10 Bad Debut Albums From Great Bands

The best bands of the rock genre seem to have a certain omnipresence to them. The sounds coming from the groups' amplifiers are so essential to the genre that they almost feel like they existed since the dawn of time. However, the actual beginnings of these bands may not be up to their usual standard.

While each of the bands on this list are some of the greatest musicians in their field, their debuts ended up leaving a lot to be desired. The same musicians may be at the table, but their initial idea for their sound was not necessarily setting the world on fire. Looking back, it may even be a good thing that these records didn't blow up, otherwise we may not have gotten the more adventurous music these groups made later down the line.

Are each of these records some of the worst in the genre? No, not really. Given the track records of these bands later in their career though, the quality between these starts and their classic material feel like night and day. These records definitely show the musical magic lying underneath the surface, but the actual execution behind the songs are a bit rough around the edges.

Rock and Roll as we know it would look a lot different were it not for Bob Dylan. Originally immersed in the American folk scene, his decision to combine rock instrumentation with his biting lyrics led to something much deeper than just the three chord rave-ups. With each passing album, Dylan seemed to be on a hot streak, but his first step up to the plate felt a bit shaky.

As opposed to the scathing indictments of American society, Dylan's first outing is a straightforward folk affair, with Dylan accompanied mainly by his acoustic guitar. Given the man's fantastic tunes, it's a bit disconcerting that most of these tunes are covers rather than originals, like his run through the traditional "House of the Rising Sun" and the blues song "See That My Grave is Kept Clean."

This is the album where Dylan wears all of his folk influences on his sleeve, even to the point of having one original being written to his hero Woody Guthrie. At the same time, songs like "Talkin New York" show the wit of Dylan's later work peeking through. It may have been just another folk record at the time, but no one could have predicted this humble singer would go on to shape the entire music world as we knew it.