Boston (Boston)

Boston
Boston (1976)

Top Tracks: “More Than a Feeling”, “Foreplay/Long Time”, “Hitch a Ride”

It’s often considered the greatest debut album of all time, and it’s up there on my list (probably well behind The Cars and Pretenders, but still amazing). You have to give credit to both Tom Scholz for innovating incredible sounds and writing super catchy hard rock songs, and to Brad Help being possibly the only guy on Earth who could have sung them as such (May 2020).

The Cars (The Cars)

The Cars
The Cars (1978)

Top Tracks: “Good Times Roll”, “Just What I Needed”, “Bye Bye Love”

It could be the best debut album of all time. Nearly every song is incredibly strong; there’s not an ounce of filler. The Cars weren’t the first new wave or power pop band by a long shot; they just did both better than just about anyone else ever had, or will. It’s funny; for a band that people associated so much with synthesizers, they sure had a ton of incredibly great guitar lines thanks to the brilliance of Elliot Easton. (May 2020).

Chicago Transit Authority (Chicago)

Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago (1969)

Top Tracks: “Beginnings”, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”, “Questions 67 and 68”

It was probably pretty short sighted to name your band and first album Chicago Transit Authority… because there’s an actual Chicago Transit Authority that authorizes transit in Chicago (which, to this day, they still do). So that wasn’t going to work out longterm for the band name, so they shortened it to Chicago and all was well after that. This debut album is fucking outstanding, though. Progressive and jazzy but still friendly and pop-oriented, it introduced the signature sound of this band to the world and it still holds up today (June 2020).

Crosby, Stills & Nash (Crosby, Stills & Nash)

Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)

Top Tracks: “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”, “Wooden Ships”, “Guinnevere”

God, this is an incredible album. Definitely one of the finest debuts ever, if you can consider the first album of a supergroup to be a debut. You have Steven Stills, fresh out of Buffalo Springfield; David Crosby, who’d walked away (or was fired, I can’t remember) from the Byrds, and kind of the oddball with English musician Graham Nash of The Hollies. And somehow, those voices and vibes blended in a way that really defines this era for me (June 2020).