Great album openers get the listeners to keep on listening. They can do this in any number of ways. Some openers set the tone by easing us in. Others jump right in and blow our minds from the very beginning. A great album opener isn’t an easy thing to create. More than a great song, it’s all about the sequence. Track 1 has to be the perfect starter. This month, I’m highlighting my favorites. #AlbumOpeningSongs
The Wall was my introduction to the world of Pink Floyd – and today still remains one of my favorite albums of theirs. It made me appreciate the power of a concept album. How all the tracks are strung together by a single idea and a single narrative. The Wall made me appreciate musical storytelling. Eventually this fascination meant getting the poster, watching the movie and diving into other more “accessible” parts of the band’s catalog. None of this would be possible if “In The Flesh?” didn’t reel me in with the deep, tangible conviction that I was going to be missing out if I didn’t keep listening.
I’ve written quite a bit about loud-quiet-loud dynamics on this blog – something mastered by several different bands such as the Pixies, Nirvana and Live. Well, it doesn’t get much better than Pink Floyd’s “In The Flesh?” Gilmour’s opening monster guitar riff gives way to Water’s sinister vocals. The track then revisits Gilmour’s iconic riff only this time accompanied by the sound effect of a plane nosediving in the sky. Never before have I felt like I just heard an entire album after only listening to Track 1.
“So ya thought ya might like to go to the show. To feel the warm thrill of confusion. That space cadet glow.”