believe
no-one has mentioned Beyond Belief - Elvis Costello!!!
No mention of "The Head" yet?
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Radiohead, who are masters of the Side 1 Track 1. I give you Airbag, Planet Telex, Everything in the Right Place....and 15 Step.
Also:-
Genesis - Watcher of the Skies, Dancing Out with the Moonlit Knight
Yes - Yours is No Disgrace
Pat Metheny Group - Are You Going With Me? (first track on Travels, not Offramp)
Laura Marling - Devil's Spoke
Quietly now...
...not a big number, but a perfect spellweaver to hold you in place for the rest of the album:
Mining for Gold - Cowboy Junkies' The Trinity Session
Others I'd throw in, maybe not classics, but...
Real Real Gone - Van Morrison's Enlightenment
Like Eating Glass - Bloc Party's Banquet
Astradyne - Ultravox's Vienna
Brilliant Mistake - Elvis Costello's King of America
We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thang - Heaven 17's Penthouse and Pavement
And I know they're not everyone's cuppa tea around here, but U2 have done some cracking openers:
Beautiful Day and Vertigo, but Where the Streets Have No Name still stands out for me.
And can't believe no-one's mentioned Sergeant Pepper...
Astradyne!
Fine call. What a great tune.
Some more..
21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson 1st Album
Up Up Up - Echo 1st album
Goodbye Mr Sam - Barbara Thompson 1st album
Smooth Operator - Sade 1st album
Take It Easy - Eagles 1st album
Snack Attack - Godley & Creme "Ismism"
Down San Diego Way - Arthur Blythe "Lenox"
Rock'n'Roll Doctor - Little Feat "Feats"
Stolen Moments - Oliver Nelson "Abstract"
Peaches en Regalia - Frank Zappa "Rats"
Bodhisattva - Steely Dan 2nd album
Light Flight - Pentangle 2nd album
Darkness - Van der Graaf Generator 2nd album
Ernie - Fat Freddys Drop
Rich Woman - Robert Plant 7 Alison Krauss
Great call on the Oliver Nelson, sir
Absolutely top tune.
But have you heard..
the Blythe album, Duc01 ? Really, really tasty.
Yes, love Lenox Avenue Breakdown
I'm always a sucker for a tuba!
... and for a great sleeve design:
4 from the 80s
ABC – Show Me (Lexicon of Love)
Pet Shop Boys – One More Chance (Actually)
OMD – The New Stone Age (Architecture and Morality)
The Smiths – A Rush and a push and the land is ours (Strangeways Here We Come)
For me a great opener
is usually the track that you can best sum up the album with.
I find it quite frustrating when you have a storming opener & then the album tails off (Soul Asylum, i'm looking in your direction!).
Bearing this in mind, here are my favourites
Nick Cave - As I Sat Sadly By Her Side (No More Shall We Part)
The National - Fake Empire (Boxer)
Elbow - Station Approach (Leaders Of The Free World)
Fionn Regan - Be Good Or Be Gone (The End Of History)
Interpol - Pioneer To The Falls (Our Love To Admire)
Gene - Haunted By You (Olympian) or Does He Have A Name? (Libertine)
However, Pet Shop Boys are the kings of the great opening tracks (as shown by Walker182 above) ;
Love Etc. (Yes)
Home & Dry (Release)
Discoteca (Bilingual)
Can You Forgive Her (Very)
Being Boring (Behaviour)
Two Divided By Zero (Please)
Left to My Own Devices….
Another classic Pet Shop Boys opener – particularly the epic long version featured on Introspective (also another Trevor Horn produced opener to add to Show Me by ABC)
Left to My Own Devices….
Another classic Pet Shop Boys opener – particularly the epic long version featured on Introspective (also another Trevor Horn produced opener to add to Show Me by ABC)
how did i forget that one??
how did i forget that one?? Another classic! :)
2 from the 90's
Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock (Siamese Dream)
Eels - Elisabeth On The Bathroom Floor (Electro-Shock Blues)
Prince -Sign O The Times...
"woah yeah"
Done that
up there somewhere :-)
Oh, and these five just popped into my head too...
From Here to Eternity - The Only Ones (Even Serpents Shine)
Computer World - Kraftwerk (Computer World)
Fisherman - The Congos (Heart of the Congos)
Canadee-I-O - Nic Jones (Penguin Eggs)
The Monochrome Set (I Presume) - The Monochrome Set (Strange Boutique)
Didn't we play this game
a couple of months ago ?
Or am I going senile ?
So many have already been chosen!
So here's some more:
Bill Withers - Harlem
The Chameleons - Mad Jack
St. Germain - Rose Rouge
Iggy - Lust For Life
John Martyn - Solid Air
The Go Betweens - Spring Rain
The Family Cat - Too Many Late Nights
Prefab Sprout - Faron Young
The Czars - Drug
Traffic - Glad
The Ruts - Babylon's Burning
Pink Floyd - One Of These Days
The Icicle Works - Shit Creek
Julian Cope - Trampolene
Peter Gabriel - The Rhythm of The Heat
The Smiths - The Headmaster Ritual
Neu! - Isi
Mercury Rev - Holes
Massive Attack - Safe From Harm, Angel
Kirsty MacColl - Innocence
The Stranglers - Tank
The Secret Machines - Alone, Jealous and Stoned
The Cure - In Between Days
The Kinks - 20th Century Man
The Specials - Enjoy Yourself
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Accidents Will Happen
Bob Marley - Get up, Stand Up
Rush - The Spirit of Radio
..and right now I'll go with this one
The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
Lust For Life
of course. Arrow!
Holes
:-)
Trampolene
Good call. But what about Copey's previous opener, Reynard The Fox? Tough choices all round.
and may I add
Roll over Beethhoven (Beatles)
In the Wee Small Hours of The Morning
21st Century Schizoid Man
Tangled Up In Blue
Waaaah!
'Baby I Don't Care' by Transvision Vamp, surely.
Oh, 'One Vision' by Queen...
My turn
The Bowie song about a train, as referenced above - hard to beat on many levels
Talking Heads - Thank You For Sending Me An Angel, from More Songs - gives a real sense of urgency
Belle and Sebastian - The State That I Am In, Tigermilk
and is it just me, or does Tom Waits have a thing about making the first tracks on his albums the least accessable - maybe just to keep newcomers out.
How about.....
Billy Bragg - She's Got A New Spell
Guns N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
Pixies - Bone Machine
The best possible start:
Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device (Inflammable Material)
Who - Baba O'Riley (Who's Next)
Dexys Midnight Runners - Burn It Down (Searching For The Young Soul Rebels)
Edit:
Iggy Pop - Search & Destroy (Raw Power) (just pressed play on the CD Player)
Have an up
for Burn It Down, a real statement of intent!
Party time!
The fab Natalie's Party from Shack's HMS Fable
Have an up
This is surely one of those absolute classics that not many people know about.
Sheer Brilliance!
In that case
it would be curmudgeonly not to share.
Here it is:
And perhaps
The prize for the thickest Scouse accent ever committed to mass selling music formats?
The Coltranes
Giant Steps - John Coltrane (Giant Steps)
and, having tried to pick my favourite of Side 1 Track 1 from Alice Coltrane, I found it to be a dead heat between :
Journey in Satchidananda (Journey in Satchidananda)
Lord, Help Me To Be (A Monastic Trio)
and
Ptah, the El Daoud (Ptah, the El Daoud)
A Stunning Comeback
Anyone else got Gil Scott-Heron's frankly unbelievable album I'm New Here, from this year? Unbelievable because, from everything one read or heard about him over the last decade and a half, he seemed so under assault from various demons that we'd be lucky to hear anything else from him except an announcement of his demise. Somehow he pulled himself together and made a great (if very short) album. The opening piece, On Coming From A Broken Home, is just wonderful.
Bit of Ver Sabs
Neon Knights from Heaven And Hell. Still my favourite opener. Thundering, high-speed bass 'n' drum riffage before Tony Iommi's devastatingly simple guitar line comes in. Corking and breathtakingly exciting.
Almost as good is Knockin' At Your Back Door from Deep Purple's Perfect Strangers. The simple minor Hammond line to start with ratchets up the tension beautifully. Simplicity once again as the other instruments layer over before the song explodes into life.
Good call re Neon Kights,
Good call re Neon Kights, although I think Turn Up The Night on Mob Rules is almost as good, especially the way Vinnie Appice counts them in with those four strokes of the cymbal...
Pete
The Flaming Lips
Fight Test, from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.
The test begins... NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NOW.
Yawn
Five Years, by the way
Now I'm not the Stones number 1 fan
..but this run of 4 openers is almost too obvious to mention...
Sympathy For the Devil
Gimme Shelter
Brown Sugar
Rocks Off
Not forgetting...
..the first LP I ever bought and that opening still sends shivers up my spine.
Some More
Gonna stick my neck out here and say Track1Side1 where this is the best track off a great album!
Coles Corner - Coles Corner - Richard Hawley
Happiness - Peace At Last - Blue Nile
Eve of the War - War o/t Worlds - Jeff Wayne
Hiroshima Nagasaki - Moving Hearts - Moving Hearts
Pumpkin & Hunny Bunny - Pulp Fiction OST
Streets Have No Name - JT - U2
Have an up arrow
for War of the Worlds. great stuff.
Scritti Politti
The Boom Boom Bap, from White Bread Black Beer.
And Margaret vs. Pauline, by Neko Case on Fox Confessor Brings The Flood.
A different answer every day...
Right now it'd be Test / Golden Skin off the first Silver Sun album.
Will probably have at least ten other choices this time tomorrow though.
Saving the best 'til last (for about 5 minutes)
Keep on chooglin
and this isn't too shabby either
Sorry, fabs again
Abbey Road - Come together
.
Moving - Kate Bush (The Kick Inside)
comme d'habitude
Changes
Five Years
Watch That Man
Future Legend
Young Americans
Station to Station
Speed of Life
Beauty and the Beast
Fantastic Voyage
It's No Game (Part 1)
..and I think you could probably add...
Space Oddity and Loving the Alien - both great openers from less-than-great albums.
No mention of Day In Day Out?
Strange.
..most certainly not..
..its probably the most lumpen and tuneless thing he's ever put out but had Time Will Crawl been the opener then I may have been tempted.
Very clever, Sheev
...'Comme d'habitude' being the original source of inspiration for Paul Anka's 'My Way' and the very same for an obscure little track called 'Life on Mars' by a fella whose name escapes me. But you knew that...very clever indeed :-)
Beauty and the Beast
Unintended I'm sure, but you've just prompted an inspirational flash re: the sublime opener to Anthony Phillips' first Private Parts album. (The only people who know of what I speak are probably personal friends.)
Some more
The Psychedelic Furs - India
Doves - Firesuite
It's Immaterial - Driving Away From Home
Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough
Love & Money - Winter
The Bible - Graceland
Throwing Muses - Counting Backwards
The Police - Message In A Bottle
Adam & The Ants - Dog Eat Dog
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Happy House
Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll
The Faces - Miss Judy's Farm
And this morning it's this:
A fine call from the gravy man.
My favourite Fannies opener.
That sounds a bit rude. It isn't meant to.
Right now...
...it would be this:
(Stuck Between Stations by The Hold Steady)
Another Fannies
Have an up arrow, idiotbear.
The first one that springs to mind is "The Concept" by Teenage Fanclub from "Bandwagonesque". I'm sure there's others, hundreds of them.
Like "Somewhere" by Tom Waits off "Blue Valentine" or John Martyn's wonderful "Solid Air".
A few more wonderful opening salvos won't do any harm....
Strolling Down the Highway - Bert Jansch (from "Bert Jansch")
If there's a Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go - Curtis Mayfield (from "Curtis")
Idle Moments - Grant Green (from "Idle Moments")
Party Line - The Kinks (from "Face to Face")
Avalanche - Leonard Cohen (from "Songs of Love and Hate")
Blackheart Man - Bunny Wailer (from "Blackheart Man")
Love's in Need of Love Today - Stevie Wonder (from Songs in the Key of Life")
Utru Horas - Orchestra Baobab (from "Pirates' Choice")
April Anne - John Phillips (from "John, the Wolfking of L.A.")
and am I allowed a compilation to finish with?
If so, then...
Calypso B - Young Tiger (from "London is the Place for Me, Vol. 2") - one of the very few songs that makes me laugh out loud.
Track 1, Side 1, Album 1
I should leave this topic alone now, but suddenly heard this at the weekend and thought what a belting career-opener:
Hey You! Don't watch that, watch this! This is the heavy, heavy monster sound, the nuttiest sound around...
I give you:
One Step Beyond - Madness
One step beyond
Damn you ! - I was just about to post that ! - Have an up
London calling - The Clash ??
One more
Sister Anne which kicks off the MC5's High Time.
Whole Lotta Love
Led Zeppellin Vol. 2
has anyone turned on Television?
See No Evil - lets you know you're in for a treat. But as I said to DogFaced Boy over an apple Tango recently, what card-carrying GREAT album DOES NOT have a fantastic opener?
What GREAT album DOES NOT have a fantastic opener?
A good question, Mr Ape, and perhaps it warrants a separate thread.
For now, if I had to nominate one card-carrying great album that doesn't have a fantastic opener, it would probably be this:
For me, "Innervisions" is the absolute peak of Stevie Wonder's brilliant 1970s run of albums, but the opening track, "Too High", is only so-so.
agree that its difficult to think of a classic album..
..that doesn't open well.
But wholly disagree that Too High is in any way a weak link.
Probably the weakest track on Innervisions would be Jesus Children America (or whatever its called)..
I'd argue that New Order's Technique might be improved without Fine Time (worked well as a single but lacking the timeless quality of much of its parent album??)
The Church - Almost With You
T1 S1 Blurred Crusade. Used to cover this in a band back in the 80's. Sends a tingle up my spine every time.
"Seen you before ... I know your sort"
Listening to All Mod Cons for the first time in about a quarter of century. Still ace.
Bruce Foxton is "da bomb". Bass guitar. BVs. Nailed. One minute twenty.
'Sailing heart-ships through broken harbours....
...out on the waves in the night' (tell me why)
The first Neil Young song I ever heard and his best side 1 track 1.
Radiohead - Everything in its right place (kid a)
Primal Scream - Movin' on up (screamadelica)
Led Zep - Immigrant song (III)
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - love comes to me (the letting go)
Dennis Wilson - River Song (pacific ocean blue)
A few more
"Marjory Razorblade " - Kevin Coyne - Marjory Razorblade (acapella - wtf!)
"Rainy Day Women" - Dylan - Blonde on Blonde (brass band ahoy!)
"100%" - Sonic Youth - Dirty (dirty guitars)
"Rid of Me" - PJ Harvey - Rid of Me (Peej goes Albini)
"Definitive Gaze" - Magazine - Real Life (is it an instrumental?)
"Underground" - Tom Waits- Swordfishtrombones (waaaahhhhttt!)
A Few Off The Top Of My Head
Me! I Disconnect From You - Tubeway Army (Replicas)
This Wreckage - Gary Numan (Telekon)
My Breathing - Gary Numan (Strange Charm)
Remote Control - Red Guitars (Slow To Fade)
Born Of Frustration - James (Seven)
Out To Get You - James (Laid)
Bubbles - James (Hey Ma)
A Message To You Rudy - The Specials (Specials)
We're Not In Kansas - Big Country (There's No Place Like Home)
Babylon's Burning - The Ruts (The Crack)
Away - The Bolshoi (Friends)
Truth Hurts - The Planet Wilson (Not Drowning But Waving)
I think that's enough for now
track 1 side 1
jimmy's fantasy - redd kross - phaseshifter
mexican wine - fountains of wayne - welcome interstate managers
jimmy james - beastie boys - check your head
beverly hills - weezer - make believe
intro/bombs away - foxy shazam - foxy shazam
Encore une fois
Thomas The Rhymer - Steeleye Span
Never Let Me Down Again - Depeche Mode
Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd
Punch The Clock - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Quiet Life - Japan
The Word Girl - Scritti Politti
The Rainbow - Talk Talk
Les Fleurs - Minnie Riperton
Wide Open - The Commodores
And right now the ears are bleeding to this:
Simon & Garfunkel
The wonderful "Bridge over troubled water", from the album (LP) of the same name.
Gorgeous.
The Doors
I always reckon Break on Through is the classic example. First single, first track first album and arguably the Doors never released a better song. OK, OK...the last bit is very subjective but it's certainly strong enough to get behind.