POV: Quintessential Sophomore Slump Albums

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1. The Menace by Elastica...which broke me heart, given how brilliant their debut was.
2. Blue by Third Eye Blind (I know, who cares, right? But, it certainly hurt them)
3. Fairweather Johnson by Hootie & the Blowjobs
4. Second Coming by the Stone Roses...not horrible, but certainly nowhere in the class of the first record.
5. Okay, I'll say it....Room on Fire by the Strokes.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 21 February 2004 23:32 (twenty-two years ago)

fairweather johnson is such a silly title.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Saturday, 21 February 2004 23:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, look at the source.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 21 February 2004 23:40 (twenty-two years ago)

1. Second Coming, for sure
2. Drugstore -- "White Magic For Lovers". Fortunately, they wised up, stopped trying to sound like "The Bends"-era Radiohead and went back to sounding like themselves
3. "Meat is Murder" -- The Smiths. Again, they bounced back (and I'm discounting "Hatful of Hollow" as an official album).
4. "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" -- Alanis Morrissette. Yeah, "Jagged Little Pill" was her third album, not her debut, but it was effectively her debut as far as 99% of her fans were concerned, and her career hasn't recovered since. The shoe fits.
5. Whatever Toto's second album was called.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 21 February 2004 23:44 (twenty-two years ago)

but 'meat is murder' is the best smiths album.

― keith m (keithmcl), Saturday, 21 February 2004 23:49 (twenty-two years ago)

supposed former infatuation junkie is such a silly title.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Saturday, 21 February 2004 23:52 (twenty-two years ago)

No, "Hatful of Hollow" is their best ...
I probably shouldn't have opened up this can of worms, since the Smiths (much like the VU) have their fans split into four more or less equal camps over the issue of their finest album.
IMO, it's their weakest album, albeit only in comparison to the masterpieces it's sandwiched between.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 21 February 2004 23:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Depends on if you consider "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" an official part of the album. It makes a lot of difference.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Sunday, 22 February 2004 00:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Menswear: Hay Tiempo! Never owned it, but a friend had a copy. Made me decide to go home and put on Nuisance.

GNR: Lies Used ta love it, but now I have to kill it.

Violent Femmes: Hallowed Ground The origin of Christian rock?

Christopher Cross: Another Page You have to admire his loyalty to the flamingo theme.

Kriss Kross: Da Bomb Maybe it's something about the name.

Although I guess the quintessence of sophomore slump would be producing a third album that was a return to form. Otherwise you've got a one-hit wonder, right?

― C W (C W), Sunday, 22 February 2004 14:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Depends on if you consider "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" an official part of the album. It makes a lot of difference.

TJIFA was always part of the album, so I don't know why you wouldn't. Do you mean 'How Soon Is Now'?

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 22 February 2004 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

cf. Rewrite the book on 'disastrous' follow up albums

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 22 February 2004 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

is it really fair to consider Lies as a sophmore album though? wasn't that more of a "let's capitalize on the success of the debut by throwing together a quick follow-up" kind of thing?

― jonviachicago, Sunday, 22 February 2004 15:25 (twenty-two years ago)

"The Menace" was and is awesome.

― anode (anode), Sunday, 22 February 2004 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

"The Menace" was and is awesome.

Not it wasn't and isn't.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 22 February 2004 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

But it will be?

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 22 February 2004 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

New thread: quintessential sophomore slump cobbled-together non-album trainwrecks.

― C W (C W), Sunday, 22 February 2004 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Terence Trent D'Arby's "Neither Fish Nor Flesh", CW? I mean, his third album did do pretty well (at least in the UK).

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Sunday, 22 February 2004 17:51 (twenty-two years ago)

It did?

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 22 February 2004 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I guess I should pick ones that affected me personally. These are all cases where I really enjoyed the debuts. They're all fairly recent cuz its not like a sophomore slump from 1978 would actually bum me out.

Strokes, Room On Fire
LeTigre, Feminist Sweepstakes
Distillers, Coral Fang
Lauryn Hill, MTV Unplugged 2.0

goddamn, I can't think of a fifth...that's actually kind of a good thing

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 22 February 2004 18:52 (twenty-two years ago)

oh wait, scratch the distillers. that was their third album.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 22 February 2004 18:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I guess having disappeared so successfully shortly thereafter makes D'Arby seem more of a one-hit wonder than he really is. I'll grant "NFNF" quintessence, although it wasn't actually so bad, was it?

― C W (C W), Sunday, 22 February 2004 18:57 (twenty-two years ago)

It was actually kind of fucking awesome.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Sunday, 22 February 2004 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Deee-Lite-Infinity Within. I can't remember a thing about it, though.

― Arthur (Arthur), Sunday, 22 February 2004 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

second coming
the doggfather
protection
nu-clear sounds
10,000hz legend

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Sunday, 22 February 2004 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)

nu-clear sounds was Ash's third album, right? Also does Virgin Suicides or Premiers Symptomes count for Air?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 22 February 2004 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Premier Symptomes was a collection of pre-Moon Safari EPs and Virgin Suicides is one of the most beautiful albums ever made, so no, I don't think so!

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 22 February 2004 20:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Young M.C. "Brainstorm"
The Gordons "Volume II"
Menswear "Hay Tiempo!"
Velvet Crush "Teenage Symphonies To God"
The Specials "More Specials" (which isn't to say this is a bad record, but compared to the first? Please.)
Almost any great debut hip hop album from 1991's sequel

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 22 February 2004 21:04 (twenty-two years ago)

The Specials "More Specials" (which isn't to say this is a bad record, but compared to the first? Please.)

That's bizarre you think that. I'm not the only one who thinks that More Specials is far more interesting than the first, I don't think.

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 22 February 2004 21:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Arrested Development Zingalamaduni
Us3 Broadway & 52nd
Longpigs Mobile Home

― Jeremy (Jeremy), Sunday, 22 February 2004 21:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Velvet Crush "Teenage Symphonies To God"

It's the best thing they did!

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Sunday, 22 February 2004 21:42 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

Protection was fine. 100th window, tho, THAT was a crapper.

What about the Stereo MCs? They waited 10 years for their second. AS did My Bloody Valentine. Ok, that's a different category.

― some other johan, Wednesday, 24 March 2004 01:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Goddammit, 'Hallowed Ground' is a great fuckin' album, and I'll beat anyone into a mess of pulper who done says otherwise. An no, I'm not a christian.

― kaibutsu, Wednesday, 24 March 2004 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

i liked stereo mc's record a couple years ago. their dj kicks on k-7 was awesome as well.
m.

― msp, Wednesday, 24 March 2004 04:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I was also going to defend Hallowed Ground!

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 04:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex in Nyc OTM

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 05:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Am I the only one who thinks Room On Fire is a colossal improvement over Is This It? Surely this cannot be.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 05:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes you are. Room on Fire made me cry.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 05:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Archive - Take My Head -- after a luscious downtempo debut, they get rid of everyone who made it good, and all for bad shoegaze
Autechre - Amber -- caught in the middle between the great melodies of Incunabula and the sheer production of Tri Repetae
Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher
DJ Shadow - Preemptive Strike
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi

― O.Leee.B. (Leee), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 08:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Preemptive Strike was not new material and should not count. Also, Geogaddi?!?!??! Are you mental? Get the NET!

― Dave M. (rotten03), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 09:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Sir Lord Baltimore. Strange that the second (and not the first) of their two LPs was the self-titled one.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 09:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Room On Fire's better than Is This It.

Neither Fish Nor Flesh is certainly the epitome of sophomore commercial slump, but it's fucking brilliant.

― Buffalo Stan (Buffalo Stan), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 10:05 (twenty-two years ago)

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