Floyd’s Arnold Layne/See Emily Play/Apples & Oranges may just be unbeatable.
Mary Chain:
Upside Down, Never Understand, You Trip Me Up
(then not a bad next three with Just Like Honey, Some Candytalking, April Skies)
Eric B & Rakim managed to release not just three but six classic singles in two years.
I Can’t Explain
Anyhow Anyway Anywhere
My Generation
(+ Substitute)
Anarchy in the UK
God Save the Queen
Pretty Vacant
(+ Holidays in the Sun)
the rain (supa dupa fly)
sock it 2 me
beep me 911
goodies
1 2 step
oh
“Swing the Mood”
“That’s What I Like”
“Let’s Party”
Ah...
I only like the Stock Aitken and Waterman one.
What was the next Beastie Boys single after “Fight For Your Right To Party” and “No Sleep Til Brooklyn”?
I think they’d already released a few singles before those.
“Talk Talk” b/w “Come on in”
“The People in Me” b/w “Maculine Intuition”
“Double Yellow Line” b/w “Absolutely Positively”
“We Could Send Letters”/“Pillar To Post”/“Oblivious” is a fairly impressive run, which becomes even more impressive adding “Walk Out To Winter” as the fourth one.
Some other great initial runs:
Dreaming Of Me/New Life/Just Can’t Get Enough
West End Girls/One More Chance/Opportunities
Less Than Zero/Alison/(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
Killing An Arab/Boys Don’t Cry/Jumping Someone Else’s Train
That Is Why/I Wanna Stay Home/The King Is Half Undressed
Maybe Tomorrow/Come And Get It/No Matter What
Blowin’ in the Wind/ Subterranean Homesick Blues/ Like a Rolling Stone
ABC
I Found That Girl
Want You Back
(then :
I’ll Be There
Who’s Loving You
The Love You Save)
Geir, the first 3 Aztec Camera singles were:
Just Like Gold (with We Could Send Letters on the B-side)
Mattress of Wire
Pillar To Post
He’s still right though.
Eye Know
Me Myself and I
Say No Go
Although it only appeared in the UK on import, “Jenifa (Taught Me)” pre-dates all of those.
prince & the revolution :
Let’s Go Grazy
When Doves Cry
I Would Die 4
I assume that the absence of Beatles Band from this thread thus far is due to “My Bonnie” being considered their first single.
Even if “Love Me Do” was the first single, the trio isn’t quite up there with “Please Please Me”/“She Loves You”/“I Wasnt To Hold Your Hand”
I Wasnt To Hold Your Hand? Is this an alternate take we don’t know about?
The negativity of the lyrics was too risque for Parlophone to dare release it at the time :)
Although it only appeared in the UK on import, “Jenifa (Taught Me)” pre-dates all of those.
— mike t-diva (mikejl...), November 30th, 2006 11:22 AM. (later)
To say nuthin’ of “Plug Tuning (we got 3 minutes)”
Beatles Band also had serious problems with their Xmas 1964 single “I Peel Fine”...
The three De La I listed were the first three 7 inches rather than their first free singles.
Tears Are Not Enough/Poison Arrow/Look Of Love/All Of My Heart
Sound of The Crowd/Love Action/Open Your Heart/Don’t You Want Me
Ceremony/E.G.G/Temptation
Oh fuck FIRST three singles.
OK Human League please to ignore. Thks.
.. De La Soul ... their first free singles.
— Dom Passantino (juror...), November 30th, 2006 11:50 AM. (later)
Right here, an image of the flexi of “Me Myself and I” as per off the front of a Frosties cereal box, and a comment like “this was the first one, don’t know about the others”
if there was one on Google.
prince is a good one!
Transmission/Love Will Tear Us Apart/Atmosphere
One Chord Wonders / Gary Gilmore’s Eyes / Safety In Numbers
The Drowners / Metal Mickey / Animal Nitrate
Fairplay / Feel Free / Keep On Movin’
Falling & Laughing / Blue Boy b/w Love Sick / Simply Thrilled Honey
Relax / Two Tribes / The Power Of Love
Hong Kong Garden / The Staircase (Mystery) / Playground Twist
Public Image / Death Disco / Memories
I Can’t Stand My Baby / (My Baby Does) Good Sculptures / Top Of The Pops
Gangsters / A Message To You Rudy / Too Much Too Young
Dance Stance / Geno / There There My Dear
Bingo-Master’s Break-Out! / It’s The New Thing / Rowche Rumble
30 Seconds Over Tokyo / Final Solution / Street Waves
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll / Sweet Gene Vincent / What A Waste
Spiral Scratch / Orgasm Addict / What Do I Get
Memorabilia / Tainted Love / Bedsitter
Hand In Glove / This Charming Man / What Difference Does It Make?
Ball Park Incident / See My Baby Jive / Angel Fingers
Oh Bondage! Up Yours! / The Day The World Turned Dayglo / Identity
Yes, I am old.
work it out
crazy in love
baby boy
“from a band”, not a brand!
No votes for Anarchy/Queen/Vacant then?
(tho’ they too were, strictly speaking, a brand...)
yeah but the sex pistols were shit!
Relax / Two Tribes / The Power Of Love
Okay, this might actually be my favourite triplet of them all.
Oh fuck FIRST three singles.
OK Human League please to ignore. Thks.
Being Boiled/Empire State Human/Holiday ’80 is pretty good, son.
DUH!
wannabe
say you’ll be there
2 become 1
television :
“Little Johnny Jewel”
“Marquee Moon”
“Prove It”
guns n roses :
It’s So Easy
Welcome To The Jungle
Sweet Child O’ Mine
Lex I think you’re confusing the Sex Pistols with yourself.
JT :
“Like I Love You”
“Cry Me A River”
“Rock Your Body”
My answer is still the correct one.
“Say You’ll Be There” wasn’t particularly good, was it?
yes it was (certainly not significantly worse than the other two)
Fucking horrible, but you can’t admit that you rockists!!
The Pistols were mentioned by PFS at the top of the thread.
FGTH is a very good call. The astounding commercial success of all three singles adds some strength to the ‘greatest’ thing.
The Pet Shop Boys may have the greatest ever first 20 singles by an act but ‘Love Comes Quickly’ and even ‘Opportunities’ good as they are would be in the lower half of that 20 so mentioning them here probably not worth it ooh too late.
Flares’n’Slippers/I’m Not A Fool/Bad Man
Is the FGTH trilogy really that great though, with hindsight?
Two Tribes was a bit shit, let’s be honest.
Is the FGTH trilogy really that great though, with hindsight?
Yes.
Two Tribes was a bit shit, let’s be honest.
No.
Wow, that was easy.
Easy like your mum.
you wish Philip
It’s Phillip, dude.
big friendly giant who cares
The 12-inch of “Two Tribes” is great until the song starts.
Nah, the FGTH trilogy would get my vote as “greatest ever”—also helped by the impact which they had, and by the way they form such a strong, self-contained trilogy in their own right. Sex, death and love, with the theme of power running through all of them... perfect.
a more interesting list might be ‘Worst ever first three singles by a band who eventually became great’.
Radiohead! etc.
But they didn’t become great!
oh what an evil web we weave
This is all inaccurat. The correct answer is the pierless George Michael with his immiculate melodics trilogy of the love he lost—Careless Hands, Turn My Corner and I Want No Sex.
I think you are mistaken!! Take your old homoness out of here!! In ESTONIA we understand the geniuses of Robert Williams and his tirst three single—“Freedom ’96”, “Old Before I Young” and “Lazy Gays”!! All top music and best music man since Ian McCulloch (who was an actor too—we in ESTONIA hope Robert plays acting too!)!!
The Pet Shop Boys may have the greatest ever first 20 singles by an act but ‘Love Comes Quickly’ and even ‘Opportunities’ good as they are would be in the lower half of that 20 so mentioning them here probably not worth it ooh too late.
“Love Comes Quickly” was their fourth single (fifth, even, if you count two different versions of “West End Girls”)
Comstock’s was better.
“Love Comes Quickly” was their fourth single (fifth, even, if you count two different versions of “West End Girls”)
yeah we know
nigga plz yo niggaz be forgetting how tha xtc krew came off the mean streez of easside swindon comin out of tha ghetto and ghostridin on our massiv rims into the homes of yo white boyz that be playin our gangsta music yo
niggaz know bout “science friction up in my ho”, “three fuckin’ d ep” and “statue of liberty aint no nigga”
nigga me and c-money and those two niggaz that later shot my black ass in my limo we be playin so tight that we were outta the ghetto and in our pads with our hos and drinkin crissy yo niggaz
“Lovertits”
“Red Leather”
“Set It Off”
prince & the revolution kind of wins though
i dont know who dis said vacante nigga iz but yo better no mess with tha xtc krew because we be real muthafuckin swindon G’s
Prince & the Revolution is cheating.
Transmission/Love Will Tear Us Apart/Atmosphere
would be pretty unbeatable but wasn’t it actually Transmission/Atmosphere/Komakino...
xpost: Butbutbut “Science Friction” was the lead track on the 3DEP...
Nevertheless, Science Friction / Statue Of Liberty / This Is Pop is still pretty damned fine...
yo think yo know tha xtc krew nigga???
nigga i beat yo ass in freestyle rappin at tha swindown town hall if yo got tha ballz
but hell yeah nigga “this is me poppin a cap in yo ass” was hella tight yo and i bet poppin a cork off a crissy it was so damn fine nigga
Two Tribes certainly isn’t shit, at least you gotta admit it has one of the best basslines ever in pop.
An I’d still say Say You’ll Be There was pretty mediocre compared to Wannabe and 2 Become 2, I can’t even remember how it goes.
I didn’t say it was shit, I said it was a bit shit.
BIT, SON!
What bit?
It’s a bit shit overall. It just doesn’t seem to gel together? Alriiiight?
convincing arguments for sure.
I Can’t Wait
Point of No Return
Should I Say Yes
[Nu Shooz]
convincing arguments for sure.
Piss off, Old Hairy Arms!!
Everybody
Burning Up
Holiday
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five should be in here as well but I don’t know the order of their early singles and can’t quickly find a proper discography (“Superrappin,” “Freedom” and “Birthday Party” is I think how it goes).
Spooky, was just thinking of them—but decided that “Superrappin” wasn’t up to scratch.
so, what did everyone learn from No List November as it draws to a close?
It’s probably not AS good as the other two, but I was surprised the last time I heard it—much better than I had remembered.
Also, purists will cringe, but the Sugarhill Band maybe belong in here also: “Rapper’s Delight,” “Eighth Wonder,” “Apache” (same problem as Flash, though, not completely sure that’s right). I will defend “Rapper’s Delight” ‘til death.
Right Said Fred
Hole in the Ground
Gossip Calypso.
anyway, Nu Shooz are my ultimate answer—a perfect run from a perfect band who never went anywhere else.
Public Enemy #1 b/w Timebomb
You’re Gonna Get Yours b/w Rebel Without A Pause
Bring The Noise
nwa :
“Panic Zone”
“Straight Outta Compton”
“Express Yourself”
snoop :
“Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”
“Gin and Juice”
“Doggy Dogg World”
“Remember (Walking in the Sand)”
“Leader of the Pack”
“Give Him a Great Big Kiss”
Devotion / Right Back To You / That’s The Way Love Is. Immaculate!
stricly as The KLF ft. The Children Of The Revolution
What Time Is Love / 3AM Eternal / Last Train To Trancentral
I guess “No-List November” doesn’t apply in the sandbox!
Whatever. I say “30 Seconds Over Tokyo”/“Heart Of Darkness”, “Final Solution”/“Cloud 149”, and “Street Waves”/“My Dark Ages”. (Pere Ubu)
Oh, and Dylan’s “Mixed-Up Confusion” was actually released as a single, and therefore predates “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Like A Rolling Stone”. (And possibly “Blowing In The Wind” too...)
yeah, Pere Ubu! Also Wire.
Mr Tambourine Man/I Knew I’d Want You
All I Really Want to Do/I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better
Turn Turn Turn/She Don’t Care About Time
(Including b-sides because “All I Really Want to Do” doesn’t really belong, but “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” definitely does.)
Comstock and Pitor both very wrong.
Greatest ever first three singles from act was legendary English Samuntha Fux, which first three singles, “Touch Me”, “Do Ya Do Ya” and “Hold On Tight” gave my people lot of alone sexytime!!
Hi-Five!!!
“Gangster Boogie / Maniac”
“CIA / Cold Blooded Blitz”
“PSK / Gucci Time”
Popozao . . . Lose Control . . . America’s Most Hated
jk jk jk
Hand In Glove / This Charming Man / What Difference Does It Make?
winner ^
Protect Ya Neck / Method Man
Cream / Da Mystery Of Chessboxing
Can It Be All So Simple / Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ To Fuck With
The Shangri-La’s had two singles out prior to “Remember...” the the group signing on to Red Bird-“Wishing Well” (w/an adorable and insane Mary Weiss lead) and “Simon Says.” One of those singles was re-released and Red Bird rush-released not one but two singles to fight it (“Give Him...” and a fake live take of “Maybe”).
My nom:
Virginia Plain
Pyjamarama
Do The Strand
shot by both sides/my mind ain’t so open
give me everything/i love you big dummy
rhythm of cruelty/tv baby
Speaking of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s run, “How Do You Do It”/“I Like It”/“You’ll Never Walk Alone” was not at all bad either.
Cranked Up Really High
Where Have All The Boot Boys Gone
Dame to Blame
I do think Hand In Glove/This Charming Man/What Difference Does It Make takes it. But I’d also nominate:
Hedi’s Head/You/Split
Beat Box/Close to the Edit/Moments in Love
How about...
Nude Photo / Strings of Life / It Is What It Is
Hedi’s Head was the B-side (to Ain’t You), and Split was by a different band (Lilliput)...
.. in name only though.
Oh Bondage Up Yours/The Day The World Turned Dayglo/Identity ....
....is the winner.
Also :
One Chord Wonders/Gary Gilmore’s Eyes/Safety in Numbers
Hong Kong Garden/The Staircase(Mystery)/Playground Twist
Smokescreen/The Medium Was Tedium/New Cross, New Cross.
Protect Ya Neck / Method Man
Cream / Da Mystery Of Chessboxing
Can It Be All So Simple / Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ To Fuck With
Game over, dude, game over...
Can’t believe nobody’s gone here yet:
Bingo-Master’s Break-Out! / Psycho Mafia / Repetition
It’s The New Thing / Various Times
Rowche Rumble / In My Area
Gotta give a tip of the hat to Drunks With Guns, since just about their entire catalog is on 3 singles:
#1 Punched In The Head / I Got The Gun / Bloodbath
#2 New Wave Negro Girl / Beautiful Happiness / Cowboy / Hellhouse / Dick In One Hand
#3 Zombie / Leprosy / Enemy
What about Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols, or Minor Threat?
The Sex Pistols have been mentioned in this thread, not once, but twice.
I thought about the Buzzcocks and reluctantly decided that “I Don’t Mind” doesn’t quite pull its weight.
The Fall, Buzzcocks & Sex Pistols have all been done already!!
I Don’t Mind was their 4th single. I like it better than What Do I Get though.
I don’t really like Salad Days much.
Sorry, goggles be foggy.
I’m still waiting on an OTM for the Mary Chain :(
Shocking Blue w/ Mariska Veres (R.I.P.): Send Me a Postcard/Long Lonesome Road/Venus
Partridge Family: I Think I Love You/Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted/I’ll Meet You Halfway