Oftentimes, a band's first album is regarded as their weakest. This is nothing to be ashamed of, of course, we all know it takes time to fully develop your abilities. Case in point, The Beatles' best work - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - was their eighth album. Led Zeppelin hit their peak with Led Zeppelin IV, which was (naturally) their fourth album. But every now and then, a band comes along that absolutely nails their debut. It introduces them to a large audience and sets the standard for all their subsequent output. And sometimes, their debut even stands out as being their best work. Today, we'll review ten of these albums, beginning with...
10. 'Marquee Moon' by Television
The 1970's were an interesting time. Two of the biggest genres of music - Progressive rock and Punk rock - were as polar opposite as you can get. Progressive emphasised experimentation and complexity. Lyrics oftentimes included crazy themes and science fiction elements. Songs would last far beyond standard lengths, sometimes 15 minutes or longer. Meanwhile, punk was created as a direct rebellion against this style. The Ramones brought forth a manner of playing as fast and simple as you could, with few of their songs lasting over two minutes. The Sex Pistols added into the mix rebellious and anarchist lyrics to give punk music more of an attitude. So it seems like trying to mix these two styles would be impossible, and probably sound awful even if you could manage it. But then came Television, a progressive punk band, and their stellar debut album 'Marquee Moon'. While most of their songs contained the attitude and feel of most punk (along with the contemporary urban imagery of life in Manhattan), many of the songs would veer into jam-like sessions, with the title track lasting over 10 minutes. The songs were musically complex, and any bass player could go on for hours about how brilliantly the bass guitar and the drums interplay with one another. The album had a huge impact, both on immediate release, and on many who later became musicians, with members of bands such as the Strokes, Pixies, and Sonic Youth naming this album as a major inspiration for their sound, as well the Edge from U2. Album Cover: