Rage against the Machine-Self-Titled
Jay-Z-Reasonable Doubt
Notorious B.I.G-Ready to Die
Portishead-Dummy

Machine Head!!! If you like Pantera-style metal, you *must* hear Burn My Eyes!

If I sat down and put the same fair amount of thought I put into the final album topic, I'm fairly certain the list would be enormous.

Linkin Park so far.

Just my opinion...

Stone Roses - Stone Roses (no follow-up could be worthy of the hype)
DJ Shadow - Entroducing (again, the hype, but to a lesser degree)
Morrissey - Viva Hate (of his few proper, non-compilation albums)

Most would say De La Soul's first (Three Feet High and Rising), but I prefer Buhloone Mind State by just a little more.

I could probably think of a lot, but the first one that came to mind was:

Violent Femmes

Guns N' Roses, Appetite For Destruction

I don't agree with it, but Pearl Jam's Ten would/will be a popular choice.

The Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang

Absolutely too many to list: the trip-hop trifecta of Portishead, Tricky, and Massive Attack fit this description, as do many, many other bands, including Elastica, Deee-Lite, Stone Roses, Son Volt, Liz Phair, etc.

If you don't count Stoney and Meat Loaf, and you shouldn't, Bat Out of Hell.

das

Guns N' Roses
Rage Against The Machine
Stone Temple Pilots
Godsmack

Agreed.

There are so many out there to name. Guns And Roses is a big one, Slipknot also comes to mind as does Soilwork.

Nice one.

Boston
Pearl Jam

Nas - Illmatic
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
GZA - Liquid Swords

Pearl Jam's Ten was their best album by far.

Agree with Guns n Roses, GZA, Wu Tang, Tricky, Violent Femmes, DJ Shadow, Dr. Dre.

I'll throw in...
Sublime - 40 oz. to Freedom
Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted

Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Moby - Moby
Luscious Jackson - Natural Ingredients
Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
Doors - Doors
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
Beth Orton - Trailer Park
Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters


edited due to my mistake

Bleach was Nirvana's first album, and their best album was called In Utero.

Uh, I thought Gn'R "Lies" was their first album?

Anyway:

Pearl Jam "Ten"
Stone Temple Pilots "Core"
Black Sabbath - self titled

Violent Femmes was my first thought as well.

The Cars
REM (not counting EPs)
Hoodoo Gurus
Rain Parade (again, not counting their EP)

Wow, this list really could be long. Just have to say that I very much disagree with some of the above names listed as the first being the best.

Suicidal Tendencies - their s/t first album is a classic

The Replacements - Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash is another classic in my book

Pearl Jam
Stone Temple Pilots
Nine Inch Nails
Jewel

Ben Folds Five

No. AFD was released in the summer of 1987. G N' R Lies was released in late 1988--although half of the songs were taken from their 1986 EP Live Like a Suicide, the other four acoustic songs were recorded (IIRC) in 1988, after AFD had been released.

Lies technically isn't an album, anyway. It's an EP. The first four songs weren't even "live"--they were studio versions with a track of a live audience thrown in afterwards.

Another first-album-best-album I thought of was The Cranberries' Everyone Else is Doing it, So Why Can't We?

Great choice. Pretty Hate Machine's awesome. The other 2 albums are great but not as great as PHM.