How refreshing is it to hear a new sound that just reaches out and touches your soul right from the get-go? It's like a first kiss with a woman you know you're eventually going to fall in love with. But when a band or artist fails to back that album up, and their sophomore effort doesn't come close to the first, it's nearly as bad as falling out of love with that same girl.
Unfortunately, the sophomore slump happens frequently, which is why we have so many honorable mentions below. Once the fame comes, the slump hits even harder for some. How well would you take to finally getting everything you ever wanted? Fame, money, sex, drugs, and new instruments? That's not to say that some of the artists below didn't persevere respectably. But all flew so close to the sun on that first effort, their subsequent output just never got out of the shadow.
Lauryn Hill "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (1998)
![Musicians Who Never Topped Their Debut Album, the miseducation of lauryn hill]()
Turned out Hill was a whole lot more than just the hot girl from the Fugees, and we learned that big time in 1998. Lauryn wasn't alone in the endeavor either; the saying, "behind every dope album is a man with dreadlocks" is totally applicable here. While still a "Fugee," Hill started seeing Rohan Marley, son of Bob, teammate of The Rock and Ray Allen at the U. Well, you know how powerful that Marley spunk is, and sure enough, Hill got knocked up and wrote this album. And if you've got Marley's seed growing in you, you're bound to reach new musical heights. Which is what Hill did -- with help from Rohan's production -- by swirling rap, reggae, R&B, and soul into mainstream perfection. The album sold more than any other female effort in the first week at the time, and Hill became the first hip hop artist to appear on the cover of Time magazine. Alas, she hasn't produced much more than Marley grandkids and a fat tax bill ever since.
Guns N' Roses "Appetite for Destruction" (1987)
![Musicians Who Never Topped Their Debut Album, guns 'n' roses, appetite for destruction]()
The mere fact that the album -- the best-selling U.S. debut ever -- gets better after song one is a testament to how damn good it remains. After a blistering riff and a demonic yet angelic howl, the first four words we ever heard from the band pretty much set the tone for their stay at the top: "Welcome to the Jungle." And the album doesn't come down from that nasty ledge at all; just gas pedal from here to "Rocket Queen" -- perhaps the single most powerful bookend songs of any album ever, or at least any album I can recall at this late hour, what with all the whiskey and weed and powerful rock flowing through me. But hey, if it's all about the music, then that's how you have to write when you're covering "Appetite." Well, technically there should be a lot harder drugs and an orgy blowing up all around as well, but do you want me to finish this list or not? Anyhow, point being, the band could never duplicate the intensity, or the success. Heck, they couldn't even be in the same room with Axl after a couple of years.
N.W.A. "Straight Outta Compton" (1988)
![Musicians Who Never Topped Their Debut Album, nwa, straight outta compton]()
As individuals, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Easy-"Motherf---ing"-E all went on to great success. But none of them -- either together or separately -- would beat the world like this album did. And by beat, I mean bitch slapped. You wanna talk about coming out the gate strong? N.W.A. bum rushed the gate with AKs blazing. None of us white boys from Aurora, Colorado had ever heard anything like it. I like to think I've been a little harder ever since. Ice Cube was noticeably absent from the band's follow up, "100 Miles and Runnin'," but equally difficult to get over was the fact you can only have your eyes opened once. "Straight Outta Compton" made us all take note of the truth about life in Compton. It also allowed us to see that Los Angeles wasn't all surf and sun.
Alanis Morissette "Jagged Little Pill" (1995)
![Musicians Who Never Topped Their Debut Album, alanis morissette, jagged little pill]()
Though "Jagged Little Pill" technically was not Alanis Morissette's first album, it's the first one anyone outside of Canada heard first. And last time I checked, nobody lives in Canada. (Kidding.) For us Southerners, this Rolling Stone Top 500 album was as ubiquitous as Zubas were back in the mid '90s. After getting dropped by her first label, Morisette moved to L.A., found collaborator Glen Ballard and Maverick records, and dropped this angsty pop classic packed with six singles (and one excellent blow job reference) that still sound better than anything else Morisette, or the starlets who now try to emulate her, have managed to put out since. Morisette now seems to be accepting that fact; she recently re-released the 20th anniversary collector's edition and has taken to singing the old hits with today's youngsters, like she just did at the AMAs, rocking "You Outta Know" with Demi Lovato. But hey, if you wrote an album that's sold 33 million and counting, than you outta sing it loud and proud.
Terrence Trent D'Arby "Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby" (1987)
![Musicians Who Never Topped Their Debut Album, introducing the hardline according to terence trent d'arby]()
Apparently TTDA was quite the A-hole to everyone after his head blew up as big as this album did back in the late '80s. Well, maybe he was a bit of a prick before losing steam in the music industry that D'Arby believes replaced him with Lenny Kravitz. His follow-up album "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" (1989) was released to mixed reviews and failed to impact commercially. And yes, he's another "artist-formerly-known-as" type (now going by the name Sananda Maitreya). Since the name change, you don't hear much from him in the mainstream, but he is still producing "experimental" music. He recently dropped his first album released in the states in 14 years, "Rise of the Zugebrian Time Lords". Heard of it?
Ramones, "The Ramones" (1976)
![Musicians Who Never Topped Their Debut Album, the ramones]()
How many songs have you heard trying to sound exactly like "Blitzkrieg Bop?" I think another one just came out while you we're half-assedly thinking about this. This album-recorded in just seven days for $6,400 -- helped define punk, post-punk, and whatever other punks there are, including the hugely important Surf Punks. The men who freed lyricists everywhere to not worry if the second verse was the same as the first, and told musicians the world over, "You don't really need to learn how to play so good, just do it with feeling." Important lessons for sure, and probably why the Ramones themselves kept repeating them. Hey, if it ain't broke, why evolve?
Nas "Illmatic" (1994)
![Musicians Who Never Topped Their Debut Album, nas, illmatic]()
I'm not hating on Nas, who has sold a yacht-load of the seven albums he created after "Illmatic," but he never surpassed his debut, unofficially being the summer soundtrack of 1994, which -- with the help of NYC rap royalty like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, the Large Professor, Q-Tip, and L.E.S -- deftly articulated the beauty and horror of the mean streets of Queensbridge, New York. Even Rolling Stone called Nas out in their introduction to their 100 best debut albums, deeming him someone who deserves extra points for making one of those "great debut albums that the artist never matched."
Sex Pistols "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" (1977)
![Musicians Who Never Topped Their Debut Album, never mind the bollocks here's the sex pistols]()
While some bands keep the flame burning long past that magical first spark, others get lit and explode, then leave bloody guts all over the landscape of rock. The Pistols never did produce another studio album after this one kicked the world in its proverbial nut-sack, but it's hard to keep a band together when you have Johnny Rotten being such an A-hole, shows causing near-riots, and Sid Vicious's sudden, tragic death from a drug overdose. Still, while they may have burned out way before they were able to take down the system, at least they kept it real all the while, so much so that when they were asked to join the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, they kindly declined the invite and called the institution "a piss stain" -- now that's rock 'n' roll.
The Strokes "Is This It" (2001)
![Musicians Who Never Topped Their Debut Album, The Strokes, Is This It]()
It's hard to top a good naked album cover, but it's harder to top an album covered in nakedness that's also naked on the inside. Though nothing sounded all that revolutionary, the sexy, sparse familiarity clicked huge for this band. Songwriter Julian Casablancas let it all hang out lyrically and vocally, and the raw energy of the band made all those words urgently necessary. Probably because they played all the songs live in the studio, which they had gotten really good at after practicing them alone in the garage for a couple of years. Hits from the album continue to surf radio waves with the same vivacity, but nothing since has even come close, perhaps because as the years went on, Casablancas couldn't even be bothered to record in the same zip code as his mates. Or maybe they weren't all that special to begin with, just packaged really well.
Honorable Mention:
Rusted Root, "When I Woke"
Norah Jones, "Come Away with Me"
Vanilla Ice, "To the Extreme"
The Killers, "Hot Fuzz"
The Band, "Music From the Big Pink"
Blues Traveler, "Blues Traveler"
Yaz, "Upstairs at Eric's"
Cyndi Lauper "She's So Unusual"
Franz Ferdinand, "Franz Ferdinand"
Violent Femmes, "Violent Femmes"
The Samples, "The Samples"
Jeff Buckley, "Grace" (Talk about a disappointing follow up!)
Related: 11 Reasons Music Sucks Now More Than Ever
Unfortunately, the sophomore slump happens frequently, which is why we have so many honorable mentions below. Once the fame comes, the slump hits even harder for some. How well would you take to finally getting everything you ever wanted? Fame, money, sex, drugs, and new instruments? That's not to say that some of the artists below didn't persevere respectably. But all flew so close to the sun on that first effort, their subsequent output just never got out of the shadow.
Lauryn Hill "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (1998)
Turned out Hill was a whole lot more than just the hot girl from the Fugees, and we learned that big time in 1998. Lauryn wasn't alone in the endeavor either; the saying, "behind every dope album is a man with dreadlocks" is totally applicable here. While still a "Fugee," Hill started seeing Rohan Marley, son of Bob, teammate of The Rock and Ray Allen at the U. Well, you know how powerful that Marley spunk is, and sure enough, Hill got knocked up and wrote this album. And if you've got Marley's seed growing in you, you're bound to reach new musical heights. Which is what Hill did -- with help from Rohan's production -- by swirling rap, reggae, R&B, and soul into mainstream perfection. The album sold more than any other female effort in the first week at the time, and Hill became the first hip hop artist to appear on the cover of Time magazine. Alas, she hasn't produced much more than Marley grandkids and a fat tax bill ever since.
Guns N' Roses "Appetite for Destruction" (1987)
The mere fact that the album -- the best-selling U.S. debut ever -- gets better after song one is a testament to how damn good it remains. After a blistering riff and a demonic yet angelic howl, the first four words we ever heard from the band pretty much set the tone for their stay at the top: "Welcome to the Jungle." And the album doesn't come down from that nasty ledge at all; just gas pedal from here to "Rocket Queen" -- perhaps the single most powerful bookend songs of any album ever, or at least any album I can recall at this late hour, what with all the whiskey and weed and powerful rock flowing through me. But hey, if it's all about the music, then that's how you have to write when you're covering "Appetite." Well, technically there should be a lot harder drugs and an orgy blowing up all around as well, but do you want me to finish this list or not? Anyhow, point being, the band could never duplicate the intensity, or the success. Heck, they couldn't even be in the same room with Axl after a couple of years.
N.W.A. "Straight Outta Compton" (1988)
As individuals, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Easy-"Motherf---ing"-E all went on to great success. But none of them -- either together or separately -- would beat the world like this album did. And by beat, I mean bitch slapped. You wanna talk about coming out the gate strong? N.W.A. bum rushed the gate with AKs blazing. None of us white boys from Aurora, Colorado had ever heard anything like it. I like to think I've been a little harder ever since. Ice Cube was noticeably absent from the band's follow up, "100 Miles and Runnin'," but equally difficult to get over was the fact you can only have your eyes opened once. "Straight Outta Compton" made us all take note of the truth about life in Compton. It also allowed us to see that Los Angeles wasn't all surf and sun.
Alanis Morissette "Jagged Little Pill" (1995)
Though "Jagged Little Pill" technically was not Alanis Morissette's first album, it's the first one anyone outside of Canada heard first. And last time I checked, nobody lives in Canada. (Kidding.) For us Southerners, this Rolling Stone Top 500 album was as ubiquitous as Zubas were back in the mid '90s. After getting dropped by her first label, Morisette moved to L.A., found collaborator Glen Ballard and Maverick records, and dropped this angsty pop classic packed with six singles (and one excellent blow job reference) that still sound better than anything else Morisette, or the starlets who now try to emulate her, have managed to put out since. Morisette now seems to be accepting that fact; she recently re-released the 20th anniversary collector's edition and has taken to singing the old hits with today's youngsters, like she just did at the AMAs, rocking "You Outta Know" with Demi Lovato. But hey, if you wrote an album that's sold 33 million and counting, than you outta sing it loud and proud.
Terrence Trent D'Arby "Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby" (1987)
Apparently TTDA was quite the A-hole to everyone after his head blew up as big as this album did back in the late '80s. Well, maybe he was a bit of a prick before losing steam in the music industry that D'Arby believes replaced him with Lenny Kravitz. His follow-up album "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" (1989) was released to mixed reviews and failed to impact commercially. And yes, he's another "artist-formerly-known-as" type (now going by the name Sananda Maitreya). Since the name change, you don't hear much from him in the mainstream, but he is still producing "experimental" music. He recently dropped his first album released in the states in 14 years, "Rise of the Zugebrian Time Lords". Heard of it?
Ramones, "The Ramones" (1976)
How many songs have you heard trying to sound exactly like "Blitzkrieg Bop?" I think another one just came out while you we're half-assedly thinking about this. This album-recorded in just seven days for $6,400 -- helped define punk, post-punk, and whatever other punks there are, including the hugely important Surf Punks. The men who freed lyricists everywhere to not worry if the second verse was the same as the first, and told musicians the world over, "You don't really need to learn how to play so good, just do it with feeling." Important lessons for sure, and probably why the Ramones themselves kept repeating them. Hey, if it ain't broke, why evolve?
Nas "Illmatic" (1994)
I'm not hating on Nas, who has sold a yacht-load of the seven albums he created after "Illmatic," but he never surpassed his debut, unofficially being the summer soundtrack of 1994, which -- with the help of NYC rap royalty like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, the Large Professor, Q-Tip, and L.E.S -- deftly articulated the beauty and horror of the mean streets of Queensbridge, New York. Even Rolling Stone called Nas out in their introduction to their 100 best debut albums, deeming him someone who deserves extra points for making one of those "great debut albums that the artist never matched."
Sex Pistols "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" (1977)
While some bands keep the flame burning long past that magical first spark, others get lit and explode, then leave bloody guts all over the landscape of rock. The Pistols never did produce another studio album after this one kicked the world in its proverbial nut-sack, but it's hard to keep a band together when you have Johnny Rotten being such an A-hole, shows causing near-riots, and Sid Vicious's sudden, tragic death from a drug overdose. Still, while they may have burned out way before they were able to take down the system, at least they kept it real all the while, so much so that when they were asked to join the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, they kindly declined the invite and called the institution "a piss stain" -- now that's rock 'n' roll.
The Strokes "Is This It" (2001)
It's hard to top a good naked album cover, but it's harder to top an album covered in nakedness that's also naked on the inside. Though nothing sounded all that revolutionary, the sexy, sparse familiarity clicked huge for this band. Songwriter Julian Casablancas let it all hang out lyrically and vocally, and the raw energy of the band made all those words urgently necessary. Probably because they played all the songs live in the studio, which they had gotten really good at after practicing them alone in the garage for a couple of years. Hits from the album continue to surf radio waves with the same vivacity, but nothing since has even come close, perhaps because as the years went on, Casablancas couldn't even be bothered to record in the same zip code as his mates. Or maybe they weren't all that special to begin with, just packaged really well.
Honorable Mention:
Rusted Root, "When I Woke"
Norah Jones, "Come Away with Me"
Vanilla Ice, "To the Extreme"
The Killers, "Hot Fuzz"
The Band, "Music From the Big Pink"
Blues Traveler, "Blues Traveler"
Yaz, "Upstairs at Eric's"
Cyndi Lauper "She's So Unusual"
Franz Ferdinand, "Franz Ferdinand"
Violent Femmes, "Violent Femmes"
The Samples, "The Samples"
Jeff Buckley, "Grace" (Talk about a disappointing follow up!)
Related: 11 Reasons Music Sucks Now More Than Ever