You only have one chance to make a first impression. That applies to dates, but certainly to albums. A good opener is like a foot in the door: he kicks it open, drags you in and doesn't let you go. Sometimes it's an explosion, sometimes a whisper that slowly explodes. But these tracks have one thing in common: as soon as you hear them, you know something special is going to happen. These are the 10 best starting shots in music history.
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The Clash – London Calling (London Calling, 1979)
A booming bass and then Joe Strummer snapping that London is drowning and the world is on fire. The tone has been set. London Calling combines anger with an irresistible melody and an apocalyptic atmosphere. At the end you even hear an SOS in Morse code fade away. It doesn't get more urgent and iconic than this.
Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin II, 1969)
Jimmy Page turns the amp up to 11 and Robert Plant moans his lungs out. Whole Lotta Love is the moment stadium rock was invented. Loud, sweaty and with that bizarre middle section full of echoes and sound effects that test your speakers.
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The Doors – Break On Through (To the Other Side) (The Doors, 1967)
No long intro, no fuss. Jim Morrison kicks in the door and drags you to “the other side”. In less than three minutes the band mixes rock, jazz and pure poetry on their debut album. It sounds rushed, as if they have no time to waste.
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Radiohead – Airbag (OK Computer, 1997)
A drumbeat that sounds like it was eaten by a computer and spit back out. With OK Computer, Radiohead said goodbye to standard guitar rock and embraced the cold, digital future. The song is about rebirth after a car accident, and that's exactly what the album did for the band. An oppressive mix of man and machine that showed that rock music had changed forever.
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David Bowie – Five Years (The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, 1972)
The earth will end in five years and David Bowie will be in the market square to tell it. Five Years is the perfect theatrical entrance for his alter ego Ziggy Stardust. It starts as a quiet waltz, but slowly swells into pure panic and despair. It is grand, compelling and emotional. A song that grabs you by the scruff of the neck and forces you to listen to the end of the world.
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The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter (Let It Bleed, 1969)
The 60s were over and the dream was dead. You can hear that in every note of this opener. That ominous guitar and Mick Jagger's voice that sounds like the world is ending. But the real star? Backing singer Merry Clayton literally screams her vocal chords to pieces: “Rape, murder!” It's the soundtrack to an impending apocalypse.
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Pink Floyd – Speak to Me / Breathe (The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973)
No opener builds the tension so brilliantly. First you hear a heartbeat. Then vote. A cash register. Madhouse. And then… total peace and that lazy guitar from Breathe. Pink Floyd opens their masterpiece not with a bang, but with a trip. Put on your headphones, close your eyes and you're off to another planet for the next 43 minutes.
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Guns N' Roses – Welcome to the Jungle ( Appetite for Destruction , 1987)
That screeching guitar from Slash that sounds like a police siren in a bad neighborhood. And then that scream from Axl Rose. “You're in the jungle, baby!” It introduced the world to the dirty and dangerous side of Los Angeles. Raw, aggressive and full of adrenaline.
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The Beatles – Come Together (Abbey Road, 1969)
That bassline, the whispering “Shoot me”. This is The Beatles at their coolest and darkest. While the band was on the verge of breaking up, they delivered a masterclass in groove with this opener from Abbey Road. Lennon originally wrote it as a campaign song for a politician, but it became a timeless anthem. It immediately sets the tone for a record that feels like a perfect farewell.
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Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nevermind, 1991)
Four chords. That's all Kurt Cobain needed to destroy the shiny pop music of the '80s. As soon as those drums kick in, you can smell the teenage sweat and rebellion. It reluctantly made Nirvana the voice of a generation.
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