I tried to restrict this list to "first recorded output" debuts, which disqualifies solo debuts such as Sting, Peter Gabriel, George Michael, and even Michael Jackson. Totally arbitrary, and some probably even slipped in (for instance, it would be easy to argue Asia breaks this rule--tough). This selection is more reflective of the music I listen to in my personal library than it is of anything thoroughly definitive.
I also tried to limit to songs with broad appeal. There are a number of songs that fit the category that I love but I don't think many other people not like me would recognize. "Astronomy Domine" is probably my biggest sop to this.
It's also surprisingly hard to define true "debut albums". Some of these tracks would be debatable. Oh, well.
Alphabetically by artist:
- Asia, "Heat of the Moment"
- Bad Company, "Can't Get Enough"
- Badfinger, "Come and Get It"
- Beach Boys, "Surfin' Safari"
- Beatles, "I Saw Her Standin' There"
- Billy Joel, "She's Got a Way"
- Black Sabbath, "Black Sabbath"
- Bon Jovi, "Runaway"
- Boston, "More Than a Feeling"
- Buffalo Springfield, "For What It's Worth"
- The Cars, "Good Times Roll"
- Christopher Cross, "Say You'll Be Mine"
- Counting Crows, "Round Here"
- Crosby, Stills & Nash, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"
- The Doors, "Break on Through (To the Other Side)"
- Duran Duran, "Girls on Film"
- The Eagles, "Take It Easy"
- Foreigner, "Feels Like the First Time"
- The Go-Go's, "Our Lips Are Sealed"
- Guns n' Roses, "Welcome to the Jungle"
- Heart, "Magic Man"
- Jimi Hendrix, "Purple Haze"
- King Crimson, "21st Century Schizoid Man"
- Kiss, "Strutter"
- Led Zeppelin, "Good Times Bad Times"
- Living Colour, "Cult of Personality"
- Loverboy, "The Kid Is Hot Tonite"
- The Mamas & The Papas, "Monday, Monday"
- Madonna, "Lucky Star"
- NIN, "Head Like a Hole"
- Norah Jones, "Don't Know Why"
- Pat Benatar, "Heartbreaker"
- Pearl Jam, "Once"
- Pink Floyd, "Astronomy Domine"
- [Ritchie Blackmore's] Rainbow, "Man on the Silver Mountain"
- Ramones, "Blitzkrieg Bop"
- The Runaways, "Cherry Bomb"
- Sade, "Smooth Operator"
- Salt-n-Pepa, "Push It"
- Steely Dan, "Do It Again"
- Stone Temple Pilots, "Dead and Bloated"
- Tori Amos, "Crucify"
- Van Halen, "Running with the Devil"
- Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"