Was just thinking so many artists release good first albums, some then improve, but lets name the ones who can't follow up the greatness of their opening album. Which artists promised so much and then were a big let down?

The biggest fall from grace for me was Bjork...

 

Debut was a glittering pop triumph - a perfect hybrid of manic pop and masterful electronica.... every track a winner, glorious songwriting, sparkling production - perfect.

 

Then she released the seriously substandard 'Post', and album that, behind the beautiful packaging, contained only 1 or 2 gems and a lot of filler.

 

Of course, Bjork redeemed herself with the glorious Homogenic.... but since then, it's been downhill all the way, culminating in 3 of the weakest albums in my collection - the awful, awful Vespertine, the frankly unlistenable making-it-up-as-she-goes-along nonsense of Medulla and most recently the p***-poor overhyped, song-less 'Volta'.

 

It's kind of uncool to slate Bjork - but there's little doubting she needs some serious quality control over her career and a manager who reigns in her more unlistenable side (ie... 95% of what she makes these days, unfortunately)...and who tells her when what she's doing is, quite frankly, $h!te.

 

 

id suggest dexys midnight runners

 

'searching for the young soul rebels' was a groundbreaking album, excellant in every way (if you look past rowlands pretenciousness), but then they ditched the 'soul' sound and went all rstic with 'too rye ay'.. awful.

The Stone Roses.... First album, utterly classic, perfectly capturing the zeitgeist of Madchester/Rave/Indie Rock, every song honed to utter perfection, and then, the absolutely p*** POOR Led Zeppelin/Stones wannabe tripe that was "Second Coming".....

 

Guns N Roses.... "Appetite For Destruction" was HARD Rockin' brilliance, a "we just dont give a fukk" attitude seeping from every pore.... One could forgive the MTV-friendly "Sweet Child O Mine" because it was pretty much the ONLY song that sounded overly commercial and it was a nice enough Rock Ballad... Unfortunately, G N R decided to re-write "Sweet Child O' Mine" type stuff again...and again...and again............ Badly......

My Top 5 "Sophomore Slumpers" (pre 2000):

 

1. The Stone Roses - obvious why

 

2. Terence Trent D'Arby - Neither Fish Nor Flesh was narcissic uncommercialism with an artist trying and failing to be Prince, instead of being a proper modern 1980s r'n'b/soul singer on the debut.

 

3. ABC - Beauty Stab was lumpy badly produced rock after the cinematic Lexicon of Love, with lyrically clumsy political clangers that belonged to Simon Le Bon's rubbish bin.

 

4. Sex Pistols - Of course technically they only released one studio album, but I'm counting Johnny Rotten less The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle as a second album and it is appalling.

 

5. U2 - After the impressive Boy, they rush recorded the unfocused October which at the time torpedoed their career momentum. Still they are proof that acts can recover from "Second Album Slumps".

 

 

The Clash - 'Give Em Enough Rope' isn't their worst LP but it's a hugely disappointing entry between the seminal 'The Clash' and 'London Calling'.

 

Teenage Fanclub - 'Thirteen' never ever gets a play in my house but, again, they lived in a time when bands did get the chance to make another album and thank f*** they did with 'Grand Prix'. (I realise they had 'A Catholic Education' and 'The King' out before 'Bandwagonesque' but I always think of the latter as their proper debut)

5. U2 - After the impressive Boy, they rush recorded the unfocused October which at the time torpedoed their career momentum. Still they are proof that acts can recover from "Second Album Slumps".

 

Yeah, cos "War" was a fantastic record....

 

Teenage Fanclub - 'Thirteen' never ever gets a play in my house but, again, they lived in a time when bands did get the chance to make another album and thank f*** they did with 'Grand Prix'. (I realise they had 'A Catholic Education' and 'The King' out before 'Bandwagonesque' but I always think of the latter as their proper debut)

 

Teenage Fanclub themselves always refer to "Thirteen" as their third album though mate, "The King" was odds and sods and demos, so cant be counted as an album, "A Catholic Education" is very much a proper album.... So, I see "Thirteen" more as "difficult third album" rather than "Sophomore Slump"..... "Grand Prix" did sh!t all over it though.... As did "Songs From Northern Britain", the latter never getting the recognition it merited....

 

I agree with you 100% Mr Fiendish - the fourth and fifth Fanclub LPs (ok, I'll admit that now!) were both overlooked gems at a time when the UK was obsessed with basic $h!te from Oasis and The Verve respectively.

Teenage Fanclub themselves always refer to "Thirteen" as their third album though mate, "The King" was odds and sods and demos, so cant be counted as an album, "A Catholic Education" is very much a proper album.... So, I see "Thirteen" more as "difficult third album" rather than "Sophomore Slump"..... "Grand Prix" did sh!t all over it though.... As did "Songs From Northern Britain", the latter never getting the recognition it merited....

I think Thirteen is a seriously underrated album by a seriously underrated band which is about as underrated as you can get. Especially if you have the 19 track version with the b-sides added on. Took me a while to get into it but then loved it loved it loved it.

Maybe it's time I gave it it's first spin in about 12 years then!

I think Thirteen is a seriously underrated album by a seriously underrated band which is about as underrated as you can get. Especially if you have the 19 track version with the b-sides added on. Took me a while to get into it but then loved it loved it loved it.

 

I dunno man, it was such a disappointment after the incredible "Bandwagonesque", and it was probably "Thirteen" that contributed to the Fannies' momentum becoming rather derailed... Cant help but think that if "Grand Prix" followed "Bandwagonesque" things might have turned out differently for them....