KEXP counted down 100 of the Best Debut Albums of all time voted by you, the listeners, yesterday. And, I can’t believe I’m actually able to say that the number one record was not Nirvana’s Bleach or any “grunge” album for that matter. Arcade Fire’s Funeral took first place, just stealing the spot from Seattle’s own Pearl Jam and their album, Ten. I guess we’re slowly but surely ready to accept the fact that the 90s are over.
Here is the rest of what you voted for:
| Rank | Artist | Debut Album |
| 100 | The Verve | A Storm in Heaven |
| 99 | Jose Gonzalez | Veneer |
| 98 | Sugar | Copper Blue |
| 97 | The Dead Milkmen | Big Lizard in My Backyard |
| 96 | Oasis | Definitely Maybe |
| 95 | Spoon | Telephono |
| 94 | Coldplay | Parachutes |
| 93 | Catherine Wheel | Ferment |
| 92 | Iggy Pop | The Idiot |
| 91 | Wire | Pink Flag |
| 90 | The Cure | Three Imaginary Boys |
| 89 | Morrissey | Palomine |
| 88 | The The | Soul Mining |
| 87 | Brian Eno | Here Come the Warm Jets |
| 86 | Big Star | #1 Record |
| 85 | Doves | Lost Souls |
| 84 | The Stooges | The Stooges |
| 83 | New York Dolls | New York Dolls |
| 82 | Massive Attack | Blue Lines |
| 81 | Chemical Brothers | Exit Planet Dust |
| 80 | The Byrds | Mr Tambourine Man |
| 79 | Blondie | Blondie |
| 78 | A Tribe Called Quest | People’s Instinctive Travels |
| 77 | Murder City Devils | Murder City Devils |
| 76 | James Brown | Please, Please, Please |
| 75 | The B-52s | B-52s |
| 74 | Wu Tang Clan | Enter the Wu: 36 Chambers |
| 73 | Jesus and Mary Chain | Psychocandy |
| 72 | Black Flag | Damaged |
| 71 | Tom Waits | Closing Time |
| 70 | The Undertones | The Undertones |
| 69 | LCD Soundsystem | LCD Soundsystem |
| 68 | Rolling Stones | England’s Newest Hit Makers |
| 67 | PJ Harvey | Dry |
| 66 | Beastie Boys | Licenced To Ill |
| 65 | The La’s | The La’s |
| 64 | Jane’s Addiction | Janes’s Addiction |
| 63 | X | Los Angeles |
| 62 | Nine Inch Nails | Pretty Hate Machine |
| 61 | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan |
| 60 | Beck | Mellow Gold |
| 59 | Dead Kennedys | Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables |
| 58 | Public Enemy | Yo Bum Rush the Show |
| 57 | Elvis Presley | Elvis Presley |
| 56 | Eric B and Rakim | Paid in Full |
| 55 | Violent Femmes | Violent Femmes |
| 54 | Uncle Tupelo | No Depression |
| 53 | Postal Service | Give Up |
| 52 | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Fever To Tell |
| 51 | The Police | Outlando d’Amour |
| 50 | The Smiths | The Smiths |
| 49 | The Beatles | Please Please Me |
| 48 | Pretenders | Pretenders |
| 47 | Gang of Four | Entertainment |
| 46 | Smashing Pumpkins | Gish |
| 45 | The Shins | Oh, Inverted World |
| 44 | Ryan Adams | Heartbreaker |
| 43 | Talking Heads | Talking Heads: 77 |
| 42 | De La Soul | 3 Feet High & Rising |
| 41 | The Doors | The Doors |
| 40 | Leonard Cohen | Songs of Leonard Cohen |
| 39 | Nick Drake | Five Leaves Left |
| 38 | Beirut | Gulag Orkestar |
| 37 | The Jam | In The City |
| 36 | Elliott Smith | Elliott Smith |
| 35 | Clap Your Hands Say Yeah | Clap Your Hands Say Yeah |
| 34 | Devo | Are We Not Men... |
| 33 | Elvis Costello | My Aim Is True |
| 32 | Death Cab For Cutie | Something About Airplanes |
| 31 | Bob Marley and the Wailers | Catch a Fire |
| 30 | Arctic Monkeys | Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not |
| 29 | Bjork | Debut |
| 28 | DJ Shadow | Endtroducing |
| 27 | Portishead | Dummy |
| 26 | Strokes | Is this It |
| 25 | Patti Smith | Horses |
| 24 | Band of Horses | Everything All The Time |
| 23 | Ramones | Ramones |
| 22 | Television | Marquee Moon |
| 21 | Nirvana | Bleach |
| 20 | Sex Pistols | Nevermind the Bollocks: Here’s the Sex Pistols |
| 19 | Modest Mouse | This is a Long Drive... |
| 18 | Radiohead | Pablo Honey |
| 17 | Pixes | Come On Pilgrim |
| 16 | The Clash | The Clash |
| 15 | Jimi Hendrix | Are You Experienced? |
| 14 | The Velvet Underground | The Velvet Underground & Nico |
| 13 | Fleet Foxes | Fleet Foxes |
| 12 | Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend |
| 11 | Weezer | Weezer (The Blue Album) |
| 10 | U2 | Boy |
| 9 | Bon Iver | For Emma Forever Ago |
| 8 | Liz Phair | Exile in Guyville |
| 7 | Joy Division | Unknown Pleasures |
| 6 | REM | Murmur |
| 5 | Stone Roses | Stone Roses |
| 4 | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin |
| 3 | Jeff Buckley | Grace |
| 2 | Pearl Jam | Ten |
| 1 | Arcade Fire | Funeral |
Dead Kennedys “California Über Alles” from Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables live 1979:
Beirut “The Gulag Orkestar” from Gulag Orkestar at Bowery Ballroom 2007:
Pixies live “Vamos” from Come On Pilgrim:
Bon Iver live “Skinny Love” from For Emma, Forever Ago at SXSW 2009:
Arcade Fire “Rebellion” from Funeral:
6 Comments
Great list. I agree more with the content than the order, but there really is no perfect order. I think my #1 would be Led Zeppelin, followed by Clash, Ramones, Uncle Tupelo, Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes. I’d add Mission of Burma “Signals, Calls and Marches” (EP) or “Vs.” (LP)
One correction, you have Arcade Fire at #1 and #62. I’d put it closer to 62 myself.
The list has been updated to fix a few errors. Sorry, Jeff, but Arcade Fire landed at #1.
Looking at the list I discovered I have at least 20 of these albums. However, one debut must be mentioned, “Trailer Park” (1997) by Beth Orton. It is outstanding.
I really with Prince’s s/t were on there, but I have only myself to blame for not voting.
Um, wish.
OK, and now I find out that Prince is not his debut. But hey, Elliott Smith wasn’t Elliott Smith’s either, so whatever.