YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 92 (First Impressions)
(Originally finalized on August 22, 2024)
Preface: It's a new quarter, so it's time for a fresh start! This week we're going to honor songs that introduced the world to the bands that recorded them. I started by picking out songs that kick off a band's debut album, and then weeded out any that weren't also the band's first single. In other words, as far as I can tell (I mean, I wasn't born yet :-p), this is the first music anyone would have heard from these bands. Many bands take time to cultivate their sound and figure out what the public likes. Let's hear from some bands that charged out triumphantly, right from the starting gate.
Monday: The Doors - Break On Through (To The Other Side) [The Doors, 1967]
Comments: This is one of my favorite "first impression" songs. The Doors would put out better songs in their five short years of activity - including on this very album - yet this one remains one of their best. It's short, but it's a perfect distillation of The Doors' sound: starting with a train-like drum beat courtesy of John Densmore, Jim Morrison sings poetic lyrics with an impassioned voice, while Robby Krieger jams on his electrified guitar, and Ray Manzarek holds it all together, using his keyboard to play bass, rhythm, and still find room to solo!
Tuesday: Uriah Heep - Gypsy [Very 'Eavy, Very 'Umble, 1970]
Comments: Although it may not have charted as high as some of the other songs we'll listen to this week, I'm kicking myself for not including this song on the False Endings theme, so I couldn't pass it up here. The radio never did this band proper justice, but from the very first song on their very first album, it was clear: this was a band that could rock. And check out that fierce keyboard part, courtesy of Ken Hensley! Unlike some of the other keyboard-heavy bands of the era, Uriah Heep didn't suffer from some of the more pretentious excesses of prog rock.
Wednesday: The Eagles - Take It Easy [The Eagles, 1972]
Comments: The Eagles are a band that did grow and evolve through their time on the music scene (guitarists Don Felder and Joe Walsh, who famously trade licks on the song Hotel California, would join later), but still managed to record some successful hits right from the start. Such as this one, their first single, which bandmember Glenn Frey helped Jackson Browne to write. I'll never forget how one line from this song changed my life - by giving me the courage to ask out my first serious girlfriend. "We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again."
Thursday: Bad Company - Can't Get Enough [Bad Company, 1974]
Comments: Managed by Peter Grant and recorded for the Swan Song label, although I wouldn't describe Bad Company as the second coming of Led Zeppelin, they were quite successful. Joining vocalist Paul Rodgers from the oft-overlooked rock band Free, with guitarist Mick Ralphs who brought his song Ready For Love over from Mott the Hoople, Bad Company was formed and immediately started making waves. I don't know that I would even call this their best song (although it is good), but despite being their first single, it would prove to become their highest-charting hit.
Friday: Rainbow - Man On The Silver Mountain [Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, 1975]
Comments: More than any other band on this list, Rainbow had an unfair advantage, given that it was the pet project of Deep Purple's guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore. But though Ronnie James Dio had a band before this, too (which was cannibalized for Rainbow), my impression is that he hadn't quite hit his stride yet. Whereas this track, which opens Rainbow's first album, feels like a fully fledged proto-metal opus. After a couple more albums, Dio would leave to replace Ozzy in Black Sabbath, and Blackmore would eventually return to Deep Purple - for a time.
Saturday: The Runaways - Cherry Bomb [The Runaways, 1976]
Comments: Notable due in no small part to their role in launching Joan Jett's music career, The Runaways - a band of teenage girls guided by manager Kim Fowley's perverted vision - were remarkable in that, for what many considered to be a novelty act, they were actually really good! These girls weren't just playing rock stars; they were the real deal. Their first single showcases singer Cherie Currie, simultaneously portraying innocence and danger in her lily white corset and lingerie. Also heard is lead guitarist Lita Ford, who would later record a hit with Ozzy Osbourne.
Sunday: Boston - More Than A Feeling [Boston, 1976]
Comments: Boston's first album was so good, I don't think they ever matched its greatness. And this song - the opening track and their first single - is arguably their most recognizable tune (although Amanda might beg to differ). The band could certainly get sappy at times, but don't let that fool you - this whole album rocks hard. I didn't plan to feature two songs that remind me of my first serious girlfriend this week, but I do recall her telling me at one point that she knew I liked her when I put this song on in the car. Well, if music be the food of love, then play on!
Honorable Mentions: I followed pretty stringent guidelines when selecting songs for this theme, so I'm going to leave it where it lies. But I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that there were a lot of bands not represented here that had stellar debut albums. They have not been forgotten!