Prog Bands that had a great debut and a poor 2nd album

[WytchCrypt]

This is the opposite thread to the one asking for prog bands that had a poor debut and great 2nd album.

What prog bands had the "sophomore slump" - a great debut and poor 2nd album?

Fireballet - Night on Bald Mountain > Two Too (the cover of Two Too is a clue that something's gone horribly wrong)
Peter Gabriel - PG1 > PG2 (don't like Fripp's production and the songs aren't as strong)
Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte > Please Don't Touch (other than Vicarage I've never liked Please Don't Touch)
Steve Howe - Beginnings > The Steve Howe Album (I know I know, but I actually like Steve Howe's voice)
Shadowfax - Watercourse Way > Shadowfax (to be fair, a few years after the debut the band went Wyndham Hill label "New Age" so this is kinda apples and oranges)

[mogrooves]

PF
ELP
ELO
Spirit

[snowsnow]

Agree with the OP re Peter Gabriel's first 2 albums. Not sure if his debut was great but a very good effort. 2nd not so strong for me.

Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow - Song of Seven (though I do love the title track!)

Expect someone will nominate Mike Oldfield - but I think his debut is the weakest out of his opening 4 albums.

[Rufus]

^^^Song of Seven is his best solo album IMO

Agree with PG
Starcastle's 2nd album was poor though liked the first
Though not prog, Phil Collins's second album was a massive improvement on the debut

[Modry Effekt]

Dedalus
Nine Days Wonder

[Adrian]

Astra. The Black Chord was a significant step down from The Weirding.

[Yves]

Astra. The Black Chord was a significant step down from The Weirding.

I couldn't disagree more. I liked The Weirding well enough but The Black Chord was my top album of 2012. I found it harder, darker, and more streamlined... To each his own I guess..

The first thing that popped into my head when I saw this thread was The Crucible. Tall Tales was, imo, a far superior release than Curtains.

[Facelift]

If I take "great" and "poor" at face value ("great" meaning an album I'd rate at least a 9/10; poor meaning something I'd rate at best, say, 3/10) I'm not sure much comes to mind.

First great, second mediocre - yes, there are some notables in that regard. Or, first is very good and the second is poor- I can think of a few of those offhand, too. But great to poor... I actually can't think of any at all, off the top of my head.

[Wah3]

Maybe Journey. I much prefer their first album over their second.

Agree about Shadowfax but not about Peter Gabriel or Steve Hackett.

[bRETT]

Most would say Badger, but I like the second album (and Allen Toussaint's work in general). Sure was a left turn though.

[Rufus]

Defo King Crimson

[Larry Canary]

Poseidon is not a poor album by any stretch

[GuitarGeek]

Poseidon is not a poor album by any stretch

...I know the point is (probably) moot, King Crimson really got going on Lizard, anyway.

[gpeccary]

Transatlantic

[Rufus]

Genesis

[bill g]

I suppose Mike Rutherford, and Journey

Can't really think of anyone else. I like the Sophomore albums from King Crimson, Fireballet, Hackett (tho prefer the debut in his case)

[snowsnow]

Transatlantic

How different we all our - which makes this place interesting (usually)
Bridge across Forever is my favourite album of theirs. It sounds, to my ears, as a far more cohesive record than the debut - though All of the Above has some great moments.

[Lebofsky]

I like Poseidon MUCH better than In the Court of the Crimson King. Don't get me started on that rant. I also like Please Don't Touch about the same as Voyage of the Acolyte, maybe a *little* more. Nevertheless these are taste preferences, but I don't think anybody could make a quantitative argument that these second albums are "poor."

- Matt

[Digital_Man]

Poseidon could be said to be an imitation of Court but I agree that that by itself doesn't make it poor.

I never heard Crucible's "curtains." I liked Tall Tales for the most part even though I felt it was somewhat over rated. If Curtains isn't as good then I think I'll stay away. I believe both are oop anyway.

[Progatron]

I never heard Crucible's "curtains." I liked Tall Tales for the most part even though I felt it was somewhat over rated. If Curtains isn't as good then I think I'll stay away. I believe both are oop anyway.

A good contender for this thread. Tall Tales is a very strong debut and Curtains was a very disappointing followup, aside from a smashing cover of Crack The Sky's "Nuclear Apathy". I still would like to have seen what a third album would have been like.

[PeterG]

Pink Floyd - end of list.

Nothing else qualifies IMO

[bill g]

Poseidon had a certain magic-with both this and Lizard, the cover was included in the magic, and the music matched the cover very well-there's a feeling there that is hard to convey in words. This might be there a bit on 'Court' too, but I think it is stronger on the next two. (Islands has its own mood too). Because of this I've never been convinced Poseidon is in any way inferior to Court.

[flowerking]

Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte > Please Don't Touch (other than Vicarage I've never liked Please Don't Touch)

I disagree with this. Sure Please Don't Touch doesn't reach the heights of Voyage but its nowhere near a slump. Its a fine collection of very different styles of songs, showcasing not only Hackett's guitar playing but his diverse interest in music.

[Digital_Man]

^Maybe even a bit too diverse. To me it kind of sounds like he's spreading himself a bit thin on that one. Come on pick a style Steve. I do like the title track and "carry on up the vicarage" though. VOTA on the other hand is better than most Genesis albums. I do admit that PDT is not a weak album and I still wouldn't call it poor.

[markwoll]

FM - Black Noise was awesome, Direct-To-Disk or Surveillance (depending or which you consider 2nd )not as much
The Allan Parsons Project -Tales of Mystery and Imagination vs I Robot ( and pretty much most of what came afterwards )

mark