# Enduring musical acts whose SECOND albums were their best. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481 "2011-06-14T20:12:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/21 "2011-06-15T19:10:21Z")
Bjork - Post Breeders - Last Splash Dirty Three - Dirty Three I’m surprised to see Nirvana, PJ Harvey, and the Pixies mentioned. In Utero is quite a bit better than Nevermind, Is This Desire? (which PJ considers her best) is at least as good as Rid of Me, and Surfer Rosa is at least as good as Doolittle (probably better). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/22 "2011-06-15T19:35:30Z")
> [@Carmady](#): > > Bjork - Post > Breeders - Last Splash > Dirty Three - Dirty Three > > I’m surprised to see Nirvana, PJ Harvey, and the Pixies mentioned. In Utero is quite a bit better than Nevermind, Is This Desire? (which PJ considers her best) is at least as good as Rid of Me, and Surfer Rosa is at least as good as Doolittle (probably better). Not sure why Doolittle surprises you. Doolittle as the Pixies greatest work is not a controversial statement among fans. It’s not a consensus, but it’s a popular choice, and one I happen to agree with. I do think _In Utero_ is better and more mature than _Nevermind_, but the sheer impact of _Nevermind_ caused me to bring it up, in addition to it being one of the greatest sophomore albums by any band in the last generation. Note that I do say “all these are arguable.” I will defend _Doolittle_, personally, as clearly being the best Pixies album. For me, there is no question on that. Nirvana, I can go either way on. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/23 "2011-06-15T21:48:37Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Nirvana, Nevermind > > ETA: Mixed up album with hit single Nevermind is the album that got me hooked, but IMO I think In Utero is their best. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/24 "2011-06-15T22:06:35Z")
They Might Be Giants comes close - I think it’s almost universally agreed that “Flood” was their best album. That was their third, though. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/25 "2011-06-15T23:17:21Z")
CAKE pretty much peaked with “Fashion Nugget”. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/26 "2011-06-15T23:32:41Z")
**Sisters Of Mercy** - _Floodland_ **Paradise Lost** - _Gothic_ **My Dying Bride** - _Turn Loose The Swans_ **Candlemass** - _Nightfall_ **Darkthrone** - _A Blaze In The Northern Sky_ Seems to be a lot of metal bands peaking with their second albums… ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/27 "2011-06-15T23:48:21Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > **Sisters Of Mercy** - _Floodland_ Well it’s certainly better than _Vision Thing_, but I like the raw energy of F+L+A slightly better than Floodland. But there’s hardly a bad track on either of the two albums (and there are even good songs on Vision Thing, but hardly the whole album.) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/28 "2011-06-16T00:05:39Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Not sure why Doolittle surprises you. Doolittle as the Pixies greatest work is not a controversial statement among fans. It’s not a consensus, but it’s a popular choice, and one I happen to agree with. Ummm…are we not counting _Come On Pilgrim_ because it was an EP? In my mind _Surfer Rosa_ is #2 and _Doolittle_ #3 in terms of actual releases. Not that it matters in this case, as I prefer _Surfer Rosa_ as well 😉 ( though not by much ). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/29 "2011-06-16T00:09:27Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Ummm…are we not counting _Come On Pilgrim_ because it was an EP? In my mind _Surfer Rosa_ is #2 and _Doolittle_ #3 in terms of actual releases. > > Not that it matters in this case, as I prefer _Surfer Rosa_ as well 😉 ( though not by much ). Yes, _Come On Pilgrim_ was an EP, so generally doesn’t count as an album (at least when I’ve had these discussions, EPs were excluded.) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/30 "2011-06-16T00:43:27Z")
Just to stir things up, I’m going to throw **Led Zeppelin II** out there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/31 "2011-06-16T00:49:52Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > Just to stir things up, I’m going to throw **Led Zeppelin II** out there. 🙂 I was waiting for somebody to throw that out. 🙂 I can see that as being defensible. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/32 "2011-06-16T00:55:40Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > Just to stir things up, I’m going to throw **Led Zeppelin II** out there. 🙂 I’m gonna start a “band’s whose best album was their third” just to disagree with you! ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/33 "2011-06-16T07:10:48Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Nirvana, Nevermind And of course _Live Through This_ by his wife’s band, Hole. Their first album is so abrasive it’s practically unlistenable. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/34 "2011-06-16T12:24:30Z")
Do EPs count as first albums? If so, I nominate **Murmur - R.E.M.** (Their first album being the EP _Chronic Town_.) ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/35 "2011-06-16T13:37:16Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > And of course _Live Through This_ by his wife’s band, Hole. Their first album is so abrasive it’s practically unlistenable. The most obvious one of all! Pretty on the Inside does have some interesting melodies beneath all the noise, but overall Live Through This is 100 times better. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/36 "2011-06-16T15:44:11Z")
Jethro Tull, _Stand Up._ I love all their early LPs but that remains my favorite. Overall, I think the Allman Brothers Band’s _Idlewild South_ is my favorite LP by them. I know she doesn’t meet the definition of “enduring” but my favorite album featuring Janis Joplin is _Cheap Thrills_ (the second Big Brother LP). I would say the same for Cream’s _Disraeli Gears_. Another candidate is Simon & Garfunkel’s _Sounds of Silence._ Fairport Convention took a big leap forward with _What We Did on Our Holidays,_ but I’m not sure I would call it their best. Similarly, Neil Young’s _Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere_ is great, but probably narrowly beaten by its successor. And _The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan_ is great, but he did a couple other pretty good ones after that… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/37 "2011-06-16T16:51:11Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Do EPs count as first albums? I guess it wasn’t officially settled, but by the voting here and in the first album poll (where _Murmur_ gets a mention), it likes like no. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/38 "2011-06-16T17:07:02Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > Overall, I think the Allman Brothers Band’s _Idlewild South_ is my favorite LP by them. There’s a good argument that it’s their best all-studio album. In terms of their whole body of work, not a lot of people are going to put Idlewild South ahead of At Fillmore East and Eat a Peach. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/39 "2011-06-16T17:09:59Z")
(Not sure if this counts given the nature of the group, but…) Déjà Vu - Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481/40 "2011-06-16T17:35:52Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > There’s a good argument that it’s their best all-studio album. In terms of their whole body of work, not a lot of people are going to put Idlewild South ahead of At Fillmore East and Eat a Peach. This is true, but I’m a bit of an outlier… I actually think _Eat a Peach_ is a little overrated. Lots of excellent stuff, but I find it a bit bloated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enduring-musical-acts-whose-second-albums-were-their-best/585481.md?page=3)