Half-Life and Times

Thoughts while running in the morning

Between the torture bullshit in Iraq, Sinclair Broadcasting's boycott of last Friday's "Nightline" and Paul Bremer taking back his early criticism of the Bush administration's anti-terrorism focus (or lack thereof), I'm just too disgusted to type intelligibly (much less intelligently) about current affairs.

So here's my list of my 5 favorite debut disks of all time. Not necessarily the "best" since I haven't heard nearly all the debut albums out there. But my favorites...

Elvis Costello - "My Aim is True" (1977)
The Pretender - "The Pretender" (1980)
X - "Los Angeles" (1980)
Fetchin Bones - "Cabin Flounder" (1985)
Drivin' N' Cryin' - "Scarred but Smarter" (1986)

What strikes me about all of them is that from first track to last, there ain't a weak sister any of 'em. In fact, the first 3 would be on almost any of my "desert island" lists (throw in The Clash's "London Calling" and some Talking Heads and a case of Myer's Dark Rum and I'm all set).

Close but not quite are the first albums from The Doors, The Violent Femmes and U2. The one I struggle the most with is R.E. M.'s "Murmur" - I don't know what to do with it. It was their first full-length record and would bump DnC from the list above, but with the "Chronic Town" EP coming out a year before, I don't know if "Murmur" really counts as a debut. Can I get a ruling here?

posted by Tony Plutonium @ 11:57 AM