THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 • THE BULLETIN
GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 3
ALL THINGS MUSIC
bendbulletin.com/golisten
Music’s fab firsts and beyond
BY BRIAN MCELHINEY • For The Bulletin
Y
ou have your whole life to write your first album, and just months to write your second album. If you’re a musician or an astute music fan, you’ve probably
come across some variation of this statement before. And for many musicians, it’s painfully true. You start playing an instrument, you discover you can
make some pretty cool noise and you start refining that noise into actual songs.
If you’re lucky, your songs find an audi-
ence. If you’re really lucky, you get to record
those songs and release an album. If you’re
really, really lucky, you get to make another
album.
But that initial, wide-eyed period of dis-
covery can never be duplicated, and once
you’re in the album release-tour cycle, time
is not on your side. Many artists crumble
under the pressure, delivering a string of
mediocrity after an impressive debut.
Then there are artists who buck the
trend. (Imagine if The Beatles stopped after
“Please Please Me.”) They continue to hone
their sound, or evolve into something else
entirely. Sometimes that “something else
entirely” happens on album four, or album
five, and it isn’t until that moment that the
group or musician comes into their own.
The following list will examine some of
our (read: my) favorite examples of both of
these types of first albums. The first half is
dedicated to albums that got it right straight
out of the gate. The second half features
debuts that have been forgotten by time:
They either sound nothing like the artists’
best-known material, or they’re embryonic,
ryn Hill,” in 1998, and to date it remains her
only solo release.
pointing toward greatness to come.
EXHIBIT A: NO. 1 IS NO. 1
“Ramones,” Ramones
Punk rock’s clarion call, the 1976 debut
album from the New York City bruddahs
set the template for just about everything
the genre is known for: buzzsaw guitars,
revved-up tempos, disaffected commen-
tary on society (and some unfortunate,
tongue-in-cheek Nazi imagery that nev-
ertheless hasn’t aged all that well). While
the Ramones would go on to release many
more albums, the group never again hit the
heights of this half-hour blast of energy.
Also of note: The Sex Pistols’ 1977 debut
“Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex
Pistols” was so influential, the band never
followed it up (sure, that’s the reason).
“Illmatic,” Nas
New York rapper Nas is still regarded as
one of the genre’s best, and his 1994 debut
album “Illmatic” introduced the world to
his literate storytelling and impeccable mu-
sicianship (aided by producers such as DJ
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Premier and Q-Tip, and guests such as his
father, jazz musician Olu Dara). Since that
stunning debut, he’s continued to challenge
his audience with his live shows and stu-
dio records (including an “Illmatic” sequel,
2001’s “Stillmatic”), but this first volley re-
mains his best.
Also of note: Fugees’ frontwoman Lau-
ryn Hill released her game-changing debut
studio album, “The Miseducation of Lau-
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“Horses,” Patti Smith
Punk rock’s poet priestess Patti Smith
helped set the template for punk and alter-
native with 1975’s minimalist “Horses.” Over
simple yet aggressive garage rock progres-
sions, Smith snarls and spits sordid tales of
New York City’s underground. The album
almost single-handedly kicked off the art-
punk movement and influenced everyone
from R.E.M. to Hole.
Bonus: “Cracked Rear View,” Hootie &
the Blowfish
Did you know Hootie & the Blowfish re-
leased five more albums after its hit-filled
1994 debut album? Why would you? Just
“Let Her Cry.”
“The Cars,” The Cars
Along with Cheap Trick, Squeeze and
more, The Cars brought big guitars and
hooks to the emerging new wave scene of
the ’70s and ’80s. The quartet came fully
formed with 1978’s self-titled offering,
Continued on Page 5
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