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Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 2:22 am
by rodox_head
Other contenders:

Living In The Plastic Age by The Buggles
Not only is it one of the best album openers, it could be seen as a great opening to the whole decade of the '80s given the album's almost melancholic thematic journey through the advancement of technology and rise in superficiality. The echoing synthetic wails and chirping alarm followed by the chugging synth gives off the feeling of waking up into a completely new world

Planet Claire - The B-52's
The morse code transmission with the Peter Gunn theme playing throughout evoking an image of a '50s/'60s beach romp scene, Fred Schneider's peculiar vocals about a mysterious alien girl, it's like getting an invite to their own party planet.

Lost Carol - Silent Hill 3 OST
It's only a short 37 second intro, but McGlynn's bellowing vocalizing leading into the opening riffs to "You're Not Here" and its lyrics longing for someone that isn't there anymore works so damn well. Yamaoka stated that when compiling the OST he wanted it to be like an actual album rather than just the tracks playing in order they appear in game and he definitely made the right choice with Lost Carol as the opener, as well as shortening it from its original 2 minute run time. As much as I love "Tender Sugar" and "Theme of Laura", this is my choice for best SH soundtrack opening.
Remulo wrote:
rodox_head wrote:
Sherbet Head wrote:The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
I feel ashamed I forgot about that one, and if we include "Tonight, Tonight" with it then it's no question.
We must not forget about how good of an opening "Where Boys Fear To Thread" followed by "Bodies" is too, how an album has TWO great openings is beyond me.
It's also contender for best closing track. Listening to Beautiful - Farewell and Goodnight is comparable to listening to Dawn Chorus - Corsair/Magic Window IMO. As dorky as this may sound, the piano that comes in towards the middle of Farewell & Goodnight reminds me of the feeling of first hearing Dearly Beloved play at the end of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 when I was a kid.

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 11:21 am
by Wildfire
Faith No More, The Real Thing, opening with From Out Of Nowhere. Incredible energy from the get go.

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2022 7:43 pm
by Samplehunter
The more i listen to it, the more I'm convinced that it must be this one:


Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 5:18 am
by Remulo
Wildfire wrote:Faith No More, The Real Thing, opening with From Out Of Nowhere. Incredible energy from the get go.
Yeaaaah, I definetly agree on that one! Faith No More has always had some amazing openings to their albums, setting the entire mood for the rest of the journey.

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 7:03 pm
by Quadrivium
The Rainbow as an opener to Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden gets my vote


Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:17 pm
by EHL
just one of many many many


Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 8:29 pm
by Orbited insanitarium
Mercury Rev - Holes (from "Deserter's Songs")

Emotional slow-burn. I don't play it often, but when I do, it just grabs you. Extraordinary song (and album)

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:46 am
by gestell
Just Like Honey
Only Shallow
The Headmaster Ritual
Mysterons
A Sort of Homecoming
Caribou
Dael
Levitation

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 8:06 pm
by jcnporter



Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 9:22 pm
by fujee
I've always liked Untitled by Interpol.

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 11:28 pm
by rodox_head
I think I gotta give some love to "Like Eating Glass" by Bloc Party. The buildup before the lyrics come in is mesmerizing and it makes such a good warm up to "Helicopter".


Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 1:29 am
by Josh


Old Man Gloom -- Seminar III Zozobra

The entire album is only one track, but I still think it qualifies.

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 1:46 am
by Josh
I also wanted to post Acid Bath's "Paegan Love Song", but there's no YT vid.

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2022 6:34 pm
by Orbited insanitarium
The Magician - Andy Shauf


The whole record The Party is up to this standard. Unique songwriter. 8)

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2022 6:50 pm
by jcnporter

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2023 9:55 pm
by rodox_head
Samplehunter wrote:The more i listen to it, the more I'm convinced that it must be this one:

I've been recently binging a lot of FLA and came back to this thread to mention this but forgot it was already mentioned. :P

Much like another favorite opener of mine, "Bust A Move" by Infected Mushroom, it sets the bar almost too high for the rest of the album.

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2023 11:29 pm
by funnnnpng


Love this one. The ~2 1/2 min feedback loop at the start is almost like a test. The average punk / rock fan wants action immediately. If someone like that can get through it, they'll be rewarded with an hour of pure rock brilliance. If they can't, so be it. I like how that works.

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 10:25 am
by Jonse
I take you where you want to go,
I give you all you need to know.
I drag you down, I use you up,
It's Machine + Soul by Gary Numan, obviously.

What's that Muse song? That one is a close second.

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 8:12 pm
by rodox_head
Jonse wrote:I take you where you want to go,
I give you all you need to know.
I drag you down, I use you up,
It's Machine + Soul by Gary Numan, obviously.

What's that Muse song? That one is a close second.
That was Soft Cell ya dilbertt, not Mr. Newman's magnum opus.

Re: What is the best album opener ever?

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 8:38 pm
by Orbited insanitarium
rodox_head wrote:
Jonse wrote:I take you where you want to go,
I give you all you need to know.
I drag you down, I use you up,
It's Machine + Soul by Gary Numan, obviously.

What's that Muse song? That one is a close second.
That was Soft Cell ya dilbertt, not Mr. Newman's magnum opus.
Riffing off of this, Frustration isn't my favourite off of Non-Stop Erotic Caberet by any means (sex dwarf anyone?) but it's a respectable opener, I'm really drawn the the theatrical sardonic tone of Marc on that one.

Away with your posts so far, Roundabout will spit on em with 1972's saliva. :P

Yes - Roundabout