Bands that choked on their second album after a great debut

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Prompted by hearing "Second Coming" in a shop today and remembering how let down I felt (even after giving it weeks and months of grace) after waiting years for a follow-up to the greatest album of my lifetime.

Also includes bands who didn't even make it as far as a second 'proper' release, like the La's and Jeff Buckley.

Well ?

― Darren, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Didnt Make It:
The Pointed Sticks
Chris Bell
Piggy
The Pets
Blurillaz (I hope)
Young Canadians (one compilation cd & two eps total?)
Vaselines
Shouldn't Have Made It:
Treble Charger

― Mr Noodles, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What's wrong with the Second Coming?

― Sonicred, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's dull and plodding for a start.

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I concur, The Second Coming is a wicked album and better than The Menace although I haven't even heard that. I can confirm that Justine Frischmann gave a several page interview to the Observer last sunday to publicise the release of, erm... anyone??????

The Fall are a joke right? It's like a pun on "aw'Fall" or something right?

― Chris Sallis, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pretenders II was a major let-down.

― Sean, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This is too easy. How about bands that put out an awful first record then something brilliant.

― Dave Beckhouse, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

MBV

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

that was a response to "band with sucky first record put out considerably better follow-up"..

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ELASTICA anyone?

― Alex in NYC, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

whoops, someone beat me.

How about: WEEZER!!!!

― Alex iN NYC, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

12 Rods. Split Personalities was fantastic, but the follow up was rather garbage.

― Brock K., Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

what's up with the Bangles' first album? is it good?

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

it's BLUDDY GRATE and my favourite thing of theirs. Pop pop pop and I mean that in the best possible way

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

How about: WEEZER!!!!

But that would mean Weezer recorded a good first album.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

When in fact their first AND second albums are PERFECT. Ahem.

― Josh, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Off the top of my head, the greatest second-album suckfests:< br> The Damned - _Music For Pleasure_
Primal Scream - _Primal Scream_
The Pretenders - _Pretenders II_
The Clash - _Give 'Em Enough Rope_
Dream Syndicate - _Medicine Show_
Bad Religion - _Into The Unknown_
Television - _Adventure_ (someone persuade me that thisdoesn't suck)
MC5 - _Back In The USA_
The Go-Gos - _Vacation_
Siouxsie And The Banshees - _Join Hands_
The Jam - _This Is The Modern World_ (arguable perhaps)
The Who - _A Quick One_ (saved only because it has "So Sad About Us")

― Chris Barrus, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Bush...

and...

I 'spose the case could be made (not by me, but I'm bringing it up) that the Velvets did... but then came back with a superb third album...

― JM, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I so disagree on the Television, Who, and GoGos. T & W moved into more thoughtful pop from RAWK. "Vacation" is one of the great girl-group singles ever.

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 14 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Recovering the Satellites- Counting Crows I still feel depressed when I listen to this souless albulm.

― kiwi, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Alabama 3

Red Box

Leftfield

Sisters of Mercy

This list could go on forever...

― Zanny Gognet, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Presidents of the United States of America- never did a band so quickly turn from vital into irritating faux-collegiate shite.

― Judd Nelson, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

stole my thunder judd...:(

― Phong Wiedermeier, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Cars (I had high hopes for them back in nineteen-seventy- whatever - but they chose the pop/fame route.)

Joe Jackson - Could have been great, and was in many respects, but ...

― Dave225, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Moby Grape
(English) Beat
Slits
Pop Group
ABC
Violent Femmes
Oasis
Liz Phair

― Curt, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think the Cars second album (Candy-O) is their best. Same goes for Weezer; "Pinkerton" is far ahead of the other two.

― Sean, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Terence Trent D'Arby might fit in with the original question. I love his second album, but I think I'm the only one besides his mother. "I have faith in theeeeese desolate tiiiiiiiiimes..."

― Dan Perry, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Jesus and Mary Chain

― sundar subramanian, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

How the fuck can you say that Back in the USA from the MC5 is a letdown? Kick Out the Jams is an awful record. They got better with each release, High Times being a complete masterpiece.

― Yancey, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dan, I too like "Terrence Trent D'Arby's Neither Fish Nor Flesh".

― Sean, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Bow Wow Wow

― Arthur, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'd disagree with whoever said Moby Grape - "Wow" may not be a perfect album, but there's enough good material on there to make at least half a great album - 'Bitter wind', 'Motorcycle Irene', 'Rose coloured glasses' (?) and 'He' are all wonderful, and there's enough listenable other tracks on there. I prefer it to their debut, that's for sure.

― Rob M, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There's an awful lot here that I disagree with. And as much as I hate to have to do so, I'm taking most exception to sundar's claim that the second JaMC was no good...I thought Darklands was actually a far better album in a lot of ways, though Psychocandy is still the sentimental favourite. Automatic and Honey's Dead, on the other hand...

Admittedly, Stone Roses really blew it with their second. You'd think that taking so long for a follow-up, they'd do better than warmed-over Zep.

― Sean Carruthers, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, the Feelies for sure.

― Yancey, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

slits second is fab; tho actually i haven't listened to it for abt 20 years

jam made NO good records surely?

― mark s, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh Mark you kidder.

― Sean, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The second Arrested Development LP was an utter waste of time. I saw a list of the most unnecessary albums ever once, and that was the only one on it that I had.

― Martin Skidmore, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ha ha. My list was sort of canonical looking, wasn't it. Like I hacked into Martin Skidmore's database. The Slits is the one I can't remember whether or not I ever heard. Busted! as they say. With Wow I know I'm on solid ground, because shoplifted it as a kid, and I remember you were supposed to play one song at 78 RPM. Liz Phair's 2nd has some good songs, too, it's just so mopey in comparison.

― Curt, Friday, 15 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Boo Radley's Giant Steps after Everythings Alright Forever (which after Wake up Boo! it certainly wasn't).

― Alex G, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Giant Steps a choke? I felt it delivered what EAF promised but didn't quite get right -- real variety and a sense that there was more to them than simply gazing away.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't agree about "Join Hands." I think Siouxsie & the Banshees made to pretry good albums, and then continued to at least record a bunch of good singles. (Not that I listen to any of this much anymore, but it's gotten more than its share of my attention in the past.)

― DeRayMi, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'Adventure' by Television is gd because it is essentially more of the same just w/ slightly slicker production; it's not as mind-numbingly over-familiar as the first alb, and it includes a couple of Verlaine's 'purest' pop songs - 'Glory' and 'Careful'.

I also disagree abt the Stone Roses (I sometimes prefer warmed-over Zep to 'the real thing' - not those awful White Stripes, tho'), the Who, The Pop Group, MC5.

*They Blew It:

Boards of Canada

Kraftwerk (their 2nd alb is the nearest thing they ever made to a dud)

Wu-Tang Clan

Pere Ubu

The Strokes (prob.)

Suicide (a bit)

This Heat (ditto)

Van Dyke Parks

*They Never Released a Second One:

The Millennium

Nuno Canavarro (so far)

Skip Spence

― Andrew L, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Andrew, are you saying Dub Housing was a choke? And Deceipt? Or am I not counting to two properly?

― Curt, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't know, but I'm sincerely hoping the Strokes choke on a big old fish bone. I can actually see this happening......the Strokes will put out their next album, or maybe 2 albums from now - the original fans will hate it, because they'll have better production and the songs will probably be more hook-laden - all their current fans will be upset about not being able to rave about how "raw" they sound. At this point, I'll probably start liking the Strokes. I still find it amazing that sounding like such a low-fi pile of shit is considered to be such an attractive, great sound by so many people.

― patrick, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Curt - I did qualify my This Heat 'nomination', although I do think 'Deceit' doesn't quite fulfill the promise of the first rec - some of the 'political' lyrics (esp. the attacks on consumerism) seem a little bit crude and clumsy to me now. 'Not Waving', from 'This Heat', seems to me to be a much more ambiguous and moving 'song' (In 'England's Dreaming' btw, Jon Savage claims that the lyrics for 'Not Waving' are adapted from a Stevie Smith poem of roughly the same name, but they're not... it's those little errors that make you mistrust the whole...)

I love 'The Modern Dance' 'cos it rocks and and has tunes, but find 'Dub Housing' an alienation too far. Too much crockery smashing. My prob, I'm sure...

― Andrew L, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Wouldn't you know...your comment about Deceipt's lyrics as well as Dub Housing's alienation would match my feelings about the Pop Group's 2nd. Dif strokes dif folks.

― Curt, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Giant Steps Boo Radleys' third, surely? Or doesn't Ichabod and I count?

I'll go for AR Kane (i vs 69), though I'm not completely convinced of my own position on this.

― Michael Jones, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hm, true about Ichabod -- which I have and quite like, actually.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 16 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ah.. i had a load of early Boo Radley stuff that a friend taped for me, but i thought it was all E.P's. But now you mention it Ichabod and I does ring a bell, although i must confess to never having heard it.

I think Geogaddi is a great record also, with a lot of detail and strange voices

― Alex G, Sunday, 17 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

six years pass...

Electric Soft Parade
Bluetones

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:04 (seventeen years ago)

The Monochrome Set

― Vicious Cop Kills Gentle Fool (Tom D.), Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:10 (seventeen years ago)

a quick scan reveals i haven't done my duty on this thread, so :

age of chance : mecca.

while i have recently revisited this album and come to think its a misunderstood slice of excellence, it's sooooo different to the bands roots and promise, it cannot help but be a perfect contender for this thread.

― mark e, Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:16 (seventeen years ago)

aztec camera

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:26 (seventeen years ago)

MC5 - _Back In The USA_
The Who - _A Quick One_ (saved only because it has "So Sad About Us")

o_O

The Jam - _This Is The Modern World_ (arguable perhaps)

Agree on this one though

― I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO (Colonel Poo), Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:28 (seventeen years ago)

I now see that Aztec Camera were never mentioned in the original thread. So, OTM!

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:29 (seventeen years ago)

"This Is The Modern World" was no good followup, but then they went on to make their best ever album, followed by two more excellent ones. Plus the debut wasn't all that excellent, really.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:30 (seventeen years ago)

Hard to top The Damned really

― Vicious Cop Kills Gentle Fool (Tom D.), Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:31 (seventeen years ago)

Dead Prez (though the first mixtape they released before the second album was dope)

― Tuomas, Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:33 (seventeen years ago)

verve
chapterhouse

― keythkeyth, Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:47 (seventeen years ago)

Patti Smith
Television

― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 18 December 2008 14:47 (seventeen years ago)

Pere Ubu
Dub Housing was the best thing they ever did, IMO.

― Jazzbo, Thursday, 18 December 2008 15:06 (seventeen years ago)

It has never been called Dud Housing

― Vicious Cop Kills Gentle Fool (Tom D.), Thursday, 18 December 2008 15:08 (seventeen years ago)

Moby Grape's Wow (and Grape Jam) were both pretty dismal and trend-damaged. (They rebounded a bit in '69.)

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Thursday, 18 December 2008 15:33 (seventeen years ago)

Libertines

― hugo, Thursday, 18 December 2008 16:09 (seventeen years ago)

Emperor, although the 2nd is merely 'not very good', they went off the cliff with number 3.

― Siegbran, Thursday, 18 December 2008 16:42 (seventeen years ago)

The Strokes own this thread

― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 18 December 2008 17:22 (seventeen years ago)

Clap your hands say yeah
Tricky
Lauren Hill

― paulhw, Thursday, 18 December 2008 18:38 (seventeen years ago)

The Woodentops, Nouvelle Vague, Lemon Jelly (that is if you don't count the first album which was essentially all the EPs lumped together).

― Kim Tortoise, Thursday, 18 December 2008 19:09 (seventeen years ago)

Tricky

This like some kind of perverse joke

― nabisco, Thursday, 18 December 2008 19:42 (seventeen years ago)

Sex Pistols FTW

― redmond, Thursday, 18 December 2008 19:47 (seventeen years ago)

OTM, but most bands only manage 1.5 decent albums.

― Soukesian, Thursday, 18 December 2008 22:12 (seventeen years ago)

thank god i haven't heard the second clap your hands say yeah record if it's significantly worse than the first one...

― Charlie Howard, Friday, 19 December 2008 03:39 (seventeen years ago)

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