Why, sometimes, does it seem like the bottom just drops out from under artists? (Belly)

Also, look at the Smashing Pumpkins and Adore. They were the biggest band in the world after Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie, and then *poof* they were gone and no one ever cared ever again. (Cue post by Smashing Pumpkins fan.)

The second Belly record is actually a good example of this. Aside from "Feed the Tree" and couple other songs, "Star" seemed unfocused to me lyrically and musically. "King" is sexier, catchier, smarter.

(That said, I'm sure I've been in your position too, in other cases.)

You're right. And I never cared again either.

Thing is, it wasn't that Adore was a bad album. It just didn't appeal to a huge section of the fanbase that they'd built up (who went "Meh" a la the Strokes above) and you it's very difficult to retrieve your momentum from that point onwards (though admittedly the dreadful Machina didn't help).

Come on, Ned, I'm sure you could add something on this. I didn't bring up the Pumpkins.

Room on Fire was perfect example of "Something is missing from this recipe, but I don't know what." Also, this thread marks the first time I've ever experienced regret for selling my copy of King. Damn!

Substitute Is This It? for ROF, which to me was Candy-O and More Songs About Buildings & Food: a thicker-sounding and assertive sequel.

A good example of a band where the bottom fell out is Pearl Jam. Through Yield they were consistently on the radio with multiple songs from each album. But Binaural and the follow-up had zero commercial impact. They both have a few great songs, but nothing that they haven't done before, and better.

i'm not sure why anyone would be surprised at a 90s alt-rock followup failing to do as well as it's predecessor - this pretty much describes almost every single alt-rock band that had a hit album during the nineties right? i'm trying to think of alt-acts that had two hit albums in a row (where the second one wasn't fairly tagged a 'disappointment' saleswise or maybe even actually sold better than anticipated)(ie. yeah yeah fairweather johnson outsold odelay but guess which label was laying people off afterwards?). were belly the first big example of this? (ie. noone expected crash test dummies to hang around but belly got like a rolling stone cover for the followup right? people thought they were a keeper). when did the gin blossoms followup relatively tank? was that the first sign to the industry that 'none of these guys have legs'? which failed followup was most surprising? i remember being surprised/deeply deeply relieved that live weren't able to sustain. 3rd eye blind's choke was deeply satisfying too. boy, in this light stone temple pilots almost come off as having really accomplished something huh?

And somewhere, way down at the bottom, First Impressions of Earth.

And somewhere, way down at the bottom, until ILMers decide to rehabilitate its reputation in April 2008, First Impressions of Earth.

not many, but...

Foo Fighters
Garbage
Live (if you count Mental Jewelry as a hit, and you certainly don't have to, but if BELLY'S STAR was one then you do)
Collective Soul
Smashing Pumpkins
Pearl Jam
Alice In Chains
Soundgarden (if you count Badmotorfinger under the "Belly's Star counts" rule)

Cameron Crowe had an ear.

Nine Inch Nails (Broken was Platinum)
10,000 Maniacs
Tool
Fuel (there's even more if we get into the questionable "alt" pop-punk/nu-metal shit)

ok, according to riaa.com Better Than Ezra's Friction, Baby didn't go gold, which seems crazy to me because "King Of New Orleans" and "Desperately Wanting" seemed like big fucking hits at the time.

I miss the R.E.M. trajectory! I wonder if some of these new groups may pull it off, maybe Interpol?

I think "King" is a much stronger album than anyone seems to give it credit for. I liked it quite a bit at the time and still like it now, in fact I'm more likely to play that than "Star".

what other current (ie. not limp nu-metal sorry tone!) rock is back acts are pulling off a followup? strokes obv no though they've bounced back apparently, jet no, vines no, yeah yeah yeahs too soon to say.

the answer to your question is COLDPLAY.

yr welcome!

everything else that actually does well can be dismissed as nu-metal or pop-punk.

Not Necessarily Emo, Not Necessarily Metal Rock Bands who MIGHT have two big hit albums if they're not fucking stupid like the Strokes are ("maybe I should do the same shit again except hooooold my noooooootes and gain weight, guys!"):

Jet
Modest Mouse
Killers

that may be it.

no doubt qualify for either 'sustained' or 'bounced back' maybe both (saturnz returnz had hits plural and sold decent if not tragic kingdom numbers and then hey stoopid or whatever approached tragic kingdom size hits/sales).

The way Modest Mouse lingered in the top 40 albums for months was REALLY atypical and I hope they build off that.

yr right about SP, Adore was the sound of 'flailing' from within the band who had just had the world in it's hand...that said, they had just done everything they had dreamed about and watched it fall apart, so the change NOW seems to almost make sense. even tho, i still think there was a lot of back lash against them. mainly, from the then awakening 'nu-metal' camp. the 'hardcore' camp was also nonplussed by SP, too. so, more from there too.

strokes- i'm thinking that NO band can survive the hype machine that long! they're STILL riding on the remains of the hype from that first album, which while catchy wasn't anything spectacular. nor repeatable in any way for them. Room On Fire was pretty 'uh ok' for most. and 1st Impressions is just 'the sound of flailing' yet again. but, this time from group that (arguably) didn't have that much to say in the first place.

belly/donnley- i liked her more as a breeder.

x-post

i could've seen them at penn state on the doolittle tour and didn't. i r dumb.

Not a new group, but Flaming Lips must have a streak going (?)

Franz Ferdinand seem more likely than Interpol, at least to me.

neither seems that likely, to me. i could be wrong but i think the 2nd ff album has not sold well.

Then you have things like Belly, where one album has a strong single and hype builds for the second album, which just doesn't produce a hit and that's that.

Bear in mind all of this blathering is reference to the COMMERCIAL bottom dropping out from under artists (in tune with the spirit of the thread), but I think the original question is more a "where did the magic/spark/inspiration go?" type deal. There's as many answers for that one as there are bands: sex, drugs, money, pushed to make second album too soon, etc etc. I would imagine there are probably old threads diagnosing the origins of the "sophomore slump" phenom but I'm too lazy to look at the moment...

Thanks for reading. Yes (although I am one of those who think that there is usually some correlation). Also please note that I was not at all speficially talking about second albums, it just so happened that it was an album #2 that I was thinking about. (And that's why I mentioned "second album" - so that I wouldn't get a bunch of responses along the lines of... well, most of the ones here.)

This is a fun fantasy, but the reality is much more boring; internal band tensions and general falling-out, Billy and James no longer getting along. Whether or not it was due to a commercial decline is anyone's guess, but I don't think SP were any worse to their fans than Pearl Jam have been. In fact, most of the best songs were stupidly released only to fans rather than commercially (see the free Machina II's superiority to Machina, b-sides, etc..)

Sorry to go back to the SP direction the thread strangely took, but I just don't think their career applies to the thread question much, and I don't see why it was immediately the example. Going for 10 million to 2 million can't hurt as bad as completely flopping, ending a career, or getting kicked off a label which is more along the lines of what happened to Belly, right? Perhaps I'm being a bit naive with that, but I still know which fate I'd choose if given the options.