BY MIKEY MIGO
"The Sophomore Jinx" is a huge "buzzword" that many people use pertaining to musicians. Once a band "breaks out" with a hot debut album with huge singles and acclaim they usually don't call it a day and end their careers right there. They move on and try to follow that hot debut up with a second album.
For the second album, a band may want to try something different than what got them to the "promise land" in the first place. Maybe they had one hit that got overplayed from the first album and want to get as far away from that as possible. Maybe they "changed" their style in the first place to be more main stream. Either way, we see this a lot in music. It's rough because on one hand you don't want to be considered a one-trick pony, but on the other hand it's really easy to release a watered down version of the hot debut.
Speaking of watered down versions of debut albums, that's another route many seem to go. Once a band or artist blows up in one specific style of music it's hard to stray away from that. The style they put out already proved to be in high demand so why not put out another album that sounds pretty much the same? Predicting supply and demand is rough in a world of ever evolving trends. In most cases, these bands are trying to capture lightning in a bottle again.
Let's take a look at a few random albums in my CD collection that I feel shook the stigma of the "Sophomore Jinx":
Musician: David Bowie
Sophomore Album: Space Oddity
This was the 1969 follow up to the self titled "David Bowie." In 1967, Bowie's first album was a bit heavy on the folk and contains none of the greatest hits that the thin white duke is renowned for. Yet, when you fast forward two years to the sophomore album you get bitch slapped with greatness. The first words you hear on "Space Oddity" are that of the title track. "Ground control to Major Tom…" Unless you live under a rock, you know that those words lead you through the magnificent journey that is the career of David Bowie.
Musicians: The Dresden Dolls
Sophomore Album: Yes, Virginia
Many would say that this is their third album, but I am going by what was more of a major release. Their self titled album is what gained them their notoriety and fame. With songs like "Girl Anachronism", "Half Jack", "Coin Operated Boy", and pretty much the entire album it would be hard to follow it up. The cabaret duo would attempt this feat with the release of "Yes, Virginia". In my opinion, they continued their success with their follow up. Songs like "Backstabber", "My Alcoholic Friends", and "Mrs. O" stand up to the test. The big single from this album was "Sing", which I saw the video numerous times on random music programming. Which is much more than I can say for the great singles from the first album. If anything, The Dresden Doll's sophomore album is a momentum builder for their long career to come.
Musicians: Tool
Sophomore Album: Aenima
Opiate was an EP so it really can't count as the first album. Undertow hit the shelves in 1993 and Alternative metal has never been the same. When you have an album that features "Sober" and "Prison Sex" it's hard to think of a band upping that ante. Yet, in 1996 Tool did just that with Aenima. The album contains a few iconic tracks that you may have heard like "Stinkfist", "Eulogy", and the some "Aenima", but also features "Hooker With A Penis", "H.", and "Forty Six & 2". It's a damn near perfect rock album that should be held in high regards by the entire music community. Tool continues to push their limits with great albums with a perspective on human nature that only these musical virtuosos can deliver.
Musicians: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Sophomore Album: Show Your Bones
I remember listening to their debut LP, "Fever to Tell" more than any other CD when it came out. It was fresh and everything I could have wanted. From the opening keys to "Rich" to the fade out of "Modern Romance" I was hooked. The next step in their evolution chart would be "Show Your Bones", which ended up being even better than "Fever to Tell" in my opinion. Songs like "Gold Lion", "Honey Bear", and "Warrior" stand out on this one. They didn't reinvent the wheel, but seemed to get a bit more experimental in their second big release. We also got what I consider to be one of the most underrated rock anthems made in the past 10 years in "Phenomena". Whenever I hear this song it makes me want to get back into the wrestling business just so I can strut my way to the ring to this tune.
Musician: Nine Inch Nails
Sophomore Album: The Downward Spiral
In the twilight of the 1980's, Trent Reznor released "Pretty Hate Machine" to a good amount of success. With songs like "Head Like a Hole", "Down In It", "Terrible Lie", and "Something I Can Never Have" it would be hard to deny this album it's lasting success. Before the next full length album, NIN would release the "Broken" EP. This was probably a good way to test the waters of what would come. And what came next was easily one of the top five albums of the 90's in "The Downward Spiral". Here we first heard the songs like "Closer", "Hurt", "Piggy", and a total of 14 classic tracks. It's safe to say that there was no "sophomore jinx" involved with this the release of what many regard as Nine Inch Nail's finest work. Following this up would result in a "junior jinx" so to speak, but with albums like "The Fragile" and "Year Zero" it's hard to deny the progress of truly great musicians.
Musicians: The Strokes
Sophomore Album: Room on Fire
I remember coming across an obscure review online back when their first album came out. I was hooked on "Last Night" and spread the word to as many of my friends who would listen. It even went as far getting drunk and "singing" "Last Night" in karaoke. I was hooked to the point of embarrassing myself was no longer an issue. When "Room on Fire" came out I was excited and reluctant. It turned out that this album would not only feature my all time favorite song by The Strokes in "Reptilia", but what I still consider their most complete album released to date. There are singles "12:51" and "What Ever Happened?", but also great B-Sides like "You Talk Way Too Much", "Meet Me In The Bathroom", and "I Can't Win" that made this stand out even more than the surprise hit of their first release. I still hold this album up against their most current release in "First Impressions of Earth", but would love to hear another. Get back together already!
Musician: Justin Timberlake
Sophomore Album: FutureSex/LoveSounds
After the hit singles of the first album, many would of expected Timberlake to indulge us with a flop for the second album. This was the farthest from the truth as we all know. The follow up album ended up being "FutureSex/LoveSounds" and we know how that went. The first single, "SexyBack" and it was quite possibly shoved down our throats with over saturation goodness. Yet what we got next was "What Goes Around Comes Around", "Love Stoned", and an album full of pop music that you don't have to hide from your friends. Back when I was a kid artists like Michael Jackson and Prince released pop music that anyone and everyone could enjoy and appreciate. Justin Timberlake achieved this feat with his second album.
There's many different stories about band's who struggled with sales and drawing a crowd when they release their follow up album. It all comes down to putting out the best music possible and carrying on no matter what. There have been plenty of bands that went through the "sophomore jinx", but the true talents are the ones who don't let it get to them. As the cliché goes, "The cream will always rise to the top."
What's your favorite sophomore album? What's sophomore album do you hate?
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