My Top 10 Album Openers

Album openers are very important because if you start off with the wrong song, listeners will lose interest and they won’t give the rest of the album a chance. Sometimes, people will buy an album because they enjoyed the first song so much that they didn’t need to hear anything else. Even if the rest of the album sucks, at least they’ll remember the one great song that started it all. For this post, I’ll talk about my top 10 album openers from my CD collection. If I were to talk about my favorite album openers overall, this list would be way too long. With all that said, let’s get on with the music!

10. “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” by Def Leppard, from Pyromania (1983)

Not a bad way to kick off my second favorite Def Leppard album. “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” is a banging tune by a band that was ready to take on the world. The guitar riff, the drums, the backing vocals, a young Joe Elliott, oh my gosh. The song rocks hard, but it’s also commercial and radio-friendly. I feel really bad for putting it so low on my list. But there were a lot of good album openers to choose from, so I had to sacrifice some of my favorites. 

9. “Hole in the Sky” by Black Sabbath, from Sabotage (1975)

The album cover sucks, but at least the opening song doesn’t suck. Before I purchased Sabotage a year ago, I was only familiar with “Symptom of the Universe,” which I was not a fan of. I was hesitant to buy the album, at first, but I bought it anyway. As soon as I heard the crushing guitar riff to “Hole in the Sky,” that’s when I knew I made the right choice. Black Sabbath in the ‘70s were in a completely different league and when Ozzy Osbourne was fired, they never quite got that same spark back. They had more doom metal vibes back then, which I really dig.

8. “Back in the Saddle” by Aerosmith, from Rocks (1976)

The first time I heard “Back in the Saddle,” I was a freshman or sophomore in college and it was through a YouTube music react video. I couldn’t believe it was Aerosmith because I was only familiar with the poppy, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” version of them. The opening riff starts and it’s pretty good, but then, the drums and guitars progressively get louder and louder, and BAM!!! In comes Steven Tyler with his signature screams. What a headbanging tune and it’s one of my favorite Aerosmith songs ever.

7. “If You Can’t Rock Me” by The Rolling Stones, from It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (1974)

It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll is one of those albums where I bought it strictly because of the opening track. I mean, “If You Can’t Rock Me” absolutely swings. The guitars are dirty and nasty, and the rhythm section is brilliant. If you’re looking for a fun song to dance to at a bar, a club, or even a wedding, just play “If You Can’t Rock Me.” I guarantee you that people will be up and moving by the end of it!

6. “Mean, Green, Killing Machine” by Overkill, from The Grinding Wheel (2017)

There’s nothing like some Overkill to get the blood pumping. I played percussion in high school, so I love anything that has to do with drums and percussion, especially in hard rock / heavy metal. Those pounding drums during the intro for  “Mean, Green, Killing Machine” get me every time. Everything about the song is awesome. The riff kicks butt, the bass line is freaking heavy, the lyrics are dark and menacing, and Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth’s vocals have never sounded better. 

5. “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC, from The Razors Edge (1990)

I can’t deny how awesome “Thunderstruck” is. It’s a classic and people go nuts when the guys perform it live. I originally had “Thunderstruck” as number two on my list, but it bumped down a few spots because once you get past the guitar intro and the “THUNDER” chants, the momentum is gone, in a way. All you’re left with is Brian Johnson screaming and everyone else singing “Thunderstruck” over and over again. However, it’s still the best song on The Razors Edge, in my humble opinion. 

4. “Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin, from Led Zeppelin III (1970)

“Immigrant Song” is so short, however, some songs are meant to be short. Besides, what an excellent way to kick off Led Zeppelin III; it’s heavy and it’s groovy. The rhythm section is so good in this song. Bassist John Paul Jones doesn’t get enough credit he deserves. Plus, Robert Plant’s howling screams give me chills. It took me a few years to appreciate Led Zeppelin III, but I love it now and wouldn’t change a thing about it. 

3. “I Ain’t the One” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, from (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) (1973)

I originally wanted to pick “Gimme Back My Bullets” from the album of the same name because of Leon Wilkeson’s thumping bass line. However, I caved in and chose the opening track from (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd). I don’t like when people say the debut album is the best thing a band ever did, but man, Skynyrd’s first album is freaking good. The first track, “I Ain’t the One,” begins with a short drum intro, then the main guitar riff kicks in and suddenly, another guitar starts squealing away, and I’m like, “holy cow, this is epic!” For a new band at the time, Lynyrd Skynyrd were already seasoned pros in southern rock. 

2. “Do Your Worst” by Rival Sons, from Feral Roots (2019)

Honestly, I didn’t expect “Do Your Worst” to be so high on my list, but let’s just go with it! The chorus is insanely catchy, Jay Buchanan absolutely kills it on lead vocals, it’s groovy, and it’s got a killer riff. I’ll keep saying this until the day I die, Rival Sons are one of the best modern rock bands out there today. It’s classic rock ‘n’ roll, but it’s current, if that makes sense. What I love about Rival Sons is that they do their own thing and make the music that they want to make. With “Do Your Worst,” Rival Sons kick all those pop artists, rap artists, and everyone else that gets radio airplay to the curb. 

1. “Midnight from the Inside Out” by The Black Crowes, from Lions (2001)

Speaking of bands that do their own thing, The Black Crowes had complete artistic control to do whatever they wanted for their sixth studio album, Lions, thanks to their signing with V2 Records. In mid to late April, I listened to the album for the first time, while reading Steve Gorman’s book, and was shook when “Midnight from the Inside Out” came on. There’s a lot of fuzz guitar going on (correct me if I’m wrong, guitar experts), it has a great groove, Gorman’s drumming captures the right feel for the song, the chorus is catchy, and I swear, the amplifiers sound like they’re on fire. “Midnight from the Inside Out” inspired me to do this post because it’s that awesome. It also transitions nicely into “Lickin.’”

There you have it people! Those are my top 10 album openers in my collection. This list could change as I buy more albums overtime, but for now, this is what I’ve got. A few honorable include Whitesnake’s “Fool for Your Loving” from Ready an’ Willing (1980), Queen’s “Tie Your Mother Down” from A Day at the Races (1976), Bon Jovi’s “Hey God” from These Days (1995), and Deep Purple’s “Speed King” from Deep Purple in Rock (1970).

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Comment below some of your favorite album openers!

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Lana