The Worst Sophomore Albums
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Inspired by Siouxsie and the Banshees regression (according to Jason) on Join Hands, this week we're talking about the worst sophomore slump albums of all time. Which ones did we miss? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for watching!
#sophomoreslump #2ndalbum
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Totally disagree on Regatta de Blanc! I also think Van Halen 2 is a great follow up to an unbelievable debut.
I agree 👍 with you
Spot on.
Yup Van Halen 2 is as good as if not better than the debut…kramzer is crazy…I mean ‘Light Up The Sky’, ‘Somebody Get Me Doctor’, ‘Women in Love’? You call that a slump?!
Far as I'm concerned, Regatta is easily their BEST album.
I just to the full vinyl copy of Van Halen. It was really good!
Boston is always the first band I think of when you say sophomore slump!
Reggatta De Blanc is DEFINITELY The Police's best album - stellar tracks - Message In A Bottle, Bring on The Night, Walking On The Moon, The Bed's Too Big Without You, Does Everyone Stare. 'Too jammy' is another way of saying great musicianship.
Most police diehards pick Regatta as their best. Fact.
@@teresasilva6293 I don't care about Police ''diehards''. It's been my favourite since 1979 and as each album failed to measure up to it, it remains my favourite.
@@teresasilva6293 Your point?
My fav Police album..... by a longshot.
@@davidl570 The miscommunication in this particular thread is delightful.
Van Halen to Van Halen II…. “c’mon Kramzer gimme a break!”
VH 2 is epic
'Here Today Tomorrow Next Week' by The Sugarcubes was a huge step down from the debut, 'Life's Too Good'.
Spot on, good pick. Unlistenable, that 2nd album.
ZEPPELIN II ?!?!11??! Kramzer shouldn't drink when he's doing these things!
Hard disagree with Jason on More Songs About Buildings and Food. TH showed tremendous growth and created a much better album than 77. A huge step up.
Fear of Music has 80% of my favorite Talking Heads songs.
Mark - I thought it was an April Fools joke but it's not.
Both albums Brilliant. No slump there.
Buildings and Food is easily better than the debut, and the debut is great.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 better production, songs are more sophisticated, and it even sounds like they’ve developed a greater degree of proficiency on their instruments
I know that 'Neither Fish nor Flesh' by Terence Trent D'Arby (now Sananda Maitreya) is a famous example of a second album that sold much less than his debut and was generally given poor reviews.
It’s my least listened to but had some real gems. Personal favorite of his is from the Nigor Mortis sessions:
Losing Becomes Too Easy
If I’m not mistaken it’s reputation has improved through the years.
It’s such a gem. The issue is that it is bookended by 2 masterpieces, with Symphony or Damn being his finest
Helplessness Blues is not only Fleet Foxes best album, but it’s one of the best of the century. Just a gorgeous album from start to finish. The lyrics about not knowing your place in the world are beautiful and heartfelt.
But to add an album to the conversation: Elastica-The Menace
Led Zeppelin II is a clear step up from Zep I!
Led Zeppelin Ii! You’re insane in the membrane man.
II
"Adventure"-Television can't help but suffer by comparison, but I love that album. Maybe people weren't prepared for the the minor key, haunting beauty of songs like "Days" or "Carried Away." The production could have used some more oompf, but "Glory," "Ain't That Nothin'" and "Foxhole" are also stand outs. I agree on "A Quick One," though the I prefer the alternate version that includes "Happy Jack." "Give 'Em Enough Rope" by The Clash was a bit of a letdown, but still has some great tracks. Another minor let down was The Dream Syndicate's "Medicine Show." Both "Give 'Em Enough Rope" and "Medicine Show" were produced by Sandy Pearlman, who did a better with BOC.
MM= Night
Adventure = Day
Some people just don't get it, but it is another masterpiece.
@@telsutton It's reputation has risen on a few other sites I'm on. Sometimes Verlaine's solo work gets lost in the shuffle, also, but I'm a fan. I wish he would record or tour more. I saw Television in 2016, and even without Lloyd they are still great live. Fred Smith and Billy Ficca are an underrated rhythm section.
@@johnlefsky8731 You have to think how many times they recorded MM to get the THAT; a perfectly-tuned engine. They weren't afforded the same luxury on lp #2, and it is a more 'difficult album', without the dramatic Song-Noir tension of MM, but like I said, it's light on its feet, and the more I played it the more it felt indispensable to my own musical journey.
i like how the channel is branching out from the best of’s!! i would love to see either best of live albums or a band’s unofficial releases. keep up the good work.
Asia's second album was a BIG step down from their massive debut, one of my favorite 80s albums.
None of them even mentioned Asia..
I love Led Zeppelin 2
I think ABC and Martin Fry are very talented. I like that ABC stepped out of their comfort zone for "Beauty Stab" and it does have some decent moments. But ABC was wise to return to their signature sound on "How to be a Zillionaire' and "Alphabet City". ABC's debut also benefited greatly from Trevor Horn's production and Anne Dudley's (The Art of Noise) lush orchestral arrangements. But even though "The Lexicon of Love" will always be their apex, the groups catalog is still quite impressive.
Let's not forget they went on to have a couple of bona fide hits: When Smokey Sings and Be Near Me.
Anne Dudley is incredibly. I love her lone classical work and film scores
Pink Floyd's A Saucerful of Secrets as an inferior follow up to Piper At The Gates of Dawn
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' stellar debut is followed up by the forgettable You're Gonna Get It
Kate Bush follows up the stunning debut The Kick Inside with the lukewarm Lionheart
Orange Juice follow up their indie classic You Can't Hide Your Love Forever with the far-from-classic Rip It Up
De La Soul follow up their classic Three Feet High And Rising with the unfortunately titled De La Soul Is Dead
Tom Petty - I agree.
As to Kate Bush - yep - One of my examples.
Most of the Van Halen II songs were already written, the studio demanded another album quick so they didnt really write for it
Whoa fleet foxes?!?! Maybe if we are talking drops from second to third albums. HB is their best effort c’mon!!
Every fleet foxes album is equally great. All 4.5’s from me. -Jason
@@TastesLikeMusic Definitely. Fleet Foxes is a great album with some amazing songs (especially Blue Ridge Mountains, White Winter Hymnal, Mykonos), but there are also some clinkers on it (Oliver Jane, etc.). Helplessness Blues is classic imo. Maybe I could live without the 20 second of seagull-like cacophony at the end of The Shrine/An Argument, but the songs on the album are thematically cohesive, rather than just a collection of good songs. Even the gulls are thematically important as an ironic counterpoint to the poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree by WB Yeats. Rather than a bee loud glade, you have gulls fighting over food (presumably Robin's corpse).
Lyrically, Helplessness Blues is a masterpiece. Musically, it is more adventurous than FF as well.
Kram, you really should dive into the poetry of this album. It's one of the few that really rewards it.
I agree with Zeppelin II. Nowhere near Zep I or III. It was recorded in a rush while they were touring.
I got Kramzer's shirt! good taste dude
In 1967, the Happy Jack LP was my intro to the Who, and I loved it. I listened to it every day after school in the 9th grade and it remains a top 10 album for me, as well as my favorite Who album.
This might be controversial, but Tyranny and Mutation is the weakest of the “ black and white” Blue Öyster Cult albums( the debut and Secret Treaties are both 5 star for me, Tyranny is 4 at most). Jason, More Songs… is the Best TH album!( a certain top 100 all timer for me, love it all the way through). Captain Beefheart’s “ Mirror Man” is a big step down from Safe as Milk as well
I would hardly call somebody's opinion on a blue oyster cult album from 45 years ago controversial but we do love our drama. I love all of the first three albums for different reasons - I definitely think that tyranny and mutation has the best album cover of the three but of course you can't listen to an album cover. Peace!
Hell to the no about More Songs About Buildings and Food and Pinkerton. Come on.
Yes definitely about the Stone Roses' Second Coming. Jesus, what a letdown that was.
I recall MGMT's sophomore album being very unenthusiastically received.
I much prefer the second Hootie album, because it was such a flop, therefore, I never had to hear it.
lol
Would have to go with Mercury Rev's Boces. Two steps backwards after the excellent debut Yerself is Steam.
I love Yerself but Boces is great too. See You On The Other Side is where it dips for me
@@MemphianSounds I'm just the opposite. Boces is mostly forgettable. See You On The Other Side is their masterpiece.
Ouch, Pinkerton.
I think a lot of mid-2010s indie bands suffered this, Alt-J, Glass Animals and CHVRCHES all come to mind.
Others: Violent Femmes, Air, The Cars
Some great picks guys & a few from me are...
The Beatles - With The Beatles
Ultravox! - Ha! Ha! Ha!
The Jam - This Is The Modern World
XTC - XTC Go 2
The Strokes - Room On Fire
Paul Young - The Secret Of Association
Big Country - Steeltown
Tony Banks - The Fugitive
Mike Rutherford - Acting Very Strange
Embrace - Drawn From Memory
Artic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare....
Yes, I would agree with Ultravox. They eventually came back strong with Systems of Romance. I do love Go 2 though.
Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! does close brilliantly with Hiroshima Mon Amour.
@@toddhill7483 XTC are my favourite band but XTC Go 2 is at the bottom of my list alongside their last album Wasp Star....
Completely disagree on The Strokes. Room On Fire is just as good as the debut. Maybe better.
Sorry, but completely disagree about Big Country's Steeltown. For me, that's their absolute masterpiece and one of my favourite albums ever. The dense grainy production makes it less accessible at first than the debut, but once you hear your way into it, the songs are great from start to finish (although the chorus of Girl with Grey Eyes doesn't quite work for me). The songs are so heartfelt, poignant yet gritty and the interplay between the members of the band is fantastic. East of Eden, Come Back to Me and Just a Shadow are some of their greatest songs. I love side one of the debut, but aside from Porrohman (which is great), I don't think side two is as good, whereas Steeltown is pretty much fantastic from start to finish. There, that's my defence of Steeltown!
Weezer got experimental too soon with Pinkerton; today it's actually a pretty interesting listen. But yeah, in '97 it sucked compared to Blue Album
Secondhand Delight by Magazine was a second album but not a delightful one & was quite easy to find .. secondhand.
heh heh heh
Nice!
You know what I just found my five dollar vinyl copy of ABC’s first album. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a really good electronic album. I went to listen to my 45 dollar copy of that Police album lmao! I agree on that.
Beauty Stab is a very well known sophomore slump. in Brit pop both Kenicke's second record and Garbage's are also seen as such. So is The Second Coming.
I can remember the release of Beauty Stab being quite a big deal here in the UK as the Lexicon of Love was both a commercial and critical success. I think I was barely 16 but was soon aware of the general disappointment around it.
With the Beatles (has some good songs) not near the same level as Please Please Me imo. Pinkerton including the bonus tracks is a top 20 album for me all time. VH 2 is epic.
In the 1964 Capitol Records releases, I did not like The Beatles Second Album. I had loved Meet the Beatles, the first Capitol Release, but Second Album was a real disappointment. I did eventually come to like it more, but it has never been a favorite. Beatles '65, which was the next Capitol release, is one of my favorites. And I loved the US release of A Hard Days Night.
Well, no one else is gonna do this so...'Fairweather Johnson' did have two pretty big hits (Old Man & Me and Tucker's Town) and sold over 2 million copies. True, it was a huge drop from 'Cracked Rear View' but there was a 99% chance that would happen no matter what they made. And it's not like Hootie had REM level talent and could properly follow-up a blockbuster. I think the boys did alright. I remember liking the third single 'Sad Caper'.
Television's Adventure is not a sophomore slump, I dig Regetta DeBlanc and More Songs About Buildings And Food is my third favorite THs album
Agree on all three, though More Songs is my second favorite.
Also agree. Those are 3 fantastic albums.
Kramser, WTF: Zeppelin II is equally as GREAT as Zeppelin 1 and Van Halen II is almost as good as 1, so no "Slump" there!
Both albums are awesome.
Zeppelin an VH are kNOT in the conversation ( END ) !!!!!
More of a junior slump, but Paul McCartney made 2 amazing albums, S/T and Ram, but then followed them up with Wild Life. The next album wasn’t great either
Shame has a sophomore and junior slump (really crash).
Gang of Four's sophomore album "Solid Gold" couldn't live up to the masterpiece that was their debut "Entertainment". The opening 2 songs Paralysed, What We All Want are as good as anything on the first record but the rest of the album can't match the debut.
I think Songs of the Free is much tighter and I replay it more frequently
@@J.S.3259 agree. Songs of the Free is great . Better songs than "Solid Gold" . Loved the sound on that record which was more expansive for them with a funkier production without losing that unmistakable edgy sound ( particularly Gill’s guitars ). They attempted a slicker funk sound on the next album. Critics and fans were lukewarm in their response to put it mildly ( full disclosure though. I kind a like of few of the songs on that record , “ Hard”..)
Moby Grape - Wow
MGMT-Congratulations(No catchiness or fun like songs on the debut. All out disappointment)
LAURYN HILL-?(Hasn't put a sophomore album out yet)
EAGLES-Desparado(The title track and 'Outlaw Man' are the only two decent songs but the rest suck. The debut crushes this album.
VAN HALEN-Van Halen II(Hard to follow up the debut)
Disagree with Eagles. Desperado is their best. - Joe
LOVE Desperado! Shows a slight maturity in their songwriting and musicianship after their good (but not great) debut.
And VH II is definitely up to par with their debut. No drop in quality to my ears!
step down but good albums
dont look back [boston] a impossible debut to follow
time and a word [yes] love the debut
good gods uge [porno for pyros] following a 5 star review debut
Cannot agree on van halen 2 and zep 2
Hi Bengal! Good God’s Urge feels like the relaxing counterpart to their self-titled, which I also love a lot (as you know). For me that was a smooth transition into Perry’s solo album Song Yet To Be Sung. All very different albums and all fantastic.. hey, it’s Perry after all. 😉
Re. Porno 4 Pyros - I actually thought GGU was a step up from the also very good debut album.
Tried to like Good God's Urge after their killer debut........................but just couldn't get into it.
Pinkerton is the worst pick of all of these
many would argue its better than the debut
you should axe that Kram guy
The Manic Street Preacher's second album Gold Against The Soul was pretty meh
Elastica - The Menace (2000). The debut is a minor classic and they should have stayed a one and done.
I hate the fact that they stole so many tunes from other bands . . 🤔
Personally i loved More Songs About Buildings And Food. It felt like a continuation of '77 but with better sound and more settled performances. AND... for me Regatta De Blanc is the best Police LP of all, and the record where they really become The Police. Outlandos is fun and punky and driving, but they find their centre on the sophomore record. and i love the drifty inbetween tracks.... almost like their version of dub-reggae. But disagreeing is part of the fun of watching you folks. In a respectful way, of course.
If you look at a typical Zeppelin setlist from 73-79, they almost always played about five tracks from LZ2. Because it slays. Too much Radiohead, Kram?
Radiohead never even had an opportunity to make a sophomore slump because their first album isn't very good.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 Wrong !
Kramz as much as in love LZII it being my favorite Zep album.. I want to give you kudos for mentioning VHII which to me sounds like what it is... The a quick, lazy follow up to the debut. VHI got all the good stuff off the Simmons Demos and VHII got the leftovers.
Jason as big as a John Prine fan I am, I wanted to disagree with you about Diamonds, but I can't... It's sandwiched between two noticeably better albums... Though the following Common Sense is my least of his catalog which feels like his real slump.
Joe... No beef... But I kept expecting you to say Boston for some reason.
I will be slightly controversial and say Mr Wonderful by Fleetwood Mac... Which feels like they rushed to get that one out with four songs starting with the Elmore James riff in the same key. If they had waited longer like the US did English Rose as a compilation Mr. Wonderful tracks and non album single cuts is a much stronger listen.
My final entry will be Hello I Must Be Going by Phil Collin which isn't horrible but again it's sandwiched in between Face Value and No Jacket Required both of which are Phil at his best.
I'm usually Team Jason, but I completely disagree with More Songs About Buildings and Food... it's better in many ways than the debut, and paved the way for what was to come.. in fact, i'm going to play it right now!
However, the most obvious pick for worst 2nd album has to be Second Coming by Stone Roses
It's a poor choice by Jason.
wu tang clan - wu tang forever
not even that bad but it's a huge drop in quality
Dire Straits debut is far superior to their largely forgettable second album. Also Def Leppard's 'On Through The Night', an inspired and exciting debut from a band still largely in their teens, easily surpasses the rather average 'High 'N' Dry' (excluding the standout 'Bringin' On The Heartbreak).
I disagree with Def Leppard. High 'n' Dry fucking rocks. It's more AC/DC and Thin Lizzy derived for sure and their debut is more original in sound but the album still kicks ass. The debut is awesome though. It's such an anomaly in their catalogue.
I disagree that High n' Dry is average. Actually like it more than their debut.
Adventure would have been a lot closer to Marquee Moon had they included the song "Adventure" on it,which is a banger ,and not sure why they left it off the album. That being said,Adventure is still an excellent album,just not a top ten all time one like it's predecessor.
I always thought that No More Heroes by The Stranglers was a big drop off from their debut Rattus Norvegicus despite the title track being a hit. The rest of the songs on the album sound like cast offs from the first.
Yeah, agree!!
NMH seems to carry on the momentum of the debut, which sounds more cutting edge in comparison.
After that Black And White and The Raven are great leaps forward.
@@janpoelkamp4229 They sound like they're are both from the same studio session, so similar. I agree about Black & White, they smashed it with that one. My favourite.
I try not to write things negative on UA-cam. Someone has to do the wholesome thing.😉
So instead of listing the worst sophomore album, I will give an example of a sophomore album that is considered to be worse than the debut, but that I think is not.
My choice would be "Fugazi" by Marillion. Sandwiched between their fan favorite debut "Script for a Jester's Tear" and their colossal commercial success "Misplaced Childhood", "Fugazi" is a bit of an overlooked album and one that hasn't always received the highest praise from commentators. The album, however is packed with great songs. It's tighter than the debut. It's also a bit more aggressive than the rest of their catalogue, which is a good counter balance to their romantic tendencies.
Fugazi is probably my favorite Marillion album, although I love all the albums they made with Fish.
Fugazi forever!! An improvement on the debut IMO, and thank god for Ian Mosley.
Led Zeppelin 2. DRUM SOLO 🥁 ALERT.
Regatta de Blanc is the sound of three musicians performing. It's not about poetry, or hooks, or showstoppers. This is only a lesser Police album to people who consider the Police a lesser band ...
When you make the songs secondary you prove yourself to be a lesser band. -Jason
The guy with the bandana is way off with those picks..I mean, cmon..
Well, he also said that "Toxic" by Britney Spears was better than anything Zeppelin ever did, so that is what you're dealing with.
The Dead Boys sophomore album was a huge let down.
Good call Joe, Second Coming is a cliff dive from the debut, but it has to be the Killers. Sam’s Town is okay but Hot Fuss has to be up there with the greatest debut albums.
guns n roses, suicidal tendencies, pearl jam, come to mind
I once tried listening to Zeppelin II in the gym. Didn't even make it past cardio.
The second Strokes album sucks. I didn't like the first one, particularly, but I appreciate that it made an impact.
Led Zeppelin II was not a slump. This was a poor take for TLM. It reached #1 in the UK and US and many people rate it their top Zeppelin album.
@@mrp4242 It went #1 in nine countries total, top 3 in four others and top ten in Japan. LZII got a 95 from Metacritic and has sold 12 MILLION copies in the US alone. I'd list all of the great songs on it, but that would be all of them. The dude had to be trolling.
Kramzer...yesh on Zep II!....and VH II was the Dawn of Teeth Metal- Let's all smile a perpetual shit-eating grin and give the world a big "bottom's up"!
Still loved and with great tracks like New York Serenade and Rosalita, Bruce's 2nd album, and all the jazz noodling, particular on side one, was a let down as an album compared to "Greetings.." and "Born to Run."
NOT U2. NOT The Cars
October & Candy-O are awesome 👌 - I thought they were going to get mentioned & was ready to defend.
@@davidellis5141 I can understand defending Candy-O (my fav. Cars album) but October??
@@davidl570 Excellent Side One with Fall Down , I Threw A Brick Through A Window & Fire. Tomorrow Is an excellent track to lead off a poor second Side - A B- record .. not a catastrophe.
@@davidellis5141 Okay...................agree, but Boy was more consistent and focused, so that wins out over October for me. (October DOES have some killer tracks though, most notably Gloria, I'll give credit where it's due).
@@davidl570 Boy is far better - no disagreement on that ! ✌️
I disagree with too many of these picks to be bothered to list them here, some mentioned in the comments being my favourite album by the artist. But in defence of us all: opinions are like…we all have them!
This is not the Listographer's week, there is something in the water. Rarely ever they were so far off in their own sphere. Siouxsie somehow confused their systems, too remote from their home bases. Just too many nonsense comments during these sessions to really bother...
@@roxannewalsh I blame long covid.
Don’t mind Roxanne. Her system is still rebooting. Had to reset after her insane Pulp takes.
@@TastesLikeMusic I have always preferred Pulpo over Pulp, especially with garlic and very good olive oil.
I thought of Talking Head too
haha poor Hootie
You are so wrong about Led. Zep 2 it isn't even funny.
Kramzer went crazy. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic "drugs are bad, m'kay..."
The Damned - Music For Pleasure and Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Liverpool.
thx dudes
I prefer Second Coming :(
Kramzer, WAY off on Pinkerton
You guys didn’t say a word about Asia yet put their second album on your thumbnail. CLICKBAIT
Are you sure we didn’t mention Asia
@@TastesLikeMusic watched the whole video didn’t hear a word about them…
Pink Floyd
No! Love Saucerful of Secrets. That belongs on an "underrated" list
I think Pipers is superior but Saucerful has some unusually good tracks.
@@toddhill7483 Remember A Day is amazing.
Aaaaaw not way. Regatta be Blanc is Police's best album.
I'll take Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon over Roxanne and Can't Stand Losing You any day.
The worst sophomore slumps that come to mind:
Vampire Weekend - Contra (2010) (“Horchata” is one of the most obnoxious openers of all-time, and the rest of the album lacks the quality of ideas that the S/T had)
Ween - The Pod (1991 (I don’t necessarily hate this album, but the murky production and half-assed songwriting is a huge step down from the great debut, and it’s definitely the weakest thing they ever put out except for arguably their final album)
Yuck - Glow & Behold (2013) (the S/T was derivative but cool indie rock; this one has no energy whatsoever, and should have been released under a different name)
Sunny Day Real Estate - LP2 (1995) (I like this album, and it even made my top 50 albums of that year; but it’s sandwiched between two all-time indie classics for me, and I can’t help but wonder how much better it could have been if it wasn’t recorded while the band was undergoing a temporary break-up. So it’s by no means a horrible album, but I feel like it could have been a genuine masterpiece)
Bad Religion - Into the Unknown (1983) (a really strange situation whereby a punk band follows up their enjoyable debut with a meandering, poorly-recorded progressive rock album; I’m not sure if such a confusing sophomore album has ever been released in the history of punk rock)
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (1994) (this was released 5 years after the very cool debut, so I can’t say that they “immediately” lost their sound, but this is far too dependent on 90s alt-rock tropes that I find absolutely insufferable. Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, NIN, Rage Against the Machine…I hate them all)
Downward Spiral oh wow that's gonna ruffle some feathers.
@@SomeSong2 I disliked all of those grunge/alt-rock songs and albums that they nominated throughout the late 80s and 90s. it was always a pleasant surprise to see stuff like Jellyfish, Guided by Voices, the Bats, and Slowride receive the occasional nomination.
Personally, I don’t understand how someone can like both Uncle Tupelo AND Counting Crows, but I had a very different musical upbringing, I guess.
I'll take The Bats over almost any yarling rock singer saying the words muhhh nuhhh, hey or aw yeah.
Man, you and the 90s. SMH. - Joe
I meant to write Slowdive, not Slowride. There is actually an emo/power pop band from the early 2000s called Slowdive.
A quick one takes a while to get into
Agreed. I like it more now than I did.
Beauty Stab is better than the first ABC album. It,s excellent
This is not an opinion you should be sharing in public. - Joe
Bush
i like razor blade suitcase alot more
Are you saying that Bush Jr. was a huge step down from Sr.? I will have to concur.
@@echosmyron1278 That too
I think Bush is an awful band name as well.
@@echosmyron1278 Bush Sr was funny when asked to react to Clinton on Arsenio Hall & he said " That scared me , that taxaphone ! "
Heaven Up Here didn't hold a candle to Crocodiles.
Stop ✋️!! - It's one of the best albums ever .. Sleep No More was the best album of 1981 but Heaven Up Here was a close second. Now , Porcupine is not a particularly strong album ..
@@davidellis5141 I should have specified that I think Heaven Up Here is a fine album. But Crocodiles is one of the all-time great debuts.
Good call on the Comsat Angels. Another neglected '81 gem in the same vein is From the Lions Mouth by the Sound
@@Ianmackable I liked Jeapordy as well which was just the Demo as Warners wouldn't give Korova money for it but From The Lions Mouth was well funded & Adrian was on his game. The Bunnymen & The Sound didn't get along which was bad for The Sound.
@@davidellis5141 Did Mac get along with anyone at all?
@@Ianmackable 😆 - U2 kept Echo off the Liveaid 85 bill because Ian had slagged them off so much !
Don't agree with Second Coming, Squire is on fire on that album. The most obvious is What's the Story Morning Glory.
Whats the Story is a STEP DOWN from Definitely Maybe? I mean its your opinion, but its probably only shared by 2% of the total population
I'm part of that 2%!
Well, wouldn't consider What's the Story a slump........................I love it to death, but Definitely Maybe has the slight edge over it, reason being is that it has my fav (and Liam's fav) Oasis song of all time, Live Forever.
CARRY ON by Chris Cornell. I actually had to go check what that album was called again. Just completely mediocre and forgettable all the way through and certainly several classes below EUPHORIA MOURNING, one of the greatest solo albums ever. 💙
Axis: Bold As Love perhaps …? Hm.
I’d also agree with Led Zep II & Pinkerton! 👏🏼 …
BTW, don’t enjoy ABC too much, but LOL II is actually worth a listen! 👌🏼
No on Axis. That album is great. Those 3 Experience albums are all 5 star albums to me
Did anyone mention boston I'm getting the olds
Joe - I will have to disagree (respectfully, of course) with A Quick One. I actually like the songs by the other band members, particularly Whiskey Man (Entwistle), I Need You (Moon), and See My Way (Daltry). Much prefer these to the obligatory Chuck Berry and R&B covers in the debut. Not sure why the label felt this was necessary. The same had been done with the Beatles, Stones, and Kinks. By 1965 this practice could have been dispensed with since the UK bands had fully established themselves in America.
Also, A Quick One has the band's first rock opera (mini) - and a damn good one at that.
Kramzer got many wrong here...I prefer vh2 to the debut...(light up the sky...beautiful girls...women in love.)..come on man...do you even like van halen?..probably their best release....zep 2?...damn if my best album has the likes of ramble on..what is and what should never be...bring it on home...well, I guess I could live with it...I also liked a quick one joe....I thought they stole the show at rock and roll circus with it...so...how about obvious ones like but the little girls understand by the knack...4 monster hits on the debut...nothing great on the sophomore album...I know you guys love this...but I loved Pablo honey...and outside of blackstar, and nice dream...I found the bends kind of boring...ok computer absolutely kicked its ass before they fell off again for a spell...so...if you can pick on zep and vh...I will respond in kind..lol...cheers guys
VH1 is a legend. VH2 is a fun record that if it didn’t exist no one would notice. - Joe
King Crimson
Nah, that's still good. I think a sophomore slump should be substantially worse than first.
@@walterevans5658 Agree but In The Court Of The Crimson King is a masterpiece, very big gap...
@@RostyslavLogachov I am a huge King Crimson fan, but I have always found the beloved debut flawed in that it needed one more hard rocker for more balance. And the sophomore effort has the title track and "Cat Food."
Almost impossible to follow up on a classic like In the Court, but In the Wake is very solid.
@@walterevans5658 .......................and that hard rocker should've replaced the overblown Moon Child. Somebody needed to reel Robert and the gang in on that one!
Radiohead - the Bends. Least in the US 🤪
My favorite of theirs . .
“High and Dry” was a hit in the U.S. Hell, it got adult contemporary radio play
Not one of their best but it was MILES better than the crappy Pablo Honey. (You're actually saying Bends was WORSE than that??).
Pearl Jam. Vs is much worse than Ten.
Agree. Versus is boring and totally overrated
Good Pick David 👏
Pearl Jam is certainly a better fit for this topic than Led Zeppelin or U2.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 Eh, U2 would qualify.......................October was pretty bad compared to Boy.
TRUSTcompany: True Parallels
Major disappointment after The Lonely Position of Neutral. The choruses weren't there, the rap element had kinda died down in their sound. Drifted towards bland radio rock.
This will probably be controversial, but Pink Floyd’s second album, A Saucerful of Secrets is pretty bad. The only great songs worth listening to here are Remember a Day and Jugband Blues (both fantastic), and the other good songs (the title track and Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun) have better versions elsewhere. All of the other songs range from mediocre (Let There Be More Light) to boring (See-Saw) to awful (Corporal Clegg).
Their next couple of albums didn’t fare much better, but thankfully, they got back on track with Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, and Obscured by Clouds, and they entered their golden era with The Dark Side of the Moon, and the rest is history.
Closer by Joy division isn't nearly as good as unknown pleasures
Both are bad though. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic weird flex but ok
Both are great records, but I prefer Closer; it tends to match my mood more often than Unknown Pleasures. Closer evokes something subterranean. And JD pointed me in the direction of J.G. Ballard, who has since become one of my favorite writers. Closer also has one of my favorite album covers.
_Closer_ is JD's _In Utero_ - raw, fewer singles (if any), but powerful & underrated.
U2’s October
Beauty Stab! Of course! Second Coming too - I hate it! I thought NuClear Sounds was pretty good & is the only other record I really like by Ash (besides 1977). Zeppelin II might be the most incorrect album named here. Van Halen II is the next most incorrect. Regatta de Blanc is the third most incorrect. GnR is a great pick, though I also hate the debut so I don't care. Fairweather Johnson stinks, but at least it has one song I like on it, which I can't say about the debut. Pinkerton is obviously the best Weezer record, so that one only counts for sales and initial popularity. I don't know anyone who doesn't think it's their best.
I think Wake of Poseidon is a major letdown after Court of the KC. The Damned Music for Pleasure. Dire Straits Communique. XTC Go 2.
From the early 80s (when I was really tuned into a band's next album) I'd list Asia Alpha, Aztec Camera Knife, Thomas Dolby This Flat Earth, Missing Persons Rhyme & Reason - all of which I've come to accept & enjoy to some degree. Christopher Cross Another Page, which I haven't.
Van Halen II is probably the greatest album ever!! That's crazy
Da fukkkk
More Songs About Buildings & Food for me is a step up from the debut. Not so enamored with their debut. XTC's Go 2 was a drop from White Music. Probably the worst one in their catalogue. I like a lot of songs on Give Em Enough Rope by The Clash but this album is the hammock swinging between debut and London Calling. Countdown To Ecstasy, hard to follow Can't Buy A Thrill.
Beat Crazy is album # 3 by Joe Jackson - I'm The Man was the 2nd one.
@@davidellis5141 yes, sorry, thanks...
I think Countdown to Ecstasy is their best. And they’ve been my favorite band since the mid 80s.
@@adamp2029 I couldn't agree more. As great as Can't Buy a Thrill is, Countdown to Ecstasy is slightly better.
@@adamp2029 I like it a lot. But love their debut and I think Katy Lied is up there for me and of course Aja. They're great.
Kramzér got a bit outta hand with Led Zeppelin II and Van Halen II. Great albums!
I would say track to track that Led Zeppelin II is better than I.
Van Halen II might be slighty weaker than I but not by much!
I've always preferred Zep II to Zep I.
Zep I sputters a bit on Side 2.
Agree about Zeppelin II. Gotta call the Baby Boomer Card on that one. Before the fourth album exploded into greatness, the second album was the most likely Zeppelin album that people had in their LP collections.
"You have 20 years to write your first album and you have six months to write your second one" - Elvis Costello (Creem 1981)
Right out the gate, Joe leads off with a massive home run.
The Lexicon Of Love is one of the all-time great debuts. I remember the anticipation for Beauty Stab and the crushing disappointment. I may have re-gifted it to my sister. I tried a year or so ago to see if maybe it had aged well. It had not.
I would absolutely challenge Helplessness Blues. A strong follow-up and I love the title track.
And Jason pushes the button throwing out More Songs About Building And Food. Simply wrong.
I would add -
Patti Smith - Radio Ethiopia. A melange of bad decisions to follow up the legendary Horses.
Violent Femmes - Hallowed Ground. The S/T debut is a 36-minute blast of classic teen angst. I do like Hallowed Ground but understand the negative reaction it got at the time.
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Rattlesnakes is a wonderful debut. Easy Pieces tries hard to follow it but sounds rushed and incomplete.
Lloyd left his fans heartbroken on the dull second album - The Best Of on Geffen is essentially the debut.
yeah - i agree w you on Violent Femmes. Great pick.
I thought about mentioning Patti Smith but decided not to b/c the second album has some excellent songs that match the best on Horses: Ask the Angels, Pissing in a River, Pumping (My Heart). The long title song doesn't really do it for me - but that's basically Patti trying to shock and confuse fans and critics. A REAL sophmore slump is when an artist tries to replicate the debut's formula (plays it safe) and it falls flat.
@@NaughtyVampireGod Interesting take on what constitutes a sophomore slump. I like it. And, yeah, Radio Ethiopia will always be diminished just because it follows Horses, but it has aged reasonably well. She played Pissing In A River live last month and it was great.
@@ihavenoquarrelwithyou3249 Thx. 😀👍
How was the concert?
@@NaughtyVampireGod Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa. Historic, small venue, standing room only, and Patti & the band were on fire. I hadn't seen her in concert since the 90s but she hasn't lost a step. Even got to meet Lenny Kaye at a local bookstore as he was promoting his new book.
Second Coming and its associated b-sides are about 60% fantastic
Apparently Martin Fry flushed his gold lame suit down the toilet before recording the lame Beauty Stab.