Great albums with lackluster opening tracks

Some albums you know from the first song that it is going to be an amazing record. Then there are those with auspicious beginnings that do not even hint at the greatness that follows, tracks that you either hold your nose when it plays or maybe you skip it altogether.

This thread is for those albums...

Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast is a great album from start to finish but the opener "Invaders" always seemed like a cheesy parody of what made the album great, with the band playing faster than they needed to and completing it with a cheesy chorus. Never liked the song very much. But man, is that a great album otherwise!

I always avoided listening to Cowboy Movie on If I Could Only Remember My Name. Not listened to it in quite a while so may feel different now.

I got into the habit of skipping 'The Ballard of Peter Pumpkinhead' whenever I listened to Nonsuch by XTC, so much so that I don't think I've actually heard it in years and I'm not sure if I'd still find it lackluster.

I always avoided listening to Cowboy Movie on If I Could Only Remember My Name. Not listened to it in quite a while so may feel different now.

It's not lacklustre and also, more to the point, it's not the first track

I usually skip 'Introducing the Band' on Suede's Dog Man Star, I get what they were going for starting the album with a slow burner but it just drags.

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

'Contre le sexisme' on A Thousand Leaves by Sonic Youth

So I skipped over a whole other track that I wasn't consciously aware of to avoid listening to it. That's funny. Think i was trying to think where that other song came from after hearing it on a soundtrack somewhere or as incidental music over the last week.

"Amerykahn Promise"

AC Marias - One of Our Girls (Has Gone Missing); Trilby's Couch is a duff start. Everything else is perfection.

not including meaningless intros?

I suppose "Geiger Counter" on "Radioactivity", though it's sort of vital as an introduction to the album

"Then there are those with auspicious beginnings that do not even hint at the greatness that follows"

contradiction

kill me but "Bodhisattva"

You're dead

Kristofferson is almost solid gold but Blame It on the Stones is the worst track by far.

Radio Song is a lousy introduction to Out of Time.

Isn't the classic example Rainy Day Women #12 & 35? I guess it's not lacklustre though - you don't forget it in a hurry.

Rubber Soul

Classic Albums With Not-So-Classic Opening Tracks

wipers' - over the edge

sort of

xp Oh man, not only had I forgotten that thread, I forgot that I mentioned Kristofferson in it. I'm just on an ILX loop now.

wipers' - over the edge

????????????????

I usually skip 'Introducing the Band' on Suede's Dog Man Star, I get what they were going for starting the album with a slow burner but it just drags.

― Gavin, Leeds, Tuesday, November 26, 2013 10:58 AM (2 hours ago)

I always listen to that track, it's such a great piece of pompous arrogance.
Kraftwerk's 'Geiger Counter' is a great mood setter and I always listen to that as well.

Hang on, Nate, did you suggest that Drive My Car is lacklustre?!

While I couldn't really call the Manic Street Preachers' This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours a great album, my god did they sequence that album badly. 'The Everlasting' as first track!?!

for as big a deal as that album was Radio Song is maybe the best answer. Its not even representative of the rest of the album - aside from the arpeggio bit - never mind being any good. How many 80s REM fans jumped off the boat when they first heard that?

"Lackluster" isn't the right word, but... Electric Ladyland.

"Fruits of my Labor" by Lucinda Williams off of World Without Tears. Great album but the opener really drags.

Maybe not lacklustre but it's by far the worst song on RS and one I almost always skip.

xp

Worse than "What Goes On"?

It's not a great album but Usher's Looking 4 Myself begins with two of its worst tracks.

Okay maybe it's not as bad as What Goes On but it's easier to skip.

"Born in the USA"

Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast is a great album from start to finish but the opener "Invaders" always seemed like a cheesy parody of what made the album great, with the band playing faster than they needed to and completing it with a cheesy chorus. Never liked the song very much. But man, is that a great album otherwise!

― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Tuesday, November 26, 2013 5:09 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Wow, i think Invaders is a great opening not only to the album but Dickinson's Iron Maiden career. I love this song.

"Love It to Death" perhaps? I've never liked "Caught in a Dream" but maybe that's just me.

Always thought "Bring Da Ruckus" was a really weak opening track for 36 Chambers.

Drive My Car is probably my favourite on RS.

Emphatic no on "Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35" (will agree that it's misleading in comparison to the rest of the album--it's more in the mood of Highway 61). Thinking of all my favourite albums, and they all start with something great...I'll think of one eventually.

Mr Bungle - Disco Volante.

I mean 'Everyone I went to High School With is Dead' sort of works conceptually, but I can never be bothered to listen to it.

I believe the instrumental piano twinkling of "Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness" counts.

"Love It to Death" perhaps? I've never liked "Caught in a Dream" but maybe that's just me.

― Thomas K Amphong (Tom D.), Tuesday, November 26, 2013 9:51 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

another one im a little shocked. Caught in a Dream is a great opener

"Tutti Frutti" on the MC5's Back in the USA--lot of great songs, rather pointless cover to open. "Tonight" would have been better.

"Love's In Need Of Love Today" is my perennial go-to on this front (one of my least favorite album openers ever on one of my favorite albums ever). Also was recently reminded of "Black Book" from the Malkmus debut. That song is not good and it took me a while to get past it and into the rest of the album.

"Satisfied" on Squeeze's tragically underrated Play - And it was the first single!

i've always hated 'do the strand' on for your pleasure and 'the new stone age' on architecture & morality, and i associate them b/c the both embody none of the characteristics that i love about their respective albums while also being sort of brash and obvious.

"Do The Strand" was the first time I heard a Roxy Music album. It's one of maybe a handful of instances where the immediacy and intensity of the first listen held up through all subsequent listens. I love it (and "Editions of You" and "Grey Lagoons" and everything else on the first five Roxy records) in part because it's brash and obvious.

it was the first time i heard roxy music, too! i'm glad i made it to the next track

I stand by def Leps women being lackluster and learning they say spell rather than smell just strengthens my resolve

When I only had hysteria on used cassette I would flip the tape before "love and affection" so I could skip most of "women". It's like cutting a shitty crust off a great sandwich

No I take it back, Nobody Wants Your Love has a piano fadeout to die for

Hey Eyeball - I mean it. The OP asked for albums when you skip the first song altogether. I do this with VU & Nico.

There was maybe a little wink there too.

The rest of it's great, but I'll nominate the first Sundays album. I've skipped the first track so many times now I don't remember what it's called.

"You're No Good" that opens Van Halen II is really meh. Flip it to the last tune on the record and I think it would be a whole lot better.

i get not liking a track but honestly can't see how "skin and bone" is lackluster compared to the rest of the sundays album.

Sunday Morning isn't exactly a weak track but it's the weakest thing on VU+N and I always skip it cos i'm impatient for WFTM.

I first heard Wu-Tang Forever on two separate promo CDs so for ages I assumed that the disc which begins Intro/Triumph was the first one, which would have been a much better idea.

Sunday Morning isn't exactly a weak track but it's the weakest thing on VU+N

Sunday Morning >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> European Son

Stone Roses- 'I Wanna Be Adored'

The Cure / Disintegration *runs away fast.

Speed of Life?

god yeah.

I know, right? Jeez, just start with Sound and Vision and be done with it!

Greatness debatable, but REMs Up.

Both Badmotorfinger AND Superunknown

sadly Down On The Upside precisely inverts this formula

Speed of Life?

― Iago Galdston

Both Badmotorfinger AND Superunknown

― veneer timber (imago)

Disagree with all of these.

sadly Down On The Upside precisely inverts this formula

― veneer timber (imago)

Though largely agree with this; Burden in My Hand is great as well.

"to all the girls" on paul's boutique

Fuck off.

Old Lunch mentioning Black Book off the first Malkmus is OTM

Speed of Life?

No way, that's a great start. Wanting to listen to Speed of Life is usually what makes me put on Low in the first place.

Four Tet - Rounds

Sunday Morning is the only good track on VU&N /challops

I think Geir actually said that at one point, if I'm not mistaken

Speed of Life and Too High on here is madness imo

Speed of Life?

No way, that's a great start. Wanting to listen to Speed of Life is usually what makes me put on Low in the first place.

Definitely, Speed of Life is always the one that randomly starts playing in my head and makes me put on the album. An absolutely essential part of Low.

SoL may actually be my fave instrumental on Low.

The fade-in to "Speed of Life" is all-time.

I got pissy about people ranking "Speed of Life" so high on the Bowie poll bc it's so non-indicative, but I can't really think of Low beginning any other way

Disco Volante, though i'm sure it was intentional in order to throw the listener off

"Love Vigilantes" on New Order's 'Low Life'. Always found it
plodding and unnecessary.

what?!

That is actually my favourite New Order song

People have some strange notions, for sure

I don't really like New Order at all, but that's my least favorite of the tracks I'm familiar with.

"I want to see / my family / my wife and child / waiting for me" is an all-time heart-rending chorus and one of Bernard's rare lyrical home-runs, imho

Really? That's just fly/sky/high shit to me.

Any lyric that successfully uses the words "my wife" is an event worth celebrating imo, evidence of the straight-male songwriting voice cutting the crap and getting right to the point

Compare with highly rated Bowie chorus "Please be mine / share my life / stay with me / be my wife", which also flies high in the sky

I'm with how's life on this.

Stevie Wonder has a couple of these. Too High is the weak sister on Innervisions.

fighting words. nice warm groove, catchy but understated, great kickoff.

flamboyant Otm.

"Too High" introduced me to non-hits Stevie, as in "oh he can sound like this"

and yeah, the new order line flamboyant quoted is quite moving

mine has gotta be loaded for "who loves the sun". i eventually came around on the song, it's hardly "lackluster", but i still think it's a weird way to open the album.

not counting the intros, i dislike both opening tracks from outkast's speakerboxxx/the love below. andre album doesn't even get going until track 5.

who the fuck doesnt like Rusty Cage?

And even if one doesn't particularly fancy it, it's hardly "lackluster"?

i will give sb/tlb a listen