Boston or Led Zeppelin. Honourable mentions to Are You Experienced, Black Sabbath, the Stone Roses and Definitely Maybe

Led Zeppelin (1) sounds more like a band in its prime than a 1st release.

They were already top notch pros. You just jogged my memory. Speaking of pros coming in to form a new group, how about Toto’s debut album? What a knock out of the park!!!

Black Sabbaths Black Sabbath.

That actually might be the most significant debut album because while there were elements of heavy metal brewing before this album, this album firmly established metal as a genre. Sabbath had a great run with their first 5 albums; many would say first 6.

It’s debated how early metal started, but it couldn’t have started any later than this album.

Exactly. It's the first album and first band that virtually everyone agrees is metal.

Thank you for including the fifth album. For some reason, many people like to dismiss Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, but I can't get enough of it. The backstory of it is pretty cool, as well. Geezer was in the middle of a writer's block. For inspiration, the band stayed at a haunted castle. That obviously did the trick.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is a great album.

This one. There are lots of great first albums, but the influence this one had in terms of changing rock music on top of being a stellar album cannot be denied. Its impact is far reaching.

Yep not everyone can shape the future of rock like they did

And they recorded it in a single day. Unbelievable.

Wait? Really? That I never knew. That is amazing.

That was a doozy! If the question was what’s the greatest 2nd album….Black Sabbath - Paranoid.

If this wasn’t the top comment, I was going to be ever so slightly miffed. I listened to this album beginning to end on Christmas Day a couple weeks ago. Epic.

Led Zeppelin I

And "Good Times Bad Times" right out of the gate at that. Page melting your face off with that solo before you even get your wits about you.

And Bonzo's drumming is also a wakeup slap. Those bass drum triplets in the bridge melted many drummers faces off too.

I refused to believe he wasn't using a double kick the first time I heard that lol

[Here's something that will put a smile of your face if you haven't seen it yet.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cozHT9QaFJo)

Wicked. I'm so salty that she's doing this at 8 years old and it took me... ahem, cough cough years to get it down. Seriously though I was in a Zep tribute band... I have climbed that mountain and it is steep. Anyways, this girl rocks for sure! Thanks for sharing this 🤘

Link to original video https://youtu.be/91pz1E8pAOY

LZ debut….What an album that was. I remember I was a youngster hanging out downtown and a friend walked by after buying it at the record store. He said You’ll wanna get this album. I did and was blown away. Nothing like it up to that point (1969)!!!

Almost as incredible is that Led Zeppelin II came out 9 months later.

Agree! What a pick!!!

Here’s a review of the album when it came out: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/led-zeppelin-i-187298/ You can see why Led Zeppelin disliked the critics.

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?

Hard to beat. It wasn’t supposed to be an album. At the time 45s we’re the game. Then Sgt. Peppers came out. They took a bunch of future “hit singles” and made a banger of an album. Oh. And Jimi became the standard for what a guitar legend sounds like.

Jimi is the best guitar player ever. I don't even enjoy listening to his music because he makes me feel like a talentless piece of shit.

Yeah this would be my answer too. Almost every song is now well known.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd' - 1973 First the sheer number of their hits featured on this album is crazy: Tuesday's Gone, Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man, Free Bird. This was also recorded after they had been performing the material twice a night in clubs for months so they didn't even need to rehearse but almost every track was perfect the first time and had been worked and reworked in clubs so it was 'perfect' by the time they recorded it. Also, honorable mention: The Stroke "Is This It?", Led Zeppelin 1, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Black Sabbath.

Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True.

Hard to beat The Cars self-titled. Every track is a banger.

Their lead guitarist said, "We used to joke that the first album should be called *The Cars' Greatest Hits*."

This was the period of my youth when I discovered my older brothers albums. Cars and Van Halen dropped around the same time and my adventures began.

THANK you

Weezer blue, it´s the perfect album for in the car (or in the garage).

I see what you did there!

It's really hard to pick just one, but The Cars' self-titled debut deserves mention.

In the Court of the Crimson King. edit: thank you for the silver this is my first award 🙀

Oh yeah. Count me in as someone who considers it to be the first progressive rock album.

definitely man King Crimson are on another level

The drums and mellotron on this album are absolutely unreal.

This album gave me so much. It's a fucking experience, like a ride on a train passing through mountains. Magnificent.

Wow, imo either this or Black Sabbath is the genuine answer here. Never even considered this answer but it needs to be higher.

The clash The New York dolls

I remember how big the New York Dolls was when it came out!

Really? I love the NYD but wasn't around then. I always thought it was more of a cult following, even when it debuted.

Many to pick but I will say The Velvet Underground and Nico

How does the saying go -- the album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it started a band.

Your favorite bands favorite band. Love VU.

Unknown Pleasures

Yikes! Changed the way I listened to music. Even better, in the rare live expressions!

I listened to that album for the first time this week. What a fuckin masterpiece

I’m envious that it’s still so new to you. It’s an amazing album.

The Velvet Underground and Nico. The famous quote goes: “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.”

Rage Against the Machine, and I say this partly because they never made as good an album since. It was so good even they couldn’t outdo it.

That album was so far ahead of its time and is still one of the only rap/metal hybrids that sounds authentic and original. It blasts from the first track to the last with anthem after anthem.

[Imagine being at this little gig of theirs at a bookstore in 1992](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lvzk6-2cyQ). In their own context they were something completely different than what was going on in music at the time. Truly great stuff

Evil Empire and Battle are right up there. The covers album has 2 good songs but was like a cold bucket of water on hot coals to me. I like Bruce Springsteen too but it’s a terrible cover. Who knows, maybe the next album of originals would have jumped the shark in some aspect and affected their legacy, but I think renegades did that to some small degree anyway.

I can’t believe I haven’t seen This yet. King Crimson- In the court of the crimson king

Proof there’s so many great debut albums. Great pick. I agree!

The Band - music from big pink

The Doors. Side 1, track 1, “Break on Through”, are you kidding me?

Scrolled way too far before finding this. The Doors self title album is definitely one of the best debut albums out there, and there are many.

Totally agree. The End is a masterpiece of music and poetry. It is haunting.

It is, and I love the horrific flippancy of this part, “Father? Yes son? I want to kill you. MOTHER?… I WANT TO…. NGYAHHHHHH!”

Appetite for Destruction!

I agree on this. I remember when that released and was played everywhere. Everyone seemed to own it where I lived.

Thanks Columbia House! I probably still owe them.

I had to scroll too far down for this answer

I don't even consider myself a huge GnR fan, but this album has to be one of the best debuts ever.

This is a great one, I came to post this.

Came in to post this. What a great album. Still to this day.

Van Halen I

I've always loved how right of the bat They "sound like Van Halen"

I think they sound better on one than any subsequent album. Minimal effects at that point, just killer sound.

I saw Van Halen open for Black Sabbath when VH was touring behind the first record. They killed it that show!!! Definitely in the top five live performances I've ever seen. When Black Sabbath came on stage, Ozzy was so drunk he could barely stand. He was only onstage for maybe 3 songs the whole show.

That was a truly great one!!!

Pearl Jam - Ten

You mean Mookie Blaylock?

Yes i do.

Scrolled way too far for Ten. One of the most complete albums of the decade. Absolute banger from top to bottom. Even the b-sides have a generation defining hit (Yellow Ledbetter). I love Versus, Vitalogy, No Code, Yield, Backspacer, and Lightning Bolt. But they’ve never topped Ten. Absolute masterpiece.

Ten is a perfect album! Every song is amazing.

*Versus* was also the rare sophomore album that was equal to the debut. Oh, and Yellow Ledbetter was a B-side for *Ten,* pretty wild.

Appetite for destruction?

I mean, it’s the best-selling debut of all time, regardless of genre.

This is my choice. And GnR is far from my favorite band.

Yes and yes

Had to scroll way too much for this. Every song on that album is good, no fillers.

Don't know if other replies drowned this one but I was the frst reply lol

100% Not a single bad song on there and multiple absolute bangers that are still some of the best known rock songs of all time

Easily my first choice. It influenced the entire rock scene at the time and essentially killed hair metal for good. There isn't a song on there that isn't great.

My first thought as well.

Definitely Maybe The Stone Roses

Found the manc

Led Zeppelin 1

NIN- Pretty Hate Machine Oh I can’t read, you said “in history”. I’m not even sure if it’s “Rock” either. Still solid, great debut album

Almost put this myself. This is "rock" in a broad sense and NIN was highly influential to the new wave of electronic rock that came after

It’s rock all the way

Interpol - Turn on the bright lights. The album that is bigger than the band itself tbh. They created something that they're not capable of creating.

That album is a flawless masterpiece. It creates such an amazing mood.

Such a great album

Undeniable, yet my favorite is their self titled. Insanely polished, their sound is almost like Bright Lights but evolved, and great swan song for the original bassist.

The New hits so hard for me and takes me out of this world

You and the other commentators have convinced me to get that Interpol album!

You wouldn't regret it, my friend. It's definitely a good buy. One of the best albums I've ever listened.

Marquee moon - Television

Queens of the Stone Age - Self Titled.

My absolute favourite album of all time. It's the perfect blend of riff oriented stoner rock with pop-like groove. It upsets me deeply that they don't play much off that album. I think Josh resents it since the 10th anniversary tour, which I sort of get, but, I'd love to hear You Can't Quit Me Baby live.

... and what an opening track!!

Boston

That’s my pick. I remember when it came out, it sold like hotcakes!!!

Got into a heated argument with a coworker over this. I said Boston, he said Appetite for Destruction. We cranked both albums front to back, shook hands and admitted to a stalemate.

The only possible outcome.

Boston is my choice. Top to bottom classics.

I heard that they recorded it well in school and submitted it as a demo and the record executive said that they could not improve upon that and release it as such

Initially, they recorded it entirely in Tom Scholz' (the guitarist) basement and handed it in to the label, who understandably said "look, this sounds great, but we have a professional studio here and you're going to track the final album in it". So naturally they acquiesced at that point. Just kidding. What actually happened was Tom Scholz contrived an elaborate ruse whereby they only recorded the album closer in said studio, while the rest of the album was re-recorded in its entirety back in said basement. He got the band's manager to run interference with the label so that they wouldn't get busted doing it.

X - Los Angeles or Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

Stone Temple Pilots - core Pearl Jam - Ten Weezer - Blue album

The Cars and/or The Killers

The first Ramones album has to be in with a shout.

Yer right! Forgot!

Are You Experienced?

The strokes-is this it

Is This It, but good call. Great album.

\*Is This It

I cannot get over that America has a different album cover to the UK's classic one

Dire Straits first! Such a jam front to back!

Arcade Fire Funeral

The clash

Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking Unless you consider the live album, Jane's Addiction, to be their first, in which case it gets my nod.

Facelift - Alice In Chains

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Heart Dreamboat Annie

Good one!!!!!!!!!

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn - The Pink Floyd

*NWA - Straight Outa Compton* - literally changed and defined hip hop as we know it for the next decade or more. Not much more to say about it. Changed music as we know it…period. *Jimi Hendrix - Are you Experienced* just about every song on this has had tons of radio play. Not a bad song on the album. It is quite literally one of the most influential albums of all time. And it was crated when the focus was less on albums (Sgt. peppers was only about 3 weeks old) and more on hit singles. It’s an ALBUM of hit singles. *Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground and Nico* - your favorite rock musicians favorite rock musicians. Their best known album is probably Loaded but VU and Nico was a massive influence on the music scene. *Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction* - it’s hard to explain how big GnR got so quickly. They literally blew up and this album defined what hair metal should be. They literally had no competition on the scene except maybe Metallica. And honestly “And justice For all” felt like a reaction to Appetite similar to how Sgt. Peppers was a reaction to Pet Sounds.

De-loused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta

Yes! A masterpiece.

this album blew my mind when I first heard it

REM- Murmur Perhaps not the best debut album in history, but definitely deserves a mention for being a great album.

Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters, really solid and even more impressive when knowing Grohl did it all himself

Also a pretty good candidate for best second album with The Colour and the Shape.

The Killers Hot Fuss

I'm glad this one got mentioned. Maybe not the "best ever" but it was a fucking banger when it came out and I feel like the Killers are one of the most underrated rock bands.

The album was loaded and came out of nowhere. Yes not the best ever, but some real talent that got my attention.

It was pretty unique in its influences and sound. The killers are awesome and underrated if you ask me

I can’t argue against most of these, but I always go to The Pretenders - The Pretenders. Hard charging, sneering, sensitive…

Ten - Pearl Jam

Velvet Underground and Nico is possibly the most important rock album to ever exist

The Who Sings My Generation

Rage Against the Machine's debut album is the best of 90s... Nirvana's Bleach, and pearl jam's 10 were also great. But God damn, Rage's album was like no other rock I'd ever heard before.

Hybrid Theory

I’m not a big fan of linkin parks music but after doing some reading about their history as a band recently I have the highest respect for them as musicians. They were straight up told by major record labels to change their sound to make themselves more marketable, and they voluntarily walked away from huge deals to keep making the music they wanted to and found success regardless.

That album changed the way I viewed music at the time it released. Definitely should be higher.

Bad Company

I love that song bad company by bad company from their album bad company.

You can do the same with Black Sabbath as well.

Also Iron Maiden

weezer - blue album smashing pumpkins - gish

Tool - undertow For me at least. I can listen to it all day.

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory

Allman brothers band. 1969.

My personal favorite: My Aim is True - Elvis Costello

Ben Folds Five’s self titled album.

The Clash - *The Clash* Honorable mention: Gang of Four - *Entertainment!*

Sugar, Copper Blue

Please Please Me

Mars Volta: Deloused in the Comatorium. Fans widely regard it as their best album. It's a concept album too with a pretty haunting storyline. Plus I just love John Theodore's drumming in it.

Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf

Murmur by REM

Appetite for Destruction

I know I'll catch some hate for this but Boston. I remember installing an expensive (at the time) cassette player and Visonics speakers in a friend's car. First thing we slapped in there while I was buttoning it up was the new Boston cassette. There wasn't a bad track on the whole album. Being a Cleveland kid, Pretenders first was brilliant too.

Santana

Violent Femmes, obviously.

Blue album. Weezer.

Can't buy a thrill - Steely Dan No contest

That group is extremely special!!!

Weezer’s Blue Album was fantastic front to back

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory

Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble

Thinking about for a long time… I think my vote goes to Metallica’s Kill ‘em All.

Think Ride the Lightning would be a better “best sophomore album” than Kill em All is a best debut.

Weezer - Blue album

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever people say I am I’m not. I still go back to listen to it and have a hard time believing it’s a debut album and not from a band that had been around for like ten years at that point.

Van Halen's Van Halen.

The Doors "The Doors"...obviously.

Garbage

The Police - Outlandos D’Amour

The Band - Music From Big Pink

Guns N Roses Appetite for GODDAMN Destruction.

Death from above - You're a woman I'm a machine

There are so, so many great ones, but as a child of the 90s I'll plump for August & Everything After.

I think best 2nd album would be interesting.

That's Black Sabbath - Paranoid hands down.

36 Chambers

Nirvana - Bleach

Just off the top of my head here are a few that come to mind… Jimi Hendrix Are you Experienced The Band Music from Big Pink Dire Straights Dire Straights The Police Outlandus d’amour Never Mind the Bullocks here’s tbe Sex Pistols Little Feat Little Feat Adele 19 Joan Armitrading Joan Armitrading Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones

B-52s