5 Underrated Debut Albums Every Music Fan Needs To Hear

There are debut albums that have immediately shot musical acts to the top of the charts and remained defining genre collections for decades, but not every debut album has had such appreciation. Several stellar debut albums remain locked in obscurity to this day. The genres may vary and the musical eras may differ, but one thing each of these underrated debut albums has in common is that music fans need to lay ears on them.

Not every underrated album on this list was so when it first came out or in every circle, but musical tastes change as time goes on. Nowadays, these debut albums have fallen off and aren't widely known to the general public. Who knows, maybe you'll recognize one of them or even walk away with a new favorite album to show your friends.

Regardless, the items here will certainly introduce you to collections of music you didn't know existed, and as someone who loves music, you'll know exactly why they deserve a level of popularity they don't currently have. So, let's dive in and get you acquainted with some of the best underrated debut albums the world of music has to offer.

It's difficult to find album sales records for "It," British pop-rock band Pulp's 1983 debut album, likely because album sales have to reach a specific number to breach the certification threshold — silver, gold, or platinum. This, of course, suggests that the band's first album never reached the U.K.'s 60,000 sales minimum threshold for silver status. And Pulp isn't exactly an underground band. The band peaked in popularity in the '90s with over 1 million sales of the 1995 album "Different Class," but "It" seems to remain in as much obscurity today as it did when Pulp released it in the '80s.

We shouldn't let "It" stay underrated. Not every song on this album is perfect, but as a whole, it deserved a lot more attention than it's gotten. "It" is clearly more raw than the later Pulp albums as it was their first and their musical style wasn't as refined yet, but there's something about the unpolished quality that feels more like a live show than a studio recording.

The album also transcends genres with what sounds like blends of everything from folk to new wave to post-punk to pop, as it almost tugs you through the ages of music. Including the future, since songs such as "My Lighthouse" sound like they're straight off a mid-'90s pop radio station. Then, you get to "Wishful Thinking," a song that plays like a blend of the Doors and '60s pop rock. The album goes through a total of 12 songs that everyone should hear at least once.

Moving on to another raw debut, we come to Little Feat's self-titled album. And underrated is an understatement in this case. When the album first dropped in December 1970, it only sold somewhere around 11,000 copies. Not because it wasn't good, but because the album didn't quite fit any of the other molds that were currently playing on the radio, so it didn't get the play time it truly deserved.

This is a fantastic bluesy-Southern-hard-rock album that some would rightfully consider an eclectic mix of rock styles. It features talented vocals, slide guitar, piano, and a touch of southern twang here and there. Today, we could play it alongside the greatest classic rock and it would sound at home. But if you're looking for an album that falls in line with Little Feat's later works, this isn't it.

The tracks on "Little Feat" show a wide range of contrast. It's almost like listening to one band play a raspy, guitar-heavy Southern rock tune in "Hamburger Midnight," and another play the slow trucker's song in "Willin'." We're not even sure how to describe the weirdness that is "Brides of Jesus," a sort of psychedelic gospel piece — if that's a thing. Basically, it's easy to see why it was so hard to lump into popular buckets back in the early '70s, but even so, the tracks on this album display solid musical ability and, together, they have a little something for everyone.

"Birth, School, Work, Death" wasn't underrated when it was first released in 1988, but it's popularity has waned over the years and, today, it's definitely underrated for how good of a post-punk/alt-rock album it is. To highlight this, it peaked No. 91 on the Billboard 200 album chart five months after its release, but the band as a whole only has around 24,000 listeners per month on Spotify today and just under 1,400 YouTube subscribers.

This might seem high compared to completely unknown artists, but it's really not impressive by today's standards. That number is also spread across their entire discography, meaning the "Birth, School, Work, Death" album isn't getting the attention it deserves.

What makes this album so great is that it captures the soul of punk more than just about every other band on the post-punk scene. Just look at the title track, an anthem for the working class who feel like their entire lives are just a monotonous march through birth, school, and work before looking back on an unsatisfying life as it ends. Which, to be fair, is the band's most popular song.

The band blends punk, R&B, and rock in a way that makes "Birth, School, Work, Death" unique among '80s rock music. It blends technical music skill with an array of song feels — some angry, others happy, etc. — to create an album that definitely shouldn't be overlooked. Pop it on the headphones and give it a listen. You won't be disappointed.

Switching genres in a way that might cause minor whiplash, we come to Emmylou Harris' debut solo album "Gliding Bird," before backing up Gram Parsons or bringing on the Hot Band. This 1970 work of folkish music doesn't contain Emmylou Harris' best song, but it does blend a bit of country, rock, and pop into a mix that's distinctly different from the country sound that would be her hallmark later on.

"Gliding Bird" is so underrated that Emmylou Harris has even tried to separate herself from the album. It didn't help that her record label at the time, Jubilee Records, was running out of money and about to file bankruptcy, so they didn't put the umph behind marketing that they should've. As such, the record flopped. But it really is a fascinating collection of songs that needs some serious appreciation.

As far as Harris is concerned, she considers "Pieces of the Sky" to be her real debut. But, in the literal sense, it wasn't, and she shouldn't be so hard on "Gliding Bird." For what it is, it's a good album. It's vocal and lyric-forward in the classic folk style, and listening to it transports you back to a time when music proved it could remain simple and be good. There are no heavy drums or electric guitars — just clean instrumentals and vocals, with songs ranging in tones from sounding like folk and Americana to almost having a lullaby quality.

Now, it's not entirely fair to say this self-titled album is underrated in all circles. Modern folk aficionados and those on the scene in 1971 when the album dropped know just how great it is, but much of the mainstream doesn't even know Anne Briggs exists, let alone about this piece of sonic art.

The album never charted, and the only two Briggs' songs to ever reach a singles chart didn't do so until 2014 and 2016 in the U.K., where Briggs hails from. In fact, Anne Briggs' music has fewer than 1,500 followers on YouTube and 23,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. For one of the best artists of the '70s folk scene, and one that music lovers should add to their folk playlists immediately, this is far too low.

"Anne Briggs" is truly a masterwork in folk, ringing with mostly traditional melodies — only two original pieces made their way onto this album — that you could easily imagine in the soundtrack of a medieval film. Briggs sings the tunes in an immaculately controlled and beautiful vocal style common with Irish folk, even though she came from Nottinghamshire, England, and it makes the six out of 10 songs she sings a cappella on this album absolutely stunning.

Briggs' voice flows through you as she brings these folk songs to life, telling you stories of betrayed women, requited love, fantastical encounters, and more. If you have any love for traditional folk or old Irish-style vocals, you must absolutely give this underrated album a thorough listen. It's worth it.