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Name some of the best album openers


Caponata

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I see this thread has not gotten much traction. OP's qualification still intrigues me. 

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This is #1 all-time for me for a few reasons. 

Not only is it a phenomenal song, it both sets the album up perfectly and also sort of establishes a transition for an entire genre. @4th&Five provided another great example of that with "Smells like teen spirit" but ultimately I just think this is a better song that unlike "Smells like" no one ever really gets tired of hearing. 

Also - Nevermind as a record sort of goes downhill from the first track - while YHF kind of keeps you entranced from the beginning. 

Idk. Personally I think Nirvana is overrated. Sue me. Gun to my head "greatest album opener ever" and it's this.

Oh yeah - I think @oSuJeff97 is a big Wilco fan.

Edited by ztejas
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5 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Pretty great anthemic opening for a classic album.  And even though the song can get overplayed, hearing it live, decades later, can still produce a charge.

Totally iconic. That track will never get old. Hate that U2 somewhere along the line became a band that you had to justify liking for whatever reason. Let U2 be U2.  

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3 hours ago, South Austin said:

Pretty great anthemic opening for a classic album.  And even though the song can get overplayed, hearing it live, decades later, can still produce a charge.

Fuck yeah.

I picked up a 1987 pressing of The Joshua Tree at a record store a few years ago. Love putting in on and cranking it to 11 for this track. Soooo good.

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where the streets have no name, red rain, rhythm of the heat, smells like teen spirit, gimme shelter, everything in its right place, straight out of compton, immigrant song, what's going on, gimme all your lovin.

i'd pick streets.  great concert opener as well.

 

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11 minutes ago, sidis said:

where the streets have no name, red rain, rhythm of the heat, smells like teen spirit, gimme shelter, everything in its right place, straight out of compton, immigrant song, what's going on, gimme all your lovin.

i'd pick streets.  great concert opener as well.

 

I came here and couldn't believe that there were 24 posts and no mention of "Gimme Shelter".  It's arguably the greatest rock song of all time.

This is pretty cool, naked track kicks in around 2:17 (you can here Mick clear as day hooting in the back ground):

 

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36 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I came here and couldn't believe that there were 24 posts and no mention of "Gimme Shelter".  It's arguably the greatest rock song of all time.

This is pretty cool, naked track kicks in around 2:17 (you can here Mick clear as day hooting in the back ground):

 

Chills at 2:17

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7 hours ago, hullabelew said:

Never mind...I thought Surrender was on In Color....forgot it was on the second album.    

 

In Color *was* the second album.  Surrender kicked off their third studio album, Heaven Tonight.

When I saw the thread title, I immediately thought of Surrender along with Baba O'Riley and More Than A Feeling.  Others beat me to the punch on all three.

 

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10 hours ago, Carl Spackler said:

In Color *was* the second album.  Surrender kicked off their third studio album, Heaven Tonight.

When I saw the thread title, I immediately thought of Surrender along with Baba O'Riley and More Than A Feeling.  Others beat me to the punch on all three.

 

How have I lived this long and not realized this?  

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the list i gave above is unforgivably missing a couple...

"sympathy for the devil" on beggars banquet.  the please allow me to introduce myself lyric is so ideal.

"cult of personality" on vivid...which, the more i think about it, is the only one that may truly approach streets on joshua tree for me.  that was such an amazing way to start an album.  

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3 hours ago, sidis said:

"cult of personality" on vivid...which, the more i think about it, is the only one that may truly approach streets on joshua tree for me.  that was such an amazing way to start an album.  

And their only song anyone can remember. 

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