One writer's list of 33 Essential debut albums

[smark21]

http://www.sfgate.com/music/article/33-essential-debut-albums-5315952.php#page-1

What would you put on your list of Essential Debut albums?

[daviddesper]

Obviously a rock fan. Even so, how could Whitney Houston"s debut be left off any list of Best Ever Debut albums since nearly every song had hit potential?

[smark21]

Obviously a rock fan. Even so, how could Whitney Houston"s debut be left off any list of Best Ever Debut albums since nearly every song had hit potential?

Hit potential yes, but a lot of the songs on her debut were very schmaltzy and/or cheesy and/ or unhip middle of the road.

[mr_june]

I hate list cause they are to specific to that person taste and not everyone can agree on who should or should not make the list.

[Ngroove]

Mostly an R&B listener, here's ten of my subjectively favorite "first albums", no particular order except No.1:
10. Howard Johnson, "Keepin' Love New", 1982
9. Johnny Gill "Johnny Gill", 1983
8. Irene Cara "Anyone Can See", 1982
7. Toni Braxton "Toni Braxton", 1993
6. Al B. Sure! "In Effect Mode", 1988
5. 5 Star "Luxury Of Life", 1985
4. Mary J Blige "What's The 411?, 1992
3. Mariah Carey "Mariah Carey", 1990
2. Paula Abdul "Forever Your Girl", 1988
1. Rainy Davis "Sweetheart", 1987

[tsull1]

While I'm a soul/funk fan first, I also like rock and this reviewer couldn't even get that right.

He leans toward the obscure and leaves out one of the greatest debut albums of all time by the group Boston. That album rocked people's world when it came out, the heavy guitars, tremendous singing by Brad Delp, and deep production. I mean, wow, he left out Boston's debut album? Amazing. Whether one likes Boston or not, how can he dismiss the impact of that album? It sold zillions.

[soulster]

Yawn. The same-'ol, same 'ol...aging rockcentric farts naming the same, tired stuff. not that I don't agree with some of his picks, it's that no one ever remembers the soul. T

To be fair, many great albums by R&B artists are their sophomore efforts, or come much later in their careers.

For R&B, my list would include:
Parliament - Osmium
Terrence Trent D'Arby - The Hardline According To Terrence Trent D'Arby
S.O.S. Band - S.O.S.
Whitney Houston S/T
Mariah Carey S/T
Slave - S/T
Rick James - Come Get It
Change - S/T

[soulster]

While I'm a soul/funk fan first, I also like rock and this reviewer couldn't even get that right.

He leans toward the obscure and leaves out one of the greatest debut albums of all time by the group Boston. That album rocked people's world when it came out, the heavy guitars, tremendous singing by Brad Delp, and deep production. I mean, wow, he left out Boston's debut album? Amazing. Whether one likes Boston or not, how can he dismiss the impact of that album? It sold zillions.

Hell yeah! I love rock, and I love Boston's first album.

[daddyacey]

WE HERE.........while knee deep into R&B/FUNK/SOUL as a foundation tend to be be multi-genre listeners. But actually ,there are two kinds of "essential debut" catagories IMO. Artistic and Commercial. Commercial is when an artist or group comes out with a project that sells a shizit load of albums ,that is based on a formula that was introduced by other artists ,but refined and aided by promotion. We just touched on this in some recent threads. For example........ An " ESSENTIAL" debut may have "HITS" or not have "HITS". "ESSENTIAL" is go from the jump street. Timeless, unique from the start. CHANGE for example ,MALVASI /PETRUS and some FUNKY ass ITALIAN musicians playing BLACK AMERICAN music based on MOTOWN and PHILLY GROOVES. UNIQUE.
STONEY BROWDER, DARNEL and company ,DR. BUZZARD . UNIQUE

Parliament - Osmium
Terrence Trent D'Arby - The Hardline According To Terrence Trent D'Arby
S.O.S. Band - S.O.S.
Slave - S/T
Rick James - Come Get It
Change - S/T
I can agree with cause those projects set a new level.
I'll add SLY and FAM A Whole New Thing
PRINCE #1
SANTANA #1
CHICAGO #1
HENDRIX ARE YOU EXPERIENCED
GRAND FUNK ON TIME
OHIO PLAYERS PAIN
MINNIE RIPPERTON COME TO MY GARDEN
SADE #1
RUFUS #1
DENISE WILLIAMS #1
LED ZEP #1
FUNKADELIC #1
and i could name could name a lot more ,some had hits and some didn't.

MARIAH ,WHITNEY are excellent singers that could sing the hell out of the phone book.

"To be fair, many great albums by R&B artists are their sophomore efforts, or come much later in their careers."

"To be fair , that trend of thought does not show or credit how an artist has developed his craft. That's why LUTHER buried his previous 2 excellent COTILLION albums so that they could not be reissued. They are good albums. Marvin didn't start with W.G.O. OSBORNE's L.T.D. work was some of his best. T.P. was H.M. and the BLUE NOTES rock. MAYFIELD spent years with the IMPRESSIONS ,SMOKEY.......... Those artists changed the world before "solo" debut albums and all those previous and sophmore albums are actually ESSENTIAL listening. Truth be told , a lot of people don't realize that they have come late to the party.

[smark21]

Didn't Aretha Franklin have albums on Columbia before she recorded her first for Atlantic?

[imnokid]

The first Zepelin album is a desert island disc for me.

[manny]

As a SYMPHONIC MUSIC lover as I am [[symphonic soul, symphonic fusion, symphonic rock...)
I'm surprised by the fact that despite the taste of the author of this list is ROCK he don't made mention of the iconic "TUBULAR BELLS", the first album by Mike Oldfield!... or the first album by Osibisa that established "the afro-rock" paradigm.

About Soul, fusion, etc. I think in some ones big first albums [[commercially and / or artistically):

- Incognito: "Jazz - Funk"
- Jones Girls: selftitled [[I think, previously they recorded only singles)
- Dexter Wansel: "Life On Mars"
- The Futures: "Castles In The Sky" [[I think they recorded only singles previously)
- The Salsoul Orchestra: selftitled
- The Floaters: selftitled
- Rufus feat. Chaka Khan: selftitled
- Frederc Knight: "I've Been Lonely For So Long"
- Delfonics: "La-la Means [[I Love You)"
- Stylistics: selftitled
- Blue Magic: self titled
- Dramatics: "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" [[I don't know if they recorded some album previously as "The Dynamics"?)
- Defunkt: self titled
- Double Exposure: "Ten Percent"
- People's Choice: "Boogie Down USA"

Cheers to all

[daddyacey]

Malo
The Blackbyrds
Michael Henderson
Bobbi Humphries
Roberta Flack
Black Ivory
Angela Bofill
Brainstorm
Syreeta
Gwen Guthrie
D'Angelo
Jackson 5
Noel Pointer
Maxwell
Solo

[soulster]

WE HERE.........while knee deep into R&B/FUNK/SOUL as a foundation tend to be be multi-genre listeners. But actually ,there are two kinds of "essential debut" catagories IMO. Artistic and Commercial. Commercial is when an artist or group comes out with a project that sells a shizit load of albums ,that is based on a formula that was introduced by other artists ,but refined and aided by promotion. We just touched on this in some recent threads. For example........ An " ESSENTIAL" debut may have "HITS" or not have "HITS". "ESSENTIAL" is go from the jump street. Timeless, unique from the start. CHANGE for example ,MALVASI /PETRUS and some FUNKY ass ITALIAN musicians playing BLACK AMERICAN music based on MOTOWN and PHILLY GROOVES. UNIQUE.
STONEY BROWDER, DARNEL and company ,DR. BUZZARD . UNIQUE

Parliament - Osmium
Terrence Trent D'Arby - The Hardline According To Terrence Trent D'Arby
S.O.S. Band - S.O.S.
Slave - S/T
Rick James - Come Get It
Change - S/T
I can agree with cause those projects set a new level.
I'll add SLY and FAM A Whole New Thing
PRINCE #1
SANTANA #1
CHICAGO #1
HENDRIX ARE YOU EXPERIENCED
GRAND FUNK ON TIME
OHIO PLAYERS PAIN
MINNIE RIPPERTON COME TO MY GARDEN
SADE #1
RUFUS #1
DENISE WILLIAMS #1
LED ZEP #1
FUNKADELIC #1
and i could name could name a lot more ,some had hits and some didn't.

MARIAH ,WHITNEY are excellent singers that could sing the hell out of the phone book.

"To be fair, many great albums by R&B artists are their sophomore efforts, or come much later in their careers."

"To be fair , that trend of thought does not show or credit how an artist has developed his craft. That's why LUTHER buried his previous 2 excellent COTILLION albums so that they could not be reissued. They are good albums. Marvin didn't start with W.G.O. OSBORNE's L.T.D. work was some of his best. T.P. was H.M. and the BLUE NOTES rock. MAYFIELD spent years with the IMPRESSIONS ,SMOKEY.......... Those artists changed the world before "solo" debut albums and all those previous and sophmore albums are actually ESSENTIAL listening. Truth be told , a lot of people don't realize that they have come late to the party. That's true, I I just realized I made a boo-boo with the Aretha Franklin album. I just wasn't thinking of her Columbia output, which really wasn't bad at all, just nothing that grabbed you.

I tend to be a bit more dogmatic when making these kinds of lists.

How did Luther Vandross "bury" his Cotillion albums? Did he hold the rights to them? The tapes? What's stopping someone from reissuing them now?

[soulster]

Didn't Aretha Franklin have albums on Columbia before she recorded her first for Atlantic? Yes, she did, and I forgot about that despite me owning a couple of them! I fixed my list to reflect that.

[soulster]

I'm surprised by the fact that despite the taste of the author of this list is ROCK he don't made mention of the iconic "TUBULAR BELLS", the first album by Mike Oldfield!... or the first album by Osibisa that established "the afro-rock" paradigm. Maybe he just didn't like them. These rock guys never think outside the box.

[Ngroove]

That's true, I I just realized I made a boo-boo with the Aretha Franklin album. I just wasn't thinking of her Columbia output, which really wasn't bad at all, just nothing that grabbed you.

I tend to be a bit more dogmatic when making these kinds of lists.

How did Luther Vandross "bury" his Cotillion albums? Did he hold the rights to them? The tapes? What's stopping someone from reissuing them now?
Yeah, same kinda thing with Janet Jackson; there may be "Control", but there was still also "Janet Jackson" and "Dream Street", mostly forgotten / dismissed, but existed.

[daddyacey]

How did Luther Vandross "bury" his Cotillion albums? Did he hold the rights to them? The tapes? What's stopping someone from reissuing them now?

Original label copies , credit the group called "LUTHER". The group was Luther Vandross , G. Diane Sumler ,Anthony Hinton, Theresa Reed and Christine Wiltshire. Vandross produced ,wrote and sang leads on all the tracks , arranged by Paul Riser , concert master was Gene Orloff with Nat Adderley Jr. on keys. He bought the tapes saying they did not sell well enough and to prevent them from being re-issued. The original version of "Second Time Around" is on the first LP.

[tmd]

A great first album- all original songs and it does not get any better than Baby I Need Your Loving and Ask the Lonely, and Without the One You Love a true gem.

[Ngroove]

How did Luther Vandross "bury" his Cotillion albums? Did he hold the rights to them? The tapes? What's stopping someone from reissuing them now?

Original label copies , credit the group called "LUTHER". The group was Luther Vandross , G. Diane Sumler ,Anthony Hinton, Theresa Reed and Christine Wiltshire. Vandross produced ,wrote and sang leads on all the tracks , arranged by Paul Riser , concert master was Gene Orloff with Nat Adderley Jr. on keys. He bought the tapes saying they did not sell well enough and to prevent them from being re-issued. The original version of "Second Time Around" is on the first LP.

Man.....just heard "Second Time Around" on radio....beautiful, just so darn beautiful...I can't ever get it on crisp, CD format?

[jillfoster]

Daddyacey mentioned this, but just how could any list like that be complete without Minnie Riperton's "Come To My Garden"

[soulster]

Man.....just heard "Second Time Around" on radio....beautiful, just so darn beautiful...I can't ever get it on crisp, CD format? I have "This Close To You" in mp3. I found it on a blog about three years ago.

I'm wondering if the owners of his estate could and would ever reissue those Cotillion albums.

[splanky]

While I'm a soul/funk fan first, I also like rock and this reviewer couldn't even get that right.

He leans toward the obscure and leaves out one of the greatest debut albums of all time by the group Boston. That album rocked people's world when it came out, the heavy guitars, tremendous singing by Brad Delp, and deep production. I mean, wow, he left out Boston's debut album? Amazing. Whether one likes Boston or not, how can he dismiss the impact of that album? It sold zillions.

You know, it was not until this very day that I was inspired to read up on the history of Boston though I have loved their music since it was first released. I don't listen to a lot of rock radio anymore being pretty much satisfied with having most of the "classic" era stuff
I enjoyed the most, ie Led Zep and later groups I dug like Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But I really dug the mess outta that Boston debut and want to get it. I also did not
know until today that Brad Delp had killed himself which saddened me for a minute but his
great vocals on record live on...I really don't concern myself much with what others term "essential" but I have to say Rickie Lee Jones first album stole my motherfunkin' heart...