Sophomore Triumphs, Not Slumps

We all have heard about the 'sophomore slump', where the task of following up a lifetime's worth of writing with another album in just a couple of years proves to be too much for some artists. That's certainly understandable, but what is more interesting are the songwriters who manage to improve under the pressure of expectations. Writing your second album is where you prove you have legs, where you show you're going to be able to regularly write great songs, creating a career as opposed to a flash in the pan.

So which second albums did the best job of taking a step up from a debut? That's what we're going to discuss today. I will put this caveat on things; while I'm saying each of these albums is a major step up from the debut, I am not saying these are necessarily the best albums in the catalogs. For at least one of these, it is absolutely the case the third album is the one I would easily call their best.

There are also a few albums you might think would make the list, but I'm going to be leaving off. First among those would be Elvis Costello's "This Year's Model". It's a great record, and in many ways it defined Elvis even to this day, but I find myself going back to "My Aim Is True" even more. The two records are pretty much on the same level, so I can't say there was a step up, even if most other people do. Also missing the cut will be Weezer's "Pinkerton". This one isn't because I am a "Blue" defender, but rather because "Pinkerton" has become such a problematic album in my mind. I love the production, and it's a better set of melodies from start to finish, but the lyrics are so awful I feel dirty listening to the album these days. Just for the skeevy feeling it gives me, there's no way I can say it's an improvement over the debut.

Now on to my picks.

The Wallflowers - Bringing Down The Horse

Have you ever listened to their debut album? I didn't think so, because it's mostly a forgotten relic that was buried in the wake of their success. They started out even rootsier, but with songs too long and self-indulgent to be engaging over the long running time. "One Headlight" was more than a turning point, it was a moment in time when we could hear Jakob Dylan find his voice as a songwriter. They stripped things back, focused on the core of the songs, and put out an album that completely redefined what we thought they were capable of.

Rainbow - Rising

When you can put out a record only thirty-five minutes long that is still considered a stone-cold classic, you're operating on a whole different level. The band's debut had a handful of legendary songs, but with a couple of clunkers, covers, and instrumentals, it's a flawed beast. That isn't the case here, as Blackmore and Dio elevate their game to the point some people claim this record may have invented the idea of power metal. This album has "Stargazer" on it, and that the rest of the record doesn't cower in its shadow is a testament to how great Rainbow was.

Transatlantic - Bridge Across Forever

I always complain about bands that waste our time. Transatlantic were still finding their footing on their debut record, and they wasted nearly twenty minutes with a cover song. I don't know why, but thankfully they followed that up with my favorite prog album of all time. They were all in their heyday as writers, and they had so many ideas they could barely stitch them together into these epic songs. Prog might piss me off these days, but this is one of the rare times when self-indulgence makes perfect sense.

Fall Out Boy - From Under The Cork Tree

We can debate which of the big three Fall Out Boy albums is the best one, but for me there's no question "Take This To Your Grave" was an embryonic album that was merely setting the stage for what was to come. The band sounded heavier, hookier, and Pete's lyrics found the right amount of asshole snark. They might have sounded like people you wanted to punch in the face, but the songs made you punch the air instead. If "Saturday" was the only thing they did, there would have been more broken noses, methinks.

Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway

As I have said many times, I think this might just be the best record the pop mainstream I listened to may have ever produced. Pop is a singles genre, and Kelly gave us an album where ever single song could have been a single. Nothing on the somewhat bland debut could possible touch what "Since U Been Gone", "Behind These Hazel Eyes", and "Because Of You" managed to achieve. That doesn't even take into account the amazing deeper cuts, where Kelly burned through half a career's worth of potential hits in one album cycle.