Having a very High Fidelity moment, I decided to compose a personal list of favourite Side 1 Track 1s. Now in the post-album age of the playlist, track order might not be something bands fret about too much anymore. But time was, which track was chosen to lead off was a critical decision. As Rob said about the art of the mixtape, " You gotta kick off with a killer, to hold the attention. Then you ... [+]

Having a very High Fidelity moment, I decided to compose a personal list of favourite Side 1 Track 1s. Now in the post-album age of the playlist, track order might not be something bands fret about too much anymore. But time was, which track was chosen to lead off was a critical decision. As Rob said about the art of the mixtape, " You gotta kick off with a killer, to hold the attention. Then you have to take it up a notch, but not blow your wad...". More often than not, bands resisted that urge and saved their breakthrough singles and strongest tracks for later in the end, prefering to warm up the listener and bring them along for the ride. As a result, many 'hits' are not found in the Side 1 Track 1 position. But the rule of thumb in the punk era was clealy a wad-blowing KERAAAANG, as exemplified by David Johansen's screams in Personality Crisis, and the storming lead-ins of The Stooges' Raw Power and The Dead Boy's
Young, Loud and Snotty (wins most descriptive album title). This lesson was not lost on Nirvana, kicking off Nevermind with Smells Like Teen Spirit. Other bands went a more anthemic route, making a strong message and marking out the album as a piece of mastery and timelessness. U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday from War and The Rolling Stone's Gimme Shelter from Let It Bleed. Taking the more melodic route, many artists nevertheless put together soft but stunningly beautiful openers like Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On and The Verve's Bitterweet Symphony from Urban Hymns.

So in this age of random-play, mashed-up playlists lets take a moment to remember the lost art of the opening track... [-]