Distinctive Debuts

Songfactor's Choice is a forum on our Message Boards where the citizens of Songfacts decide the Top 5 in a particular category. In this episode: Distinctive Debuts. It's not always experience that counts. Here are the five debut albums we selected as the greatest of all time.

Are You Experienced? - Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

Jimi Hendrix's stylistically innovative work from his debut album and every preceding album, have earned him and kept his fans loyal right up to the present day. His well deserved fame as one of the greatest guitarists of all time is still as relevant today as it was in the sixties. He was and will remain one of the greatest rock legends of all time.

~ Lea

Third Stone From The Sun (songfacts)

(pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd) - Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973)

This is the album that gave birth to a genre in 1973. The phrase "Southern Rock" hadn't been uttered until these guys came onto the music scene. Their sound was raw, and hard rocking, blues/rock flavored with a bit of country. Their original lyrics were sweet southern poetry, as told from the view of a Southern redneck boy. Every song on this release was a winner. The last (and eerily prophetic) track, will forever be a Rock 'n' Roll anthem, and provided us with that shout heard in live venues from coast to coast, North or South, from the album's release, until today ..... "Play Free Bird, man !!"

"If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?" Yeah, Ronnie, we remember.

~ Lucky

Free Bird (songfacts)



Ten - Pearl Jam (1991)

Often standing in the shadows of Nirvana's Nevermind, one shouldn't underestimate this album's influence in the development and popularisation of Grunge and Alternative Rock. Ten was and remains one of the defining albums of the first half of the 90s. Hard rock riffs combined with Vedder's deep lyrics which address dark themes such as gun violence, frustration, loneliness makes it a must-have in every music collection

~ Farin



Even Flow (songfacts)

Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses (1987)

The 1980's were known for many things. One of these things were something called "hair-bands." Loud rockers with hair that made most females jealous. There were many bands opening the doors to this new music style and at just the right time appeared Guns N' Roses with their album "Appetite For Destruction". The album was an instant hit. Sitting upon the top ten charts across the world for months and selling faster than bottled water in the desert nearly every track was a hit. From "Night Train" to "Paradise City" and the ever popular "Welcome To The Jungle" the voice of Axl Rose (William Bailey) and the lead guitars of Slash (Saul Hudson) gave the band the edge over all others. Still today the original cast of Guns N' Roses can be heard from car stereos and i-pods alike.

~ Rayzor

Sweet Child O' Mine (songfacts)


The Court of The Crimson King - King Crimson (1969)


In 1969 psychedelic rock was a trendy genre; "ITCOTCK" is psychedelic but it´s mainly progressive-rock, with bits of minimal and not so easy to listen.
Robert Fripp and Pete Sinfield created an athmosphere that opened the door to further experimentation, while selling lots of copies. Not an easy task.

~ Edna





In The Court Of The Crimson King (songfacts)