Matt and I return, adding another unnecessary element to the title of the podcast (it’s possibly the B&B B&B Suite now, which is punny and dumb and relates back to the punny, dumb stuff we do), but more importantly biting off more than we can chew. Both of us burrowed back into our little musical warrens for this one. I talk about some of the best opening numbers from musicals, as well as some elite twenty-five song stretches. Matt names a comical number of best first songs on albums, and then continues that line of thought, albeit streamlined; he picks out forty rock albums since 2000 which have a great four-track run of songs to kick off the whole shebang.

You can find our complete lists below – follow along and get your dander up.

Tim’s Top 25 Musical Openers (sans overtures):

1. “Now/Later/Soon,” A Little Night Music
2. “Wilkommen,” Cabaret
3. “Happiness,” Passion
4. “Requiem for Evita/Oh What a Circus,” Evita
5. “All that Jazz,” Chicago
6. “The Sound of Music,” The Sound of Music
7. “Tradition,” Fiddler on the Roof
8. “Heaven on Their Minds,” Jesus Christ Superstar
9. “Prologue” (through Bishop’s admonition), Les Miserables
10. “Prologue,” Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
11. “Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” Oklahoma!
12. “Alexander Hamilton,” Hamilton
13. “Mama Who Bore Me,” Spring Awakening
14. “Company,” Company
15. “Sit Down John,” 1776
16. “The Old Red Hills of Home,” Parade
17. “Sunday in the Park with George,” Sunday in the Park with George
18. “Fugue for Tinhorns,” Guys and Dolls
19. “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd,” Sweeney Todd
20. “The Story of Chess,” Chess
21. “Cotton Blossom,” Show Boat
22. “Just Another Day,” Next to Normal
23. “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats,” Cats
24. “Why Can’t the English,” My Fair Lady
25. “Hello,” The Book of Mormon

Matt’s Top…58…Album Openers

1. What’s Going On – What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye
2. Straight Outta Compton – Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A.
3. Gimme Shelter – Let It Bleed, The Rolling Stones
4. Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground – White Blood Cells, The White Stripes
5. Welcome to the Jungle – Appetite for Destruction, Guns ‘n Roses
6. Loser – Mellow Gold, Beck
7. London Calling – London Calling, The Clash
8. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nevermind, Nirvana
9. Thunder Road – Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
10. Bring Da Ruckus – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Wu-Tang Clan
11. Black Dog – IV, Led Zeppelin
12. Like Eating Glass – Silent Arm, Bloc Party
13. Come Together – Abbey Road, The Beatles
14. Everything in its Right Place – Kid A, Radiohead
15. Burning Down the House – Speaking in Tongues, Talking Heads
16. Rio – Rio, Duran Duran
17. Fake Empire – Boxer, The National
18. Blowin’ in the Wind – The Freewhelin’ Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan
19. Sowing Season (Yeah) – The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, Brand New
20. 21st Century Schizoid Man – In the Court of the Crimson King, King Crimson
21. Debaser – Doolittle, Pixies
22. Roundabout – Fragile, Yes
23. Runnin’ With the Devil – Van Halen, Van Halen
24. No Church in the Wild – Watch the Throne, Kanye West and Jay-Z
25. Let’s Go Crazy – Purple Rain, Prince
26. The Bitch is Back – Caribou, Elton John
27. Changes – Hunky Dory, David Bowie
28. Let’s Stay Together – Let’s Stay Together, Al Green
29. The Grudge – Lateralus, Tool
30. You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar but I Feel Like a Millionaire – XXX, Queens of the Stone Age
31. Fill in the Blank – Teens of Denial, Car Seat Headrest
32. Search and Destroy – Zombie Birdhouse, Iggy Pop and the Stooges
33. Crazy in Love – Dangerously in Love, Beyonce feat. Jay-Z
34. Only Shallow – Loveless, My Bloody Valentine
35. My Name is Jonas – The Blue Album, Weezer
36. The Queen is Dead – The Queen is Dead, The Smits
37. Laura – Scissor Sisters, Scissor Sisters
38. Bat Out of Hell – Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loaf
39. No One Loves Me & Neither Do I – Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures
40. Beast and Dragon, Adored – Gimme Fiction, Spoon
41. Blister in the Sun – Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes
42. Baba O’Riley – Who’s Next, The Who
43. Cherub Rock – Siamese Dream, The Smashing Pumpkins
44. Excursions – The Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest
45. Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
46. Ulysses – Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand
47. Jailbreak – Jailbreak, Thin Lizzy
48. Lisztomania – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix
49. More Than a Feeling – Boston, Boston
50. Positive Jam – Almost Killed Me, The Hold Steady
51. An Introduction to the Album – Home, Like Noplace Is There, The Hotelier
52. Twice as Hard – Shake Your Money Maker, The Black Crowes
53. Hold On – Wilson Phillips, Wilson Phillips
54. Rusty Cage – Badmotorfinger, Soundgarden
55. Say Hello 2 Heaven – Temple of the Dog, Temple of the Dog
56. Wide Eyes – Gorilla Manor, Local Natives
57. Refugee – Damn the Torpedoes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
58. Round Here – August and Everything After, Counting Crows

Tim’s Best Five-Song Stretches in Musicals

1. Chess
   1. The Interview
   2. Someone Else’s Story
   3. The Deal/No Deal
   4. Pity the Child #2
   5. I Know Him So Well
2. Les Miserables
   1. Look Down
   2. The Robbery/Javert’s Intervention
   3. Stars
   4. ABC Cafe/Red and Black
   5. Do You Hear the People Sing?
3. Spring Awakening
   1. And Then There Were None
   2. The Mirror – Blue Night
   3. I Believe
   4. Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind
   5. The Guilty Ones
4. Evita
   1. Charity Concert/I’d Be Surprisingly Good for You
   2. Another Suitcase in Another Hall
   3. Peron’s Latest Flame
   4. A New Argentina
   5. Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina
5. The Last Five Years
   1. Climbing Uphill
   2. If I Didn’t Believe in You
   3. I Can Do Better Than That
   4. Nobody Needs to Know
   5. Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You
6. Hamilton
   1. What’d I Miss
   2. Cabinet Battle #1
   3. Take a Break
   4. Say No to This
   5. The Room Where It Happens
7. Oklahoma
   1. Many a New Day
   2. It’s a Scandal! It’s an Outrage!
   3. People Will Say We’re in Love
   4. Pore Jud is Daid
   5. Lonely Room
8. Sweeney Todd
   1. Pretty Women
   2. Epiphany
   3. A Little Priest
   4. God That’s Good
   5. Johanna
9. Company
   1. Have I Got a Girl for You
   2. Someone Is Waiting
   3. Another Hundred People
   4. Getting Married Today
   5. Marry Me a Little
10. Rent
    1. Out Tonight
    2. Another Day
    3. Will I?
    4. On the Street
    5. Santa Fe
11. Aida
    1. Not Me
    2. Elaborate Lives
    3. The Gods Love Nubia
    4. A Step Too Far
    5. Easy as Life
12. Cabaret
    1. Maybe This Time
    2. Money
    3. Married
    4. Tomorrow Belongs to Me (Reprise)
    5. If You Could See Her
13. Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
    1. Pierre and Anatole
    2. Natasha Very Ill
    3. Pierre and Andrey
    4. Pierre and Natasha
    5. The Great Comet of 1812
14. Fiddler on the Roof
    1. To Life
    2. Miracle of Miracles
    3. Tevye’s Dream
    4. Sunrise, Sunset
    5. Bottle Dance
15. The Book of Mormon
    1. You and Me (But Mostly Me)
    2. Hasa Diga Eebowai
    3. Turn It Off
    4. I Am Here for You
    5. All-American Prophet
16. Jesus Christ Superstar
    1. Heaven on Their Minds
    2. What’s the Buzz
    3. Strange Thing Mystifying
    4. Then We Are Decided
    5. Everything’s Alright
17. 1776
    1. Cool, Cool, Considerate Men
    2. Momma Look Sharp
    3. The Egg
    4. Molasses to Rum
    5. Is Anybody There
18. Guys and Dolls
    1. Luck Be a Lady
    2. Sue Me
    3. Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat
    4. Marry the Man Today
    5. Guys and Dolls (Reprise)
19. Kristina from Duvemala
    1. You Have to Be There
    2. Here I Am Again
    3. With Child Again
    4. Rising from Myth and Legend
    5. I’ll Be Waiting There
20. A Little Night Music
    1. In Praise of Women
    2. Every Day a Little Death
    3. A Weekend in the Country
    4. Night Waltz I
    5. Night Waltz III
21. The Sound of Music
    1. Edelweiss
    2. So Long, Farewell
    3. Climb Ev’ry Mountain
    4. My Favorite Things (Reprise)
    5. Something Good
22. Next to Normal
    1. I’m Alive
    2. Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I’m Falling
    3. I Dreamed a Dance
    4. There’s a World
    5. I’ve Been
23. Beauty and the Beast
    1. Home
    2. Gaston
    3. How Long Must This Go On
    4. Be Our Guest
    5. If I Can’t Love Her
24. Follies
    1. Too Many Mornings
    2. The Right GIrl
    3. One More Kiss
    4. Could I Leave You?
    5. Loveland
25. The Light in the Piazza
    1. Hysteria
    2. Say It Somehow
    3. Aiutami
    4. The Light in the Piazza
    5. Octet

Matt’s Top Forty Four-Song Starters

1. Spoon – Gimme Fiction
   1. Beast and Dragon, Adored
   2. Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine
   3. I Turn My Camera On
   4. My Mathematical Mind
2. Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
   1. Like Eating Glass
   2. Helicopter
   3. Positive Tension
   4. Banquet
3. Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf
   1. You Think….
   2. No One Knows
   3. First it Giveth
   4. A Song for the Dead
4. The National – Boxer
   1. Fake Empire
   2. Mistaken For Strangers
   3. Brainy
   4. Squalor Victoria
5. Brand New – The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me
   1. Sowing Season (Yeah)
   2. Millstone
   3. Jesus Christ
   4. Degausser
6. Radiohead – Kid A
   1. Everything in its Right Place
   2. Kid A
   3. The National Anthem
   4. How to Disappear Completely
7. The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell…And Back
   1. One Way Ticket
   2. Knockers
   3. Is it Just Me?
   4. Dinner Lady Arms
8. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
   1. Jacqueline
   2. Tell Her Tonight
   3. Take Me Out
   4. The Dark of the Matinee
9. Modest Mouse – Moon and Antarctica
   1. 3rd Planet
   2. Gravity Rides Everything
   3. Dark Center of the Universe
   4. Perfect Disguise
10. The Killers
    1. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
    2. Mr. Brightside
    3. Smile Like You Mean It
    4. Somebody Told Me
11. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
    1. The Nights of Wine and Roses
    2. Fire’s Highway
    3. Evil’s Sway
    4. For the Love of Ivy
12. Mars Volta – The Bedlam in Goliath
    1. Aberinkula
    2. Metatron
    3. Ilyena
    4. Wax Simulacra
13. Mew – No More Stories Are Told Today…
    1. New Terrain
    2. Introducing Palace Players
    3. Beach
    4. Repeaterbeater
14. Coheed – In Keeping Secrets
    1. The Ring in Return
    2. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth
    3. Cuts Marked in the March of Men
    4. Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)
15. Grizzly Bear – Shields
    1. Sleeping Ute
    2. Speak in Rounds
    3. Adelma
    4. Yet Again
16. ASG – Win Us Over
    1. Right Death Before
    2. Dream Song
    3. Low End Insight
    4. Glow
17. Decemberists – Crane Wife
    1. Crane Wife 3
    2. Island
    3. Yankee Bayonet
    4. O Valencia
18. White Stripes – White Blood Cells
    1. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
    2. Hotel Yorba
    3. I’m Finding it Harder to Be a Gentleman
    4. Fell in Love with a Girl
19. Foals – Holy Fire
    1. Prelude
    2. Inhaler
    3. My Number
    4. Bad Habit
20. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am…
    1. The View from the Afternoon
    2. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
    3. Fake Tales From San Francisco
    4. Dancing Shoes
21. Scissor Sisters
    1. Laura
    2. Take Your Mama
    3. Comfortably Numb
    4. Mary
22. Car Seat Headrest – Teens of Denial
    1. Fill in the Blank
    2. Vincent
    3. Destroyed by Hippie Powers
    4. Drugs with Friends
23. Florence and the Machine
    1. Dog Days Are Over
    2. Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)
    3. I’m Not Calling You a Liar
    4. Howl
24. Death Cab – Transatlanticism
    1. The New Year
    2. Lightness
    3. Title and Registration
    4. Expo ‘86
25. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
    1. Sun it Rises
    2. White Winter Hymnal
    3. Ragged Wood
    4. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
26. Tune-Yards – WHOKILL
    1. My Country
    2. Es-so
    3. Gangsta
    4. Powa
27. MuteMath – Odd Soul
    1. Odd Soul
    2. Prytania
    3. Blood Pressure
    4. Tell Your Heart Heads Up
28. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
    1. No One Loves Me & Neither Do I
    2. Mind Eraser, No Chaser
    3. New Fang
    4. Dead End Friends
29. Ben Howard – Every Kingdom
    1. Old Pine
    2. Diamonds
    3. The Wolves
    4. Everything
30. The Hotelier – Home, Like Noplace Is There
    1. An Introduction to the Album
    2. The Scope of All of this Rebuilding
    3. In Framing
    4. Your Deep Rest
31. Say Anything – …Is a Real Boy
    1. Belt
    2. Woe
    3. The Writhing South
    4. Alive With the Glory of Love
32. Angel Olsen – My Woman
    1. Intern
    2. Never Be Mine
    3. Shut Up Kiss Me
    4. Give it Up
33. Beck – Guero
    1. E-Pro
    2. Que Onda Guero
    3. Girl
    4. Missing
34. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
    1. World Sick
    2. Chase Scene
    3. Texaco Bitches
    4. Forced to Love
35. Black Mountain – IV
    1. Mothers of the Sun
    2. Florian Saucer Attack
    3. Defector
    4. You Can Dream
36. Thrice – Vheissu
    1. Image of the Invisible
    2. Between the End and Where We Lie
    3. The Earth Will Shake
    4. Atlantic
37. White Lung – Paradise
    1. Dead Weight
    2. Narcoleptic
    3. Below
    4. Kiss Me When I Bleed
38. Young the Giant – Young the Giant
    1. Apartment
    2. My Body
    3. I Got
    4. Cough Syrup
39. Avenged Sevenfold – City of Evil
    1. Beast and the Harlot
    2. Burn it Down
    3. Blinded in Chains
    4. Bat Country
40. Margaret Glaspy – Emotions and Math
    1. Emotions and Math
    2. Situation
    3. Somebody to Anybody
    4. No Matter Who