10 Greatest Debut Albums Of All Time

7. 'Surfer Rosa' by the Pixies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrdpliMfoAM By time 1988 came around, mainstream rock was pretty much in the toilet. With the exception of a few standout artists, rock was ruled by overproduced "hair metal" or by classic rock artists who had hit a new low (Pink Floyd's Delicate Sound of Thunder, AC/DC's Blow Up Your Video, Aerosmith released Angel). This was also the year Guns 'n' Roses had their debut, which depending on your view could be either a good or bad thing (Definitely a good thing - ED). What we needed was something new, something unique, something without that processed veneer all over it. Just like the Ramones had done twelve years earlier, we needed a band who would wipe the polish off. And the Pixies delivered. With their first full length album, Surfer Rosa, we got a collection of songs so totally unlike anything else we'd heard it was almost impossible to process. The themes are at times disturbing, but oftentimes delivered in such a charming way you hardly notice at first. The music as well mixes harsh with soft, as best evidenced by the opening to "Where Is My Mind". It begins with a lovely, simply four chord progression on an acoustic guitar, only to be soon obliterated by the visceral electric guitar riff that runs throughout the song's duration. While not a huge commercial hit (it took 17 years for the album to be certified Gold), it had an enormous impact on a variety of musicians, most notably Kurt Cobain, who years after his success stated he was simply trying to sound like the Pixies. Album Cover:

(this is actually the cover of their previous mini-album, Come On Pilgrim. We shouldn't post Surfer Rosa's cover due to it being somewhat, uh, inappropriate?)