I'm not sure what my favorite would be, but for a debut album in which all the songs are strong from start to finish, I'm going to have to go with Tori Amos's "Little Earthquakes." On a more esoteric front, Michael Penn's "March" has long been a favorite album.
Okay, so with debuts out of the way, how about the best second album? For me, it would be a tie between Elvis Costello's "This Year's Model" (WAY better than his spotty debut) and R.E.M.'s "Reckoning." Oh, and for the record, pun intended, "With the Beatles" is stronger than "Please Please Me" (though the often punk-like sound of that first album is fantastic).
Best 2nd album? "One Fierce Beer Coaster" by the Bloodhound Gang. "Shut Up" was my anthem for decades, until I found Hollywood Undead's "Party By Myself".
Ah, so so many great 2nd albums. So many of my favorite albums from my formative years in the 70’s were from bands that found their groove a few albums in. Great choices!
As for the 1970s, I just thought of another great second album: "Sheet Music" by 10cc. Oh, and then there's "Queen II." By the way, if you will indulge me, I'm apparently in the minority in saying Queen went downhill after "A Day at the Races." I know that "News of the World" was a big hit (with the obnoxious 'We Will Rock You'), but I think it's a lousy LP. The best thing Freddie Mercury did before he got all full himself was Side Black of "Queen II". Thus endeth a rant you never asked for.
I wore out Queen II when I got in my "Queen" phase. Somehow I missed the whole Bohemian Rhapsody thing when I was in high school, and a friend let me borrow his "Greatest Hits" tape. I had heard about half the songs and never realized they were from the same band. I was hooked. It was right around the time Highlander came out, so I bought A Kind of Magic (OK, I just had to put on Gimme the Prize right now as I'm writing this), and started collecting the back catalog. When I got to Queen II, hooo boy. One of my most prized possessions in college was a bootleg I picked up in Kenmore Square in Boston around 1987 that had them playing a whole bunch of those songs live. Over the years, I've listened to the remasters and have enjoyed hearing all the little pieces that poke out from the mix that were previously buried, but I think I still prefer the muddy wall of sound of the original, Roy Thomas Baker drum sounds and all lol. That said, I'll buy the inevitable Queen II AI-enhanced release just out of curiosity. I wasn't too happy they pitch-corrected Freddie on "The Night Comes Down," but what can you do?
Great 2nd albums! 👍 I wasn’t a huge Queen fan back in the day, though I’ve come to appreciate the breadth and brilliance of much of their work later in life. So, I honestly don’t know which of their hits were on which albums! 🤷♀️
Gonna go with Tracy Chapman (self titled). It was meaningful because the songs really spoke to where I was in that moment. I bought it for my girlfriend when our relationship was rocky. The song For You literally saved our relationship.
This is a beautiful album and an excellent choice. I came to love this album later in life but it reminds me of my uni years as someone in the ground floor flat in our block used to play it very loudly. It sounds annoying but I remember it very affectionately.
August and Everything After by Counting Crows. This was the soundtrack to my late teens and early twenties. Every single song on that album has memories and/or resonance for me.
I think that even after listening to it a hundred times, no song written to this day can match the joy I feel during the last two minutes of 'Hitch a Ride.' Those guitar bits are just magic.
Boston. Brad Delp's voice, Sib Hashian's drums, and Tom Scholz on every other instrument. As was said at the time, they saved American popular music from disco. (Don't flame me, I like disco, too!)
Black Flag’s, Damaged LP. I was ten years old and the album belonged to my best friend’s dad. We listened to it on her portable “stereo” and sat in awe. I have that album in my vinyl collection and play it frequently.
My pick would be “Is This It” by The Strokes. The album has a ton of great songs including “The Modern Age”, “Soma”, “Last Nite”, and “Someday” which I remember being one of my favourite songs on the MLB 2K7 soundtrack. Julian Casablancas has such a unique voice and this album has some of the best songs that make great use of it with a fun punk rock vibe.
Phil Collin's solo debut Face Value was a marked difference from the work he'd done up to that point with Genesis. It's an audacious and quirky album that digs into the personal shadows of the artist, ones that were discernible on Genesis tracks but never got full exposure. Of course, "In the Air Tonight" gets all the attention, and well it should. A magnificent opening song that still holds up to this day. But other off-beat tracks defy easy genres like "The Roof Is Leaking" and "Droned" while "I Missed Again" and "I'm Not Moving" give us a taste of the upbeat ballads that would come characterize his later albums, while influencing the sounds of Genesis, too. The older I get, and the more I revisit Collins, the more I realize he is one of the greatest music artists of the modern era.
I'm cheating, going to do a "past music life" one and a "new music life" (well, newer) one.
1) Big Country - The Crossing. Forgive me for the background here, but I am well aware Big Country was a "one hit wonder" in the US, and were forever labeled here as "that new-wave band from the '80s with the bagpipe guitar sound." They were so much more than that. Stuart Adamson was a charismatic frontman, exceptional lead guitarist, and dynamic songwriter who knew how to write everything from killer pop songs to scathing diatribes on the predatory nature of capitalism, to powerful hard rock kickers. The band's rhythm guitarist was just as accomplished, and I loved how he would intertwine his playing with Stuart's to create dramatic tapestries of sound. Big Country's drummer and bassist were respected among their peers as two of the best in the biz. But the album - I remember getting it as part of a Columbia House pack back in the summer after junior high. We lived in the country, a mile from our nearest neighbor, and were pretty isolated. Here comes this album that begins with the big hit, but then launches into these atmospheric AOR tracks with guitar sounds a kid who had grown up on AM pop radio had never heard before, taking me to distant worlds across the pond. Behind the music, the lyrics spoke of the dehumanization of war, "Fields of Fire," "The Storm," and the "Lost Patrol." It was all so mysterious and dark, and I loved every second of it - just drank it all up. And then there were the pictures that were included on the record jacket - ink drawings of those soldiers, one telling the other, "we're the only ones left," another of a man by the sea trying to shield himself from a rockfall, and still another of a moonlit shore with a lighthouse off in the distance. It was the whole mesmerizing package that took me somewhere far away across its fifty minutes or so of running time. If you aren't familiar with anything else by them, they're top of form here: https://youtu.be/AyhfLeoqmp8
2) Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. Twelve years after The Crossing, this was another album that brought me on a similar journey. If you haven't heard this one, I urge you to seek it out. It's a kind of experimental album, but pretty accessible - clear guitars, distorted guitars, soft rock tracks linked by sound effects and tape loops to harder edged tracks... The summer after it came out I was dating a girl who loved the beach, so we'd go lay in the sun and I'd put this on the headphones and just get lost time after time as the warm breeze and smell of salt water wafted over me.
That's probably way too many words, but I loved this question, and these albums! Cheers!
I’d say The Cult’s Love (technically I think they had an EP prior to it). To me, it’s unlike anything prior or since and brings back a flood of great memories.
I'm not sure what my favorite would be, but for a debut album in which all the songs are strong from start to finish, I'm going to have to go with Tori Amos's "Little Earthquakes." On a more esoteric front, Michael Penn's "March" has long been a favorite album.
Okay, so with debuts out of the way, how about the best second album? For me, it would be a tie between Elvis Costello's "This Year's Model" (WAY better than his spotty debut) and R.E.M.'s "Reckoning." Oh, and for the record, pun intended, "With the Beatles" is stronger than "Please Please Me" (though the often punk-like sound of that first album is fantastic).
I can’t really fault any of REM’s IRS records. One of the best bands to have ever existed imo!
Best 2nd album? "One Fierce Beer Coaster" by the Bloodhound Gang. "Shut Up" was my anthem for decades, until I found Hollywood Undead's "Party By Myself".
Ah, so so many great 2nd albums. So many of my favorite albums from my formative years in the 70’s were from bands that found their groove a few albums in. Great choices!
As for the 1970s, I just thought of another great second album: "Sheet Music" by 10cc. Oh, and then there's "Queen II." By the way, if you will indulge me, I'm apparently in the minority in saying Queen went downhill after "A Day at the Races." I know that "News of the World" was a big hit (with the obnoxious 'We Will Rock You'), but I think it's a lousy LP. The best thing Freddie Mercury did before he got all full himself was Side Black of "Queen II". Thus endeth a rant you never asked for.
I wore out Queen II when I got in my "Queen" phase. Somehow I missed the whole Bohemian Rhapsody thing when I was in high school, and a friend let me borrow his "Greatest Hits" tape. I had heard about half the songs and never realized they were from the same band. I was hooked. It was right around the time Highlander came out, so I bought A Kind of Magic (OK, I just had to put on Gimme the Prize right now as I'm writing this), and started collecting the back catalog. When I got to Queen II, hooo boy. One of my most prized possessions in college was a bootleg I picked up in Kenmore Square in Boston around 1987 that had them playing a whole bunch of those songs live. Over the years, I've listened to the remasters and have enjoyed hearing all the little pieces that poke out from the mix that were previously buried, but I think I still prefer the muddy wall of sound of the original, Roy Thomas Baker drum sounds and all lol. That said, I'll buy the inevitable Queen II AI-enhanced release just out of curiosity. I wasn't too happy they pitch-corrected Freddie on "The Night Comes Down," but what can you do?
Great 2nd albums! 👍 I wasn’t a huge Queen fan back in the day, though I’ve come to appreciate the breadth and brilliance of much of their work later in life. So, I honestly don’t know which of their hits were on which albums! 🤷♀️
Gonna go with Tracy Chapman (self titled). It was meaningful because the songs really spoke to where I was in that moment. I bought it for my girlfriend when our relationship was rocky. The song For You literally saved our relationship.
This is a beautiful album and an excellent choice. I came to love this album later in life but it reminds me of my uni years as someone in the ground floor flat in our block used to play it very loudly. It sounds annoying but I remember it very affectionately.
August and Everything After by Counting Crows. This was the soundtrack to my late teens and early twenties. Every single song on that album has memories and/or resonance for me.
It was honestly a choice between that one and “Boston” by Boston. Those two were amazing and blared throughout my college dorm.
I think that even after listening to it a hundred times, no song written to this day can match the joy I feel during the last two minutes of 'Hitch a Ride.' Those guitar bits are just magic.
"Can't Buy A Thrill" (Steely Dan).
Boston. Brad Delp's voice, Sib Hashian's drums, and Tom Scholz on every other instrument. As was said at the time, they saved American popular music from disco. (Don't flame me, I like disco, too!)
There are plenty of awesome new indie bands that lean into disco. There's no shame there, bruh!
Black Flag’s, Damaged LP. I was ten years old and the album belonged to my best friend’s dad. We listened to it on her portable “stereo” and sat in awe. I have that album in my vinyl collection and play it frequently.
My pick would be “Is This It” by The Strokes. The album has a ton of great songs including “The Modern Age”, “Soma”, “Last Nite”, and “Someday” which I remember being one of my favourite songs on the MLB 2K7 soundtrack. Julian Casablancas has such a unique voice and this album has some of the best songs that make great use of it with a fun punk rock vibe.
This is a strong contender!
this is a tough one but I'm going to say Led Zeppelin/Led Zeppelin. it's a good one for just zoning out.
Phil Collin's solo debut Face Value was a marked difference from the work he'd done up to that point with Genesis. It's an audacious and quirky album that digs into the personal shadows of the artist, ones that were discernible on Genesis tracks but never got full exposure. Of course, "In the Air Tonight" gets all the attention, and well it should. A magnificent opening song that still holds up to this day. But other off-beat tracks defy easy genres like "The Roof Is Leaking" and "Droned" while "I Missed Again" and "I'm Not Moving" give us a taste of the upbeat ballads that would come characterize his later albums, while influencing the sounds of Genesis, too. The older I get, and the more I revisit Collins, the more I realize he is one of the greatest music artists of the modern era.
That's funny. Phil was just radio pop to me, but I loved Peter Gabriel's debut. "In Your Eyes" is one of my two favorite love songs.
Too many to list them all. Here are a few I still listen to on repeat. Each trailblazing artist broke new ground with their freshman release.
Mary J. Blige - What's the 411?
Norah Jones - Come Away with Me
Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
D'Angelo - Brown Sugar
Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full
Top live albums is another worthy list. Here are a couple of my faves.
Donny Hathaway - Live
D'Angelo - Live at the Jazz Cafe in London
Barenaked Ladies - Gordon
This album had everything, in one package. I could write an essay, but might just save it for my own Substack.
Fantastic choice. I love The Barenaked Ladies.
…and none of their subsequent albums really sounded like this one! Though, I pretty much like everything until the Are Me/Men albums.
I'm cheating, going to do a "past music life" one and a "new music life" (well, newer) one.
1) Big Country - The Crossing. Forgive me for the background here, but I am well aware Big Country was a "one hit wonder" in the US, and were forever labeled here as "that new-wave band from the '80s with the bagpipe guitar sound." They were so much more than that. Stuart Adamson was a charismatic frontman, exceptional lead guitarist, and dynamic songwriter who knew how to write everything from killer pop songs to scathing diatribes on the predatory nature of capitalism, to powerful hard rock kickers. The band's rhythm guitarist was just as accomplished, and I loved how he would intertwine his playing with Stuart's to create dramatic tapestries of sound. Big Country's drummer and bassist were respected among their peers as two of the best in the biz. But the album - I remember getting it as part of a Columbia House pack back in the summer after junior high. We lived in the country, a mile from our nearest neighbor, and were pretty isolated. Here comes this album that begins with the big hit, but then launches into these atmospheric AOR tracks with guitar sounds a kid who had grown up on AM pop radio had never heard before, taking me to distant worlds across the pond. Behind the music, the lyrics spoke of the dehumanization of war, "Fields of Fire," "The Storm," and the "Lost Patrol." It was all so mysterious and dark, and I loved every second of it - just drank it all up. And then there were the pictures that were included on the record jacket - ink drawings of those soldiers, one telling the other, "we're the only ones left," another of a man by the sea trying to shield himself from a rockfall, and still another of a moonlit shore with a lighthouse off in the distance. It was the whole mesmerizing package that took me somewhere far away across its fifty minutes or so of running time. If you aren't familiar with anything else by them, they're top of form here: https://youtu.be/AyhfLeoqmp8
2) Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. Twelve years after The Crossing, this was another album that brought me on a similar journey. If you haven't heard this one, I urge you to seek it out. It's a kind of experimental album, but pretty accessible - clear guitars, distorted guitars, soft rock tracks linked by sound effects and tape loops to harder edged tracks... The summer after it came out I was dating a girl who loved the beach, so we'd go lay in the sun and I'd put this on the headphones and just get lost time after time as the warm breeze and smell of salt water wafted over me.
That's probably way too many words, but I loved this question, and these albums! Cheers!
The Stone Roses, self-titled
I’d say The Cult’s Love (technically I think they had an EP prior to it). To me, it’s unlike anything prior or since and brings back a flood of great memories.
The Go-Betweens 'Before Hollywood'. Unrequited love.