apr 14
2008
20 Debuts
Onion A/V: 20 respectable rock and rap acts that peaked with debut albums.
10 comments
They don't seem to understand that everything by John Prine is good and everything by Boston suck. It's not like there's comparatively good Boston.
posted by Kurtis at 7:49 PM on April 14, 2008 
You sound like a Hipster Douchebag.
posted by Doghouse at 10:03 PM on April 14, 2008
At first i thought this was a pretty interesting article. But the more i thought about it, the more flaws i saw in it. For one, where the hell are the Stone Roses? Secondly, what are the criteria to be included in this list? Are there a certain number of albums you have to release? I thought maybe it was more than three and that's why DJ Shadow wasn't on there but then i saw Biggie and he released only two proper albums. Finally, a lot of these people are still releasing music. Who's to say the won't put out something better than their debut? Sure, it's pretty unlikely for 50, and probably even for the Strokes, but i actually like Graduation better than The College Dropout and i think Kanye could drop something even better. Then again, maybe i'm thinking too much about this.
posted by bg5000 at 10:39 PM on April 14, 2008
Yeah, obvious ones I thought of: Sex Pistol, Stone Roses, GNR, The Ramones, The Stooges, and New York Dolls.
posted by Rex at 10:50 PM on April 14, 2008
Doghouse, nobody would ever accuse me of being a *hipster*.
I think Rex is more on target with his list -- not sure it's fair to include the Sex Pistols, since they never had a proper second album, but maybe that makes them the best example.
I'll add the Bo Deans, Counting Crows, and Son Volt to the discussion.
posted by Kurtis at 8:04 AM on April 15, 2008
Counting Crows? You're right, no one will ever call you a hipster.
posted by Rex at 10:04 AM on April 15, 2008
No argument here. But come on -- anything produced by T Bone Burnett can't be that uncool.
posted by Kurtis at 11:35 AM on April 15, 2008
Yeah, kottke linked to this list, and I thought... what bullshit.
An infinite number of bands have a first album that far surpasses anything they've done subsequently. The question is, do you want the best first album or the biggest disparity. But even then it's not interesting.
Adding to the confusion is the inclusion of hip-hop, where a first album that far exceeds anything subsequent is the rarely-broken rule.
Adding still further to the mess is the fact that at least one band on the list has released albums better then their first one.
not to say "fail," but...
posted by alesh at 11:40 AM on April 15, 2008
Agree that Stone Roses should be on here...perhaps as #1, and definitely ahead of Supergrass. Looking back, GNR certainly should be here. But The Stooges don't belong here...Fun House was there 2nd and best release.
posted by grote at 4:34 PM on April 15, 2008
Weezer. That first album is one of my few Perfect Albums. It was all downhill from there, though.
Pinkerton was a definite letdown, but you could appreciate it in a different way after a while in a much smaller way.
The second eponymous release was sort of an attempt at a return to form, but was a pale ghost.
I know a lot of people that liked Maladroit, but I thought it was horrible.
Didn't even bother with the last one.
Sad this was to me. Watching Star Wars I am.
posted by Eric at 10:32 PM on April 15, 2008
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