10 Biggest Sophomore Slumps In Music History

Not every band can claim to put their best foot forward on their first record. As much as you might think you have the goods right out of the gate, some of the greatest acts in the world have debuts that feel more like looking at old baby pictures than actual music. When you did make lightning strike on the first try though, things can take a bit of a gnarly turn once you reach the next record.

Although not every one of these acts can claim to have fallen from grace too bad, these records are surely a step down from their first outings, almost like they have a bad case of same song-itis through most of the track listing. Throughout most of these records, you can tell that these artists had new ideas...just with no real consistency, leaving most of these experiences feeling either half baked or the discount version of what we've loved in the first place.

Aside from the songs themselves, these records can also fall victim to the more intricate sides of playing, whether it be a lineup switch halfway through or getting bitten in the ass by some of the worst production of their career. As much as these acts were able to wow us at first, these are far from them in their best light.

When it comes to the era of dad rock, the Traveling Wilburys were the perfect package in the late '80s. After reinventing the rock landscape in the '60s, giants like George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Roy Orbison came together with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne to create one of the greatest collaborations of the modern age. Then Vol. 3 comes and answers the question...what happens if you take the super out of the supergroup?

Granted, a lot of this is probably helped by the fact that Orbison was not around after passing away during the promotion for the first record, which makes this entire project feel like it's made out of obligation more than anything. Whereas the first record felt like a great jam session among friends, a lot of this feels slapdash at best, with Dylan's throwaway songs being far too prominent in the mix.

Even when Harrison or Petty step up to the mic, songs like Cool Dry Place are not necessarily top tier stuff from the people who gave you Here Comes the Sun and Refugee. There are a few shining lights like Inside Out and Wilbury Twist, but these just feel like passable tracks that would have turned up on these artists' solo work. At best, most of this record is just forgettable...and these are musicians who shouldn't be in the same area as forgettable.