Masthead
One of my photos

Debut LPs

March 13th, 2018 · Posted by Skuds in Music · No Comments · Music

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

I saw a comment in the music press this week by Alex Kapranos about the B-52’s album The B-52’s. He said:

Is there a debut LP that can match this one? I’ve not heard it. From another planet. Called Claire.

He does have a point. It was something that really stood out, and you could listen to it all the way through – nothing that you always skipped. It got me thinking about other debut LPs that really announced a new band in a big way, sometimes to the extent of overshadowing everything else at the time, but also everything that act did subsequently. Incidentally, Alex’s own Franz Ferdinand LP could be a contender for that. Here are a few of my own favourite debut LPs, in no particular order, except the the first one is the absolute best.

Gang of Four – Entertainment!

Nearly 40 years on and, for me, this is the debut LP against which all others are measured, and fall short. Not only has this nevr been matched by anybody else, but sadly it was never matched by Gang of Four either. That is not to say that I didn’t enjoy later albums a lot, but they never had quite the same impact as Entertainment! Every track is a classic and nearly every line is a potential political slogan. I still love the mixture of rock-solid bass and drums with completely psychotic vocals and guitar.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Dr. Feelgood – Down By The Jetty

As local legends in South-East Essex, this is a shoo-in anyway, but it really is  brilliant record. Only a couple of big hits on it, but just the essence of pub rock. I never saw the Feelgoods until after Wilko had left, they were still great, and Lee Brilleaux is one of the all-time great frontmen, but I still regret not seeing them in the early days because I was away at boarding school while this was happening on my doorstep at home.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Les Negresses Vertes – Mlah

I saw them on some late night TV show doing Zobi La Mouche and was blown away. I bought the album as soon as it came out and could sing it all the way through, even though I don’t undertand half the lyrics. It did teach me a few new French words though. I carried on buying all their stuff and saw them play in London a few times, which is a real experience. Sadly the singer, Helno, died after their second album and while they were still good, they wre not quite the same. This is where it all started.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

NWA – Straight Outta Compton

I’ll admit that I wasn’t that heavily into rap at the time, and missed this when it came out, but when I did catch up with it years later I spent a long time kicking myselft for missing out in 1988. Some people will focus on the violence, bad language, glorification of criminals and so on, but miss the point that it is also hilarious in places, with some of the most creative uses of swearing committed to vinyl.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Elastica – Elastica

When I first played this, I could not believe my ears. Absolutely every track could have been a single. If the Urban Dictionary wanted to define the phrase “all killer, no filler” it could just put a link to this album on Spotify. Who cares if it borrows heavily from the sound of Wire and the Stranglers?

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

The Specials – The Specials

1979 really was a good year for debut LPs wasn’t it? B-52’s, Gang of Four and this – plus the Slits, Adam and the Ants, Joy Division, Toyah, Gary Numan and DAF. A complete pleasure from beginning to end, and impossible to listen to sitting still. They had big hits and great songs after this, but never such a complete album.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Manu Chao – Clandestino

The first solo album after disbanding Mano Negra. I considered including their debut but, to be honest, their second album was so much better. Having enjoyed all the Mano Negra records and having seen them play in London, I was disappointed when they split up. There was talk of Manu Chao wandering South America with a tape recorder picking up souds to use in his solo album and the idea sounded terrible. But the reality was a fluid album, where you can’t always tell where one track ands and another starts and motifs are repeated across different songs. His concerts are very similar and he must be one of the most enjoyable live acts on the planet. This is the titel track and big anthem from that first solo LP.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

The Streets – Original Pirate Material

When I bought this I played it to death for weeks because it was just so fresh and hypnotic. I know that the second album probably did better and had some bigger hits on it, but for me, this is the best thing that Mike Skinner has ever done.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Ian Dury & the Blockheads – New Boots & Panties

Obviously. At school we played this to death. We just liked the songs. It was only later that I came to appreciate the amazing musicianship of the band, especially Normal Watt-Roy and Chaz Jankel. A complete classic.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Manic Street Preachers – Generation Terrorists

Another one of those debuts where you listen to it for the first time and everything just feels right. Somehow it simultaneously felt like a breathe of fresh air and completley new, but also familiar. Personally I think the Manics have grown and improved, but that doesn’t take anything away from just how good this was as a debut and how impressive it felt at the time.

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

So there you go, Alex Kapranos: ten debut LPs that I think can match the B-52’s. I’m not saying they are the best, just some that personally affected me. I could quite easily have had Do A Runner (Athletico Spizz 80), Upstairs at Eric’s (Yazoo), Rage Against The Machine, Hot Fuss (The Killers), Leftism (Leftfield), Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield), Please (Pet Shop Boys) or even Franz Ferdinand’s own debut.

Just as a bonus and a postscript, here is a track from one of the last debut LPs that got me excited: Inform-Educate-Entertain by Public Service Broadcasting

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Tags:

No Comments so far ↓

Like the collective mind of the Daily Mail, comments are closed.