Best Track 1, Side 1s?

[sbr]

You might listen to records or albums like we were forced to do back in the day but do it by choice.

I think I do as is intended. And besides, most albums these days are also released on vinyl. So I think they all fully qualify for the "first track sets the tone".

But my original statement was that you guys were old, that was countered with a generic "but there's no good music these days"-variant from BB.  And I still am a little surprised that most of you don't have a post-1990 album, is all.

Probably because post 1990 few people still bought records and so the concept of a first track side A had little meaning for us anymore.  I understand that buying records has become a trendy thing again but that just underscores the difference in the way people listen to music now.

To put it bluntly, I can vividly remember a lot of first tracks from back in the day.  I have no idea whether the new music I now listen to is a first track on an album. Its just a song I like that I downloaded from itunes or wherever.

For my backup job I just finished working on a study about the music industry, and one of the conclusions is that the "silent killer" of the recording industry is the fact that people have stopped paying 15$ for a full album and instead spend 1$ on just the songs they like (or stream them).

Reminds me of something I read on wiki (I know) about Motley Crue's (I know) future endeavors.

In a later interview, Sixx talked about the possibility of releasing new music, saying that "We have music written, [but] it's not put together yet". He also speculated that the band would release it in a song-by-song format as opposed to a full-length album format, elaborating with "It's hard, to be honest with you, to spend six [or] nine months to write eleven songs — all those lyrics... everything... the vocals, the guitars, the bass, the sonics, the mixing, the mastering, the artwork... You put it out and nothing [happens], because now people cherry-pick songs. So we go, 'Why don't we write songs and find vehicles to get one, two or four songs to ten million people rather than eleven songs to a hundred thousand people."[41]

[DontSayBanana]

Judas Priest - The Hellion (double points if you count The Hellion/Electric Eye as a combined track)
Styx - The Great White Hope
Electric Light Orchestra - Fire on High
The Alan Parsons Project - Stereotomy
Kansas - Point of Know Return
Black Sabbath - Anno Mundi

[Josquius]

I remember HATING Black Sabbath because there was this bully in high school that always wore Black Sabbath shirts. That's why I never bought their albums until my late 20s. I was indeed blown away.

Wow. Those bullies have taste. The ones when I was at school all liked generic crappy techno club stuff.

Wait, you were bullied by guys who listened to techno?

That's what most meat heads like.

[celedhring]

The other bully at my school was a Pearl Jam fan, but I was a fan by that time.

When I was a teen, most punks in my area listened to hard rock/metal bands, "tough guy music". Then the techno meatheads moved in later in the decade.

[sbr]

I'd like to give an atomic wedgie to anyone who listens to techno.

[MadImmortalMan]

Probably because post 1990 few people still bought records and so the concept of a first track side A had little meaning for us anymore.  I understand that buying records has become a trendy thing again but that just underscores the difference in the way people listen to music now.

To put it bluntly, I can vividly remember a lot of first tracks from back in the day.  I have no idea whether the new music I now listen to is a first track on an album. Its just a song I like that I downloaded from itunes or wherever.

Yeah I was going to say Once from Ten also but I wasn't sure if it came out on vinyl. I thought side one track one meant it was on a record.

[mongers]

2112 is the obvious answer, but there are probably lots of great ones.

This.

[Savonarola]

I think the greatest is Tutti Frutti on "Here's Little Richard;" from the opening "Bop bopa-a-lu a whop bam boo" you know you're in for a wild ride.

Other favorites are

David Bowie, Young Americans
Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley
T. Rex, Mambo Sun ("Electric Warrior")
Bob Marley and the Wailers, Concrete Jungle ("Catch a Fire")
Marty Robbins, Big Iron ("Gunfighter Ballads and Trail songs")
The Beach Boys Wouldn't it be Nice? ("Pet Sounds")
The Grateful Dead Box of Rain ("American Beauty")
Sonic Youth, Teenage Riot ("Daydream Nation")

All these are outstanding songs in their own right, and they set up what's to follow on the album.

[Savonarola]

To some extent I think the thread topic is a bit of a miss, since if were the question is alluding to the vinyl or cassette experience of the listener, then why not ask which is the best or stand out sides of albums you've heard.

Particularly with vinyl you were likely to place a chosen side on turntable, walk back/sit down/dance and then hear the whole side in one go.

It's been a long time since I've listened to music that way, but I'd pick:

U2 "The Joshua Tree" Side 1
The Beatles "Abbey Road" Side 2
The Beatles "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" Side 1
The Rolling Stones "Exile on Main Street" Album 1 Side 1
Bob Dylan "Bringing it All Back Home" Side 1

[miozozny]

The Who - Who's Next - Baba O'Riley

[Valmy]

Who the fuck are you?

[miozozny]

Who the fuck are you?

Used to play EU2 MP, came to the former Languish for a game including Daniel A who was banned from Paradox Forums.
Been lurking after that.

[Eddie Teach]

God you people are old.

We're discussing album tracks.  Who even buys albums these days?  Of course we're going to be going fairly old-school in our selections.

All those I listed comes off great albums. Every artist still releases their songs on albums, even if they release them on soundcloud or whatever first, though some still stick to 7".

It's just that you stopped listening to new music.

I listen to new music all the time. What I don't do is buy albums. So no clue what position most songs are in.

[Valmy]

Ah well glad we could coax you out of lurking for a few posts.

[Capetan Mihali]

Who the fuck are you?

Used to play EU2 MP, came to the former Languish for a game including Daniel A who was banned from Paradox Forums.
Been lurking after that.

Where you from?