Great opening tracks

[PimasterPearson]

+1 to Where The Streets Have No Name.

Foo Fighters - The Pretender (from Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace). Amazingly catchy, aggressive, and blood-pumping. I love how it takes the loud-soft grunge cliche to the logical extreme.

Days of the New - Flight Response (from the green self-titled album). It's a shame most people didn't listen to DotN after their first album, because their sound evolved in some really interesting ways. This track does a great job introducing their new style of mixing heavy acoustic rock with orchestral arrangements.

 

[Toronto Bassist]

Not to nitpick, but technically "Electric Eye" isn't the opening track on Screaming For Vengeance, "The Hellion" is. It's pretty forgivable though, since "The Hellion" sounds kind of like an extended intro to "Electric Eye". I think they even played it that way in concert.

 

[thenickmeister]

"One Of These Days" from Meddle by Pink Floyd. Surely one of the best opening tracks on any album!

 

[Richland123]

"Highway Star" Deep Purple's Machine head album

Oh, Yeah! Highway Star starts off right in your face with a high energy song that drives.

Here is a great opening track.

Aqualung - Jethro Tull - Aqualung

 

[Unrepresented]

Not to nitpick, but technically "Electric Eye" isn't the opening track on Screaming For Vengeance, "The Hellion" is. It's pretty forgivable though, since "The Hellion" sounds kind of like an extended intro to "Electric Eye". I think they even played it that way in concert.

All due apologies. I (should) know that and own the album.

That's what I get for stealing other peoples' answers.

 

[Toronto Bassist]

Actually, now that I think of it, Priest has another really great opening track, "Delivering The Goods" from Killing Machine/Hellbent For Leather. "Freewhell Burning" from Defenders Of The Faith is pretty good, too.

 

[bassman1987]

Great thread!

For a great opening track on a stellar debut album, I have to say "Readyfuels" from Anberlin's Blueprints for the Black Market. I have the same memory of that song that others have mentioned: the very first time I heard it, I knew they were going to be something special. Several years and four albums later they're still my favorite current band by a wide margin.

"We Owe This to Ourselves" off their most recent album Dark is the Way, Light is a Place is a killer opener too.

 

[pukeorama]

Holy Wars... The Punishment Due from Megadeths Rust In Peace its a monster opening track. Also check out a new band from this year Projected Twin thier opening track "Post Secret" is a massive 10:48 all worth it.

 

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

I think the CD version of Priest's "British Steel" starts with "Breaking The Law", but the original LP has "Rapid Fire" as the album opener and that's a terrific song (not that "Breaking The Law" isn't a good one, but I don't think it's a good choice for the first track of the album).

 

[yrock]

Bombtrack - Ratm "self titled"
Waiting Room- Fugazi "Thirteen Songs"

 

[oswaldvon]

cro mags - we gotta know()

 

[mccartneyman]

I Saw Her Standing There
It Won't Be Long
Drive My Car (British Rubber Soul)
I've Just Seen A Face (American Rubber Soul)
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Highway Star
Yours Is No Disgrace
Morning Glory (Subdudes on Miracle Mule)

 

[lousybassplayer]

Telegraph Road from Dire straits "Love over Gold". It set the tone for the album, and IMHO may have set the bar a little too high.

 

[dougjwray]

"Don't Want You No More" ~ Allman Brothers Band (Allman Brothers Band, obviously)
"Too High" ~ Innervisions (Stevie Wonder)
"Quadrant 4" ~ Spectrum (Billy Cobham)
"I've Just Seen a Face" ~ Rubber Soul (U.S. version) (Beatles)
"Donna Lee" ~ Jaco (Jaco Pastorius)
"Meetings of the Spirit" ~ The Inner Mounting Flame (Mahavishnu Orchestra)

 

[FatCity]

Delivering the Goods- Judas Priest (Hell Bent for Leather)

 

[srayb]

"Bright Size Life" from the CD of the same name by Pat Metheny (with Jaco Pastorius).
"Jack Cannon" from the CD "Le Band" by Alain Caron.

 

[Twnty1inRF]

I have always loved the opening three from The Police's debut album Outlandos d'Amour:

Next To You/So Lonely/Roxanne

I was in high school when I first heard it and I knew immediately that this was a band to be reckoned with.

 

[TwinBass]

"Vicarious" by Tool on 10,000 days.

 

[Daveomd]

"Knocking At Your Back Door" Deep Purple PERFECT STRANGERS "Experiment" Voivod DIMENSION HATROSS "In Between Days" The Cure THE HEAD ON THE DOOR "Out Of This World" John Coltrane COLTRANE

 

[ThudThudThud]

Funeral for a friend/Love lies bleeding - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John +1
Vicarious - 10,000 Days - Tool +1
Mean Street - Fair Warning - Van Halen
Birdland - Heavy Weather - Weather Report
Shooting Star - Below The Belt - Boxer