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).