10 Bands That Never Topped Their 1st Album
4. Elvis Presley
It's hard to imagine now what kind of mania Elvis inspired in homes across the world in the 50s. Never before had the world been taken over by a performer with such overwhelming star power.
The story goes that a young Elvis walked into the Sun Record Company offices as a teenager looking to pay for a few minutes of studio time to record a double-sided disc as a birthday gift for his mother Gladys. After his session, Marion Keisker, who was the only one on duty, took down a note for legendary label founder Sam Phillips that read: "Good ballad singer. Hold." She had just discovered The King.
His first proper LP-length release came in 1956 and was self-titled Elvis Presley. It featured a youthful and energetic Elvis storming through a set of early rock and roll songs like Blue Suede Shoes, Tutti Frutti and Tryin' To Get To You, all covers of other artists' songs.
It became the first rock album to reach the top of the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in 1956 and also the first of its kind to sell over a million copies. It would inspire every rocker that came after him.
The albums that followed his debut ranged from brilliant to patchy to downright kitsch, but his status as The King of Rock and Roll is hardly ever disputed.