15 Oct: NATIONAL ALBUM DAY

HAPPY NATIONAL ALBUM DAY!

In true kindred spirit here on mvm, we take a plunge into this years’ theme: debut albums!

Whether it’s the self-titled etchings of The Clash and Black Sabbath curbing new sounds or the funky Jamiroquai with Emergency on Planet Earth or Alt-J’s stunner An Awesome Wave or maybe even its the massive drum & bass powerhouse of Chase & Status with theirs, More Than A Lot in ’08?

We plunge into some of our most luxurious debuts that have catapulted artists, band and collectives to dizzying heights. From playground talk to stadium tours, a debut album – and its art in all its entirety – can tell you all you need to know about a music artist. Their music at their most vulnerable, and their powerful can be seen in their debut, as all it gets laid bare for us to see.

Of course, not all artists garner the same creative success from their debuts. More often than not, artists excel greater from their sophomore album when they’ve had more of an exploration with their sounds. But we’re not here for that. No, not at all.

In aid for National Album Day, we’re here find the UK’s biggest debut albums of all-time. The chart has been compiled exclusively by The Official Charts Company … in partnership with National Album Day.

Broadcasted directly from Steve Wright’s show on BBC Radio 2 on The Official All-time Debut Albums Top 20, Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell – released in 1977 – was revealed on hitting the top of this prestigious chart – which was based on UK sales and streams combined since records began in 1956. James Blunt’s Back to Bedlam in ’05 at No. 2 is the biggest ever debut album by a British artist – quite possibly hauled in by You’re Beautiful – and Leona Lewis at No. 3 is the biggest debut by a UK female artist with her album, Spirit in 2007.

On discovering that Back To Bedlam is the biggest debut album in the UK by a British artist, James Blunt says: “Are you sure? There must have been some kind of mistake!”

The UK’s Top 20 debut albums of all time:

Bat Out Of Hell – Meat Loaf (1977)

Back To Bedlam – James Blunt (2004)

Spirit – Leona Lewis (2007)

The Fame – Lady Gaga (2008)

No Angel – Dido (1999)

Spice – Spice Girls (1996)

Hopes And Fears – Keane (2004)

Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette (1994)

In The Lonely Hour – Sam Smith (2014)

Parachutes – Coldplay (2000)

Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield (1973)

Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters (2004)

Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman (1988)

+ – Ed Sheeran (2011)

Come Away With Me – Norah Jones (2002)

19 – Adele (2008)

Appetite for Destruction – Guns N’ Roses (1987)

Our Version of Events – Emeli Sandé (2012)

Definitely Maybe – Oasis (1994)

Hot Fuss – The Killers (2004)