Raise your hand if you keep forgetting Blink-182 put out an album before Dude Ranch. Okay, maybe that album brought them their first influx of fans, but what excuse do the rest of these albums have?
Here are four rock bands that debuted with terrible first albums, only to make way better music soon after.
Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls debuted with a self-titled full-length album in June 1987 that didn’t exactly blow anyone away musically, lyrically, or vocally. In fact, it was pretty universally panned, if it was covered at all. Which, it really wasn’t. In 1999, John Rezeznik admitted the band was under the influence of “a lot of beer, a lot of truck stop speed, a lot of pot” the entire time they were recording.
In fact, he told VH1, “I don’t remember a lot of it.” Bassist Robby Takac was the primary vocalist at the time, and let’s just say his performance was not warmly embraced on this album. But after that, Goo Goo Dolls found their footing in the 90s soft-alt-rock scene.
Pantera
Pantera is known for their heavy metal legacy nowadays. But in June 1983, their debut album couldn’t be farther from that bright future. Metal Magic was essentially a KISS-influenced glam/hair metal album. In fact, Pantera had a couple of releases like that before they leaned into heavier metal and really found their groove. Still, this one remains a hated entry in their discography.
The consensus among fans and critics is that it’s really nothing special, which is just as much of a death sentence as being outright terrible. By 1990, drummer Vinnie Paul estimated the album had only sold around 5,000 copies in that time. Good thing they were making better music at that point.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers released their debut self-titled album in August 1984, and it’s honestly a blessing to be this far removed from it. Years later, both Anthony Kiedis and Flea expressed disappointment with that first album. Allegedly, a lot of it had to do with the producer.
This early album did a lot to shape the band’s funk style, however, especially through guitarist Jack Sherman’s contribution at the time. But unfortunately, this debut is often seen as a wash. Freaky Styley was better received, depending on who you ask. But it wasn’t until Blood Sugar Sex Magik that they really kicked it into high gear.
Blink-182
Blink-182 released their debut album, Cheshire Cat, in February 1995, and safe to say it’s a rough one. Much of the tracklist was re-recorded from their 1994 demo tape, Buddha, which was similarly rough. The rest was re-recorded for Dude Ranch in 1997, an album that really started to show signs of Blink-182’s potential.
Of course, it wasn’t until Enema of the State in 1999 that they really blasted off. But there were still whiffs of their bright future in the early stuff. Those whiffs brought in their first wave of diehard fans, who got their hands on Cheshire Cat mostly through bootleg CDs. In mainstream terms, Blink definitely has better work. But for the OG fans, there’s still love for Cheshire Cat.
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