YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 94 (Album Openers)
(Originally finalized on September 3, 2024)
Preface: We continue our celebration of Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) this week by focusing on songs that kick off the album they appear on. Similar to my First Impressions theme, but not limited to a band's debut album. Much like with Title Tracks, it was not uncommon for bands to lead off their albums with their strongest contender for a hit, so expect some more good entries.
Before we begin, a few caveats. There is some overlap with Title Tracks (three of the songs chosen for that theme were openers) and, obviously, First Impressions. On the plus side, if a song doesn't make the cut for one theme (and these themes have no shortage of good choices), it might have a second chance. I will also repeat the disclaimer that many good openers have already been used in older themes; I'm gonna stick to what's left over.
Finally, a note on shifting tracklists. Especially early on - in the '60s - album tracklists were sometimes shuffled around (e.g., when porting albums overseas), in order to add or reposition charting hits at the top. For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to avoid such albums where there is any ambiguity about which song came first.
Monday: Van Halen - Runnin' With The Devil [Van Halen, 1978]
Comments: Unfortunately disqualified as a First Impression (the band's first single was - however appropriately - their cover of The Kinks' You Really Got Me), this song that opens Van Halen's debut album nonetheless does a great job of announcing to the world the arrival of a hard rock powerhouse that would prove to be enormously popular, featuring the most earth-shatteringly influential guitarist to come along since Jimi Hendrix.
Tuesday: Black Sabbath - War Pigs [Paranoid, 1970]
Comments: Almost a decade earlier, Black Sabbath was already redefining "heavy music", and laying down track for a whole generation of metal bands that would come after them. I personally love the loose format of their debut album, but this coffin-tight epic sets the scene for their career-defining sophomore album; I think it's one of the greatest pieces of music this band ever recorded. I'd rate it even higher than Iron Man, from the same album.
Wednesday: The Who - Baba O'Riley [Who's Next, 1971]
Comments: The Who made waves with their early single My Generation, and then invented the rock opera (similar to a concept album, but with a more cohesive narrative) with Tommy. But Who's Next is the band's best contribution to AOR - and features some of their biggest hits. Like the album opener, Baba O'Riley - frequently mistitled "Teenage Wasteland". In fact, that's how I got my first radio gig in college - I knew more about the music than the DJ who was playing it!
Thursday: Yes - Roundabout [Fragile, 1971]
Comments: With harmonics ringing out over a brutal bass charge, and narrowly beating out Yours Is No Disgrace (from The Yes Album, released earlier the same year) by the thinnest of margins, Roundabout opens the definitive album by one of the most influential bands in early progressive rock, taking you on a sonic journey from start to finish. What do the lyrics mean? Beats me. But they sure do sound good.
Friday: Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son [Leftoverture, 1976]
Comments: Although, pound for pound, not as heavy hitting as most of the bands on this list, Kansas made a name for themselves with a couple of astronomical hits. I used one of them to represent one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues. This is the other one, and the heavier of the two. Contributing, no doubt, to its popularity are its relatable lyrics that flatter the inner fantasy of so many people (myself included) who envision themselves as world-weary warriors.
Saturday: Heart - Barracuda [Little Queen, 1977]
Comments: Magic Man, from their debut album, is another great opener by Heart, but I already used it for one of my more creative themes - Major Arcana. But Barracuda was another pretty big hit for the band - and one whose genesis involves a pretty salacious story. Without going into detail - I'm sure sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are thrilled about it being brought up again and again - it will suffice to say: there are no limits to the adage that "sex sells".
Sunday: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Refugee [Damn The Torpedoes, 1979]
Comments: I've gotten more mileage out of the nickname "Zep", but in high school some of the other kids would call me Tom Petty, due to a superficial likeness between us. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't appreciate the comparison at the time, but I completely owned up to it in college. This is one of a handful of songs I would rate among my all-time top favorite Petty tracks, and it opens one of The Heartbreakers' most highly-acclaimed albums.
Honorable Mentions: Seriously, there are so many good album openers left, even if you don't count the ones that I've already used for other themes. I just started picking some I liked until my list was full. (Actually, the selection process was a lot more painstaking than that, but we're glossing over it). And now I feel like a bouncer handing out tickets for the exodus shuttle during the apocalypse. This theme (and last week's theme) would make a good start to a longer playlist.