0017: Best Opening Tracks

Submitted by AAA on Wed, 11/05/2003 - 08:52
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  1. "Safe European Home" - The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope
  2. "Blue Rondo A La Turk" - The Dave Brubek Quartet - Time Out
  3. "Baba O'Reilly" - The Who - Who's Next
  4. "Hangin' on the Telephone" - Blondie - Parallel Lines
  5. "3rd Planet" - Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica
  6. "Gimme Shelter" - The Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed
  7. "Tangled Up in Blue" - Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
  8. "Changes" - David Bowie - Hunky Dory
  9. "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" - Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
  10. "You're Pretty Good Looking (for a Girl)" - The White Stripes - De Stijl
  11. "Pink Moon" - Nick Drake - Pink Moon
  12. "Morning Morgantown" - Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon
  13. "Wouldn't it Be Nice" - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
  14. "Needle in the Hay" - Elliott Smith - Elliott Smith
  15. "Everything in its Right Place" - Radiohead - Kid A
  16. "Blitzkreig Bop" - The Ramones - The Ramones
  17. "The Fairest of the Seasons" - Nico - Chelsea Girl
  18. "And it Stoned Me" - Van Morrison - Moondance
  19. "Ha Ha" - Mates of State - Team Boo
  20. "Silence Kit" - Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
  21. "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" - The Arcade Fire - Funeral
  22. "Badlands" - Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
  23. "Watch That Man" - David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
  24. "No Action" - Elvis Costello - This Year's Model
  25. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana - Nevermind
  26. "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dreams
  27. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
  28. "Seven Nation Army" - The White Stripes - Elephant
  29. "Alone Again Or" - Love - Forever Changes
  30. "Summer Babe" - Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
Cloned From: 
My Favorite Side One, Track One Songs (Or, Best Opening Songs To Any Album)
crimsonkng03/01/2004

Good Times, Bad Times, - Led Zeppelin

stooky04/28/2004

great list triple A. I have a few suggestions.

Beatles: Taxman
Verve: Bittersweet Symphony
Richard Hell & The Voidoids: Love Comes In Spurts
Cat Power: I Don't Blame You
Kate Bush: Running Up That Hill
The Doors: Break On Through
Belle & Sebastien: Stars Of Track & Field
Aphex Twin: Xtal
Al Green: Call Me
Fountains Of Wayne: Radiation Vibe

AAA04/30/2004

I considered several of these, but they ultimately fell just below the cut-off.

pherber09/23/2004

How about Gimme Shelter from Let It Bleed, by the Stones?

AAA09/23/2004

Wow...I can't believe I forgot that one.

I'll add it.

pherber09/23/2004

Thanks :)

pherber09/23/2004

Oh! And Sympathy for The Devil, From Begger's Banquet!

AAA09/23/2004

Now that one I purposely left off. I always felt like it would be a better album ender.

It's a good song, but I don't love it as much as I do as the other tracks present.

lukeprog09/23/2004

'Change of Seasons' off Dream Theater's A Change of Seasons full-length album is one of the best Dream Theater tracks (and, imo, that's really saying something).

lukeprog09/23/2004

I'd also nominate 'Wecome to the Jungle' off Guns & Roses' "Welcome To The Jungle."

Though, I'm not sure if either of these tracks will get much respect here :-)

It's your list, you do what you want.

lukeprog09/23/2004

and 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' from Pet Sounds.

lukeprog09/23/2004

Lol, I'll just keep adding them one at a time, I guess: 'Mama' from Genesis.

AJDaGreat09/23/2004

See #13.

AAA09/23/2004

"Wouldn't it Be Nice" was already on the list! Great track.

:)

lukeprog09/23/2004

What can I say? I'm a highly observant genius.

AAA09/23/2004

Well...I absolutely hate Guns & Roses, so that would probably limit my enjoyment of it as an opening track.

lukeprog09/23/2004

*gasp*
Heresy!
Infidel, you shall burn at the stake!

AAA09/23/2004

I've never heard 'em. Should I check it out?

lukeprog09/23/2004

Okay, a synopsis of Dream Theater:

They are a progressive heavy metal band - one of the early ones, easily the best, and still kickin'.

Their music is often compared to classical music, except that its done with guitars and layer of effects (distortion being the heaviest one, naturally). Their consantly changing time signatures, frequent arpeggiation and master of scales, long but dense song structure, and creative variation are the most obvious reasons for comparisons to classical music.

They are one of my top 3 favorite bands of all time (along with Queen and Metallica), and, I think, one of the greatest bands of all time - people just don't know it because progressive heavy metal just ain't that popular :-)

A Change of Seasons is a 23-minute song (though each section is delicious), so if you want to try Dream Theater, I'd suggest starting with 'Fatal Tragedy' and ESPECIALLY 'Dance of Eternity.' I don't know if you like heavy metal AT ALL, but if you give them a chance, I think you'll at least be able to respect their work, if not enjoy it.

Dream Theater's music is often experimental (at the time it was released, anyway), innovative, and highly intelligent, so they are often accused of being pretentious, but of course I disagree.

I encourage you to at least try the two tracks I mentioned above. If you like it, also try these.

0dysseus09/23/2004

I've counted it off on this topic elsewhere.

YTSprinter02/24/2008

"Hells Bells" - AC/DC (Back in Black)