Inspired by High Fidelity:
What opening tracks on a good album just seize you by the scruff of the neck ? Here’s mine:
The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed; Gimme Shelter
Humble Pie - Humble Pie; Live With Me
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses; I Wanna Be Adored
Garbage - Garbage; Supervixen
The Eels - Beautiful Freak; Novacaine For The Soul
In chronological order…
I’m going to have to think on this but this came to mind.
Uriah Heep Very ‘eavy, Very ‘Umble Gypsy… Love it or hate it, it became a classic they still play to this day. Track 1 Album 1
In full 70’s mode now.
Bad Company from Bad Company Memories Of end of school days…
Dr Feelgood, Down By The Jetty, She Does It Right. Great band from my area and my youth all in glorious Mono…
Free, Fire and Water from Fire and Water. Great Album, check out Free Live also…
Humble Pie, Rockin’ The Filmore. Four Day Creep. What a way to open a live album. Amazing to think we saw Steve Marriott live in a local pub twice not long before he died. He had people from the audience on stage to dance (if you can call it that) but I obliged with some mates… He was amazing and loved performing.
We had Rockin’ The Filmore on 8 Track in my Ford Anglia. Happy days…
Top 5, today? That’s a tough list to cull down, but in the last couple of hours I’d say Free’s Fire and Water from the album of the same name and from Lee Michael’s Barrel, Mad Dog. Props for picking “Gimme Shelter” though, that’s a slam dunk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH5wbYP5xkQ
+1 for Gimme Shelter
Here’s five from me chronologically, each one from a different decade. I could easily have picked a completely different set. I filtered by demanding a great album.
Can’t think of five, not right now - but those two opening tracks came immediately to my mind, both by Queen:
A third entry:
So # 4 an # 5 are missing.
Duran Duran - Duran Duran - Girls on Film
The Alarm - Change - Sold me down the river
Talking Heads - Little Creatures - And she was
Marillion - Clutching at straws - Hotel hobbies (warm wet circles, that time of the night)
U2 - Unforgettable Fire - Sort of homecoming
The book is way better than the film adaptation, that said I still enjoyed viewing it.
Great opening tracks are so much better when they are just the beginning of an amazing album.
Michael Jackson - Off The Wall - Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough
The Beatles - Abbey Road - Come Together
Nirvana - Nevermind - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare - Brianstorm
Led Zeppelin - II - Whole Lotta Love
…Couldn’t stop at 5…
The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta - Don’t Stand So Close To Me (tough choice between this and Regatta de Blanc)
David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust - Five Years (close 2nd - Station To Station)
Queen - A Night At The Opera - Death On Two Legs (close 2nd - Brighton Rock from Sheer Heart Attack)
I agree, but the film is a surprisingly good adaptation considering it’s not even set in London.
I found this hard. Even after a short think I had a list of about 20 great opening tracks. The ‘sieze you by the scruff of the neck’ filter has sort of helped but I’m sure I could make a case for any of them depending on the day of the week. So here’s todays’s top five (in no particular order)
Lucinda Williams - “Right on Time” from Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (It has probably my favourite opening lines of any album, “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you, you left your mark on me its permanent a tattoo”)
Primal Scream - “Move on Up” from Screamadelica
Leftfield - “Release the Pressure” from Leftism
Elvis Costello and the Attractions - “Beyond Belief” from Imperial Bedroom
Talking Heads - “Born Under Punches” from Remain in the Light
Most of these picks would inspire nothing but disdain from Barry.
Not obscure enuf.
I can’t remember such things, that’s why I got roon in the first place 
Just 5? Tough one, but here we go:
And OK… I’ll slip in a guilty pleaure for good measure:
Top Five: “Child of the 60’s” Faves:
Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
Child is Father to the Man, Blood, Sweat and Tears
Turn, Turn, Turn, The Byrds
Fresh Cream, Cream
Alone Together, Dave Mason
Off the top of my head…
Smashing Pumpkins ‘Siamese Dream’ - Cherub Rock
Crosby Stills & Nash ‘S/T’ - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
War on Drugs ‘Lost in the Dream’ - Under the Pressure
Shpongle ‘Tales of the Inexpressible’ - Dorset Perception
Sisters of Mercy ‘Floodland’ - Dominion / Mother Russia
Oh, great call.
Ahhhhh, original Marillion, very sweet…
Have to pick some rare ones then since some good ones were already taken by others
+1 for Marillion aswell as Sisters Of Mercy
… but let’s see
Timbuk 3 - Greetings From Timbuk 3 - The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
Markus James - Calabash Blues - Come Around
Stan Ridgway - Black Diamond - Big Dumb Town
ZZ Top - El Loco - Tube Snake Boogie
Big Country - No Place Like Home - We’re Not In Kansas