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Sophomores


mockney piers

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The albums coming this year thread threw up a lot of names who will be doing their second album.

Critics always talk about the 'tricky sophomore' album and I can think of quite a few bands that have tripped up on this one.


Can we think of bands that did great ones, bands that crumbled and any that recovered from poor ones?


I'll kick of with the obvious 'Second Coming' by Stone Roses (to quote sean of the dead, 'well I liked it').


Good ones...The Bends pooed all over Pablo Honey (and let's face it, they were already taking themselves far too seriously). Midlake went from being another psychaedelia/beach boys clone (a la yeasayer) to something special (albeit a prog version of Steely Dan).

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Mockney! A prog version of Steely Dan? I really can't think of anything worse. Mind you, I should think that would come in very handy in the war effort. Play that to any terrorists and they'd be running for the hills with their hands firmly clasped their ears.
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I'd compare Midlake's second album to an all-male Fleetwood Mac myself.....


The Strokes completely failed with Room on Fire, a follow-up to Is This It, but then that's not surprising given how good the earlier was.


The White Stripes did well with De Stilj after their eponymous debut but then went and topped both with their Senior Year (to follow the theme) album, White Blood Cells.

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I was thinking the clash too quids.


I loved the Charlatans Some Friendly, but it was an of the moment piece and they subsequently became tired has beens, Between 10th and 11th was awful.

Four albums and seven years later came th marvellous Tellin' Stories though, showing recovery can happen.

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I would make a big case for the Sisters of Mercy sophmore album being their best - "Floodland"


ditto Fatima Mansions and "Viva Dead Ponies"


Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible" was well received but a bit of a wobble after the fantastic "Funeral"


Then you have bands like Massive Attack who cruise the first 3 albums (from an quality perpective anyway) with nary a wobble - sophmore be damned

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Sage nods of agreement on all the above sean, though admittedly that's the only Fatima Mansions I can commment on.

Floodland, there's on that needs to get back in my back catalogue, original has gone missing along with the much loved FaLaA and I'm left with the enjoyable rubbish that is Vision Thing.

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I dont dislike Third, it's just I'm never inclined to put it on except occasionally to try and work out why I'm not gelling with it.


Any more bands like Massive Attack that just haven't put a foot wrong? (let's say minimum of three albums in the discography).


Broken Social Scene, their sophomore 'you forgot it in people' is great, and the eponymous follow up is almost flawless.

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Interstingly this effect is called 'sophomore slump' meaning after a decade of listening to it I've only just got the joke in Grandaddy's 'Sophtware Slump'. Time for a nod to their brilliant 2nd album, 'Under the Western Freeway'.

They went on to improve in the aforementioned album but got into a bit of a rut after that, lovely but unremarkable albums followed.

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