3 Mandatory Classic Rock Debut Albums From the 1980s You Need To Own

When you think about some of the biggest bands and musical acts in the world, one question often arises: How did they get where they are? While there are many pathways to success and no one’s story is the same, often a group’s triumph can be traced back to a great debut.

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Here below, we wanted to highlight three fantastic debut albums from the 1980s—a trio of LPs that shine from the moment we were introduced to them. Indeed, these are three mandatory classic rock debut albums from the 1980s to own today.

‘Bleach’ by Nirvana (1989)

While Bleach is likely the least well-known album when it comes to the catalog of the Pacific Northwest-born rock band Nirvana, it is nevertheless still important and wonderful. It’s an album that went platinum after Nirvana released its sophomore record, Nevermind. But Bleach includes significant songs like “Love Buzz” and “About A Girl”. On it, you can hear Cobain finding his sea legs in rock. You can hear him finding his sound, his style, while also cementing the feeling of grunge music, itself.

‘She’s So Unusual’ by Cyndi Lauper (1983)

Has there ever been a better title for a debut album? Indeed, She’s So Unusual is both the perfect way to get someone standing in a record store to start wondering about you, and it’s somehow so apt when it comes to Cyndi Lauper. Is she pop? Is she rock? Whatever she is, she defines the 1980s. Her colorful irreverence was intoxicating—and it remains so today. With songs like “Time After Time” and “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”, Lauper’s debut is one that will never leave us. And that is unusual.

‘Kill ‘Em All’ by Metallica (1983)

Metallica is truly one of the most significant rock bands of the past 50 years. Not only did the group help cement the genre of heavy metal, but they helped to carry the torch of the sound for 40-plus years. But it can all be traced back to their debut, Kill ‘Em All, which was released in 1983. That’s when the heft of the band took center stage. That’s when the world found out just what we’d all be in store for. It’s an LP that set the rubric for so much that came after.

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