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Best 1-2-3 track openings to an album?


Rutlefan
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Listened to Sufjan Stevens' Seven Swans this morning for first time in a long time and was struck by how perfect are the first three tracks, so I thought about other alums with great 1-2-3 openings. Not merely in that they are great songs, but that they open the album perfectly. Here's ten (or twelve) that come to mind.

 

1. Radiohead OK Computer -- Airbag/Paranoid Android/Subterranean Homesick Alien

 

2. Nirvana Nevermind -- Teen Spirit/In Bloom/Come As You Are

 

3. The Beatles -- Back in the USSR/Dear Prudence/Glass Onion

 

4. The Beatles Revolver -- Taxman/Eleanor Rigby/I'm Only Sleeping

 

5. The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society -- The Village Green Preservation Society/Do You Remember Walter?/Picture Book

 

6. Sufjan Stevens Seven Swans -- All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands/The Dress Looks Nice on You/In the Devil's Territory

 

7. Rush Moving Pictures -- Tom Sawyer/Red Barchetta/YYZ

 

8. Wire 154 -- I Should've Known Better/Two Peope in a Room/The 15th

 

9. The Psychedelic Furs -- India/sister Europe/Susan's Strange

 

10. Gorillaz Demon Days -- Last Living Souls/Kids with Guns/O Green World (not counting "Intro")

 

Honorable Mentions... The Gun Club Fire of Love -- Sex Beat/Preaching the Blues/Promise Me and Wire Change Becomes Us -- Doubles and Trebles/Keep Exhaling/Adore Your Island

 

Edit -- I should have titled this "Great 1-2-3 Track Openings" rather than "Best", for what it's worth.

Edited by Rutlefan
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King Crimson Red - Red, Fallen Angel, One More Red Nightmare

 

Talking Heads Remain in Light - Born Under Punches, Crosseyed and Painless, The Great Curve

 

The Beatles Beatles for Sale - No Reply, I'm a Loser, Baby's in Black

 

Brian Eno Another Green World - Sky Saw, Over Fire Island, St. Elmo's Fire

 

The Cars The Cars - Good Times Roll, My Best Friend's Girl, Just What I Needed

 

The Police Outlandos d'Amour - Next to You, So Lonely, Roxanne

 

Lou Reed New York - Romeo Had Juliette, Halloween Parade, Dirty Blvd.

 

The Velvet Underground Loaded - Who Loves the Sun, Sweet Jane, Rock & Roll

 

R.E.M. Lifes Rich Pageant - Begin the Begin, These Days, Fall on Me

 

Rush Snakes & Arrows - Far Cry, Armor and Sword, Workin' Them Angels

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Close to the Edge (Yes) -- Close to the Edge, And You And I, Siberian Khatru

Heavy Horses (Jethro Tull) -- ...And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps, Acres Wild, No Lullaby

Aenima (Tool) -- Stinkfist, Eulogy, H.

 

Perfect. Come on, how does one top that? Greatest opening trio of all time also forms the greatest album of all time.

Edited by Powderfinger
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Undertow (Tool) - Intolerance, Prison Sex, Sober

 

Duke (Genesis) - Behind the Lines, Duchess, Guide Vocal

 

Amok (Atoms for Peace) - Before Your Very Eyes, Default, Ingenue

 

Off the Wall (Michael Jackson) - Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough, Rock With You, Workin' Day and Night (Come on, gotta throw in a little disco!)

 

Clockwork Angels (Rush) - Caravan, BU2B, Clockwork Angels

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Innervisions (Stevie Wonder) - Too High/Visions/Living For The City

Painkiller (Judas Priest) - Painkiller/Hell Patrol/All Guns Blazing

Crime Of The Century (Supertramp) - School/Bloody Well Right/Hide In Your Shell

Empire (Queensrÿche) - Best I Can/The Thin Line/Jet City Woman

The Chemical Wedding (Bruce Dickinson) - King In Crimson/Chemical Wedding/The Tower

Band On The Run (Paul McCartney & Wings) - Band On The Run/Jet/Bluebird

Edited by HemispheresserehpsimeH
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To Our Children's Children's Children (The Moody Blues) - Higher and Higher, Eyes of a Child, Floating

Close To The Edge (Yes)

Billion Dollar Babies (Alice Cooper) - Hello! Hooray!, Raped and Freezin, Elected

Quadrophenia (The Who) - I Am the Sea, The Real Me, Quadrophenia

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Journey Infinity

Lights

Feeling That Way

Anytime

I think you can hear Lifeson's influence in the guitar lick's too....... :LOL:

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Close to the Edge (Yes) -- Close to the Edge, And You And I, Siberian Khatru

Heavy Horses (Jethro Tull) -- ...And the Mouse Police Never Sleeps, Acres Wild, No Lullaby

Aenima (Tool) -- Stinkfist, Eulogy, H.

YES - You read my mind :blush:

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Led Zep - III - Immigrant Song, Friends, Celebration Day

 

Led Zep - Houses Of he Holy -TSRTS, Rain Song, Over the Hills and Far Away

 

ELP -Trilogy - Endless Eniigma Part 1, Fugue, Endless Enigma Part 2

 

Pink Floyd - Meddle- One of These Days, A Pillow of Winds, Fearless

 

Rush - Hemispheres - Cygnus X-1, Circumstances, The Trees

 

The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers - Brown Sugar, Sway ( Love Sway :smoke: ), Wild Horses

 

The Who - Who's Next - Baba O'Reily, Bargain, Love Ain't for Keeping

 

Aerosmith - Get Your Wings - Same Old Song, Lord of the Thighs. Spaced

 

Black Sabbath - Paranoid - War Pigs, Paranoid, Planet Carvan

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Wings over America - Venus & Mars/Rock Show/Jet

 

I hadn't thought of live albums but that's perfect. 3 songs/11 minutes that have dragged me into the 3 lp marathon many times.

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Talking Heads Remain in Light - Born Under Punches, Crosseyed and Painless, The Great Curve

 

The Cars The Cars - Good Times Roll, My Best Friend's Girl, Just What I Needed

 

Lou Reed New York - Romeo Had Juliette, Halloween Parade, Dirty Blvd.

 

The Velvet Underground Loaded - Who Loves the Sun, Sweet Jane, Rock & Roll

 

 

This part of your list stuck out to me as I've been on a minor Modern Lovers kick this last week. Inspired by Velvet Underground and featuring a pre-Talking Heads Jerry Harrison and pre-Cars David Robinson. I've never been to Boston let alone live there, but man that place has produced an amazing amount of great music/bands.

 

Well ... some people try to pick up girls and get called assholes

This never happened to Pablo Picasso

He could walk down your street and girls could not resist his stare and so

Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole

 

Not like me :guitar:

 

Oh, and plus one for Loaded.

Edited by Rutlefan
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