Best start

[hellsbells]

Not really sure what constitutes the best, but I think Airbag on OK Computer and Smells Like Teen Spirit on Nevermind really grab you by the jollies and don't let go.

Any advance on my (somewhat obvious) two?

[winkerwatson]

Most recently Be from Common's Be

[Mr Do 71]

Aphex Twin - Xtal - from Selected Ambient Works 85-92

µ-Ziq - Tango N' Vectif - from Tango N' Vectif

B12 - Soundtrack To Space - from Electro-Soma

The Cure - Plainsong - from Disintegration

The Cure - The Kiss - from Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

Electrelane - Gone Under Sea - from The Power Out

I:Cube - Mingus In My Pocket - from Picnic Attack

New Order - Age Of Consent - from Power Corruption And Lies

Pink Floyd - Speak to Me/Breathe - from The Dark Side of the Moon

[acidbearboy]

"So, I've decided to take my work back underground, to stop it falling into the wrong hands....."

[Crisp_Rapper]

i hate star wars, but the coolest intro has to be the tiefighter fly-by at the beginning of Ash's '1979' which kicks immediately into a guitar frenzy... awesome, the only way to start an album.

[Rsdio]

If it wasn't on the second track instead of the first it'd blatantly be Rob Tyner going 'Now it's time to... Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!'

[acidbearboy]

Also, MJ's Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough from Off the Wall is pretty damn killer.

[Barnard]

The piano piece and the Start of tonight, tonight on the Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins.

The album even closes with the piano piece again.

[hellsbells]

i hate star wars, but the coolest intro has to be the tiefighter fly-by at the beginning of Ash's '1979' which kicks immediately into a guitar frenzy... awesome, the only way to start an album.

Good call sir!

[Farley]

Aphex Twin - Xtal - from Selected Ambient Works 85-92

µ-Ziq - Tango N' Vectif - from Tango N' Vectif

B12 - Soundtrack To Space - from Electro-Soma

The Cure - Plainsong - from Disintegration

The Cure - The Kiss - from Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

Electrelane - Gone Under Sea - from The Power Out

I:Cube - Mingus In My Pocket - from Picnic Attack

New Order - Age Of Consent - from Power Corruption And Lies

Pink Floyd - Speak to Me/Breathe - from The Dark Side of the Moon

Sweet as always! Do me another CD...

[Rsdio]

µ-Ziq - Tango N' Vectif - from Tango N' Vectif

That one's 'let down' by the fact that there's an even better song right after it.

[Daedalus]

'Holes' does a very good job of starting 'Deserter's Songs'. 'Yerself is Steam' and 'Boces' start well too. Also: 'Down on the Street' kicking off 'Funhouse', 'Lightsabre cocksucking blues' launching 'Mclusky Do Dallas', 'Station to Station's title track, 'Wouldn't it Be Nice', 'Disorder' on 'Unknown Pleasures', 'The Queen is Dead', 'Mojo Pin', 'Untitled' on 'Turn on the Bright Lights', 'What's Going On', 'Feel Good Hit of the Summer', 'Everything in its Right Place' on 'Kid A', 'Born Under Punches' on 'Remain in Light', 'One Hundred Years' on the Cure's 'Pornography', and a load more.

[thingymajig]

A rather comprehensive selection:

New Born - Muse - Origin of Symmetry

Teen Age Riot - Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

Battery - Metallica - Master Of Puppets

4 - Aphex Twin - Richard D James Album

Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home - Mogwai - Young Team

Birds Of Fire - Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds Of Fire

Close To The Edge - Yes - Close To The Edge

Genesis - Nas - Illmatic

The Glass Prison - Dream Theater - 6 Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

Son Et Lumiere/Inertiatic Esp - The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

Arcarsenal - At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command

Liquid Swords - GZA - Liquid Swords

Waiting Room - Fugazi - 13 Songs

[Ravern]

Mojo Pin and Best Foot Forward get my votes.

[PyramidFace]

'In 1984 I was hospitalised for approaching perfection' is perhaps the greatest first line in an album ever. Silver Jews y'all.

[Twinbee]

"Black Sabbath", by Black Sabbath, on the album "Black Sabbath". The rain, the tolling bell, the most crushingly depressing riff EVER... perfection.

[Fusty Gusset]

'You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge'

[Pupponvesh 2]

U2 - Zoo Station from Achtung Baby.

[CrispinG]

Search and Destroy from "Iggy and the Stooges".

[ben-k]

The Death On Two Legs/Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon/I'm in Love With My Car combo from Queen's "A Night at the Opera" just about takes it for me.

Honorable mentions to Therapy for Knives off "Troublegum" and Junkenstein off The Wildhearts' "Endless Nameless", which starts a good 2 or 3 dB quieter than most other CDs, so you turn it up, then gets progressively louder each verse. By the end it's about 2dB louder than most other CDs. Genius.

[BossSaru]

The track Leather, at the start of Death in Vegas' album Scorpio Rising. It feels like a jamming session before the main bit of the album starts. Very relaxed and funky.

Alternatively, Electronic Performers at the beginning of 10,000Hz Legend by Air.

[Rsdio]

Search and Destroy from "Iggy and the Stooges".

From Raw Power you mean

[superpretend]

Albums should always start with good songs, otherwise you're just setting a negative impression for the rest of the record. I have no time for bands that have shit songs first.

[ben-k]

Shit, I completely forgot Thunder Road off "Born To Run". I'm a bad person.

[Guitar Heroine]

side 1 of Ummagumma from 1969 surely??

Astronomy Domine then Careful With That Axe, Eugene

Love the start to Careful With That Axe.

Just superb

[McFly]

HOly Wars.... - Megadeth, Rust in Peace

Janie Jones, The Clash, The Clash

[weightgain]

Oh, such a objective topic !!! Mine would have to be -

Oasis with Rock 'n' Roll Star - Definitley Maybe

[MW_Jimmy]

The Saints – Know Your Product, from Eternally Yours.

[moosegrinder]

The first track on October Rust by Type O negative

[CrispinG]

From Raw Power you mean

I do, yes. What a faux pas!