ALBUM-OPENING SONG BATTLE

grilledcheese · February 20, 2016

Great fucking call on "Big Iron" and "Mama Tried".

supremebve · February 20, 2016

It's a shame that N.Y. State of Mind technically isn't the opener.

Terrible rap album intros are the bane of my existence. There has never been a time I bought an album and wanted to hear something other than music when I turned it on. I remember one of my coworkers asked me to listen to her friend's mixtape, and not only did it have a useless album intro, he had an intro to every single song. Rap rule #956 if you feel like you have something to say but for some reason you can't put it in a song, odds are you don't need to say it.

Travis Sheldon · February 20, 2016

Great fucking call on "Big Iron" and "Mama Tried".

Those songs definitely set a mood.

Travis Sheldon · February 20, 2016

It's a shame that N.Y. State of Mind technically isn't the opener.

Terrible rap album intros are the bane of my existence. There has never been a time I bought an album and wanted to hear something other than music when I turned it on. I remember one of my coworkers asked me to listen to her friend's mixtape, and not only did it have a useless album intro, he had an intro to every single song. Rap rule #956 if you feel like you have something to say but for some reason you can't put it in a song, odds are you don't need to say it.

If only more people would learn from Big Daddy Kane.

FireThunder · February 20, 2016

From Rammstein's Mutter:

(The video has a few NSFW moments. I've seen it so many times, I completely forgot when I posted it...)

Curt McGirt · February 20, 2016

Well, some rappers got it right.

Here is your second Cure for the thread. Put away the razor blades first, please.

GOTNW · February 21, 2016

Some more:

Travis Sheldon · February 21, 2016

Yes, I thought of more...

This was played quite often back in the day...

And don't forget Satan...

Casey · February 21, 2016

So while listening to The Evening Jones with Bomani Jones tonight, he made the claim that if there's anything he feels certain about The Life of Pablo, it's that Ultra Light Beam is as strong an intro as there can be. I don't know that I agree, but, I realized that I didn't have an answer immediately ready. Here's what I came up with.

Ultra Lightbeam isn't even the best Kanye song to open one of his albums.

This is.

Alternatively, you have Good Morning from "Graduation", or No Church in the Wild from "Watch the Throne".

Curt McGirt · February 22, 2016

Anthrax can fuck off forever, but good lord "Hell Awaits". Yes, yes, so much yes.

And you know what that reminded me of? Another thrash band with a negligible history that happened to put out one utter classic as an album opener (I'm referencing Anthrax, not Slayer. Slayer is God to me, up until Hanneman decided to completely give up)

J.T. · February 22, 2016

Oh my God those 70's boots in that video for Waterloo.

The masters...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8UcpmUQkNU

Devo had some great opening tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIEVqFB4WUo

J.T. · February 22, 2016

Anthrax can fuck off forever, but good lord "Hell Awaits". Yes, yes, so much yes.

Why wasn't Only the first track on Sound of White Noise? Damn.

AxB · February 22, 2016

EDIT! One more:

JRGoldman · February 23, 2016

I'm just gonna leave this here.

Travis Sheldon · February 25, 2016

Curt McGirt's vitriol towards Anthrax reminded me of John Bush, whose talent was wasted in Anthrax.

I'm big on the SoCal music scene, from many eras, so here's a spree...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkUkYyo2EsU

One more 'cuz I love this band...

These guys ruled the LA punk scene in the mid 70s-early 80s...

I've already posted some Merle, so here's the king of the Bakersfield Sound...

Fuck it, here's more Merle...(Sorry I couldn't find a better version, but this is off the '72 album of the same name.)

Curt McGirt · February 25, 2016

I never really got into Armored Saint much but John Bush is an absolutely fantastic singer. March of the Saint was a really good EP iirc.

Cool, never heard the Blasters. I need to get some of their stuff, the Gun Club stuff, some other early LA bands I've missed out on. My focus from those days has always been Dangerhouse Rex/X/Germs and then Black Flag/Circle Jerks.

EDIT: And the Go-Gos of course... haha

Travis Sheldon · February 26, 2016

I never really got into Armored Saint much but John Bush is an absolutely fantastic singer. March of the Saint was a really good EP iirc.

Cool, never heard the Blasters. I need to get some of their stuff, the Gun Club stuff, some other early LA bands I've missed out on. My focus from those days has always been Dangerhouse Rex/X/Germs and then Black Flag/Circle Jerks.

EDIT: And the Go-Gos of course... haha

Fucking love The Go-Go's, was my favorite band for many years, just wish they had gotten their (Belinda's) shit together and done more than 4 albums.

The Blasters, X, Black Flag, Fear, Catholic Discipline,The Bags, I ate all that up with a spoon. I didn't really get the Germs until this last decade, guess I let that shitty performance by Darby Crash on Decline get to me and I filed them under 'suck'.

Curt McGirt · February 26, 2016

On the Decline, "Shut Down" was rambling and horrible but "Manimal" I always thought was awesome, just for Darby completely losing it and then jumping in right as the final verse hit.

Speaking of great album openers...