10 bands who peaked with their debut album
They say that the debut album is the hardest one, and it makes sense why. The Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, Charli XCX, regardless of what era of superstar you are looking at, when it comes to first impressions, nobody gets a do-over. The debut is a window into your creative soul; it lets people know who you are and what you stand for. As such, the debut album is one of the most important pieces of music an artist will ever make, and it shows.
It shows in the fact that a huge number of artists, once they released their debut album, were never able to top it. They could have released ten more records, but they have never been able to recapture the infectious nature of that album that came before.
Many people might read this title and see this list as one of critique. It’s not. It’s absolutely fine that some bands have never been able to top their debut, as a lot of the time, when they can’t go further than that, it’s because they started a whole new movement with the music they made. That’s more than just sound; it’s a moment in time, it’s culture, and that can’t land in the same way on the second and third record.
The main people who get frustrated when they can’t top their debut are the bands themselves. Their mindset changes, their creative taste evolves, and yet people just want to hear the hits; this must be annoying, but the tortured genius persists with their work, even if, for many, that persistence is in vain.
The bands who could never top their debut albums:
The Strokes – Is This It
Before you get all irate, their inclusion on this list doesn’t infer that the rest of The Strokes’ music is bad; it just means that it isn’t quite as good as their first record, and regardless of how big a fan you are, and how committed you are to their discography, it’s impossible to argue against that fact. This is in terms of sound but also because of the significant impact that the record had.
In the late 1990s / early 2000s, New York, the city so used to being at the forefront of music and culture, found itself bored out of its mind. It seemed that original ideas were sparse, and the people pedalling anything remotely noteworthy were dull. In walked The Strokes, hair long, leather jackets, and guitars raised above their heads. With the release of their debut album, they didn’t just make a good piece of music; they made musical history as indie sleaze was born.
Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction
When rock music was all hair and no substance, some bands clawed through the recesses of a fading genre and created something new and exciting. Guns N’ Roses was one of these bands. They burst onto the scene and delivered songs that were some of the most original pieces of music that people had ever heard.
The album is only for a select group of people; if you don’t like distorted guitar, heavy riffs, killer solos and screeching vocals, then you’re not going to like this record. However, if you are a fan of the aforementioned, there is no better album where these different qualities are on display than Appetite For Destruction. After this record, the band became more experimental with song structure and recording techniques, and while they made some good tracks, nothing could touch the debut.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath is another band we can directly point out as an outfit that helped change musical history. Heavy metal would not exist in its current form were it not for Ozzy Osbourne and Co. While the band has made plenty of music since its debut, and a lot of it has been excellent, the magic that captured the hearts of the world is embedded in that record, and it’s something that cannot be replicated.
Black Sabbath were more than just some people making music. They came from a working-class background, growing up in post-war Britain, spending their days on factory floors so they could spend their nights in pubs. Their frustration at the hopelessness of their lives inspired that heavy, gritty sound and the speed at which the debut was recorded meant every aspect of the band was captured. This is Black Sabbath at their most authentic, and it was their authenticity that made them so beautiful.
Oasis – Definitely, Maybe
When Oasis announced that they were getting back together, the nation rejoiced in celebrating the return of an excellent band that means so much to many. Once the dust had settled and tickets were bought, another thought popped into fans’ minds: “I hope they just play the hits.”
Even the most cynical music lovers couldn’t deny the power of the band’s debut record. It’s a hollow person who hears tracks such as ‘Live Forever’, ‘Supersonic’ and ‘Slide Away’ and doesn’t singalong. They are, in a word, perfect. And while Oasis made other good songs outside this album, the quality dipped and dipped, which seemed to be a trend that continued into the brother’s solo careers.
Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
There are many people out there who have this album etched into a very specific corner of their hearts. It’s the same corner that is reserved for first cigarettes, loves, and drinks. It is the soundtrack to the dirty dancefloor, equipped with bouncing instrumentation, excellent lyricism, and choruses so catchy they could outlive memory itself.
Franz Ferdinand is one of many indie bands from this period who were unable to recapture the magic that came laced throughout their debut. During this period, there was something in the air which meant that the music being made was hard to turn away from; it filled every bar and club, and the world was opening up for the first time. Is that what nostalgia is?
Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine
The fact that Rage Against the Machine’s debut album is their best doesn’t show signs of a lack of creativity; it shows the opposite. The band were absolute pioneers, both in the way that they used rap-rock to convey a political message and the chaotic instrumentation that accompanied every one of their tracks.
Predictably, when Rage Against the Machine started making headlines with their self-titled debut, it meant that a lot of other bands started copying their style. Because of the popularisation of the music that was once unique to them, Rage Against the Machine decided to try a number of different creative directions, many of which were fantastic, but none of which hit quite as hard as the first record.
Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill
How do you even begin to describe an album like Licensed to Ill? The cover alone has become the stuff of legend, as the end of the plane can be seen on record displays worldwide, the sign of a real music lover who remembers a period when fun and silliness were enough to be a hit.
Beastie Boys are a trio who seem to defy time. Even today, with how much rap music has progressed, it’s hard to listen to this album and not have it put a smile on your face. It was the first ever rap album to top the Billboard 200 chart, and for very good reason.
Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
If someone is ever struggling to understand hip-hop or wrap their head around what it is about rap music that appeals to so many, they should listen to 36 Chambers. With their debut, Wu-Tang Clan showed the possibilities of rap music; it wasn’t just a musical genre; it was its very own universe, and this record was the sun that the planets orbited around.
Lyrical excellence was on display; sure, you’re listening to an album with Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Ghostface Killah; of course, lyrical excellence was on display. But they weren’t just rapping; they created their own world, which had its own rules, used slang that didn’t previously exist, and where they were black belts in kung fu. The group has continued making great music as a unit and in solo careers, but 36 Chambers is one of the best rap albums ever. That’s hard to beat.
Boston – Boston
The story behind Boston’s first album always raises eyebrows, as, despite its large and stadium-ready quality, it was recorded by one man in his basement. Tom Scholz was a genius, both in music and technology. He was so good that he could make his own effects pedals that could deliver the heavy sound of packed arenas despite the fact that the recording was done alone.
This sound is on display on the band’s first album. While it might sound great, creating the technology necessary and crafting an album like this takes time, something Scholz had for the debut record but not for those which followed. Boston was never able to recapture the magic of their first album as things were rushed and imperfect, but that debut still rocks.
The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
The Vaccines are probably one of the most successful bands to emerge from the indie boom of the 2010s. Despite many of their fellow musical outfits falling off or starting to make rubbish, The Vaccines have stayed consistent, releasing decent music and always putting on a great gig.
That said, while they are still doing well, nothing touches the beauty of their first album. They managed to make a record that was slow and fast, one that had you dancing one minute and confessing your love to a bottled-up crush the next. What did I expect from The Vaccines? Certainly not this.
