Top Album Openers

[piggy]

I noticed that much like The Cure, R.E.M. is another band that were masters of the opening track. I mean, practically every opener they ever had was fucking stellar. The Church also have a lot of great album openers: "Destination" from Starfish, "Numbers" from After Everything Now This, "Aura" from Priest=Aura, "Vanishing Man" from Further/Deeper, "Cobalt Blue" from Untitled #23.

Here are some others I found when I dug through my collection some more:

XTC, "Respectable Street"
The National, "Fake Empire"
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, "Do You Love Me?"
Morrissey, "Now My Heart Is Full"
PJ Harvey, "To Bring You My Love"
Talk Talk, "The Rainbow"
Killing Joke, "Night Time"
Mazzy Star, "Fade Into You"
The Replacements, "I.O.U."
Stone Temple Pilots, "Dead And Bloated"
U2, "Zoo Station"
The The, "Good Morning Beautiful"
Tom Waits, "Big In Japan"

[Xen]

Just off the top of my head:

2Pac - Ambitionz As A Ridah
Alice In Chains - Them Bones
Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?
Audioslave - Cochise
Audioslave - Your Time Has Come
Audioslave - Revelations
Big Sugar - Ride Like Hell
Big Sugar - Where I Stand
City and Colour - Woman
DMX - Intro
DMX- My Niggas
Dr. Dre - The Chronic/Fuck Wit Dre Day
Faith No More - Collision
Filter - Hey Man, Nice Shot
Jerry Cantrell - Psychotic Break
Kyuss - Gardenia
Morphine - Dawna/Buena
Morphine - Lilah/Potion
Nas - The Genesis
NIN - Head Like a Hole
NIN - Pinion/Wish
NIN - Mr. Self Destruct
NIN - All The Love In The World
NWA - Straight Outta Compton
Oasis - Hello
Pearl Jam - Once
QOTSA - Regular John
Radiohead - Airbag
Radiohead - Everything In It's Right Place
Rage Against The Machine - Bombtrack
Rage Against The Machine - Testify
Soundgarden - Let Me Drown
There Will Be Blood Soundtrack (by Jonny Greenwood) - Open Spaces
The Kills - U.R.A. Fever
Tool - Intolerance
Tool - Stinkfist

I lied, I went through my whole library.

[Shadaloo]

Cherub R-okay my work's already been done several times over, never mind

Just to toss out a few that've not been covered yet:
Bauhaus - Double Dare
The Sisters of Mercy - Dominion/Mother Russia

Siouxsie And The Banshees excelled at this during their middle years:
-Happy House
-Spellbound
-Cascade
-Dazzle

Oingo Boingo were quite good too:
-Grey Matter
-Just Another Day
-Madness (best song on an otherwise average album)

[Disassociative]

OH!! Feet Don't Fail Me now is a fucking perfect way to open a QOTSA album - like I was blown away by that song the first time listening to the album

[Dryalex12]

Aic - Grind and Hollow
Nin - somewhat damaged
Deftones- hexagram
Soundgarden- flower, rusty cage, let me drown and pretty noose.
Audioslave- Cochise
Pearl Jam- Once
Jerry Cantrell- Psychotic Break
Tool- Intolerance, Stinkfist, The Grudge and Vicarious.
Linkin Park- Papercut
Korn- Blind, Here to stay, Right Now, Insane
System of a Down- Suite Pee, Prison Song, Chic'n'Stu, Solider Side (intro) and Attack
Chevelle- The clincher, Face to the floor and Ouija board
Temple of the dog - say hello 2 heaven.
MCR- Helena
QOTSA- feel good hit of the summer and millionaire

[BRoswell]

A Perfect Circle-The Hollow/The Package
A Silver Mt. Zion-Sisters! Brothers! Small Boats Of Fire Are Falling From The Sky/Sow Some Lonesome Corner So Many Flowers Bloom/God Bless Our Dead Marines/Fuck Off Get Free (For The Island Of Montreal)
Aphex Twin-4
Arcade Fire-Reflektor
Beastie Boys-Rhymin' & Stealin'/Super Disco Breakin'/Ch-Check It Out/Make Some Noise
Beck-Loser/Devils Haircut/E-Pro/Elevator Music
Black Moth Super Rainbow-Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise/Windshield Smasher
Boards Of Canada-Sixtyniner/Ready Let's Go/Gemini
Bon Iver-Perth/Over Soon
Boris-Message (Japanese Version)
Brian Eno & David Byrne-America Is Waiting
Childish Gambino-Outside/Me And Your Mama
Chromatics-Into The Black
Cocteau Twins-Blood Bitch/Sea, Swallow Me (with Harold Budd)/Blue Bell Knoll
Daft Punk-One More Time/Human After All/Give Life Back To Music
David Bowie-Space Oddity/Changes/Five Years/New Killer Star/Blackstar
DJ Shadow-The Mountain Will Fall
Florence + The Machine-Dog Days Are Over
Godspeed You! Black Emperor-The Dead Flag Blues/Mladic/Peasantry or ‘Light! Inside of Light!’
Hot Chip-Out At The Pictures/Thieves In The Night/Motion Sickness/Hurache Lights
How To Destroy Angels-The Space In Between
John Carpenter-Vortex/Distant Dream
John Lennon-Mother/Imagine
Joy Division-Disorder
Justice-Genesis/Safe And Sound
LCD Soundsystem-Daft Punk Is Playing At My House/Dance Yrself Clean/Oh Baby
Led Zeppelin-Immigrant Song
Low-Violence/(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace/Monkey/Try To Sleep
M83-Intro
My Bloody Valentine-Only Shallow/She Found Now
Nine Inch Nails-every opening track
Nirvana-every opening track
Pink Floyd-One Of These Days/Speak To Me/Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I–V)/In The Flesh?/Cluster One
Prince-I Wanna Be Your Lover/Controversy/1999/Let's Go Crazy
Puscifer-Tiny Monsters
Queen-We Will Rock You
Queens Of The Stone Age-Feel Good Hit of the Summer/You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire/Keep Your Eyes Peeled
Radiohead-Everything In Its Right Place/2+2=5/15 Step/Bloom/Burn The Witch
Rage Against The Machine-Bombtrack/People Of The Sun
Ramones-Blitzkrieg Bop/Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?
Saul Williams-Talk To Strangers/Black History Month
Sigur Ros-Vaka/Gobbledigook
Slowdive-Alison/Slomo
Sonoio-Just Me/No Fun
Swans-Lunacy
Talking Heads-Thank You For Sending Me An Angel/I Zimbra/Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)/Burning Down The House
Tobacco-Streaker/Human Om
TV On The Radio-I Was A Lover/Halfway Home
The Beatles-Come Together
The Chemical Brothers-Block Rockin' Beats/Come With Us/Sometimes I Feel So Deserted
The Dead Weather-Blue Blood Blues/I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)
The White Stripes-Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground/Seven Nation Army/Icky Thump
The Who-Baba O'Riley

[ton]

I also want to say "Protection" by Massive Attack, "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince and the Revolution, and "Love's in Need of Love Today" by Stevie Wonder

[r_z]

A Place To Bury Strangers - Alone
LCD Soundsystem - Get Innocuous!
Cannibal Ox - Iron Galaxy
Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart
MF Doom as Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain
Primal Scream - Kill All Hippies
Shabazz Palaces - Free Press And Curl
Talk Talk - The Rainbow
The Rapture - Olio
Wu-Tang Clan - Bring Da Ruckus

[pulse]

Trying to post some of my top album openers that haven't already been posted here.

Opeth - The Moor
Opeth - Ghost of Perdition

Porcupine Tree - Even Less
Porcupine Tree - Deadwing

Peter Gabriel - Games Without Frontiers
Peter Gabriel - The Feeling Begins

Killing Joke - Pandemonium

Cream - White Room

King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man

King Crimson - Red

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing

Primus - My Name is Mudd

And an old favorite...

[dvdglss]

I know not well know, but seriously, the control and tone it sets for the album, EXCELLENT opener.

[henryeatscereal]

I forgot that this is a great opener:

[frankie teardrop]

repeats be damned:

LIKE RATS- godflesh
beauty and the beast- david bowie
don't fall- the chameleons
pure joy in my heart- asylum party
sunday bloody sunday- u2
winning- the sound
one hundred years/holy hour/want/the kiss/shake dog shake- the cure
cowboys- portishead
angel- massive attack
christine- the house of love
the rhythm of the heat- peter gabriel
running up that hill (a deal with god)/sat in your lap- kate bush
shining road- cranes
waiting for the miracle/suzanne- leonard cohen
lust for life- iggy pop
aura- the church
cherry coloured funk- cocteau twins
to sheila- smashing pumpkins
never let me down- depeche mode
ephemeral (this is no heaven)- the lucy show
feeling gravitys pull- r.e.m.
the new stone age- orchestral manoeuvres in the dark
someone somewhere in summertime- simple minds
farmer in the city/cossacks are/it's raining today/the seventh seal- scott walker
a day- clan of xymox
the host of seraphim- dead can dance
as i sat sadly by her side- nick cave & the badseeds
janitor of lunacy- nico
one of these days- pink floyd
so this is silence- and also the trees
16 days- modern english
spanish air- slowdive
missing link- curve
cascade/spellbound- siouxsie & the banshees
requiem- killing joke
melt like ice- wild flowers
grace cathedral park- red house painters
beetlebum/tender- blur
only shallow- my bloody valentine
inside out- mighty lemon drops
the affectionate punch- the associates
let's go crazy- prince
getting closer- nitzer ebb
beauty queen/horses- tori amos
double dare- bauhaus
supervixen- garbage
great big white world- marilyn manson
needle in the camel's eye- brian eno
i'm in love with a german film star- the passions
the garden ends- the autumns
the hunt- new model army
agenda suicide- the faint
i should have known better- wire
love is the slug- fuzzbox
gimme shelter- rolling stones


+ obv somewhat damaged

[pulse]

[theimage13]

Gonna go for some non-repeats here:

Catherine Wheel - Sparks Are Gonna Fly
Blue Man Group - Above
Ben Folds Five - One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces

[Jon]

​A few still on the table:

ICONIC:

Johnny Cash – Orange Blossom Special
John Coltrane – My Favorite Things
Miles Davis – So What

STUFF:

Anathema – Harmonium
Johnny Cash – The Man Comes Around
Opeth – Advent
Opeth – In (The) Mist She Was Standing
Sonic Youth – Pattern Recognition
Squrepusher – Hello Meow
Underworld – Cups
Underworld – Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream Of Love
Ween – You Fucked Up

[center27j]

Dont believe Ive seen this one yet...

Megadeth - Holy Wars / Rust in Peace

[allegro]

My favorites as of this moment, a few repeats:

The Police - All their albums
Tori Amos - "Crucify"
Sex Pistols - "Holidays in the Sun"
Joni Mitchell - "Court and Spark"
The Rolling Stones - "Brown Sugar" and "Gimme Shelter"
Gang of Four - "Call Me Up"
Kiss = " " (from Alive 1)
The Arcade Fire - "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Patti Smith - "Gloria"
The Stooges - "1969"
Jane's Addiction - "Up the Beach"
The Beatles - "A Hard Day's Night"
Led Zeppelin - "The Song Remains the Same"
The B52s - "Planet Claire"
Philip Glass: "Opening"

[Mantra]

Sorry, but there are no good album openers. None at all. They all suck.

100% suckage.

This phenomenon is widely referred to as "the curse of the album opener" by those in the know. As a general practice, I always start my albums on track two. I suggest you all do the same from now on.

[allegro]

Sorry, but there are no good album openers. None at all. They all suck.

100% suckage.

This phenomenon is widely referred to as "the curse of the album opener" by those in the know. As a general practice, I always start my albums on track two. I suggest you all do the same from now on.

OMG, seriously? That'd be like starting a book at Chapter 2!

I EXPECT this album opener to be there, if it suddenly wasn't it would create this giant cognitive dissonance for me, like "WHAT, WHAT?!?!?!"

[Mantra]

Wait, you're telling me you don't start your books on chapter two?!?!!? I thought everyone did this!! Please don't tell me I'm the only one. Skip all that boring setup bullshit and get right to the action.

[BRoswell]

"Wish"

Wish doesn't count since it's the second track on Broken.

[Mantra]

Sometimes I like it when bands start the album with that one-two combo move, where track one is a song that's all mellow and peaceful and then track two comes on and it's like WE HAVE ARRIVED MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!!

I think there's a bunch of pumpkins albums that pull that move. In fact, I'd argue that Mellon Collie strives for a rare triple combo opener. track one is that sad instrumental classical stuff, then we transition up into the epic dramatic acoustic opener thing with Tonight, Tonight, but then Jellybelly comes along and brings all the heavy guitars and shit to really blast that motherfucker open. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other albums that stretch their beginnings across three tracks like that.

[ekrekel]

RATM - Testify

Some other stuff:
Buckcherry - Lit Up
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (Thanks Roadies)
Kid Rock - Bawitdaba
Phantogram - Nothing But Trouble
White Zombie - Electric Head Pt.1

[wizfan]

Mr. Self Destruct. The THX-1138 thuds alone tell you that the rest of the album is up to no good.

[theimage13]

Sorry, but there are no good album openers. None at all. They all suck.

100% suckage.

This phenomenon is widely referred to as "the curse of the album opener" by those in the know. As a general practice, I always start my albums on track two. I suggest you all do the same from now on.

If we were friends IRL in the same city, I would totally burn new albums for you and switch the first two tracks without telling you. I'd do it for years and years, slowly poisoning your judgement of the "openers", until one day revealing that you'd been had. I'm evil.

[Mantra]

Anyway, the whole premise of this thread is wrong, because according to the brilliant minds over at Complex.com...

Conventional pop music wisdom dictates that Track 4 is the traditional cornerstone of any pop music album, the compartment in which artists stash their best stuff for listeners to find after working through the appetizers at the beginning of an album.

We need to get rid off this thread and start a new one: Top Track Fours

[ekrekel]

Anyway, the whole premise of this thread is wrong, because according to the brilliant minds over at Complex.com...

Conventional pop music wisdom dictates that Track 4 is the traditional cornerstone of any pop music album, the compartment in which artists stash their best stuff for listeners to find after working through the appetizers at the beginning of an album.

We need to get rid off this thread and start a new one: Top Track Fours

I think I found the problem. Fitting though that Discipline is #4 on TS.

[kel]

marry the night -- born this way (lady gaga)
the word girl -- cupid and psyche '85 (scritti politti)
control -- control (janet jackson)
promise of a new day -- spellbound (paula abdul)
angel of death -- reign in blood (slayer)

[wizfan]

For me, an album without a great opening is an album wasted. Here are some of the intros that have blown my mind over the years...

Godflesh - Wake
LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
Deftones - Feticieira (original White Pony tracklisting is the best)
System of a Down - Prison Song
Aphex Twin - Xtal
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Sugar Coated Sour
The Mars Volta - Aberinkula
Pendulum - Showdown
Meshuggah - Combustion
QOTSA - You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire
Death Grips - Get Got
Grimes - California
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Joy Division - Disorder
El-P - Request Denied
Giant Drag - Kevin Is Gay
Strapping Young Lad - S.Y.L.
Danny Brown - Downward Spiral
Devin Townsend - Olives
Marilyn Manson - Irresponsible Hate Anthem
Throbbing Gristle - I.B.M.
Killing Joke - Requiem
Fatboy Slim - Right Here, Right Now
The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
Kauan - I (from the album Pirut)
David Bowie - Changes
Saul Williams - Black History Month
Massive Attack - Angel
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - We Are the Dead
Hacride - To Walk Among Them
Daft Punk - One More Time
Coil - Something
Earth - Introduction (from the album Pentastar: In the Style of Demons)
Nirvana - Serve the Servants
A Perfect Circle - The Hollow
Tool - Stinkfist
Oxbow - Daughter
Drive Like Jehu - Here Come the Rome Plows
Health - Heaven
Korn - Blind
Cynic - Veil of Maya
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Sleep is Wrong
Napalm Death - Multinational Corporations
At the Drive-in - StarSlight
That Handsome Devil - Damn Door
Fear Factory - Demanufacture
Big Black Delta - Put the Gun on the Floor
Killer Mike - Big Beast
Pig Destroyer - Jennifer
Broadcast - Colour Me In
Atari Teenage Riot - Start the Riot!
Goldfrapp - Lovely Head
Liz Phair - 6'1"
The New Regime - Clairaudience
Curve - Missing Link
Casualties of Cool - Daddy
Autolux - Turnstile Blues
My Bloody Valentine - Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside) + Only Shallow + She Found Now
Blind Idiot God - Stravinsky / Blasting Off + Twenty Four Hour Dawn
Gridlink - Constant Autumn
Ween - You Fucked Up
Type O Negative - Unsuccessfully Coping with the Natural Beauty of Infidelity
Ministry - N.W.O.
Shining - The Madness and the Damage Done
Jaga Jazzist - One Armed Bandit
Three Trapped Tigers - Cramm
Dälek - Spiritual Healing
The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Satanic Reverses

...and I could go on and on, but I really gotta use the bathroom. *runs*

[eversonpoe]

Grimes - California

that's track 2!