Shine
09-01-2006, 08:26 PM
In the music industry there is a term known as "the sophomore blues". It is when an artist goes into the studio to write and record a follow up to a sucsessful debut album. With most artists when they record their first album they have songs piled up that they have been performing for years as they waited to be discovered. When they go into the studio to do a second album they generally have to start fresh. Then there are always the problems of trying to discover what musical direction they wish to go in, what it was that made the first album a sucsess and then there are always the people at the record company second guessing the artists, ext. Very often this results in the second album being a disappointment creativly and sometimes comercially.
Below is a list of sophomore albums that were not cursed with the "sophomore blues".
I am listing the albums in order of year of release.
Strange Days-The Doors (1967)
Released eight months after the dubut, this album was viewed as a commercial disappointment (though it still sold over a million copies) compared the band's famous debut earlier in the year. Where as the first album featured the number one hit "Light My Fire", this album's only song to chart, "People Are Strange" failed to make the Billboard top ten. Creativly, this album is far from a disappointment. Infact, I think that it is the band's best album. I was pleased to read that Jim Morrison and company, as well as producer Paul Rothchild, felt this way too. From the opening title track to the haunting closing song, "When The Music's Over", this album features Morrison as his poetic best.
Led Zeppelin II (1969)
It takes a great album to knock The Beatles' Abbey Roadout of the number one position and this album is it! As great as the band's debut album is, this one is even better. From the heavy rock of "Whole Lotte Love" (a song that actually gives me goosebumps it is so powerful) and "Heartbreaker" to accustic songs like Robert Plant's beautiful ode to his then wife Maureen, and "Ramble On", this album represents everything that made Led Zeppelin the ultimate hard rock band.
Chicago II (1970)
I think this album is the best of the band's early jazz-influenced music. With an album that features 23 songs, you would expect that there would be at least one bad song, but there isn't. Highlights include "In the Country", "Color My World" and "25 Or 6 To 4". Like the band's 1969 dubut, this album shows how underrated the band's original guitar player, the late Terry Kath, truly was. You don't have to listen any futher then the album's most popular song, "25 Or 5 To 4" to see what a great player Kath was.
Fly By Night-Rush (1975)
Even though I like the band's self titled debut from a year earlier, everytime I listen to it, I feel the guys are trying too much to be like Led Zeppelin. The band finally find's their own special voice with this album, thanks no small part to the addiiton of drummer/lyricist Neil Peart...second only to John Bonham as rock's greatest drummer and third only to John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen as rock's grearest lyriscist. All eight songs on this album are classic early Rush, but the highlight for me is "By-Tor & The Snow Dog". When the guys brought this song back to their setlist for their 2002 Vapor Trails tour, I was very happy. :D
Van Halen II (1979)
Though I'm sure many will find this hard to believe, but I actually perfer this album over the band's legendary debut a year earlier. I think this is because this album features more musical styles then the mostly hard rock first album. There is catchy pop songs like "You're No Good" (featuring Nicolette Larson on backing vocals with Michael Anthony) and "Dance The Night Away" to the Latin-influenced "Spanish Fly" to all out rockers like "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" and "D.O.A". If this album has one fault, at only 31 minutes long, it is much too short.
I know that I am no music critic, but I hope that I was able to make a good case for these albums. Anyone have any other sophomore albums worth listing?
Below is a list of sophomore albums that were not cursed with the "sophomore blues".
I am listing the albums in order of year of release.
Strange Days-The Doors (1967)
Released eight months after the dubut, this album was viewed as a commercial disappointment (though it still sold over a million copies) compared the band's famous debut earlier in the year. Where as the first album featured the number one hit "Light My Fire", this album's only song to chart, "People Are Strange" failed to make the Billboard top ten. Creativly, this album is far from a disappointment. Infact, I think that it is the band's best album. I was pleased to read that Jim Morrison and company, as well as producer Paul Rothchild, felt this way too. From the opening title track to the haunting closing song, "When The Music's Over", this album features Morrison as his poetic best.
Led Zeppelin II (1969)
It takes a great album to knock The Beatles' Abbey Roadout of the number one position and this album is it! As great as the band's debut album is, this one is even better. From the heavy rock of "Whole Lotte Love" (a song that actually gives me goosebumps it is so powerful) and "Heartbreaker" to accustic songs like Robert Plant's beautiful ode to his then wife Maureen, and "Ramble On", this album represents everything that made Led Zeppelin the ultimate hard rock band.
Chicago II (1970)
I think this album is the best of the band's early jazz-influenced music. With an album that features 23 songs, you would expect that there would be at least one bad song, but there isn't. Highlights include "In the Country", "Color My World" and "25 Or 6 To 4". Like the band's 1969 dubut, this album shows how underrated the band's original guitar player, the late Terry Kath, truly was. You don't have to listen any futher then the album's most popular song, "25 Or 5 To 4" to see what a great player Kath was.
Fly By Night-Rush (1975)
Even though I like the band's self titled debut from a year earlier, everytime I listen to it, I feel the guys are trying too much to be like Led Zeppelin. The band finally find's their own special voice with this album, thanks no small part to the addiiton of drummer/lyricist Neil Peart...second only to John Bonham as rock's greatest drummer and third only to John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen as rock's grearest lyriscist. All eight songs on this album are classic early Rush, but the highlight for me is "By-Tor & The Snow Dog". When the guys brought this song back to their setlist for their 2002 Vapor Trails tour, I was very happy. :D
Van Halen II (1979)
Though I'm sure many will find this hard to believe, but I actually perfer this album over the band's legendary debut a year earlier. I think this is because this album features more musical styles then the mostly hard rock first album. There is catchy pop songs like "You're No Good" (featuring Nicolette Larson on backing vocals with Michael Anthony) and "Dance The Night Away" to the Latin-influenced "Spanish Fly" to all out rockers like "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" and "D.O.A". If this album has one fault, at only 31 minutes long, it is much too short.
I know that I am no music critic, but I hope that I was able to make a good case for these albums. Anyone have any other sophomore albums worth listing?