 Second Coming: 25 Great Sophomore RecordsBy
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For Your Pleasure (1973)
Roxy Music Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. For Your Pleasure highlights the thrilling tension between the pop stylings of Bryan Ferry and the avant garde leanings of Brian Eno. Wrapped in a decadent glam sheen, the second Roxy Music album (and last with Eno) stands as one of the band’s and the decade’s defining statements.
Steely Dan (1973)
Countdown to Ecstasy Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Countdown to Ecstasy served notice that the Dan was more than a clever pop band. Verging at times on pure jazz, but capable of veering into taunting and cheerful pop (”My Old School”), Steely Dan’s second album strikes the perfect balance between cerebral and visceral.
More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)
Talking Heads Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. With Brian Eno in the producer’s chair, Talking Heads delivered on the promise of their debut, Talking Heads:77, with an even stronger collection of paranoia set to terse, danceable rhythms punctuated by unpredictable time shifts and uncoventional structures. Art rock was never this much fun!
This Year’s Model (1978)
Elvis Costello & The Attractions Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Elvis Costello, looking like a cross between Buddy Holly and a computer engineer, burst onto the scene at the height of punk rock with a wit and lyrical acumen that left most snarling punks in the dust. And he did it without having to turn up the volume or the speed. A year later, with the help of his new backing band, The Attractions, Elvis unleashed This Year’s Model, a frenetic, amphetamine-fueled rave-up featuring some of his most biting lyrics and memorable songs, including “(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea,” and “Pump It Up.”
Metal Box (1979)
Public Image Ltd. Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Metal Box, which arrived to record stores inside of a metal film cannister, was recorded and packaged to be a great (post)modernist statement. (Need proof? One of the tracks is called “Swan Lake.”) Grating and dubby, cryptic and candid, Metal Box is the sort of thing you can only listen to once a year. You’ll need 364 days to recover.
Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
New Order Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Power, Corruption & Lies was an effort of self-definition. After releasing an album of leftovers from their days as Joy Division, an elegiac album that is haunted by the missing voice of Ian Curtis, New Order took apart its sound, flew to New York, hit a couple of dance clubs, and came back with an electro-tinged take on British pop that would redefine music in the eighties.
Meat is Murder (1985)
The Smiths Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Already darlings of the British press and on their way to becoming national icons, in 1985 The Smiths had the unenviable task of trying to best a slew of amazing singles and a solid debut album. With Meat is Murder it’s pretty clear that they succeeded. Crowned by the epic “How Soon is Now?” (a candidate for one of the greatest songs of the decade), Meat is Murder is a delectable platter of Morrissey’s singular turns of phrase and Johnny Marr’s inventive guitar work.
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
Public Enemy Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Yo! Bum Rush the Show was a powerful opening salvo from Public Enemy, but just a year later they topped it with It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Time magazine hit the nail on the head when they described the seminal recording as being “loud, obnoxious, funky, avant-garde, political, uncompromising, hilarious.” It definitely possesses all of these attributes in spades and stands as one of hip hop’s greatest achievements.
Paul’s Boutique (1989)
Beastie Boys Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Whatever your opinion is of License to Ill, the Beastie Boy’s 1986 debut, you have to admit that while fun and nasty, it’s somewhat lightweight in comparison to their later work. Essentially a party record, License to Ill was a freight train with little subtlety. The Beastie’s follow-up, however, was anything but lightweight. Produced by the Dust Brothers, Paul’s Boutique is a sample heavy, multilayered masterpiece that was underappreciated at the time of its release, but is universally recognized today as one of the genre’s landmark albums.
Loveless (1991)
My Bloody Valentine Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. A sound that launched a movement and defined a generation, MBV’s dense haze of feedback squall and ethereal melodies reached a pinnacle with their sophomore release, Loveless. More than mere “shoegazers,” Kevin Shields and his bandmates were sound sculptors who inspired countless admirers and imitators over the last two decades.
The Bends (1995)
Radiohead Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. You’d be hard pressed to find anybody that could have predicted that the guys behind “Creep” would go on to become one of rock and roll’s greatest bands. Experimental, fiesty, and restless, Radiohead constantly challenges themselves and their audience, and with consistently remarkable results. The Bends was a stunning leap forward and the first sign that the boys from Oxford might rise to greatness.
Being There (1996)
Wilco Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. On the heels of an amazing string of Uncle Tupelo records, I found Jeff Tweedy’s debut with Wilco to be fairly bland and middle of the road. In hindsight it was a perfect set-up for the band’s follow-up and magnum opus, the sprawling double album, Being There. While not flawless, there’s something about its lack of pretension and seeming lack of vision that makes it work remarkably well as a whole. In my opinion, history will deem Being There Wilco’s finest moment.
In The Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)
Neutral Milk Hotel Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Jeff Magnum showed promise on the his debut Neutral Milk Hotel album, “On Avery Island,” but it was a hit-or-miss affair that betrayed the greatness that would follow. Simply put, In The Aeroplane Over the Sea is one of the finest indie records ever recorded and promises to take you on a wild trip each and every time you hear it. Pages: 1 2
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COMMENTS (68)
jbev said:
Wow! So many great choices! I especially agree with The Band, Elvis Costello, Public Enemy, and Bruuuuce! I would add Bob Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, which included “Blowing In The Wind”, “Masters Of War”, and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”. And how about Oasis? Before they started to implode, their second album has anthems galore. Tremendous list though. Well done. Arthur Brown said:
Great second efforts here. Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley all great musicians who are now gone but their music lives on. Great post. Kiwi said:
God, I miss Neutral Milk Hotel. Bill said:
What, no Nevermind? Alanr said:
Nice list. The Bends and Astral Weeks are 2 of my favorites. I would have included The Pogues “Rum Sodomy & the Lash” on this list too. Paul said:
Anything from this century? Jacob said:
Great choice using the elevators, they’re one of the least appreciated rock groups in history. kate said:
cool! love bob Marley! Anyways, i found this interesting site. Why don’t you check on it. a href=”http://www.ihatebecky.com/?id=ybnvqhnihv7bri5nq740wdh6uuutzv”>Becky, Revenge is sweet ALL3N said:
Um.. I don’t understand how NIN’s – The Downward Spiral could not be on here. No one would have imagined that the guy behind Pretty Hate Machine could make an album as perfect as The Downward Spiral. But I guess I am not too surprised. NIN, in my opinion, is very underrated when it comes to critics. Charley Parker said:
Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow. Their sophomore album was their best. Matt said:
This is good stuff! Greg said:
Where the heck is Thriller? Off The Wall was great, but Thriller was perfect! Chris said:
I’d tend to agree with ALL3N: but unfortunately The Downward Spiral isn’t always considered a 2nd album since Broken (an EP) seems to have been popular enough to generally be counted as the second official NIN album. Luke said:
ALL3N – Broken was NIN’s second album. Then Fixed. Then Downward Spiral. nfidel said:
Tool – Aenima Follow up to Undertow (Opiate was an EP). Not only did Aenima solidify Tool as the prog-rock masters they are, but the album went triple platinum. Michael B said:
Genesis – they went from “From Genesis To Revelation” to “Trespass”. FGTR was a poppy album, whereas Trespass was a true Progressive Rock album, atmospheric, keyboard-drenched, folky and considerably more mature. The difference is night and day. John said:
How did Pinkerton not make this list? pete said:
what about Pearl Jam – Vs.?? a great secon album! kometes said:
Pinkerton!!!!! Permagrin said:
FAIL. Not one single Hard Rock or Metal album listed. Ride the Lightening anyone? Howard said:
You missed one: Led Zeppelin II, as a follow-up to Led Zeppelin I. Was a totally outstanding album! Britton said:
Actually NIN’s second album was Broken, not The Download Spiral. But I do agree it should be on this list. sam said:
loveless could hardly be called mbv’s sophomore release. they had put out tons of records even before isnt anything came out. im shocked nevermind wasnt on this list, or black sabbath’s paranoid or the pixies surfer rosa! weird choices overall Jacob said:
I agree with Led Zeppelin II, but what about Disraeli Gears by Cream? jamesey said:
Smashing Pumpkins – second album was Siamese Dream with the singles cherub rock, rocket, today, & disarm. Their third album was mellon collie and the infinite sadness with the singles bullet with butterfly wings, 1979, tonight, zero, 33, muzzle. I think in 1997, Pumpkins songs were played about 280,000 times on the radio. Death Metal Maniac said:
What, no Slayer? What about Deicide? “Legion” was the best thing to hit 1992 at full speed. Robert said:
Greg, Thriller was Jackson’s 6th solo album, but his second with Quincy Jones. There were four earlier solo albums produced while he was still in the Jackson 5 and on Motown. Brian said:
Damn you sir… This is one of the best blog postings ever. Thank you. MikeL said:
Rush’s 2nd album “Fly by Night” is much better than the first self-titled album. JoeyJoeJoeShabadoo said:
Great list, but I don’t think it puts to bed the idea of a “Sophomore slump”, I think this list just enforces that it’s a newer idea that stems from the fact that musicians aren’t raised anymore, they’re bought, sold, consumed, and trashed. It used to be that a record label would try to find musicians that had actual talent, like the musicians on this list, and encourage them to grow and produce many hits, often with each album getting better and better. Now it seems like they just want the next single. They’re quick to pick up any band with a couple catchy songs, and just as quick to dump them when it turns out that was all they were capable of. glen said:
Camel – Mirage Picture of Mohammed said:
This list is utter garbage. Steely Dan? Elvis Costello? How are old are you losers? Pure shite. Palmer said:
No love for Weezer’s Pinkerton? inthefresh said:
You forgot to mention: Tan The Man said:
“Astral Weeks” is amazing, and where’s Coldplay? spoonyfork said:
Marley, Stooges, and Hendrix in the same list as Wilco and NMH? Are you really sure they’re as good as you think? Maybe you just like them because they were on the ipod during the best times of your life. Don’t confuse perspective with nostalgia. travis said:
robbin’ the hood? Tom said:
Pinkerton, without a doubt. Frances the Mute. Oh, and In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is one of the greatest works of art known to man. teeter said:
Aye, you forgot REM and WEEN. The proof is in the LSD, as I always say. (Steely Dan? Really?) ouryLN said:
In band class, in 1967, my brother learned the flute because of Love’s Da Capo. “Orange Skies” is thus permanently seared in my brain. marcus said:
at the risk of being pedantic loveless is MBV’s third album. OK , the first ‘this is you bloody valentine’ features dave and tina instead of belinda and deb but it’s still kevins first attempt at the MBV sound, albeit a poor one. alex said:
This is good stuff! Pete H said:
Well, I’d add to this list: listen better said:
this list sucks. did you mean to say “artistically superior to” or “more commercially successful than” previous efforts? or just that these artists simply had more than one decent album in their arsenal? there is a huge difference. maybe 3 or 4 albums listed here are accurately better than the preceding or following efforts from these artists. half of the artists here never really “made it” (not that that implies talent or merit) and these underachieving 2nd albums were the very reason the general public turned a deaf ear on them, and their record companies never spent much money on any of their following releases. plus you missed a bunch of really successful, important 2nd albums. most of your choices are very limited to era and genre. nothing too old, too new, or too obscure. many of the ones here that truly rock, are from musicians who never really “lost it” from their very 1st, right through to their very last. also, some of these artists sucked on all their albums, from their very 1st, right through to their very last. i don’t usually complain, or even post comments, on most websites, but this is like the 3rd time i’ve had to call out jamsbio.com for lame or even plagiarized articles. get it together folks! i remember your plea for freelance writers a few months ago. i never returned those emails. it just seemed like a lot of work to do for free. you guys need to up the standards, increase the editing, or maybe start paying qualified writers. oh yeah, and, in my opinion, pretty hate machine will always be NIN’s finest album. although i celebrate the man’s entire catalog, trent has never been quite that good since. although, some of his recent stuff is getting closer to going back to those groundbreaking roots. Google The Oct8pus said:
Great second albums: DIRT – Alice in Chains, SURFER ROSA – The Pixies, MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH – Blur, RIDE THE LIGHTNING – Metallica, TEENAGER OF THE YEAR – Frank Black….there are so many of them!!! Google The Oct8pus said:
I know this is a “best of” list, and you don’t do “worst of” lists, but if I were to think of the worst second album (I was inspired by the title of this article) I would say “SECOND COMING” by the Stone Roses….whoo!! What a disappointment that was…. CyN said:
Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? Google The Oct8pus said:
Make your own list here: Marko said:
I’d say that Mars Volta released 4 albums that are AMAZING! Each is different in its own, but nonetheless amazing. Kevin said:
umm..that little album called the Marshal Mathers LP.. jonas said:
My first thought was “oh no, not yet another all-male greatest-ever-list”. Then I realised I had forgotten about Moe, Tina, Gillian, Belinda and Deb. But still, making classic records seems to be men’s work, predominately. [...] Jamsbio lists 25 of the Greatest Sophomore Albums Ever [...] Rachel said:
Amen to The Band! calvim said:
This is good stuff! Tahnks Tony said:
Hmm… no Van Halen II… no Alice in Chains Dirt (not even Pearl Jam’s vs.)… no Pixies’ Surfer Rosa… there’s actually a ton of second albums that would deserve a spot on here compared to bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and My Bloody Valentine. loomis said:
Great list. In the Aeroplane over the Sea is one of the best albums ever made. However, this list missed both Nirvana’s “Nevermind” and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” badly. Kazmodeus said:
The hats-off to New Order was good (Movement felt like Joy Division, PC&L was them coming into their own, but so so many singles in between to really define their sound). In the same vein: Joy Division’s Closer after Unknown Pleasures. The Cure Faith after 3 Imaginary Boys. j00b said:
Wow. A certain naked baby under water is definitely missing. Nevermind is arguably one of the best albums ever made. Diego21 said:
Weezer’s second release, Pinkerton stands among my favorite albums. Underaprreciated during its release, its has come to become a cult album. Plus I agree with Surfer Rosa kenny said:
This is good stuff!!! John.BB said:
I agree with Led Zeppelin II, but what about Disraeli Gears by Cream?? EF Matt said:
“How Soon Is Now” wasn’t technically on Meat is Murder… fun list though Erik said:
cool! love bob Marley! Steave said:
umm..that little album called the Marshal Mathers LP… cydonia said:
I think Muse’s Origin of Symmetry could be on their. It was certainly better than showbiz, and put them on their way to even better music. And i agree that joy division’s closer could have as well. Kiko Jones said:
I’m not gonna get into what’s missing because a) many of you have made valid points in terms of omissions; and b) it’s not supposed to be THE greatest but just 25 great sophomore albums in particular. Having said that, Being There is possibly Wilco’s weakest album and only enjoyed by their die-hard fans. As for Neutral Milk Hotel, I suspect most of those who champion that album have not heard it in years and simply pay lip service nostalgia to it at this point. Here’s a suggestion: How ’bout a list of reverse sophomore slump albums ie stunning records that followed a weak or not particularly interesting debut? Isaiah said:
This is good post! |
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