YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 178 (Self-Titled)
(Originally finalized on January 1, 2026)
Preface: I don't know if it's madness or genius to pull out this theme this late in the music log. A lot of good albums - and many more good songs - were disqualified simply due to their previous appearance on other themes. But, that also means I had far fewer tracks to choose from (and it's a good excuse to nab a few that have fallen through the cracks) for what inevitably must prove to be a very common phenomenon - albums that share their name with the band that released them. Not always debut albums, although that is frequently the case.
Monday: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Breakdown [s/t, 1976]
Comments: Part of the reason I'm feeling motivated to wrap up this music log is that I'm running out of things to say! Breakdown was the lead single off of Tom Petty's debut album, narrowly missing out on being a First Impression only because it was the second track on the album. An early hit, it has endured as one of their all-time greatest.
Tuesday: Led Zeppelin - Communication Breakdown [s/t, 1969]
Comments: I've already shared most of the highlights from Led Zeppelin's earth-shattering debut album. But somehow, this one got neglected. Short, but powerful, this spin on Eddie Cochran's Nervous Breakdown features a driving guitar riff, and one of Robert Plant's best screams ever committed to record.
Wednesday: Aerosmith - Mama Kin [s/t, 1973]
Comments: So many albums to pick from this week - even when you exclude the ones that have already been exhausted. Van Halen is another great one (and is the second self-titled debut to feature the song You Really Got Me, after The Kinks' original). But this retrospective hit from Aerosmith puts a little more distance between us and the '80s.
Thursday: Frijid Pink - House of the Rising Sun [s/t, 1970]
Comments: If that fact about You Really Got Me impressed you, brace yourself. House of the Rising Sun appears on three self-titled debut albums (that I know of)! Even before The Animals made it a hit, there was Bob Dylan's version. But my favorite is this one by Frijid Pink, who absolutely drenched it in acid feedback (as they liked to do).
Friday: Humble Pie - Live With Me [s/t, 1970]
Comments: Although not their debut, this track opens Humble Pie's third album, from their peak era before they let guitarist Peter Frampton go. A near 8-minute epic from the golden age of album-oriented rock, it proves that, although short-lived, and at times inconsistent, when Humble Pie was good, they were really good.
Saturday: Wishbone Ash - Phoenix [s/t, 1970]
Comments: I'm pleased to have another chance to share a song by one of the best forgotten bands of '70s rock, that I only myself discovered recently. Although their output is very consistent at least through the '80s, I think their first few albums are the best. And this ten-and-a-half minute closing track is one of the highlights.
Sunday: Fleetwood Mac - I'm So Afraid [s/t, 1975]
Comments: Believe it or not, Fleetwood Mac released two self-titled albums. And though they both featured the Fleetwood/McVie rhythm section, they were two very different bands. This is, hands down, my favorite song by the more popular version of the band. Written and sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, to me it perfectly demonstrates the feeling of living with chronic anxiety. The live version from The Dance is even better.
Honorable Mention: Black Country Communion - Black Country [s/t, 2010]
Comments: During my recent theme dedicated to Joe Bonamassa, I had an opportunity to share a track by the 21st century supergroup Black Country Communion. And I had to choose between featuring one of my favorite songs, or one of my favorite albums. I chose the former; but lo and behold, another opportunity has presented itself! Black Country Communion's debut was a bombastic affair, and the album is filled with great songs. One of the best is the opener - which, like the album, also happens to share the name of the band. Well, almost. The band was originally going to be called Black Country, but they tacked Communion onto the end to differentiate themselves from another band. Now, let's move on before I start thinking about all the great songs from great albums that didn't make the list this week...