Favorite "first songs" from albums
A few days ago, I was listening to a podcast of NPR's "All Songs Considered," which, by the way, is a great show for music geeks out there. This particular show focused on great lead-off tracks from albums (remember those things called "albums"?). That got me to thinking about some of my favorite first songs from albums that I like. Here are a few I came up with, with some of my own commentary (that I will try to add as I get the time--so we'll see how that goes). I may add more to this list as I think of them. If anyone out there is reading this, I'd like to hear yours.
"So What"--Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (A classic track in its own right that sets the mood for one of the greatest albums in jazz history).
"Break on Through (to the other side)"--The Doors, The Doors (This may as well be The Doors' theme song, a darker version of "Hey, hey, we're the Monkees," if you will. One of the bands' hardest rocking songs and it draws one into The Doors' world).
"Sister Anne"--MC5, High Times (This is just a killer blast of the MC5's typical brand of uncompromising rock, and a great album opener).
"Roadrunner"--Modern Lovers, Modern Lovers (A great driving song, and not just because the subject of the song is motoring in a car. In this tune, Jonathan Richman subverts the classic rock 'n' roll car song by changing the locale to the dull suburbs of Boston--and the protagonist to a geeky white teenager. But the big reason this song is so great is because the Modern Lovers absolutely cook, jamming the Velvet's "Sister Ray" riff and almost making it their own. Like any great "first song," it sucks you completely into the musician(s)' world).
"Thank You For Sending Me an Angel"--Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food (Chris Frantz's shuffling drumbeat, reminiscent of Ringo's on "Get Back," and David Byrne's manic yelping.)
"Gimme Shelter"--The Rolling Stones, Let It Bleed (That opening guitar patter feels like the sound of the apocalypse. It's the sound of the end of the sixties, the sound of the chaos of Altamont. It's easily the darkest and most foreboding "opening song" on this list).
"Welcome to the Jungle"--Guns 'N Roses, Appetite for Destruction (By now, it's hard for me to hear this song with fresh ears since its first 45 seconds have been appropriated by countless sports arenas and shock jock call-in shows across the country--but what a great 45 seconds it is. The massive, swirling storm of guitars is an incredible hook into Axl Rose's tale of the dark and sordid side of L.A.).
"The Queen is Dead"--The Smiths, The Queen is Dead ("Take me back to dear old Blighty"... The first time I heard this song, it knocked me out, with the crackly recording of the women singing the World War I tune [a soundbite taken from the 1962 British film The L-Shaped Room , followed by Johnny Marr's distorted guitar and Morrissey's witty attack on the royal family. It still holds up).
"Begin the Begin"--R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant (Peter Buck's buzzsaw guitar riffage and Stipe's aggressive--for him, anyway--singing put this one over the top. This one still gets me going 24 years later).
And a few others:
"Immigrant Song"--Led Zeppelin III (Led Zep had plenty of great album openers)."Whole Lotta Love"--Led Zeppelin II
"One of These Days"--Pink Floyd, Meddle (I remember a guy who lived on my dorm room floor who loved "testing his stereo speakers" by blasting this).
"Back in the U.S.S.R.--The Beatles, "White Album" (Love the jet engine sounds panning from speaker to speaker).
"Like a Rolling Stone"--Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited (From the first drum stick crack and Al Kooper's organ--to Dylan's angry putdown of the rich girl suddenly down on her heels, this one is a killer).
"So What"--Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (A classic track in its own right that sets the mood for one of the greatest albums in jazz history).
"Break on Through (to the other side)"--The Doors, The Doors (This may as well be The Doors' theme song, a darker version of "Hey, hey, we're the Monkees," if you will. One of the bands' hardest rocking songs and it draws one into The Doors' world).
"Sister Anne"--MC5, High Times (This is just a killer blast of the MC5's typical brand of uncompromising rock, and a great album opener).
"Roadrunner"--Modern Lovers, Modern Lovers (A great driving song, and not just because the subject of the song is motoring in a car. In this tune, Jonathan Richman subverts the classic rock 'n' roll car song by changing the locale to the dull suburbs of Boston--and the protagonist to a geeky white teenager. But the big reason this song is so great is because the Modern Lovers absolutely cook, jamming the Velvet's "Sister Ray" riff and almost making it their own. Like any great "first song," it sucks you completely into the musician(s)' world).
"Thank You For Sending Me an Angel"--Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food (Chris Frantz's shuffling drumbeat, reminiscent of Ringo's on "Get Back," and David Byrne's manic yelping.)
"Gimme Shelter"--The Rolling Stones, Let It Bleed (That opening guitar patter feels like the sound of the apocalypse. It's the sound of the end of the sixties, the sound of the chaos of Altamont. It's easily the darkest and most foreboding "opening song" on this list).
"Welcome to the Jungle"--Guns 'N Roses, Appetite for Destruction (By now, it's hard for me to hear this song with fresh ears since its first 45 seconds have been appropriated by countless sports arenas and shock jock call-in shows across the country--but what a great 45 seconds it is. The massive, swirling storm of guitars is an incredible hook into Axl Rose's tale of the dark and sordid side of L.A.).
"The Queen is Dead"--The Smiths, The Queen is Dead ("Take me back to dear old Blighty"... The first time I heard this song, it knocked me out, with the crackly recording of the women singing the World War I tune [a soundbite taken from the 1962 British film The L-Shaped Room , followed by Johnny Marr's distorted guitar and Morrissey's witty attack on the royal family. It still holds up).
"Begin the Begin"--R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant (Peter Buck's buzzsaw guitar riffage and Stipe's aggressive--for him, anyway--singing put this one over the top. This one still gets me going 24 years later).
And a few others:
"Immigrant Song"--Led Zeppelin III (Led Zep had plenty of great album openers)."Whole Lotta Love"--Led Zeppelin II
"One of These Days"--Pink Floyd, Meddle (I remember a guy who lived on my dorm room floor who loved "testing his stereo speakers" by blasting this).
"Back in the U.S.S.R.--The Beatles, "White Album" (Love the jet engine sounds panning from speaker to speaker).
"Like a Rolling Stone"--Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited (From the first drum stick crack and Al Kooper's organ--to Dylan's angry putdown of the rich girl suddenly down on her heels, this one is a killer).
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