The 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time
Music nerds, let's get ready to argue.
For the first in an ongoing series of the "100 Greatest *fillintheblank* of All Time" lists, we decided to use our collective knowledge to run down the best ever debut albums. Dig our picks below and let us know where we went horribly, horribly wrong in the comments.
1. U2 - Boy
2. Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
3. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
4. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
5. Joy Division - Unkown Pleasures
6. Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn
7. Nirvana - Bleach
8. Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
9. Metallica - Kill 'em all
10. Arcade Fire - Funeral
11. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
12. The Smiths - The Smiths
13. Jeff Buckley - Grace
14. Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
15. Patti Smith - Horses
16. Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets
17. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley
18. Guns 'n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
19. The Who - The Who Sings My Generation
20. New Order - Movement
21. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
22. Bob Marley - Catch a Fire
23. Kanye West - The College Dropout
24. Bruce Springsteen - Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
25. The Rolling Stones - England's Newest Hitmakers
26. Radiohead - Pablo Honey
27. R.E.M. - Murmur
28. Talking Heads - 77
29. John Coltrane - Coltrane
30. Pearl Jam - Ten
31. Eric B. and Rakim - Paid in Full
32. the Doors - The Doors
33. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
34. Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
35. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of…
36. Van Halen - Van Halen
37. Buddy Holly - The Chirping Crickets
38. The Clash - The Clash
39. Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang
40. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
41. Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bollocks
42. Madonna - Madonna
43. Dr. Dre - The Chronic
44. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
45. Vicente Fernandez - A Pesar De Todo
46. A Tribe Called Quest - Peoples' Instinctive Travels & the Paths of Rhythm
47. Nas - Illmatic
48. Television - Marquee Moon
49. Wire - Pink Flag
50. Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
51. Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers
52. Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
53. Coldplay - Parachutes
54. Gang of Four - Entertainment!
55. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
56. Portishead - Dummy
57. Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
58. The Band - Music from Big Pink
59. The Stooges - The Stooges
60. The Pretenders - The Pretenders
61. Santana - Santana
62. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Creedence Clearwater Revival
63. Heart - Dreamboat Annie
64. The New York Dolls - The New York Dolls
65. The Police - Outlandos d'Amour
66. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
67. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
68. D'Angelo - Brown Sugar
69. Funkadelic - Funkadelic
70. Run-DMC - Run-DMC
71. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
72. Postal Service - Give Up
73. Ludacris - Incognegro
74. Calle 13 - Calle 13
75. Alejandro Fernandez - Alejandro Fernanadez
76. 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
77. Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc.
78. Mudhoney - Superfuzz Bigmuff
79. Mana - Falta Amor
80. Lee Ann Womack - Lee Ann Womack
81. Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off
82. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
83. The Strokes - Is This It?
84. Weezer - blue album
85. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
86. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
87. Massive Attack - Blue Lines
88. B-52s - B-52s
89. Can - Monster Movie
90. Sonic Youth - Confusion Is Sex
91. Bjork - Debut
92. Randy Travis - Storms of Life
93. Morrissey - Viva Hate
94. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced…
95. Shins - Oh, Inverted World
96. Roxy Music - Roxy Music
97. Daft Punk - Homework
98. Sade - Diamond Life
99. Boyz II Men - Cooleyhighharmony
100. Big Star - #1 Record
[The 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time at Amazon MP3]
-- Jeff Reguilon
David King on February 22, 2012 at 07:31 PM
I am sorry but appetite for destruction is the greatest debut album of all time period. It is the best not only because it has sold the most of any debut album but also is one of the most flawless albums of all time.
Robert on October 13, 2011 at 10:09 PM
You put Madonna on your list....... Replace with Whitney Houston....... you know the 1985 debut album praised by critics everywhere....... The one that was the Highest selling female debut album.....she was able to hold notes for 10 mins??? Madonna can’t sing..... Only Female artist to have the highest selling record in history? Ring any bells?
Metallix on September 27, 2011 at 03:09 PM
Do we all know who Arlo Guthrie is?
His debut is so unnoticed that it almost makes me sick. Why is Alice's Restaurant not on the list?
kosmo disk on August 13, 2011 at 01:15 PM
Dig our picks below and let us know where we went horribly, horribly wrong in the comments.
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Restonic Mattress on April 26, 2011 at 02:26 AM
GUNS N Roses Appetite for Destruction #1 debut album of all time
Restonic Mattress on April 22, 2011 at 04:15 AM
The fact that U2's Boy is #1; Bitches Brew is sooo off the mark in so far as the purported nature of this list is concerned; and The Pretenders first LP is #60, is enough to let one know this is a joke of a list, put together for the express purpose of stirring shit up for the sake of getting hits on their site and nothing else.
add on November 20, 2010 at 09:14 PM
This list is an absolute joke without Boston's debut...it is the best selling debut album of all time! I feel like they must have just forgotten it or something.
craddock on October 20, 2010 at 03:47 PM
lmao definately maybe? wheres that? think your list is a balls mate, loads missing off there!
Dash on October 02, 2010 at 09:25 AM
And it is. Awesome.
Dash on October 02, 2010 at 09:24 AM
Arcade Fire's Funeral should def. be on here.
Terpsky on August 23, 2010 at 09:33 PM
Let's just cut it down to the years that matter. 1985-today:
http://www.therockczar.com/misc/top-40-debut-albums-of-the-past-25-years
david on August 05, 2010 at 08:26 AM
ten by pearl jam should be on here
They call me The Seeker on July 22, 2010 at 05:30 PM
How The Doors by The Doors was not included astounds and disgusts me.
LP4LYF on March 31, 2010 at 07:33 AM
Man why isnt Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory mentioned here. Man whoever wrote this list sucks.
Paul on March 25, 2010 at 08:54 AM
GUNS N Roses Appetite for Destruction #1 debut album of all time
Darren on March 24, 2010 at 12:51 PM
What the F@@K?? Appetite for Destruction should be at number one. Whoever wrote/voted this is fucking retarded!
Ron M. on March 14, 2010 at 04:42 PM
No one mentioned this band,so I guess it's up to me.Destined to take it's place as one of the greatest British indie bands of all time,with it's debut already considered a modern day masterpiece, The Libertines debut album: Up the bracket.Yes,it's that good.
Swami Moe on February 28, 2010 at 06:51 PM
Sorry for the blunder, Johnny Winter isn't Johnny Winter's first release, it's The Progressive Blues Experiment.
Swami Moe on February 28, 2010 at 04:43 PM
Here are some other debuts worth mentioning.
Tom Waits - Closing Time
Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Car)
John Cale - Vintage Violence
Lou Reed - Lou Reed
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Safe as Milk
The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
Georgia Satellites - Georgia Satellites
Blood, Sweat & Tears - Child is Father to the Man
Chicago - The Chicago Transit Authority
Joe Walsh - Barnstorm
The James Gang - Yer Album
Tommy Bolin - Teaser
The Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame
Billy Cobham - Spectrum
Little Feat - Little Feat
Ry Cooder - Ry Cooder
Van Dyke Parks - Song Cycle
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen
Roberta Flack - First Take
Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Joe Jackson - Look Sharp!
Blue Oyster Cult - Blue Oyster Cult
Aerosmith - Aerosmith
Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick
Karla Bonoff - Karla Bonoff
Stephen Bishop - Careless
Paul Simon - Paul Simon
Maria Muldaur - Maria Muldaur
Minnie Riperton - Come to My Garden
Donny Hathaway - Everything is Everything
Andrew Gold - Andrew Gold
Leon Russell - Leon Russell
Wendy Waldman - Love Has Got Me
Bonnie Raitt - Bonnie Raitt
Valerie Carter - Just a Stone's Throw Away
Johnny Winter - Johnny Winter
Rick Derringer - All American Boy
The J. Geils Band - The J. Geils Band
Tower of Power - East Bay Grease
Nazz - Nazz
Todd Rundgren - Runt
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
Garland Jeffreys - Garland Jeffreys
The Alpha Band - The Alpha Band
Elliott Murphy - Aquashow
bob on December 21, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Y r the wombats not in it
Robby on October 28, 2009 at 10:43 AM
If you dont put Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill on here, Im just gonna DIE!!!
billy thailand on October 10, 2009 at 06:37 AM
who takes this shit seriosly when boston 1st and the actual #1 is hhotey and the BLOWFISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Phill on September 27, 2009 at 08:53 PM
No The Cars?
Adam on September 21, 2009 at 11:02 PM
yeah pretty good list overall. Radiohead is my favorite band but I gotta say, Pablo Honey kinda sucked. Take that off and put up Spirit They've Gone, Spirit They've Vanished by Animal Collective instead
add on August 07, 2009 at 08:01 AM
NO BOSTON?!?!?! Is this a joke? Did somebody forget that their self-titled debut was the best selling debut album of all time? Not to mention that they are one of the greatest classic rock bands ever. Purely their own, unique sound.
camjan on July 26, 2009 at 10:39 PM
Pearl Jam TEN definatley #1
Coldplay Forever on April 27, 2009 at 01:15 PM
Why the heck isnt coldplay on this list? Parachutes was one of the best albums ive ever heard!!!!!
charly on February 13, 2009 at 04:16 PM
Where is terence trent d'arby? He is one of the biggest!! The cars also
charly on February 13, 2009 at 04:14 PM
And where is Terence trent d'arby, this is one of the biggest!
Brian Chidester on February 05, 2009 at 10:20 AM
First of all, "Kind of Blue" and "Here Come the Warm Jets" are not the first albums by Miles Davis and Brian Eno. With "Kind of Blue," Miles had already been recording albums under his own leadership for almost a decade.
Secondly, if you want to talk about a debut album that pretty much launched the second half of the '60s (and influenced the Beatles' own musical shift), look no further than the "Mr. Tambourine Man" LP by the Byrds. It was THEE moment when the Beat Generation and social protest hit teen music. And lest we forget, the '60s activist spirit was a student-based thing, which in the decades after became more mainstream.
MrCheese on February 02, 2009 at 02:27 PM
This list rides the short bus.
David on February 01, 2009 at 07:11 AM
Totally agree with.U2, Liz Phair, REM, Madonna, Bjork, Morrissey, Sade, B-52's, Nirvana, Jeff Buckley,Violent Femmes...but I'd have added Go Go's 'Beauty and the Beat".
Tonto on January 31, 2009 at 11:47 AM
You people need to relax. Whenever an author uses the term 'greatest', he gets free rein. Did he say 'most popular', 'most technically proficient', or 'biggest seller'? No.
Although, I am personally struggling with no Boston.
###
Steve P on January 30, 2009 at 07:17 PM
How can this list possibly not have a Beatles album included?
Beatles Forever on January 30, 2009 at 03:50 PM
A few notes:
Oasis & The Stone Roses should definitely (no maybe) be on the list.
And even though I'm a huge fan of Radiohead - Pablo Honey just isn't that good of an album. It shouldn't be on there. Neither should The Beatles (I see a lot of people complaining about that) as Please Please Me isn't that good of an album either - at least not by modern album standards. It's historically important of course and as you can see by my name I love The Beatles... but yeah. No.
Yun on January 30, 2009 at 12:57 PM
Little Earthquake isn't Tori Amos's 1st album!
ubackward on January 30, 2009 at 09:37 AM
First, you really needed to put in your "fillintheblank" title. They were making recordings - not to mention groundbreaking works - long before most of the albums you've listing here. I'll just stick with the era you've chosen.
A major issue with your list, is that some of these artists haven't been around long enough for us to determine if they're in the "of all time" category. It's a bit presumptuous to classify a 5 or even 10 year old record as a classic, regardless of it's sales record. For example, I have to question why you list the rap and hip-hop artists you do, without a mention of Grandmaster Flash or the Sugarhill Gang, who were the first to record what was then considered a novelty style. 30 years later, we know better.
I'm glad to see Piper at the Gates of Dawn, but you missed the other seminal debut album of what was to become progressive rock: King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King.
I'm impressed you actually included Björk and her Debut.
But what about Cream: Fresh Cream? I'll also echo others' mention of the overlooked Chicago Transit Authority, The Cars' debut album, and Queen. And how you could overlook The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie? That's then 11-year-old Stevie Wonder's first.
I'd doubt you could have looked far enough away from your mainstream viewpoint to notice avant-garde performance artist Laurie Anderson's Big Science, even if it did contain a minor hit with O Superman.
Finally, I'm going to give you a little break on the Beatles. You were probably confused as to exactly which "first" album you should nominate: Please Please Me or the US' Introducing...The Beatles, which came after their second UK release, With the Beatles. Americans were terribly confused by Capitol Records' release choices, so I'll consider you same and overlook this careless disregard for the debut of the most influential group in rock and pop history.
Bud Norton on January 30, 2009 at 09:06 AM
No Ramones? How can we take this list seriously? Also, Bob Dylan's first album hardly showed his potential -- only two original songs. If it's there for historical reasons, then the Beatles' first album should be there.
John on January 30, 2009 at 04:43 AM
No Steely Dan or the Cars? Ummm whatever.
Dave on January 30, 2009 at 03:21 AM
How could you leave out The Verve's 1993 release "A Storm In Heaven."
greg on January 30, 2009 at 02:18 AM
Catch a Fire is Bob Marley's debut album? Don't think so.
Sameer on January 29, 2009 at 07:49 PM
Stone Roses - Stone Roses
I can't believe I went down this list and didn't see that here.
yonan32 on January 29, 2009 at 05:14 PM
DEFINITELY MAYBE
What's wrong with you, Jeff Reguilon?? ONE HUNDRED debut albums and Britain's best band of the 90s didn't even make the list.
KristiC on January 29, 2009 at 03:40 PM
Outing myself as both an Anglophile and kind of bookish, but OMG?! No:
Stone Roses--Stone Roses
Aztec Camera--High Land, Hard Rain
Lloyd Cole & the Commotions--Rattlesnakes
Prefab Sprout--Swoon
I'd throw Jackson Browne's first album onto the list, too.
don on January 29, 2009 at 12:24 PM
should have been "100 greatest debute albums of all time that we carry", that would explain a lto of omissions
Mark on January 29, 2009 at 11:08 AM
What about
Meatloaf - Bat Out of Hell?