Best start

[CJ.]

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.

The album was actually called '1977' Awesome start to an album though.

Many 'grab you by the goolies' type starting tracks I think of off the top of my head have already been mentioned.

Janie Jones - The Clash/The Clash

Rock n Roll Star - Oasis/Definitely Maybe

American Idiot - Green Day/American Idiot

New Born - Muse/Origin of Symmetry

You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire - Queens Of The Stone Age/Songs For The Deaf

Glitter And Trauma - Biffy Clyro/Infinity Land

Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World/Jimmy Eat World(Bleed American)

Highway To Hell - AC/DC/Highway To Hell

Nothing - A/Hi-Fi Serious

Cochise - Audioslave/Audioslave

Stacked Actors - Foo Fighters/There Is Nothing Left To Lose

Starsbourg - The Rakes/Capture/Release

Armatage Shanks - Green Day/Insomniac

Club Foot - Kasabian/Kasabian

Get Your Guns - Nine Black Alps/Everything Is

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana/Nevermind

Acquiesce - Oasis/The Masterplan

Debaser - Pixies/Doolittle

Smack My Bitch Up - Prodigy/The Fat Of The Land

Airbag - Radiohead/OK Computer

Testify - Rage Against The Machine/The Battle of Los Angeles

Blitzkreig Bop - The Ramones/RAMONES

Sell Out - Reel Big Fish/Turn The Radio Off

Holidays In The Sun - Sex Pistols/Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols

Suspect Device - Stiff Little Fingers/Inflammable Material

Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground - The White Stripes/White Blood Cells

Dimension - Wolfmother/Wolfmother

Only a couple. B)

[Ben]

Sailin' On from Bad Brains' self-titled is about as good as they come for me.

[Shoes]

Mic Check by Cornelius. From Fantasma. It's pretty phat!

Come to Daddy (Pappy Mix) by Aphex Twin, from the Come to Daddy EP. Obv.

I love Bonobo's Noctuary from Dial 'M' For Monkey.

Generation Sex by The Divine Comedy, from Fin de Siecle. Pop perfection.

Running up That Hill by Kate Bush.

[Paradigm]

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

This.

[Rotten Ralph]

Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle.

[the_debaser]

'Lolo' on Dr Dre's 2001.

Or maybe 'Hells Bells' on Back in Black.

[part]

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love from Led Zeppelin II

Taj Mahal - Leaving Trunk from Taj Mahal

[RossW]

In The Flesh - Pink Floyd/The Wall

None better

[mindgames]

I Wanna Be Adored - Stone Roses FTW

[Daedalus]

More! 'Sunday Morning' on the banana album; 'Mambo Sun' on 'Electric Warrier'; 'Beauty and the Beast' on '"Heroes"'; 'Lust for Life'; 'Planet Telex'; the first tracks on the first two Belle and Sebastian albums; 'Pink Moon'.

Someone's mentioned 'Teen Age Riot'; I'd go for '100%' as well. Oh yeah, it's a pretty horrible album, but 'The Fear' is about the best bill of fare you could get for Pulp's 'This is Hardcore'. Best anxiety-attack-simulated-by-feedback I've ever heard.

[Spacehost]

If I posted all of mine I would be substantially reitterating the previous suggestions, especially Lose Control off 1977. Possibly the best way to open an album, ever, and invariably the first track played when you start your first ever race in Gran Turismo. Best use of a Tie Fighter in rock.

For a more recent example- Take A Bow off Black Holes And Revelations by Muse. Builds from a slightly underwhelming synth line to a roaring, I'm-going-to-suicide-bomb-the-White-House finale.

[errollw]

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

Yes, baby

[Looper]

"Bob, Bob, Bob... Bob Wood, National programmer director of the chum group, worked with us in producing..."

For a more recent example- Take A Bow off Black Holes And Revelations by Muse. Builds from a slightly underwhelming synth line to a roaring, I'm-going-to-suicide-bomb-the-White-House finale.

That's totally right.

[Boozy The Clown]

The intro to Paris - Sleeping with the Enemy. It's called The Enema and its an all out assault on the white house with bombs going off and mad gunfire. It ends with him blowing up the doors of the oval office then proclaiming "Me and you motherfucker" before shooting George Bush Snr in the head.

[strawdonkey]

Herr Bar - Clark (Body Riddle)

[Mike1812]

Like a rock..................

Like a planeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEt...............

Like a fuckin atom bomb..............

[BlinkyBear]

"Bob, Bob, Bob... Bob Wood, National programmer director of the chum group, worked with us in producing..."

Just thinking about that myself. It's the clear winner and an iconic piece of music/sampling.

[Rsdio]

Herr Bar - Clark (Body Riddle)

Is that album, erm.. 'out'?

[Mr Do 71]

Is that album, erm.. 'out'?

Released today, I believe.

[Shoes]

Did anyone say Get Your Snack On yet?

[Rsdio]

Ah, cool. I didn't think it was released until later in the month, might have the dates mixed up with the Squarepusher album. Off to Warpmart for the vinyl we go (and off to Torrentspy for the MP3s we go)!

[SM47]

'Excursions' from A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory.

Utterly killer upright bassline, then Q-Tip comes in with 'Back in the days when I was a teenager, before I had status and before I had a pager...'.

[Big Loud Mouth]

For me, Airbag from OK Computer, without a doubt:

The crunching guitars, the tingly bits then:

"In the next world war

In a jack knifed juggernaut

I am born again

In the neon sign scrolling up and down

I am born again

In an interstellar burst I am back to save the universe....."

An awesome start that puts out a sets you up perfectly for the rest of the album

Honourable mentions go to:

The State that I am In - Tigermilk - Belle & Sebastian

Welcome to the Jungle - Appetite for destruction - Guns n Roses

Common People - Has Been - William Shatner

Track 1 (duh!) from Turn On The Bright Lights - Interpol

Mojo Pin - Grace - Jeff Buckley

Edit: Listening to Mr Beast by Mogwai at the moment and am reminded of what a great opener Autorock is....

[cubik]

Guns Blazing (Drums of Death part 1) from Psyence Fiction by UNKLE - Takes a while to build up but what a great intro.

Cubik

[Dapple]

Not sure this qualifies as it's a mix album but the opening of the Sasha and Digweed Renaissance Collection is sublime - three versions of Leftfield's 'Song of Life' mixed into each other, building up as they go. Amazing. The fact that it then goes into Bedrock's 'For What You Dream Of' is the icing on the cake.

[Spudulis]

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

This.

I Wanna Be Adored - Stone Roses FTW

And this

Honouarble metion tio Release the Pressure off Leftfield for nostalgia purposes as much as anything.

For a great 1st/2nd combo I'd go with:

The Man Walks Around/Hurt off Johnnie Cash American Recoding (can;t remember which one it is)

Also you have to mention the first three tracks off Joshua Tree. Back when U2 were great

[U2031]

Mic Check by Cornelius. From Fantasma. It's pretty phat!

I don't think it's the opener, but I'd have to check. Fantastic tune though, one of my all time favourites.

I think 'Race for the prize' from The soft bulletin by The Flaming Lips is the best opener ever.

[thingymajig]

For a more recent example- Take A Bow off Black Holes And Revelations by Muse. Builds from a slightly underwhelming synth line to a roaring, I'm-going-to-suicide-bomb-the-White-House finale.

I still think New Born was their best opener. Especially when THAT riff kicks in.

[emjay2kay]

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love from Led Zeppelin II

Good Times Bad Times does it for me, as far as Zeppelin are concerned.

I can't believe Come Together hasn't been mentioned.

"Shhhhhhhhoo-doo doodle-doooo-doo....."

[Andy_Tanner]

the intro to The Smiths The Queen Is Dead - "take me back to dear old blighty.." and then those thundering almost tribal drums and Jonny Marrs guitar. and to top it all Mozzers fiercest funniest lyrics. fucking ace. in fact i'm gonna listen to it now.