Best opening tracks?

NPR's All Songs Considered podcast made their picks the other day.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2010/05/25/127108164/and-the-best-opening-track-on-an-album-is

Here's some of my (older) favorites:

"London Calling" - The Clash
"Death On Two Legs" - Queen
"Surrender" - Cheap Trick
"Gimmie Shelter" - Rolling Stones
"Badlands" - Bruce Springsteen
"Changes" - David Bowie
"Either" - Gang of Four
"Taxman" - The Beatles
"Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson
"Pink Moon" - Nick Drake
"Cruel To Be Kind" - Nick Lowe
"In Quintessence" - Squeeze
"Metal Guru" - T-Rex
"Jailbreak" - Thin Lizzy
"Runnin' With The Devil" - Van Halen
"Sunday Morning" - Velvet Underground
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2
"Care of Cell 44" - The Zombies

How about you?

 

"Accidents Will Happen," from Elvis Costello's "Armed Forces"
"Beyond Belief," from Elvis Costello's "Imperial Bedroom"
"Thunder Road," from Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run"


Tough to beat U2 here...
"I Will Follow" from "Boy"
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" from "War"
"Where the Streets Have No Name" from "The Joshua Tree"
"Beautiful Day" from "All That You Can't Leave Behind"
"Vertigo" from "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb"

"Happy Together" from the Jam's "The Gift"
"I Will Dare" from the Replacements' "Let It Be"
"Alone Again Or" from Love's "Forever Changes"

And Trey, great call on "In Quintessence." I'd throw in "Pulling Mussels From the Shell" from "Argybargy," too.

 

I'm pretty sick of them by now, but "Whole Lotta Love" from Led Zeppelin II, "The Immigrant Song" from LZ3 and "Black Dog" from LZ4 are all pretty stellar.

But as a suburban white kid growing up in the late 80s, two opening tracks hit me in the chest like a sledgehammer:

Guns N Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle"

and

NWA's "Straight Outta Compton"

 

Prince's Let's Go Crazy

 

I haven't listen to Immigrant Song in years. Skip right to Friends every time.

And I don't have to tell Trey my favorite from the list he posted.

 

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)

 

Hmmm ...

Genesis Division:
"Behind The Lines"
"The Musical Box"
"Watcher of the Skies"
"Dancing with the Moonlit Knight"
"Dance on a Volcano"
"Eleventh Earl of Mar"

Genesis Spin-Off Division:
"Ace of Wands" - Steve Hackett
"Every Day" - Steve Hackett
"The Steppes" - Steve Hackett
"In The Air Tonight" - Phil Collins
"Hang In There Long Enough" - Phil Collins
"Silent Running" - Mike + The Mechanics
"From The Undertow" - Tony Banks

Rush Division:
"2112"
"A Farewell To Kings"
"The Spirit of Radio"
"Tom Sawyer"
"The Big Money"
"Dreamline"
"Animate"

Others:
"Funeral For a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)" - Elton John
"Tiny Dancer" - Elton John
"Running On Ice" - Billy Joel
"Walking Man" - James Taylor
"Never Die Young" - James Taylor
"Line 'Em Up" - James Taylor
"What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
"In The Stone" - Earth, Wind & Fire
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" - Pink Floyd

 

People don't give this album enough credit. A lot of hidden gems on this one.

 

Also,

"Roundabout" by Yes

 

Beatles Division:

"I Saw Her Standing There," Please Please Me, 1963

"A Hard Day's Night," 1964

"Drive My Car," Rubber Soul, 1965

"Taxman," Revolver, 1966

"Back In The U.S.S.R.," the White Album, 1968

 

Yes.

 

1984 -- Van Halen

And I'm only a casual VH fan.