Your Top Ten Album Openers

[BlowUpYourVideo]

Wheres Izzy did a thread on the best album closers so that's where I'm getting (read: stealing) this idea from.

Anyway, the first track of an album is probably the most important as it can either leave you wanting more or it could just drag you down for the rest of the album. Basically, just list your top 10 album openers (you can miss out intros if you want ) and maybe say why you like them. Maybe they make an impact on you as soon as you put an album on or perhaps you just like the song and it happens to be song #1.


I'll go first, I guess...:


10: Oasis - Rock 'N' Roll Star (Definitely Maybe)
I was too young to like Oasis when they first appeared so I couldn't really realte to this song when it came out. However, I can imagine what it must have been like for people to hear this for thie first time. It has that recognisable guitar intro and Liam Gallagher (not the most technical of singers) talking about.... well, wanting to be a rock 'n' roll star. Working class anthem an' all that. I'm not as keen on the repetition of "It's just rock 'n' roll..." at the end but I just love the way this song starts. (For the record, I don't actually own Definitely Maybe, but I do have Stop The Clocks and this song is first on that as well, so I can choose it )

9: Metallica - Enter Sandman (Metallica)
This is another example of an instantly recognisable introduction to an album. I think most people know this one: nightmares, "sleep with one eye open", that riff etc. I would be interested to see what it would be like without the fade-out (not always a fan of those) but apart from that, the best choice of song on the 'Black Album' to open it with.

8: Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains The Same (Houses Of The Holy)
This was originally an instrumental called The Overture and I'd like to hear an instrumental version of this one. Actually, this is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs where I like the instrumentation over the vocals (and that's coming from a non-musician). I like Robert Plant but it's really the guitar that stands out for me in this song. Zeppelin knew how to open an album (think Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song, Black Dog, Custard Pie etc.): give 'em some heavy rock/blues and get to the slower, more mellow stuff later on. "People, don't you listen now?..."

7: AC/DC - Rock 'N' Roll Damnation (Powerage)
I've never been the biggest fan of Powerage, though a lot of fans say it's their favourite AC/DC album, or at least their favourite of the Bon Scott years. I don't 'dislike' it because I don't dislike AC/DC's music, I just think that they recorded better overall albums (Dirty Deeds, Highway To Hell etc.). That said, I really love this song. AC/DC often put one of the best songs from an album at the beginning and I could have chosen any of them (It's A Long Way To The Top, Highway To Hell, Hell's Bells, For Those About To Rock to name a few) but I think I'll go for this one. Nice riff and some good lyrics: "You say that you want respect/Honey, for what?"

6: Motorhead - Ace Of Spades (Ace Of Spades)
Is there any rock fan who doesn't know this song? No? Good, you'll know how awesome it is then.

5: The Rolling Stones - Gimmie Shelter
Anyone that's heard this song will tell you, the backing vocals are one of the most important - and best - parts. Merry Clayton, a soul singer sings them (say that five times fast) and when she sings the third "Rape and murder, yeah", it sounds awesome. Keith Richards also has a great sound on this song too. Hell, Mick Jagger is almost forgotten about on this song. It's now associated with the end of the 60s and 'peace and love' and the Altamont concert. It's got that cool ominous feeling. Ungroovy, man.

4: Faith No More - Land Of Sunshine (Angel Dust)
A lot of people will tell you how good Mike Patton is and I think this is one of his best performances. I mean, he's singing things from Chinese fortune cookies and the scientology personality test and making it sound good. Angel Dust has some very odd moments on it and this song is actually quite 'standard' compared to say, Malpractice or RV. It also shows the difference in Patton's vocals since they did The Real Thing in 1989. Speaking of which, From Out Of Nowhere isn't a bad opening song either. Honourable mention.

3: Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath)
Sabbath started doing longer, more complex songs on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and the next album, Sabotage and this is a song that wasn't played regularly, probably due to the sudden shifts from electric to acoustic guitars and back again. What's good about this song is that although it's long (for an opening track), it doesn't get boring. Starting off an album with a memorable riff is good and as soon as you hear this song starting up, you know what's coming. Apparently, this is Slash's favourite Black Sabbath song. He has good taste.

2: Slayer - Angel Of Death (Reign In Blood)
What a way to open an album. Tom Araya's scream at about the 20-second mark is unreal. I dare you to try and make the same sound. Go on. It's quite a long song (4:51) for the album it's on (most of the songs on Reign In Blood only last between 2 and 3 minutes). The lyrics are fairly gruesome but they're all based on real life. Josef Mengele, one of the doctors at Auschwitz was the original 'angel of death' and of course, Slayer got branded as Nazis when they wrote this. Sigh. Everyone's a Nazi or a Satanist or something else. Anyway, Angel Of Death is a classic metal song.

1: Aerosmith - Back In The Saddle (Rocks)
Slow, building intro which gets slightly faster and then Steven Tyler appears with that scream of "I'm baaack". What a way to start a song, let alone an album. I don't really know what to say about this song other than it's one of my favourite Aerosmith songs and for now, until I hear a better one (or I've forgotten a really obvious choice) my favourite album opener. Though it's not my favourite song off Rocks. That would be the brilliant Nobody's Fault.





I'd also like to give an honourable mention to The Stooges' Down On The Street from Fun House, which GNR may or may not have covered. We may never know.....

[CheapJon]

u don't like WTTJ as an opener?


you are banned 

[Hammy]

Great post dude   Really good read, I'm feeling lazy, so sorry, just going with a list and no explanation

10. Hardcore Superstar - That's My Life (Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves))
9. Guns N' Roses - Right Next Door to Hell (Use Your Illusion I)
8. SOiL - Pride (re.de.fine)
7. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (Bleed American)
6. Iron Maiden - Futureal (Virtual XI)
5. Asia - Heat of the Moment (Asia)
4. Filter - Hey Man, Nice Shot (Short Bus)
3. Pantera - Mouth for War (Vulgar Display of Power)
2. Grim Reaper - See You In Hell (See You In Hell)
1. Monster Magnet - Dopes to Infinity (Dopes to Infinity)

Honourable mentions:

Kid Rock - Bawitdaba (Devil Without a Cause)
Gluecifer - Automatic Thrill (Automatic Thrill)

[BlowUpYourVideo]

u don't like WTTJ as an opener?


you are banned 

WTTJ is a classic no doubt, it's just that I've heard it so much, it doesn't have the same impact as it used to. Damn you, GTA San Andreas!

Great post dude   Really good read, I'm feeling lazy, so sorry, just going with a list and no explanation

Cheers, maybe I'll contribute something like it to the wrestling thread one day. Just need something to write about.....



EDIT: I just realised that Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell is the opener to said album. I think we have that album somewhere in the house... Great guitar intro (courtesy of Mr. Todd Rundgren ).

[freedom78]

I'll have to think on this for awhile.

[TAP]

1. Speed King - Deep Purple in Rock

[Jim]

Kid Rock - Bawitdaba (Devil Without a Cause)

Opener to an album?, or a part of the opener to a tv series? 

Just two for now, and they are both mega obvious coming from me!,

but you can't beat Baba O'Riely opening Who's Next

or, my personal favourite, Pigs on the Wing I to Pink Floyds Animals. I mean... Seriously. What a short, beautiful album opener!,

If you didn't care
What happened to me,
And I didn't care
For you.
We would zig zag our way
through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain.
Wondering which of the buggers to blame.
And watching for pigs on the wing.

Wow.

[Hammy]

Kid Rock - Bawitdaba (Devil Without a Cause)

Opener to an album?, or a part of the opener to a tv series? 

It works on both counts, heck we should do a TV Show utilising tunes to great effect kind of thread, maybe....*Insert thinking smilie* (Can't find it)

[Jim]

I just had a thought. Figured I should edit in that my post contains both Shield and Dark Tower spoilers. And no. I'm not even quite sure myself how that managed to slip into an album opener thread.

Definitely!, you should do it. No guarantees I'll contribute straight away... Heck!, yes I will. Why not. On the subject of the afformentioned show, you know that I said that I was rewatching it all... Well, I'm not looking forward to my next episode. I'm going to have to watch Lem die again. Very seldom am I bothered when fictional characters die, but Lem... Lem!, it almost affected me as much as when Eddie Dean died in the Dark Tower series.

[freedom78]

OK, I made a list of openers I really liked.  When I was done, I had 21 songs.  So, after some wheedling it down, I have ten.  I limited myself to one song/band, so for many of these there's another song that could have easily been in that spot (especially for GNR).

#10: Alice Cooper - Under My Wheels [Killer]
---I love OLD Alice Cooper.  The creepy stuff...not so much.  But the old, morbidly tinged classic rock?  It's fantastic.  And this is a great opener that I fell in love with partly because of the performance he did of it with GNR, which is played during the end credits of "The Decline of Western Civilization, Part II: The Metal Years."

#9: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - The House Is Rockin' [In Step]
---SRV doin' what he does best...having a damned good time, and letting us do the same.

#8: Motley Crue - Live Wire [Too Fast for Love]
---The rawness of the Crue's first album is fantastic, and well represented in this track.

#7: Deep Purple - Speed King [Deep Purple In Rock]
---One of Purple's best, pure, rock n' roll moments.

#6: Thin Lizzy - We Will Be Strong [Chinatown]
---Far from the most well known of this extremely underrated band's catalog, this song has it all, from great guitars to a very strong Lynott vocal performance.

#5: Iron Maiden - Aces High [Powerslave]
---The song that won me to Maiden's side forever.  I decided to explore Maiden, and bought Powerslave quite randomly.  This opener got blasted time and again on a four hour drive from Central Illinois to Iowa and back.

#4: Black Sabbath - Sweet Leaf [Master of Reality]
---Similarly to "Aces High," above, this one won me over to Sabbath.  Ozzy's vocals are so tinny and piercing on this whole album.  It's probably just crappy production, but I'll be damned if it doesn't work wonders.

#3: Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) [Wish You Were Here]
---This song summarizes Floyd so well.  It's atmospheric, has great melodies and lyrics...all around a great track.

#2: AC/DC - Rock 'n' Roll Damnation [Powerage]
---Why this album gets no radio play is beyond my understanding, and why this song isn't one of AC/DC's biggest hits I'll never know.  This one was a tough choice, because AC/DC so often starts an album with a "hit."

#1: Guns N' Roses - Civil War [Use Your Illusion II]
---A great balance between softer and harder GNR, the guitar work we expect from Slash, and the writing we expect from Axl.

[Hammy]

Definitely!, you should do it. No guarantees I'll contribute straight away... Heck!, yes I will. Why not. On the subject of the afformentioned show, you know that I said that I was rewatching it all... Well, I'm not looking forward to my next episode. I'm going to have to watch Lem die again. Very seldom am I bothered when fictional characters die, but Lem... Lem!, it almost affected me as much as when Eddie Dean died in the Dark Tower series.

Aye Lem was my fave character, I was gutted, as for Dark Tower, never heard of it. (As for that thread, I was hoping you'd start it, it's 2.33 a.m. over here, although time differences aside I'm guessing it's similar down your end)

*ducks*

On topic.

Metallica have a fair few top album openers; Enter Sandman, Hit The Lights, Fuel, Blackened.

[norway]

Motley Crue -In The Begining+ Shout at The Devil

Amazing opener

[Gunner80]

1. Guns N' Roses - WTTJ greatest opener ever put down on analog tape
2. The Rolling Stones - Miss You: Some Girls
3. The Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar: Sticky Fingers
4. The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil: Begger's Banquet
5. Metallica - Enter Sandman
6. Motley Crue - TNT Dr. Feelgood: Dr. Feelgood
7. Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
8. Megadeth - Holy wars
9. Motley - Live Wire
10. Sex Pistols - Holidays in the sun

[Gunsnroses-now]

10. Monkey Business - Skid Row from Slave to the Grind. Song fuckin' rocks.

9. Can't Change Me - Chris Cornell from Euphoria Morning. Best song on Chris' best non-Soundgarden work. Convinced me that he didn't need the Soundgarden guys with him, but them Audioslave and Carry On have me wondering...

8.  Hush - Jellyfish from Spilt Milk. This sweet lullaby sets up this most underrated dreamy pop album perfectly, each track works on this album.

7. Talk to Strangers - Saul Williams from Saul Williams. The best spoken-word/hip hop lyrics I've ever read, with a cool piano thing going on, and a chorus as well. And it has the perfect set=up line for the rest of the album. Only Seaweed comes close to matching this on the rest of the album.

6.  Turnin' On The Screw - Queens of the Stone Age from Era Vulgaris. This is a great rock record to just party to, more enjoyable upon first listen than QOTSA usually are, and Turnin' on the Screw just gets me pumped up with that guitar riff.

5. Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins from Siamese Dream. The highlight of the Pumpkins career in my opinion, Cherub Rock finds that sweet spot between a rocker and a gentle tune that is so rare to find. Mellon Collie lost this, rockers became gross like Jellybelly and the gentle folk songs became too self-indulgent.

4. Bombtrack - Rage Against the Machine from Rage Against the Machine. RATM is one of the last truly great rock bands and this is a great song to start off their career. Still a crazy song to hear live.

3. Wake Up - Mad Season from Above. Criminally underrated grunge super-group, this song showcases Layne's voice better than anything AIC, and the slow subtle music is amazing to hear on a lonely night, or when high.

2. Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses from Appetite For Destruction. Needs no explanation.

1. Galaxie - Blind Melon from the album Soup. With the opening Hello, Goodbye, this weird horn tune with Shannon singing confusing lyrics turns into a rocker that grooves as well as anything the band has done. It sets you up perfectly for the weird awesome sounds throughout Soup, a total departure from their S/T.

[mrlee]

I wont list the already listed obvious greats, such as RATM, GNR, Crue etc.

Aerosmith-Young Lust. A fucking great song and a great way to, in my opinion, open one of the best Aerosmith albums they ever made.

Buckcherry-Lit up. How could someone not list this haha, what a song!

Oasis-Rock N Roll Star. Great opening track to a great debut album.

Hardcore Superstar-Kick on the Upperclass. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT HAVE THIS BANDS SELF TITLED ALBUM SHOULD BE SHOT.


Billy Idol-Rebel Yell!!!!!! its a classic!

Alice Cooper-Poison. totally brilliant guitar tune.

The Cult-Sun King. Motherfuckers, its genius.

Janes Addiction-Up The Beach. Just epic opener and mood builder to a brilliant album frankly.

Ozzy Osbourne-Mr Tinkertrain. Fuckin AWESOME riff cranked out by Mr Wylde on this.

Led Zeppelin-Whole Lotta Love.

AC/DC-FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCKKKKKKK

^ive gone one over but i wouldnt be happy if i didnt.

[Rapunzel]

Van Halen - Van Halen - You Really Got Me

Alice Cooper - Lace and Whiskey - It's Hot Tonight

Meatloaf - Bat Out Of Hell

ABBA - Arrival

Queen - News of the World - We Will Rock You/A Night At The Opera - Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to......)

Alice Cooper - Goes To Hell - Go To Hell

Alice Cooper - Special Forces - Who Do You Think We Are

Skyhooks - Guilty Until Proven Insane - Women in Uniform/Ego is Not a Dirty Word

Lou Reed - Transformer - Vicious

Wings - Band on the Run

Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting (the Vampire Song)

Split Enz - Enz of An Era - History Never Repeats

Rod Stewart - Blondes Have More FUn (or do they) - Do Ya Think I'm SExy

Alice Cooper - School's Out

The Beatles - The White Album - Back in the USSR

Skyhooks - Straight in a Gay World - This is MY City

Pete Townsend - All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes - Stop Hurting People

Alice Cooper - Welcome To My Nightmare

The Who - Qudrophenia -  I AM The Sea

KISS - Dynasty - I Was Made For Loving YOu!




(10 x 2 = 20)

[mrlee]

Van Halen - Van Halen - You Really Got Me

i thought it opened with Runnin With The Devil.

[Rapunzel]

How could I forget to mention the opener on that Angel Down album!

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Van Halen - Van Halen - You Really Got Me

i thought it opened with Runnin With The Devil.

LAWLZ d00d, You Really Got Me is the third track!

The beauty of search engines.

And believe it or not, they have whole discographies on the intrawebz now!

1. Guns N' Roses- Welcome To The Jungle
2. Van Halen- Runnin' With The Devil
3. Rolling Stones- Sympathy For The Devil
4. Rolling Stones- Start Me Up 
5. The Black Crowes- Twice As Hard
6. Led Zeppelin- Immigrant Song
7. Ozzy Osbourne- Over The Mountain
8. AC/DC- Hells Bells
9. Pearl Jam- Once
10. Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit