The mixture of anticipation, excitement and fear that moulds in your stomach as you press play on track one of any album is one of the finest feelings the world has to offer. Below, in alphabetical artist order are some of my favourite opening songs of all time. Some are just great songs by their own merit, others lay the foundations of the great albums that follow them. This is the all important; Track 1. Today, A, B and C. ARCADE FIRE – NEIGHBOURHOOD #1 (TUNNELS) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxA2kR3r5bM Funeral starts with a looping piano riff that’s joined by a grungy bassline and some of the most unique vocal patterns ever used. Two minutes in and a driving drum beat leads the song into a crescendo of raw emotion, the song ending with instantly gripping backing vocals that beg to be screamed by thousands in a field. This song doesn’t only hint at the sheer beauty of Funeral, but at the now realised possibility for this band. AUDIOSLAVE – COCHISE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDMvN45sjo4 A harsh, scratching wall of feedback with a pulse is joined by a cock-sure drum beat with a life of its own and just as you begin to settle in it the whole thing explodes. Tim Commerford’s thumping, thunderous bass dominates and Chris Cornell screams holes in his throat. I defy you to keep still listening to this song. BECK – ELEVATOR MUSIC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFR2OSoJNz0 “One, Two, you know what to do.” The Information is an underrated gem of an album. I am not Beck’s biggest fan, finding his career patchy at best, but this album harbours an ability to involve you instantly. It contains some of his most accomplished lyrics and a successful fusion of hip hop beats and indie samples. The lyric, “A little bit worse for wear but i’m wearing it well” is a true air-puncher of a line. BEN HARPER – THE THREE OF US http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuqGI0kS3Z4 Slowly building and encapsulating, this three guitar instrumental proves that Ben Harper’s success is not just a result of his incredible voice. The guitars work against each other, but also in perfect harmony. The pauses of silence are breathtaking and two and a half minutes pass before you snap out of your daydream. Beautiful. BILLY TALENT – THIS IS HOW IT GOES http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNhPb_BPfLA A audibly plucked bassline attacks the ears and then all the instruments crash into our ears and fill the empty space between them. By the time Ben starts, what can only be described as retching the words in the breakdown, “unscrew my head and rinse it out” the bass is plucked and smooth and shows the talent of this band, evident throughout an accomplished and overlooked debut album. BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB – LOVE BURNS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGXsmj2YRew A simple riff played over ambient samples gives way to a clearly strung guitar and reverberating tambourine. The drum kicks in and Peter Hayes begins to drawl lazily over the by now unstoppable beat and you know you have a truly great Rock N Roll band on your hands. BLONDIE – HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWhkbDMISl8 Ring Ring. Ring Ring. Two seconds of Debbie’s voice and then a double snare tap and bang, you’re in Parallel Lines. The song showcases all of Blondie’s strong points, looping and scratchy riffs, furious drum fills and unforgettable choruses. The “oh” on “oh I can’t control myself” may be the sexiest noise I have ever heard. Grr. BLUR – AMBULANCE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Vu3liF4W0 A mood setter from Blur’s last album (probably last album). Full of mechanical and undecipherable sounds creating a tense atmosphere that perfectly encapsulates the band at that time. Damon’s finest vocal performances, across his entire career are on Think Tank, an album that is begging for an improved retrospective review. BON IVER – FLUME http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuQrLsTUcN0 It only takes twenty seconds of this song to fall head over heels in love with Bon Iver. You can’t just hear the skin on the steel strings of Justin Vernon’s guitar, you can hear the sound echo off the walls of the cabin in which he wrote For Emma, For Ever Ago. By the time his layered and harrowing voice utters, “I am my mother’s only one” you are hypnotised, invited to witness Justin’s complete, dark and beautiful emotion. BRIGHT EYES – AT THE BOTTOM OF EVERYTHING http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXDAhnbYobE I have previously mentioned on this blog Conor Oberst’s tendency to write deliberately inaccessible opening tracks. Here, my second favourite recorded single sound of all time, Conor slurping his drink starts the track. Conor struggles to articulate himself as he speaks into the microphone, he struggles with rhythm and the speech is going nowhere, until he says, “Where are we going?” and starts thrashing his guitar furiously, the speech continues until he counts himself in, “It kinda goes like this, one two one two three four.” Then joy hits. The guitar echoes as if filling every open space in an empty field and Conor expertly juxtaposes his hateful lyrics against this backdrop, creating a call to arms full of lyrics you could live your life by. “We must memorise nine numbers and deny we have a soul.” Truly incredible. (It wins the right to have the picture for today’s entry.) BROKEN BELLS – THE HIGH ROAD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWBG1j_flrg The stand out track on an incredibly diverse album that successfully soundtracked an entire summer. Even the ambient noises at the start are catchy enough to hum along to. The song is at a constant war with itself, as the vocal patterns are restrained then explode, and the samples loop madly over catchy choruses until it all fades down into a quotable outro sung in harmony. “It’s too late to change your mind, you let love, be your guide.” CARIBOU – ODESSA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiSa7THgxrI Two seconds of feedback and then that strange noise and bumping bass kick in. That sample, so strange that when you first hear the song you smile with a question mark on your face, saying what is that? I like that. The song has incredible groove and whilst instantly accessible, has the ability to have you listening again and again as you discover its excellent mix of quality production and accomplished song-writing. THE CLASH – LONDON CALLING http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfK-WX2pa8c This simple bass line is a call to arms, and thirty seconds in you are prepared to go to war and fight for what you believe in. It’s continuous and thumping drum beat confound and support the sheer anger of the lyrics. This song needs no introduction and deserves its place in history. CLOUD CULT – NOONE SAID IT WOULD BE EASY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQyhNfmjcOg A frankly insane piano riff is joined by electronic noises that operate on separate planets and implode quietly building down to a slower, more deliberate repetitive piano riff that has your feet-tapping: All in the space of forty-five seconds. Then the acoustic guitar kicks in, and the backing harmonies and lend all this insanity a folk-rock mentality and you realise, this band are truly unique. When Craig Minowa starts singing and the bass kicks in to the words, “It all came crashing down.” You realise that this album is going to be an incredible journey. 
