What is the best-selling debut album of all time?
The success of a debut album could be both the best and worst thing to ever happen to a band. Even if the record is good, it often comes with expectations as to what the next phase of the group’s career should sound like, becoming an albatross around their neck until they release the next album. While most artists might be chasing after the success of their debut, it usually comes down to how well they did it the first time.
While many may not have known who these artists were, the debut announced them to the world in full force from the first moment it started. As opposed to artists who spend time in the studio desperately trying to find something that works, these artists could take everything that made their sound great and put an extra bit of magic onto the vinyl.
Even though some artists’ first outings don’t often get noticed until well after they established themselves, the most celebrated debuts come from artists who have already spent years working on the craft, only needing to go into the studio and translate it onto the tape. While there have been many successful debuts across every genre, there is only one that can claim to be the best introduction that any artist has ever made.
Taking the basics of their genre and turning them into magic, one band could stand out independent from the scene that birthed them and turn in some of the greatest anthems that rock has ever known. It may have been a hard struggle to reach the top, but rock would never be the same once they heard this.
What is a debut album?
Every artist has to deal with being a little wet behind the ears at the start of their career. No one gets famous overnight, and usually, musicians have to spend years on the circuit before getting a proper recording contract. Once they pass that threshold, the pressure to deliver something amazing starts to creep in.
The debut album marks the first time most people hear these artists, being their first major breakthrough into the mainstream. Although many artists might still be trying to make the best with what they have, many artists have turned their debuts into the most celebrated works of their career, from Black Sabbath’s self-titled first album to Oasis kicking the door down for Britpop with the release of the album Definitely Maybe.
What is the best-selling album of all time?
While any artist may want to try their hand at getting famous, the sustainability of their careers normally comes down to album sales. As much as artists might be willing to play music for free, the ones looking to build their legacy are looking at how much people are willing to fork over to listen to their music. Although many debuts have been able to make a mint off various compilations, Michael Jackson has been the prouder owner of the best-selling album of all time for years.
Blending the sounds of disco with the modern sounds of pop, Thriller would become ‘The King of Pop’s magnum opus, with nearly the entire tracklist ending up on the charts. After becoming the biggest-selling album of the 1980s, it would eventually build until it became the best-selling album of all time at 70 million copies sold. In the age of streaming dominating the conversation outside of record sales, there’s a good chance that accolade will remain for a few more years to come.
What is the best-selling debut album of all time?
Even though Jackson may have dominated the charts in his time, the Los Angeles rock scene gave fans a polished look at hard rock. In the wake of bands like Poison dominating MTV, Guns N’ Roses would arrive as a breath of fresh air, assuming the role of a rock and roll gang looking to take no prisoners whenever they played. Although the band spent years trying to get lightning to strike, Appetite for Destruction marked when everything blew up.
Thanks to help from MTV, the album worked its way up the charts and became an omnipresent piece of rock and roll history, featuring songs that would become anthems like ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. The album wouldn’t lose any momentum in the years since, earning the accolade of the most profitable debut with 22 million copies sold.
Although the band may have had the rock world in their hands, their self-destruction would get the better on the album Use Your Illusion, featuring overblown production and a disjointed sonic approach to their usual sound. Despite being too big to be topped, Appetite for Destruction marked a sea change in rock music, moving away from the glam-rock pretty boys in favour of something more authentic.
