Celebrating fantastic second albums throughout modern music history.
The sophomore album tends to be a large hurdle for many bands. Especially if they were fortunate enough to have had a very successful debut album. Expectations following a groundbreaking or commercially successful album can be astronomical- an impossible standard set not only by fans of the group but also the major labels distributing the group’s record.
Many bands have ground to a halt due to the aptly named, “Sophomore Slump”. Labels have shelved band’s effort leaving their groups in limbo, some bands change their sound to disastrous results or simply due to the fact that this new batch of songs are less hashed out because they are generally being written while on the road supporting the artist’s first release.
Whatever the case, many things can and do go wrong when writing and recording their follow up albums but on the flip side of things sometimes it’s the more polished second album that everything falls in place for. This list is celebrating those albums.
This is much less a ranking of albums and more a collection of one hundred bands and albums I enjoyed and I hope you do as well. Even though most of the heavier hitters are later on so I guess maybe they are ranked? I don’t know. Who really cares? So let’s get started.
As always, if you think I’m wrong or I forgot some great records don’t be afraid to email me or message me on my socials and call me dumb.
100.) Damone
“Out Here All Night”
99.) Comeback Kid
“Wake The Dead”
The album peaked at number 16 on Top Heatseekers and number 27 on Top Independent Albums.
98.) Sparta
“Porcelain”
Peaked at number 60 on the Billboard 200
97.) Franz Ferdinand
“You Could Have It So Much Better”
Peaked at #8 on the billboard 200
96.) Bad Cop/Bad Cop
“Warriors”
95.) Econoline Crush
“The Devil You Know”
94.) Garbage
“Version 2.0”
Debuted at #13 on the billboard 200
Nominated for a Grammy (best rock album)
93.) Queens of the Stone Age
“Rated R”
Rolling Stone named it the 82nd best album of the decade.
92.) M.I.A.
“Kala”
Topped the year end Electronic Music charts
Single “Paper Planes” was nominated for a Grammy
91.) Daft Punk
“Discovery”
Rolling Stone included Discovery at number 236 in its updated list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
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