Last Updated on July 11, 2026 by Christian Adams
Part 1 of a two-part series covering the best rock debut albums of all time.
First impressions are generally important in life and music. Rock bands always want to put their best foot forward, so to speak, if they should ever be so lucky to record and release a debut album. The problem is some bands arrive fully formed in sound and character while other bands may need an album or three to find their groove and identity. And still other bands have a great debut album, a so-so second album, a not-good third album, and it’s all downhill.
Some of the best bands in history have good but not great debut albums. I’m talking about bands like the Cure, Radiohead, Soundgarden, Queen, and many more. The Beach Boys’ debut album, Surfin’ Safari (1963) was a trendy record, but on closer scrutiny, not that good. The Kinks’ debut, Kinks (1965) has maybe three good songs.
Obviously, all these bands went onto much better things or we wouldn’t talking about them. But before we get to the list, let’s examine a few bands who got off to a “slow start.”
6 Not-Great Debut Albums of the Era
Yes – Yes (1969)
I love this album. It’s got so many elements that make Yes one of the greatest progressive rock bands of all time: layered harmonies, complex arrangements, technical virtuosity, interesting hooks and trippy vibes, etc., but…BUT. The sound wobbles between jazz rock, proto-prog, cock rock, psychedelia, baroque pop, and, now and again, a Steppenwolf / Spencer Davis Group biker rock interlude. You can hear how good they’re going to be, but they’re just not quite there yet. The deconstructionist cover of the Beatles’ “Every Little Thing” says everything you need to know.
Genesis – From Genesis to Revelation (1969)
It’s uncommon for a band to completely disown their debut album, but Genesis want nothing to do with the pastiche of fluffy art rock and psychedelic folk of From Genesis to Revelations (1969). They performed the album once in its entirety in 1969 and never touched it again.1 The band doesn’t even own the rights to the masters.
Eagles – Eagles (1972)
Three innocuous country rock hits, “Take It Easy”, “Witchy Woman”, and “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, and a Glenn Frey song called “Chug All Night” that started its own petition to have Frey removed from the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame.
Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill (1972)
“Dirty Work” and “Reelin’ in the Years” are great cuts, but “Do It Again” is cheesy samba rock, and the rest of the album lacks the sophistication we came to expect from Steely Dan.
Rush – Rush (1974)
A strident but appropriate Zeppelin/Cream/Sabbath rip-off. Clearly, Neil Peart was the missing ingredient of the band.
Squeeze – Squeeze (1978)
The collaboration with producer John Cale was dysfunctional from the beginning, as Cale tried to push the band in awkward directions. The two best songs on the album, “Bang Bang” and “Take Me I’m Yours”, were produced by the band without Cale. Tilbrook later commented, “We [recorded them] when John was ill and they ended up as the two singles from the album, which tells you all you need to know, really”.
Rules
It’s statistically impossible to name every great rock debut album because (a) I haven’t heard ’em all, and (b) people are putting out debut albums every day. Some of you may be mildly nonplussed when you don’t see your favorite band listed. Just leave a comment and say, “Listen to such and such…”
For the sake of convenience with an eye on levity, the albums are grouped by decade and listed in loose chronological order. I’ve mostly abandoned any attempt to “rank” them against each other Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be a BSM listicle if we didn’t have some terms and conditions or ground rules.
Commentary
- I don’t have to comment on every record, especially if I’m not familiar with it, and extra-specially if I’m tired of talking about it, e.g., The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967). What else is there to say about that album?
- With several exceptions, only one sentence of explanation per album (with maximum 100 words per selected entry).
Compliance
- “Hated” or “overrated” albums must be included.
I’ve got a 2,000-word treatise on the difference between hated and overrated, but, briefly, I don’t have to like an album or band to acknowledge its/their quality and purity. For example, I don’t like Deep Purple. But if Deep Purple’s debut album was any good, I’d be forced to include it on the list. Fortunately, Shades of Deep Purple (1968) is not very good. Makes my job that much easier. Thanks, Deep Purple.
Eligibility
- Eligibility is limited to albums released between 1956 and 1979 (for this list; 1980 to 2020 for Part 2).
My knowledge of rock music starts to decline in the late-1990s and I don’t know much from 2020–present except I’ve heard a few Turnstiles songs and laughed myself silly hearing the latest Geese record. That Yungblud guy reminds me of Billy Idol. However, I’m deeply familiar with the albums from ’56–’79.
- First solo albums of artists from/or formerly of prominent bands are considered debuts, e.g., John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Genre
- Artist must operate within the rock genre.
After 70 years of rock music evolution, early rock and roll and rockabilly are almost fringe genres today, but consider acid jazz: a mix of funk, soul, hip-hop, jazz, and disco that emerged in the soulless vacuum of the late 1990s. There’s a vague, wispy hint of rock about Jamiroqui; they’ve got a live guitar player and a human drummer. Do they belong on my list? Hell no.
- Albums from the following genres will probably not be mentioned:
Adult alternative, chillwave, Christian rock (all subgenres), electronic dance music (EDM) (all subgenres), electronicore, electronica, indie folk, sadcore, slowcore, soft rock, Tropicalia, and twee pop. The list is not exhaustive. I probably won’t be mentioning tough guy hardcore, either.
Table of Contents & List
Best Rock Debut Albums (According to Me)
1950s
Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley (1956)
I go back and forth on this record like a pendulum—is it rock and roll, country, gospel or something else?—but the point is: I listen to it a lot more than 95% of the albums on this list.
Gene Vincent & the Blue Caps – Bluejean Bop (1956)
Even without “Be-Bop-A-Lula”, it’s a fun record, not nearly as “rockabilly” as you might expect, and you can really hear the future of John Lennon.
Buddy Holly & the Crickets – The “Chirping” Crickets (1957)
Something so simple and tasteful is out of place in our chaotic, immoral world.
Chuck Berry – After School Session (1957)
Berry was a singles artist, so you’re much better off going with one of his greatest hits compilations; however, if you’re in the mood for some embryonic rock and roll, After School Session is a great listen.
Little Richard – Here’s Little Richard (1957)
Re-recorded versions of Little Richard’s biggest hits and six new songs including the Billboard top 40 entries “Tutti Frutti”, “Long Tall Sally”, “Slippin’ and Slidin’”, “Rip It Up”, “Ready Teddy”, and “Jenny, Jenny”.
Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley (1958)
I’m 99% certain that Bo Diddley was the first guy to write not one but three rock and roll songs that namecheck himself: “Bo Diddley” and “Diddley Daddy” in 1955, and “Hey! Bo Diddley” in 1957. The Big Bopper didn’t release “The Big Bopper’s Wedding” until 1958. Imagine if Elvis Presley had songs like “Look at Me I’m Elvis” or some shit like that. The audacity is outstanding. Anyway, the album is a compilation of Diddley’s singles, and it’s one of the essential rock and roll records.
The Everly Brothers – The Everly Brothers (1958)
This collection of gorgeous close-harmony sibling duets is precariously on the border of rock and not-rock music.
1960s
The Ventures – Walk Don’t Run (1960)
The Ventures are great, man. They’ve got several versions of Santo & Johnny’s “Sleep Walk”, but the long version is my favorite because you can hear the drummer (Howie Johnson) desperately clinging to the glacial tempo with everything he’s got.
Roy Orbison – Lonely and Blue (1961)
The Shadows – The Shadows (1961)
Booker T. & the MG’s – Green Onions (1962)
Dick Dale – Surfers’ Choice (1962)
The Beatles – Please Please Me (1963)
It’s a great record in context, execution, and importance to the British Invasion, but it’s also one of the few arguable reasons why some people think the Beatles are overrated.
The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones (U.K.) / England’s Newest Hit Makers (U.S.) (1964)
Both versions have a similar sequence of blues and R&B covers, but the U.S. version contains the cover of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away”. The band’s energy and attitude is the star attraction here, on par with the Animals debut album (also 1964), but I honestly think we don’t need to hear the Stones until they started writing their own songs on Aftermath (1966).
The Who – My Generation (1965)
The Who gets my vote for the most dangerous band in rock. Individually and as a unit. Look at them. Those guys would fuck you up. One could credibly assert that hard rock starts on this record.
The Zombies – The Zombies (1965)
The Lovin’ Spoonful – Do You Believe in Magic (1965)
The Sonics – Here Are the Sonics (1965)
Pioneers of garage rock, and probably the first American proto-punk band.
The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)
Mr. Tambourine Man popularized “folk rock” by interpreting Bob Dylan covers with jangly 12-string electric guitars, sunny three-part vocal harmonies, and a British Invasion backbeat. The sound made an immediate impact on several mid-’60s groups like the Turtles, Simon & Garfunkel, the Lovin’ Spoonful, and Love. However, nobody could predict its influence on successive generations of rock and pop, including such acts as Big Star, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, R.E.M., Hüsker Dü, the Smiths, and the Soft Boys.
The Monks – Black Monk Time (1966)
Much more experimental than the Sonics, but trailblazers in garage rock and proto-punk.
Mothers of Invention – Freak Out! (1966)
One of the first, if not, the first concept album to develop a major cult following in the U.S., and definitely the first true experimental rock album, so vastly unique that 60 years later, many have tried but nobody has come close to recreating the warped fabric of the Freak Out! universe.
Buffalo Springfield – Buffalo Springfield (1966)
Cream – Fresh Cream (1966)
The Monkees – The Monkees (1966)
The Young Rascals – The Young Rascals (1966)
Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
For my money, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the best psychedelic rock album of all time.
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced? (1967)
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – Safe as Milk (1967)
Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
The Doors – The Doors (1967)
Procol Harum – Procol Harum (1967)
Often overlooked proto-progressive rock, the U.S. edition includes their signature cut, “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, but the true genius hit on here is “Conquistador”, easily one of THE 100 hottest songs of the late ’60s.
Big Brother & The Holding Company – Big Brother & the Holding Company (1967)
A 3-star psychedelic-blues rock experience at best, the album is notable for the hit “Down on Me” and the cover of Moondog‘s “All Is Loneliness”, one of the coolest undiscovered gems of the psychedelic era.
Vanilla Fudge – Vanilla Fudge (1967)
The Fudge’s blend of loud and heavy acid rock, proto-prog and R&B was an essential stepping stone to progressive rock and heavy metal, but they’re probably more influential than listenable.
The Nice – The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (1968)
Mostly delightful psychedelic pop with classical and jazz elements and an album that rarely shows up on the proto-prog radar, but it’s a good window to the future Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
The Band – Music From Big Pink (1968)
The Move – Move (1968)
Blood, Sweat & Tears – Child is Father to the Man (1968)
The only BS&T album with Al Kooper and the only BS&T album that shouldn’t be thrown at a brick wall with malicious force.
Blue Cheer – Vincebus Eruptum (1968)
Massively influential on the future of hard rock, blues rock, psychedelic rock, acid rock, heavy metal, and grunge.
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968)
It’s not a 10/10 album, but CCR introduced swamp rock to the rock vocabulary and their version of “I Put a Spell on You” is worth repeated listens.
Steppenwolf – Steppenwolf (1968)
The Jeff Beck Group – Truth (1968)
Chicago – Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
MC5 – Kick Out the Jams (1969)
King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
Widely considered the first true progressive rock album.
Santana – Santana (1969)
It’s one of my hottest unpopular opinions, but Santana’s debut album is the only one worth hearing unless you don’t get enough conga, timbale, and pentatonic blues guitar in your life.
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1969)
[Wincing] Ah…I mean…it’s OK. Sure, it single-handedly invented doom metal and a dozen other genres, but the band is Black Sabbath, the album is called Black Sabbath, and the first song is “Black Sabbath“, which is just too much Black Sabbath, man. And it gets kind of bluesy here and there.
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (1969)
I have this ranked #7 of 9 Zeppelin studio albums. Led Zeppelin is a fantastic record if you remove the two Willie Dixon blues covers (“You Shook Me” and “I Can’t Quit You Baby”). The album was recorded within a month of the band’s formation, so the lack of original material is understandable.
The Stooges – The Stooges (1969)
The Meters – The Meters (1969)
Joe Cocker – With A Little Help From My Friends (1969)
Crosby, Stills & Nash – Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)
I don’t think I’ve ever said this out loud, but I never understood why so many musicians and fans hold David Crosby (formerly of the Byrds) in such high regard because this is the second band in which he’s clearly the weakest link in the chain.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
Technically, it’s Neil Young’s second studio album but first with Crazy Horse.
Alice Cooper – Pretties for You (1969)
Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left (1969)
Rod Stewart – An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down aka The Rod Stewart Album (1969)
Can – Monster Movie (1969)
Amon Düül II – Phallus Dei (1969)
One can trace the roots of Krautrock to Phallus Dei and Can’s Monster Movie.
1970s
Paul McCartney – McCartney (1970)
John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Todd Rundgren – Runt (1970)
Hawkwind – Hawkwind (1970)
Funkadelic – Funkadelic (1970)
Faces – First Step (1970)
Mahavishnu Orchestra – The Inner Mounting Flame (1971)
Little Feat – Little Feat (1971)
Big Star – # 1 Record (1972)
Roxy Music – Roxy Music (1972)
Bruce Springsteen – Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
Another unpopular opinion, but I’ll take Greetings over ANY OTHER Springsteen album. For me, it’s the only non-skip album in his collection.
Aerosmith – Aerosmith (1973)
Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells (1973)
Queen – Queen (1973)
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (1973)
New York Dolls – New York Dolls (1973)
Brian Eno – Here Come the Warm Jets (1974)
I have a portfolio of “Grandstanding Albums” that I’ll go to my grave promoting to anybody who will listen, for example, Adam and the Ants debut album, and Big Country’s Steeltown (1984). These are albums that don’t get the love they deserve, and every single person I’ve turned on to Here Come the Warm Jets has said, “Thank you.”
Todd Rundgren – Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (1974)
If you didn’t know it by now, this record showed that Todd Rundgren was a fantastic guitar player.
Ambrosia – Ambrosia (1975)
They get lumped into the yacht rock category—rightly so, I might add—but their debut album is a sleeper serving of sophisticated proggy smooth music mixed by Alan Parsons (The Beatles, Pink Floyd).
Crack the Sky – Crack the Sky (1975)
Long lost, grossly underrated American prog rock from one of the unluckiest bands in the history of rock music.
Patti Smith Group – Horses (1975)
See my full opinion at Calling Bullshit: 25 Overrated Rock Albums. In keeping with The Rules, Horses is only here because everybody else thinks it’s great. I don’t.
Ramones – Ramones (1976)
Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers – The Modern Lovers (1976)
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1976)
Boston – Boston (1976)
Remember in the beginning I was talking about bands that put out a great debut album, a so-so sophomore effort, a bullshit third album, and they never recover? This is who I’m talking about.
Heart – Dreamboat Annie (1976)
It’s such an oddball record with two outstanding jams, “Magic Man” and “Crazy on You”, but three different versions of the song “Dreamboat Annie”:
- Track 2: Dreamboat Annie (Fantasy Child)”
- Track 5: “Dreamboat Annie”
- Track 10: “Dreamboat Annie (Reprise)”
Fun fact: On the song “Crazy on You”, what sounds like a Mellotron in the verses is actually Ann Wilson on flute, overdubbed at least twice for harmony. It’s quite pretty if you listen close. Great production on that cut.
Foreigner – Foreigner (1977)
Television – Marquee Moon (1977)
The Clash – The Clash (1977)
The Dead Boys – Young, Loud and Snotty (1977)
Suicide – Suicide (1977)
Wire – Pink Flag (1977)
The Damned – Damned Damned Damned (1977)
Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True (1977)
Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel aka Car (1977)
I’m on record elsewhere saying this is a mediocre album (compared to his third solo album), and I stand by the statement. However, Gabriel’s debut offered a surprisingly deft, brave and madly eclectic batch of art rock and progressive pop that was overshadowed by the number of great albums released in 1977—debuts and/or otherwise. “Solisbury Hill” and “Modern Love” were the standout radio cuts, but the album is peppered with strange and whimsical moments like “Excuse Me”.
Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols (1977)
Talking Heads – Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
Cheap Trick – Cheap Trick (1977)
Van Halen – Van Halen (1978)
This album has to be in the top 10 rock debut albums of all time.
The Cars – The Cars (1978)
The Police – Outlandos d’Amour (1978)
Siouxsie and the Banshees – The Scream (1978)
U.K. – U.K. (1978)
Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
Pere Ubu – The Modern Dance (1978)
Public Image Ltd. – Public Image Ltd. aka First Issue (1978)
Adam and the Ants – Dirk Wears White Sox (1979)
Forget everything you know about Adam Ant. The debut album features guitar-driven, minimalist post-punk crossed with glam rock and awkward, angular funk. None of the tribal drums and pirate costumes. Guitarist Matthew Ashman (later of Bow Wow Wow) provides a jagged and slashing foil to Ant’s weird little art freak vocal performance. I’m not saying it’s one of the greatest albums ever made, but it’s among my top 20 personal favorites.
Gary Numan – The Pleasure Principle (1979)
The B-52s – The B-52s (1979)
The Fall – Live at the Witch Trial (1979)
Gang of Four – Entertainment! (1979)
As a freshman in high school circa 1983, I was still very much a beginner on guitar and not well-versed in punk or new wave except for what got played on the radio, e.g., The Cars, The Police, and The Clash. My friend Aneta gave me this record it and became one of the keystone albums that defined my early guitar style, and a “gateway drug” to post-punk.
Joe Jackson – Look Sharp! (1979)
The Cure – Three Imaginary Boys (1979)
The Cure’s debut studio album was not released in the U.S. until 1980 when it was repackaged with a different track listing as a compilation album, Boys Don’t Cry. In fact, the song “Boys Don’t Cry” isn’t on the original pressings of the debut. Three Imaginary Boys was later distributed in the Americas as an import after the band achieved moderate Billboard chart success with singles like “Let’s Go to Bed” and “The Lovecats” circa 1983-84. It’s an interesting record, full of potential, but that room to grow takes up a lot of space.
We welcome your comments!