It’s a truth often acknowledged on this site that a stellar debut is often followed up by a less than earth-shattering second album. But have we explored a different pattern: a respectable debut, followed by a quantum leap forwards on the second album. The Arcade Fire’s debut Funeral saw them unveil a compelling sound, but one not always fashioned into memorable songs. Its the second album, The Neon Bible, that booted them into the stratosphere: to the sound they added memorable songs, a complete apocalyptic scenario going on lyrics-wise, and an album that held together as a start-to-finish listen. Second example: Leisure is a couple of singles, one an insanely catchy/annoying earworm, and not a lot else. Modern Life Is Rubbish instantly tapped Blur into a completely new depth of songwriting, mod-derived imagery and musical stylings and – well what became the Blur that would come to define Britpop and nineties cool Britannia.
Your nominations for quantum leaps between first and second please.
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moseleymoles says
Moose the Mooche says
Chuffin’ right (as it were)
dai says
Obviously Radiohead except I would say first album is very average, 2nd is one of the greatest albums ever made.
Arthur Cowslip says
Is the first album Pablo Honey or was there one before that? If that was the first, then I agree with you!
Vincent says
genesis.
10cc.
Stone Roses.
Wheldrake says
Woah, woah. Hold up there.
You’re saying Second Coming is better than the debut?
Vincent says
I wondered if that would get though. Isn’t it obvious that the second album is, apart from the foghorn on vocals, a far better album? OOAA.
Rigid Digit says
You are correct – Second Coming is better than the debut.
On what basis? It just is
OOAA – but they’re wrong
Moose the Mooche says
Oh yes. Straight To the Man…. CHOOON! And that HILARIOUS track at the end where they’re all having a laugh in the studio, the wee scamps!
Well worth spending four years of my life waiting for that. Four fucking years.
Please don’t put your life in the hands of a rock’n’roll band etc.
(not bitter)
SixDog says
The ‘debut’ is really the second album.
The first one was meant to be all the stuff on the later released ‘Garage Flower’ album.
Point stands for both IMO
Bartleby says
Michael Kiwanuka. First album on the tasteful folky jazz spectrum. Second album embraced rawk in all its glory. Similarly, Ben Howard, whose tasteful, mellow and light John Martyn-influenced debut was followed by a much darker, more considered and equally glorious ‘sophomore’ effort.
Amy Winehouse is another that springs to mind.
Bingo Little says
Paul’s Boutique
Led Zep II
Freewheelin Bob Dylan
The Downward Spiral
Doolittle
TWIATESS
Astral Weeks
It Takes a Nation of Millions… (sorry, Moose)
and my personal favourite…
Bingo Little says
Can I also add: one of my favourite drumming performances of all time. Hats off, Jimmy Chamberlain.
moseleymoles says
I was definitely thinking of this one too.
Bingo Little says
I keep meaning to write something about Siamese Dream. I honestly think it has a shout to being THE album of its generation.
moseleymoles says
I prefer it to Nevermind *ducks*
ganglesprocket says
Nirvana are a band in point. Bleach to Nevermind was quite a leap.
Hawkfall says
Come off it Bingo, Yo! Bum Rush the Show is a brilliant record! One of the best debuts ever. If it isn’t the equal of It Takes a Nation.. then it’s pretty close.
Bingo Little says
Oh, go on then. I don’t think it’s as good as Nation of Millions, but I suppose “great leap forward” might be a bit much.
Leicester Bangs says
What’s TWIATESS?
Bingo Little says
The Wild The Innocent And The E-Street Shuffle.
Leicester Bangs says
ty, bl
duco01 says
Maybe Caravan…
(i.e. from “Caravan” to “If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You)
Colin H says
I think most Tull fans would agree that ‘This Was’ is a nice, slightly quirky blues boom album followed by ‘Stand Up’ – the basis for all future Tull albums and which still, er, stands up today.
Carl says
I couldn’t agree more.
Declan says
Yep.
sjmaynard says
Carefully does up expensive new trainers, feet in blocks…..
Coldplay!
New Order
Bjork
The Cure
10,000 Maniacs
Prefab Sprout
Sinead O Connor
Tiggerlion says
Which album is Björk’s debut?
sjmaynard says
My point was from Bjork to Debut admittedly a bit tenuous as there is a 16 year gap or similar which includes the whole Sugarcubes era. On that note I should have added Tori Amos as I don’t think even she likes Y Cant Tori Read.
Charlie Gordon says
Elton John
Midlake
Isaac Hayes
Neil Young
deramdaze says
Free (Island, ’69).
According to the CD sleeve notes, Kossoff was gently persuaded/told in no uncertain terms to just play the songs as they had been written rather than wig out.
Carl says
For me the most notable difference between Tons Of Sobs and Free is the timbre of Paul Rodgers vocals.
In the space of a few months his voice matured from that of a promising and talented young singer into the Rodgers we’ve loved ever since.
Paul Wad says
A couple of my faves, The Lilac Time and Frazier Chorus, fall into this group. In the world of Rap there are a couple who fall into the ‘1st album okay but is pretty much written out of history/2nd album brilliant’ group – Eminem and Gang Starr. But also in the world of rap, the winner of the great/brilliant award must surely go to the Beastly Boys, as my little boy calls them. They followed up a great debut with a contender for hip hop’s greatest ever album, Paul’s Boutique. In fact, never mind hip hop, it’s one of the greatest albums full stop.
Kid Dynamite says
Sabbath
Godspeed You Black Emperor
Jane’s Addiction
Chemical Brothers
Bloc Party
Gaslight Anthem
Marah
Titus Andronicus
The Weakerthans
two more that I may well be the sole authority for round these parts, but hey, trust me…
Creaming Jesus
Culture Shock
moseleymoles says
You see I thought about Sabbath but actually the first album is pretty damn fine. Paranoid is still better, but not a quantum leap I would say. Chemicals definitely.
Bingo Little says
Ugh. Exit Planet Dust over Dig Your Own Hole all day long.
DYOH is full of filler and only redeemed by the, admittedly awesome, final trio of tracks. It’s a really uneven record.
EPD hangs together much better and the first six tracks are all bangers. Leave Home, In Dust We Trust, Song to the Siren, Three Little Birdies Down Beats, Fuck Up Beats, Chemical Beats – brilliant run, even the titles are great. The back half doesn’t keep up that quality, but it still has Life Is Sweet. In fact, take those seven tracks, bang K Hole, Where Do I Begin and Private Psychedelic Reels on the back and you’d have one of the greatest electronic albums ever made.
I remember having a massive buzz on for DYOH and being legit disappointed when it came out. Felt like a really conscious switch from club sound to festival sound.
Leicester Bangs says
Kd’s right. EPD was like a comp of early singles, and already felt a bit ‘old’. DYOH nailed it.
Leicester Bangs says
Hole — Live Through This
Nine Inch Nails — The Downward Spiral
Tiggerlion says
With The Beatles is miles better than Please, Please Me.
Paul Wad says
No, I don’t agree with that. Much prefer Please Please Me.
plumb1909 says
me too, another vote for Please Please Me.
have never got on as well with WTB..
Jackthebiscuit says
Showing my age here.
For your consideration
The Police
Outlandos D’amour – good
Regatta De Blanc – So much better.
Gary says
Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow – meh
Rising – fan-feckin-tastic!
TrypF says
While the first Supergrass album, I Should Coco, is no dud, it has a couple of ‘novelty’ tunes and is uneven. The followup, In It For The Money, is a soup-to-nuts gem of woozy, Small Faces-meet-Floyd delights. The Britpop album I’d rate the highest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y4svxiLNeU
Moose the Mooche says
Amen. Money…. rises above everything else from that era . The debut has weathered very well, mind.
At least three more stonkingly good albums from them and yet the ‘Grass remembered as one-hit, one-note Britpop also-rans along with Menswe@r and the like.
Rigid Digit says
T.Rex (in abbreviated form)
T.Rex – a fine album. Elecric to the fore and leaving behind the hippy-dippy Tolkienisms.
Elecric Warrior – still the best album in Bolans catalogue
Bingo Little says
Electric Warrior is obviously the masterpiece, but I think the first album is really underrated.
Rigid Digit says
Carter USM
No quibble with 101 Damnations, but 30 Something is the Carter album
Sitheref2409 says
How can it be THE Carter album when THE carter track is on Damnations? Or is the argument that Sheriff Fatman is not in fact the one true CtUSM choon?
SixDog says
Always thought 30 Something was a duffer, aside the singles.
They never bettered 101 Damnations to my mind, odd singles apart. ‘After the Watershed’ and ‘The Only Living Boy in New Cross’ are stunning
Moose the Mooche says
As a Fanta Fadge I’m interested in the fate of 30 Something as it had the only vaguely sympathetic ginger character in the history of television and/or film, or indeed life itself.
Rigid Digit says
Buzzcocks
Another Music In A Different Kitchen
A fine fine debut which oh so nearly makes the list of “Great Debut Albums”
Love Bites
Almost perfect Punk-Pop
Tiggerlion says
Nah. I prefer Kitchen. Love Bites is a me-too album.
moseleymoles says
I like them both but hard to argue for LB as a quantum leap.
Uncle Mick says
Depeche Mode.
Speak and Spell, acceptable plinky plonky electropop
A Broken Frame, Martin Gore steps up to the plate to prepare for world domination’
Rigid Digit says
“Plinky Plonky electropop”
Fantastic description and one I will try and lever into everday coversation
fentonsteve says
Andrew Ridgley
Son of Albert, followed by… unbroken silence.
Ba-doom, tish!
I’m here all week, etc.
nickduvet says
Neither Fish Nor Flesh, obviously…
Bladderman says
Music from Big Pink. A fine debut, but The Band (2nd album) a true masterpiece.
Pessoa says
If the emphasis is on a fine debut but great follow-up then the following:
The Pixies: “Come on Pilgrim” followed by “Surfer Rosa”
Galaxie 500: “Today” drew attention but “On Fire” was their masterpiece.
Ultra Vivid Scene: eponymous debut good, but “Joy (1967-1990)” much better.
But Spacemen 3’s “The Perfect Prescription” cannot count as debut “Sound of Confusion” was poor.
Harold Holt says
Del Amitri. A debut that only a mother could love. A follow up Waking Hours that made them famous.
And as usual, the answer is David Bowie. ‘David Bowie’ didn’t trouble the scorers. ‘Space Oddity’ makes him a star, and a different person(ality).
Bladderman says
& ‘Little Feat’.. pretty good & promising.. then ‘Sailin’ Shoes’.. Wow.. eh. Tiggs
Bladderman says
one more.. Costello.. & my responses are more significantly better than much, much but My Aim is True (fantastic) isn’t as amazing as This Years Model
Freddy Steady says
I might possibly have mentioned The Church before but how about “Bondi’s finest”?
From the proto new wave ish stylings of their debut “of Skins and Hearts” to their neo psychedelic jangle fest follow up “The Blurred Crusade”. Fab.
You Took.
https://youtu.be/QDsyuIZauJU
goodfella says
Has no one mentioned The Smiths yet?
Meat is Murder is a massive leap in accomplishment over their dull debut.
Even the interim album Hatful of Hollow shits all over The Smiths.
moseleymoles says
I think The Smith is a confusing one with HOH muddying the waters.
Black Type says
I disagree…on the whole, the songs on ‘The Smiths’ are better than those on MIM. Can’t believe you would call that album ‘dull”.
Freddy Steady says
Not sure myself. AND the production is terrible on the first album.
Deviant808 says
These New Puritans.
From above-average-but-not-world-beating NuRave of “Beat Pyramid” to the astonishing “Hidden”.
badartdog says
oh, wow. i’d always thought Hidden was a debut!
duco01 says
Ryley Walker
All Kinds of You – good
Primrose Green – better
fentonsteve says
Public Image Ltd
moseleymoles says
Perhaps the only one where a great leap forward in packaging is not a trivial comment.
ClemFandango says
The Go-Betweens
Before Hollywood is a quantum leap forward from the self-consciously angular and quirky debut
bobhumphrey01 says
How about the Blue Nile then? ‘ A Walk Across The Rooftops’ is pretty decent of course, but then came ‘Hats’………………
moseleymoles says
I think that’s in the ‘stellar debut followed by equally stellar follow-up’ class
Carl says
I will advocate the cause of the prematurely retired Canadian singer songwriter, Kathleen Edwards.
Failer was a strong début but it was eclipsed by the excellence of Back To Me.
What is most galling about KE’s retirement is that the upward trajectory continued through the next two, Asking For Flowers and Voyageur.
Come back Kathleen; anyone can make a cup of coffee, but not everyone can write great songs.
John Walters says
Cream – Disraeli Gears.
Miles better than Fresh Cream.
Moose the Mooche says
Over here in the eternal solitude of the Music I Like That Nobody Else Likes corner….
The Polyphonic Spree – first album OK, almost ruined by the last track going on forever.
Second album – a colossal masterpiece.
Also – Wilco.
Has anybody said Dog Man Star?
Scarlet says
Eels.
Beautiful Freak was a brilliant start but Electro-Shock Blues is a masterpiece.
Tiggerlion says
It took me a long while to appreciate its charms, but amen, Scarlet. Amen.
Scarlet says
This is the best thing I’ve read all weekend!
So pleased.
Mousey says
The strange case of Randy Newman – I find the overblown arrangements on his first album render the wonderful songs quite unlistenable. Whereas on the second album, I like the stripped down arrangements but the songs aren’t as uniformly good.
By the THIRD album, however, in Sail Away he absolutely got it all together.
Junior Wells says
and the next one Good Old Boys also excellent. Started to get a bit poppy for mine on Little Criminals.
Junior Wells says
so many bands really
Little Feat -bluesy a little bit all over the shop then Sailing shoes the first of a marvellous Quaddie then starting to run out of puff with Time Loves A hero.
Little Feat (1971)
Sailin’ Shoes (1972)
Dixie Chicken (1973)
Feats Don’t Fail Me Now (1974)
The Last Record Album (1975)
Time Loves A Hero (1977)