Comments on: Thursday Open Thread: Best Album Opener

By: Kent

Kent — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:05:43 +0000

I third that “Every Mile A Memory” is a fantastic opener for Long Trip Alone by Dierks Bentley. It’s my favorite song by him, so I’m a little biased, but I think it’s great.

By: Rainbow

Rainbow — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:13:09 +0000

I would say that “For My Broken Heart” by Reba is the best album opener. “Where Are You Now” by Trisha is also a worthy choice.

By: Leeann

Leeann — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:29:03 +0000

Peter,

Yes, that’s exactly what it does. “Every Little Thing” would have been a good opener too, but this was more unique.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:07:56 +0000

I love that intro from Carlene, Lee Ann – sets up the wall-of-acoustics that comes in to kick off Every Little Thing

By: B. Jonathan

B. Jonathan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:09:30 +0000

Trisha’s “Where Are You Now”…just listened to that last night. In total agreement, Kevin. I think it sets the tone beautifully for the rest of the album.

By: Leeann

Leeann — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:04:51 +0000

Ah, yes, now that this thread is old news, I’ve thought of another one: Vince Gill’s Next Big Thing, the title track. That funky guitar thing is a cool way to start an album.

By: Leeann

Leeann — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:53:10 +0000

One that I thought was at least an interesting, if not strange, album opener is the opening track of Carlene Carter’s Little Love Letters album. It’s just like, “Hmmm…what?”

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:07:03 +0000

Wow, some great selections here that I totally concur with:

Kathy Mattea, “Love Travels.” Perfect opening for the feel of that album.

Patty Loveless, “Keep Your Distance.” I still crank that up whenever it pops up in my rotation! I’d add “A Handful of Dust” to the great Patty openers.

All of Philly Jeff’s, but especially Emmy’s “Where Will I Be.”

All the Dixie Chicks opening tracks (Well not “I Can Love You Better”, but “Ready to Run”, “Long Time Gone” and “The Long Way Around.”)

Dierks’ “Every Mile a Memory.” Perfect for setting the tone of that album.

Trisha. Well, she only records great songs, so no surprise that she has so many amazing album openers. “Who Invented the Wheel”, “Wrong Side of Memphis”, “Heaven Heartache…”. “Song Remembers When”, “There Goes My Baby”, “She’s in Love With the Boy” and of course, my fave, “Where Are You Now.”

Brooks & Dunn: “Brand New Man.” Like a firecracker going off. Love it.

I didn’t get my usual Pam plug in, so I’ll add some of her amazing album openers: “Mi Vida Loca”, “Deep Down”, “Burning Memories”, “Something Burning Out.”

Gotta do the album closers next!

By: Jim Malec

Jim Malec — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:32:47 +0000

Some of y’all know how much I adore Garth’s FRESH HORSES album…I think I’ve even called it “damn near perfect.” So, with that in mind…

I think “The Old Stuff” is a great opener. It bridges a gap between Garth the recording artist and Garth the concert artist, right at a point in time when his live status was climaxing. You hear that song and you know that what comes next is going to be big. You hear that song and you know Garth’s not going to let you down. You hear that song and you know that album is going to be epic…

…and it would have been…but it was just a little too smart to sell quite as many as some of his others.

Sadly, the song also marks a transition in Garth’s career–after FRESH HORSES, the quality of his work would take a sharp downward turn. And it was with the words of that song that we realized the old stuff really was starting to get old.

By: Philly Jeff

Philly Jeff — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:43:17 +0000

“Why Not Me” by the Judds on “Why Not Me”. I think they set the tone for their entire career with the first 30 seconds of this album.

“Straight from the Factory” by Clint Black on “Killin’ Time”. This should have been a single. It wasn’t but it set the perfect tone for one of the best albums ever.

“Where Will I Be” by Emmylou Harris on “Wrecking Ball”. You knew in seconds that this was a very different kind of album.