Throughout the month of September, Double J has been celebrating the eternal magic of the debut album.
Over the next two days, the radio station will be counting down what they believe to be the best 50 Australian debut albums of all time.
The whole think kicked off this arvo at 12pm with Tim Shiel — who’s making his way through the first 20. Tomorrow at 12pm Caz Tran and Zan Rowe will count them down from 30 to 1, with musings on what makes each album ranked so special.
The station released their ranking in full if you’re the kind of person that can’t handle a slow reveal. Unsurprisingly The Avalanches’ classic Since I Left You has landed in the top spot, followed by Missy Higgins’ The Sound Of White and Tame Impala’s Innerspeaker.
“To trim this list to just 50 records was a heartbreaking, frustrating, painstaking and, altogether difficult experience. But every record below has a spark that made Australia’s ears prick up. It established careers, inspired more great art, and gave us reason to keep searching for that next great new discovery, even when we think we’ve heard it all.”
Check out the full ranking below.
50 Best Australian Debut Albums according to Double J
1. The Avalanches — Since I Left You (2000)
2. Missy Higgins — The Sound of White (2004)
3. Tame Impala — Innerspeaker (2010)
4. Crowded House — Crowded House (1986)
5. Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (2015)
6. The Living End — The Living End (1998)
7. The Saints — (I’m) Stranded (1976)
8. Sampa The Great — The Return (2019)
9. Clouds — Penny Century (1991)
10. Gurrumul — Gurrumul (2008)
11. Silverchair — Frogstomp (1995)
12. Divinyls — Desperate (1983)
13. Flume — Flume (2012)
14. Wolfmother — Wolfmother (2005)
15. Kasey Chambers — The Captain (1999)
16. Archie Roach — Charcoal Lane (1990)
17. Hoodoo Gurus — Stoneage Romeos (1983)
18. Jebediah — Slightly Odway (1997)
19. Julia Jacklin — Don’t Let The Kids Win (2016)
20. Sunnyboys — Sunnyboys (1981)
21. Augie March — Sunset Studies (2000)
22. Jet — Get Born (2003)
23. Kev Carmody — Pillars Of Society (1988)
24. The Cat Empire — The Cat Empire (2003)
25. Grinspoon — Guide To Better Living (1997)
26. Washington — I Believe You Liar (2010)
27. Warumpi Band — Big Name, No Blankets (1985)
28. Radio Birdman — Radios Appear (1976)
29. Sarah Blasko — The Overture and the Underscore (2004)
30. PNAU — Sambanova (1999)
31. Skyhooks — Living In The ’70s (1974)
32. Baby Animals — Baby Animals (1991)
33. Christine Anu — Stylin’ Up (1995)
34. The Sleepy Jackson — Lovers (2003)
35. Regurgitator — Tu-Plang (1996)
36. Flowers — Icehouse (1980)
37. The Presets — Beams (2005)
38. Thelma Plum — Better In Blak (2019)
39. Eddy Current Suppression Ring — Eddy Current Suppression Ring (2006)
40. Falling Joys — Wish List (1990)
41. Pendulum — Hold Your Colour (2005)
42. Gang Of Youths — The Positions (2015)
43. Ruby Hunter — Thoughts Within (1994)
44. Ball Park Music — Happiness And Surrounding Suburbs (2011)
45. George — Polyserena (2002)
46. A.B. Original — Reclaim Australia (2016)
47. Katalyst — Manipulating Agent (2002)
48. D.D Dumbo — Utopia Defeated (2016)
49. Middle Kids — Lost Friends (2018)
50. Hiatus Kaiyote — Tawk Tomahawk (2012)
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