When not to judge a band by its debut… the short list

By Douglas
May 21st, 2008

As I stood watching Radiohead during their stunning performance this past weekend, I thought to myself how unbelievable it is that this is the same band that recorded “Creep,” a Gen-X anthem and relic from the glory days of grunge. Without passing judgment on the merits of “Pablo Honey,” Radiohead’s debut album from which the single was taken, few can argue that it’s not an anomaly when considering the band’s catalog to date.

There’s really no hint of the groundbreaking work to come: the sweeping anthems on “The Bends,” the complex epics that comprise their masterpiece, “OK Computer,” or the dark sonic explorations and bracing ballads found on “Kid A” through “In Rainbows.” When history is written about Radiohead, “Pablo Honey” and it’s unlikely alternative rock hit, will be merely a footnote. That got me thinking about other bands whose first albums are anomalies when compared to the rest of their output. In other words, which debuts are not representative of the sound, style or approach to music that the band would ultimately be most known for?

Here’s my short list:

Piper at the Gates of Dawn – Pink Floyd
Perhaps my favorite Pink Floyd record, but with Syd Barrett at the helm it was essentially a different band from the one that would become arena rock gods. Cheeky psychedelic gems like “Bike” and “The Gnome” sound wildly out of place next to epics like “Us and Them” and “Comfortably Numb.”

Beastie Boys – License to Ill
A snotty, silly, vulgar platter of party rap that bears little resemblance in execution to the more adventurous records that followed. Not to mention it’s hard to believe the guys who fought for your right to party would go on to fight for Tibet’s right to independence as one of the more thoughtful political bands in popular music.

Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan
Dylan’s first album had a pleasant mix of mostly straightforward folk and blues covers with only two originals thrown in. What followed was, as one writer put it, “an explosion of imagination and inspiration.” Nobody was quite prepared for the sheer genius that would flow from the pen of the unassuming transplant from Minnesota who cut this 1962 debut.

Y Kant Tori Read – Y Kant Tori Read
From the frightful album cover to the wretched 80’s production, its no wonder Tori Amos disowned her 1988 debut. While technically a band (and one with a horrible name at that – no, those aren’t typos),Y Kant Tori Read still goes down as her formal coming out. Three years later, Tori showed her true mettle and blazed back on the scene with the lyrically raw and musically accomplished album, “Little Earthquakes.” Don’t believe me? Check out this Y Kant Tori Read video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=yzTNhdO0elM

Radiohead - Pablo Honey
See above