I always look for the opening track of an album to make a statement, something to grab my attention and say hey, we mean business, this is what we are about. I feel its pretty important to draw the listener in.
Here are a few of mine. Probably missing a few, but off the top of my head...
ABB-Don't Want You Know More
Led Zeppelin- Good Times Bad Times, Custard Pie, Song Remains The Same
Montrose-Rock The Nation
Deep Purple-Burn
Jethro Tull-My Sunday Feeling
UFO-Natural Thing
CSNY-Carry On
Y&T-Mean Streak
Judas Priest-Delivering The Goods
Black Sabbath-Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Motorhead-Ace Of Spades
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Got To Get Better In A Little While -- Derek & the Dominos, Live at the Fillmore.
I picked that up when I was 12. I was just starting to get into guitar music, and Clapton was my first favorite. I had picked up the Crossroads box, and the live Key to the Highway was my favorite, so I bought the Live Fillmore album -- even before the Layla album.
The opening guitar notes, with some wah, followed right up with funky keys, in an extended intro, just hit me like a ton of bricks. I will never as long as I live forget how that hit me sitting on my bed staring at the boom box.
Out In The Street - The Who
Break on Through - The Doors
I Feel Free - Cream
Over The Green Hills/Trouble - Free
[Edited on 12/22/2016 by njpaulc]
"Walked on Guilded Splinters" - Johnny Jenkins, Ton-Ton Macoute
"Firing Line" - Allman Brothers, Hittin' the Note
"Memphis Soul Stew" - King Curits, Fillmore West
Tangled Up In Blue - Blood on The Tracks
White Room - Wheels Of Fire
Highway Star - Machine Head
I Looked Away - Layla &...
Break On Through - the Doors
Funeral For A Friend - Goodbye Yellow...
1) "Brown Sugar" Rolling Stones "Sticky Fingers"
2) "Baba O' Riley" The Who "Who's Next"
3) "I Ain't the One" Lynyrd Skynyrd "Pronounced"
4) "Black Dog" Led Zep "4"
5) "Hells Bells" AC DC "Back in Black"
Wow- too many but will have a go, first to mind:
Ain't Wastin Time No More - Eat a Peach - ABB
Breathe - Dark Side of the Moon - Floyd
Tommy Overture - Who
Box of Rain - American Beauty - Dead
The Revealing Science of God / Dance of the Dawn - Tales From Topogrsphic Oceans - Yes
Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil - After Bathing at Baxter's - Airplane
Up On The Sun - Meat Puppets
Thick As a Brick - Tull (hahaha)
Your Time is Gonna Come - Zep 1 (oops opening track side 2 which I always played first)
gotta stop someplace
[Edited on 12/22/2016 by BrerRabbit]
"The Grind" blasts off Tommy Bolin's "Teaser" album wonderfully.
"Rocks Off" kickstarts the ride that is "Exile on Main Street."
"Dance on a Volcano" for Genesis's "A Trick of the Tail" tells your stereo to start doing it right.
I agree with a lot of the ones already mentioned, but will add a few of my faves that come to mind:
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song - Led Zep III
ABB - Statesboro Blues - LAFE
GnR - Welcome to the Jungle - AFD
Stones - Gimme Shelter - Let it Bleed
Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle - Rocks
Ozzy - Over the Mountain - Diary of a Madman
Van Halen - Mean Street - Fair Warning
This Ol' Cowboy--Where We All Belong-Marshall Tucker
I miss you, Toy
Statesboro - LAFE
I agree with a lot of the ones already mentioned, but will add a few of my faves that come to mind:
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song - Led Zep III
ABB - Statesboro Blues - LAFE
GnR - Welcome to the Jungle - AFD
Stones - Gimme Shelter - Let it Bleed
Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle - Rocks
Ozzy - Over the Mountain - Diary of a Madman
Van Halen - Mean Street - Fair Warning
EXCELENT CHOICES!!!
How could I forget Immigrant song?!?!
Back in The Saddle, that probably is my favorite song of theirs along with Nobody's Fault and Get The Lead Out.
Great picks by all...keep them coming!!
[Edited on 12/23/2016 by jszfunk]
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
I agree with a lot of the ones already mentioned, but will add a few of my faves that come to mind:
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song - Led Zep III
ABB - Statesboro Blues - LAFE
GnR - Welcome to the Jungle - AFD
Stones - Gimme Shelter - Let it Bleed
Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle - Rocks
Ozzy - Over the Mountain - Diary of a Madman
Van Halen - Mean Street - Fair WarningEXCELENT CHOICES!!!
How could I forget Immigrant song?!?!Back in The Saddle, that probably is my favorite song of theirs along with Nobody's Fault and Get The Lead Out.
Great picks by all...keep them coming!!
[Edited on 12/23/2016 by jszfunk]
A word about the Ozzy pick...I'm not a huge Ozzy fan, but I am a Randy Rhoads fan. "Crazy Train" was the first hard rock/heavy metal song that really grabbed my attention and turned me on to that genre. And "Over the Mountain" is still one of my favorite go to songs when I'm in the mood to bang my head. By far the best song on Diary of a Madman...starts it off with a bang...even if the rest of that album is only mediocre in my opinion.
Lou Reed - Sweet Jane from Rock n Roll Animal
^^
great choice
Statesboro Blues, AFE
Box of Rain - American Beauty
Join the Band / Fat Man in the Bathtub - Waiting for Columbus
Help
Carry On - Deja Vu
Could undoubtedly come up with many more with a little more thought:
Quadrant 4 - Billy Cobham Spectrum (Tommy Bolin is off the charts on this cut!)
Brown Sugar - The Stones
Custard Pie - Zep Physical Graffiti
Whole Lotta Love - Zep II
So What - Miles Kind of Blue
Dixie Chicken - Little Feat
Tonight's The Night - Neil Young
Mannish Boy - Muddy Waters Hard Again
White Room - Cream This Wheel...
Walk On Hot Coals - Rory Gallagher Blue Print
and, of course, Statesboro Blues - ABB AFE
"Is that a real poncho or is that a Sears poncho?"
"Sympathy For The Devil" - Beggars Banquet (Stones)
"Accidents Will Happen" - Armed Forces (Elvis C)
Off the top of my head and not previously mentioned:
"Out of The Silent Planet" Gretchen Goes to Nebraska - Kings X
"Good One Coming On" Little Piece of Dixie - Blackberry Smoke
Every Skynyrd record from Pronounced through Street Survivors
Could undoubtedly come up with many more with a little more thought:
Quadrant 4 - Billy Cobham Spectrum (Tommy Bolin is off the charts on this cut!)
killer track!!!
love that album
Could undoubtedly come up with many more with a little more thought:
Quadrant 4 - Billy Cobham Spectrum (Tommy Bolin is off the charts on this cut!)
killer track!!!
love that album
Xclnt pick -- this one, Rock The Nation, Highway Star, Sympathy...Devil
Agreed on Spectrum tho, just a great record
Join the Band / Fat Man in the Bathtub - Waiting for Columbus
BOOM!
Also "Out to get me" Dickey Betts & Great Southern/ Album, same title
ABB 1st album- DWYNM/NMCTB
Elmore James Stree Talkin - Comin home(My first exposure to the real thing) - mind blowing
Grateful Dead Skull and Roses - Bertha - This is the tune that got me into the dead..and this album
Beatles - Hard days night - Hard Days Night - as a kid that opening chord was so powerful
ABB - EAP - Ain't wasting time no more - Just a beautiful song at the right time
ABB -LAFE- Statesboro Blues - "What TF is that sound????"....then discovers Elmore James....LOL
Little Feat - Fatman in a bathtub- just so funky good
John Lee Hooker - The Cream - Hey Hey (John Garcia's solo is oh so soulfully good)
I'm sure there's more but that's a good start
[Edited on 12/24/2016 by goldtop]
"Waitin for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago" -- ZZ Top - Tres Hombres
Lot of great opening tracks mentioned already, but I don't see anyone listing:
Day of the Eagle - Robin Trower (Bridge of Sighs)
Shine on You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd (Wish You Were Here)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond is a GREAT one!
Here are a couple that are definitely off the cuff on this site but:
Sold Me Down The River by the Alarm.
And, I know the guy gets kind of raked under the coals here but Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
The Wind Cries Mary
Also not my favorite but deserves mention as the opening track not only an album but an era: Sgt, Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
[Edited on 12/24/2016 by BrerRabbit]
Great song. I don't know why but that song creeped me out when I was a kid.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
You mean Wind Cries Mary? Spooky song - more to it thsn meets the ear.
a couple more
Come Together - Abbey Rd (I would say every Beatle album had a great opening)
So What - Miles, Kind of Blue
Giant Steps - trane
