What is an amazing album with a (kind of) crap opening track?

LPManic · June 2023

Was thinking about album sequencing today and how important a banger of an opening track is or was to an album.

But what are some famous or well respected or huge selling albums with (kind of) crap opening tracks? Or at least songs that are not in the same league as the rest of the album?

Three off the top of my head:

Taxman - Revolver
Hello - Morning Glory
EXP - Axis: Bold as Love

Any others?

Sporky · June 2023

Probably doesn't meet your criteria, but JJ72s second album was pretty good except for the first track, which was excruciatingly bad.

ICBM · June 2023

The Beatles - Let It Be - Two Of Us. Should be Get Back. I actually think the whole album would be much more highly rated if it wasn't sequenced so badly.

ABBA - Arrival - When I Kissed The Teacher. Should be Arrival! Doh...

theatreanchor · June 2023

LPManic said:

Was thinking about album sequencing today and how important a banger of an opening track is or was to an album.

But what are some famous or well respected or huge selling albums with (kind of) crap opening tracks? Or at least songs that are not in the same league as the rest of the album?

Three off the top of my head:

Taxman - Revolver
Hello - Morning Glory
EXP - Axis: Bold as Love

Any others?

Wow. Well, for me, neither Taxman and EXP are clearly not (kind of) crap.

I assume Morning Glory is Oasis, but as I can’t stand them anyway you’re probably right.

Blueingreen · June 2023

I always found Brown Sugar and Bitch annoying even though Sticky Fingers is among my favourite albums. I almost always skipped the first track on both sides when playing the album.

darthed1981 · June 2023

Rumours.

Jonathangus · June 2023

Number of the Beast (Invaders)

distressed · June 2023

LPManic said:

Taxman - Revolver

Huh?

idiotwind · June 2023

Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde has a pretty weak opening 1-2 with Rainy Day Women #12&35 followed by Pledging My Time.

axisus · June 2023

I listened to an album this we3k and thought to myself that the first track was poor, but damnit, I can’t remember what it was! I shall return if it comes to me …

ICBM · June 2023

darthed1981 said:

Rumours.

Second Hand News? That's a good song.

distressed said:

LPManic said:

Taxman - Revolver

Huh?

That was my reaction too.

Funkfingers · June 2023

peter gabriel 1 AKA Car

Opening track, Moribund The Burgermeister. Barely fit for release as the third bonus track on the B-side of a single.

For several reasons, the album should have opened with Solsbury Hill.

1) Recognition from already being the single.
2) PG should have begun straight before exposing listeners to the weirder songs.
3) SH is the stand out track on the album. It is such a classic.

Similarly, Here Comes The Flood is a superb closing track.

RocknRollDave · June 2023

The sound collage that lasts an eternity at the start of The Second Coming. The song proper, Breaking Into Heaven is a decent song, but the preamble is unbearable.

Wildest Dreams off Iron Maiden - Dance of Death

Redlester · June 2023

INXS’s Kick-Guns in the Sky us an odd track.

ICBM said:

The Beatles - Let It Be - Two Of Us. Should be Get Back. I actually think the whole album would be much more highly rated if it wasn't sequenced so badly.

ABBA - Arrival - When I Kissed The Teacher. Should be Arrival! Doh...

Try the Glyn Johns version of the album called Get Back if you can find it. Far superior track selection and sequencing.

Boromedic · June 2023

As said above, Invaders on NOTB is appalling as an opening track for such an amazing album.

stickyfiddle · June 2023

Taxman, Hello and Second Hand News are all great. Y'all are weird.

oh_pollo · June 2023

Funkfingers said:

peter gabriel 1 AKA Car

That first Peter Gabriel album is *not* an amazing album. And I say that as a fan.

brojangles · July 2023

Came in to say the same as @Redlester - Kick by INXS is a brilliant 80s pop album with an unaccountably duff opener.

It's quite hard to think of straight-up great albums with slightly crap opening tracks because I guess they wouldn't be great albums.

ICBM · July 2023

Sinéad O'Connor - Universal Mother

A great album almost ruined by a spoken intro track by Germaine Greer. I know she was trying to make a point which mattered to her, but after you’ve heard it once it’s just unnecessary and annoying. Thankfully it’s easy to remove from your iTunes library…

mudslide73 · July 2023

brojangles said:

Came in to say the same as @Redlester - Kick by INXS is a brilliant 80s pop album with an unaccountably duff opener.

It's quite hard to think of straight-up great albums with slightly crap opening tracks because I guess they wouldn't be great albums.

Guns in the sky
Child grows up to see
Guns in the sky
Used to be on TV

I bought this album when I was 15 and forced my parents to listen to it in the car on the way home. Hutchence swearing on the first track led to a disussion, I can tell you. It's pretty awful.

bobeffect · July 2023

RocknRollDave said:

The sound collage that lasts an eternity at the start of The Second Coming. The song proper, Breaking Into Heaven is a decent song, but the preamble is unbearable.

Wildest Dreams off Iron Maiden - Dance of Death

Was going to say exactly the same about The Second Coming 1st track....I always fast forward it 4mins & 30secs to get to the good bit.

LPManic · July 2023

In light of Glastonbury and Hyde Park, I think we can add Right Next Door to Hell on Use Your Illusion I. The song is not helped by the fact that Dust n Bones - a Izzy classic - is the second song and Civil War is the opening track on UYI II.

Boromedic · July 2023

Ahhh man, I love Right Next Door To Hell and it's a true story!

DuploLicks · July 2023

I’m sure we did this topic recently. I noted it for someone’s hot take was Welcome to the Jungle was a poor opening track

wesker123 · July 2023

Big Thief - Masterpiece
1st track Little Arrow. Still their best album though IMO.

horse · July 2023

DuploLicks said:

I’m sure we did this topic recently. I noted it for someone’s hot take was Welcome to the Jungle was a poor opening track

I had this similarish thread:

https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/239932/great-albums-where-you-tend-to-skip-the-first-track#latest

scrumhalf · July 2023

Siouxsie & The Banshees debut album "The Scream" opens with "Pure" which is horrible. The rest of the album is staggerngly good.

Cols · July 2023

LPManic said:

Was thinking about album sequencing today and how important a banger of an opening track is or was to an album.

But what are some famous or well respected or huge selling albums with (kind of) crap opening tracks? Or at least songs that are not in the same league as the rest of the album?

Three off the top of my head:

Taxman - Revolver
Hello - Morning Glory
EXP - Axis: Bold as Love

Any others?

Funnily enough, EXP was precisely what came to mind when I saw this thread title (the silly talky bit, not the song).

Reverend · July 2023

LPManic said:

In light of Glastonbury and Hyde Park, I think we can add Right Next Door to Hell on Use Your Illusion I. The song is not helped by the fact that Dust n Bones - a Izzy classic - is the second song and Civil War is the opening track on UYI II.

pretty sure UYI 1 and 2 is a great EP padded out to 2 double albums

RocknRollDave · July 2023

Reverend said:

LPManic said:

In light of Glastonbury and Hyde Park, I think we can add Right Next Door to Hell on Use Your Illusion I. The song is not helped by the fact that Dust n Bones - a Izzy classic - is the second song and Civil War is the opening track on UYI II.

pretty sure UYI 1 and 2 is a great EP padded out to 2 double albums

with a drummer who ruined the whole sound of the band.

lustycourtier · July 2023

LPManic said:

Was thinking about album sequencing today and how important a banger of an opening track is or was to an album.

But what are some famous or well respected or huge selling albums with (kind of) crap opening tracks? Or at least songs that are not in the same league as the rest of the album?

Three off the top of my head:

Taxman - Revolver
Hello - Morning Glory
EXP - Axis: Bold as Love

Any others?

Wow. Three of the best tracks by the artists. Crazy.

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What is an amazing album with a (kind of) crap opening track?

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