10 Greatest Debut Albums Of The 1970s

10. The Cars - The Cars

A lot of rock and roll coming to fruition during the 70's seemed to be much heavier than the Summer of Love utopia of years prior. From the punk thrash of the the Sex Pistols to the heavy metal stomp of Led Zeppelin's records, most fans weren't concerned with the 3-minute pop single anymore. On the other side of the spectrum, The Cars were laying the groundwork for future pop rock acts on their debut.

The band's self-titled record is the perfect example of power pop, with flashy guitars mixed with some of the most infectious melodies to come out of the era. Songwriter Ric Ocasek was able to take the most generic sounding pop melodies and make them sound new and exciting again. The entirety of this record goes by like a breeze, with each song having the potential to be a pop smash, from the nervy "Just What I Needed" to the lovelorn heartache of "My Best Friend's Girl."

This record launched the band into the mainstream and gave the world their first true power pop heroes. Ocasek has said that the first album should have been called "The Cars Greatest Hits," but with songs of this quality, he's not too far off the mark.