10 Legendary Music Artists That Never Got Better Than Their Debut Record

Of all the greatest years for rock and roll, there's something to be said about how much times were changing in 1978. Out of all the debuts that year, we got people like Devo leading the way for post punk along with newcomers like Steely Dan gaining some traction around this time as well. Those were the technical players though, and there was nothing wrong with having some nice power pop sprinkled into the mix either.

For all of the great albums on this list, The Cars might end up being one of the most successful on the radio, with nearly half of the songs holding up as classic rock staples in recent years. When you look back on some of these songs, the sheen of My Best Friend's Girl or Just What I Needed are still the building blocks for people to get into rock and roll, with keyboards being swapped for guitars most of the time.

Though it's easy to think of many great songs by the Cars after this like You Might Think or Magic, your humble author is not alone when it comes to this being their crowning achievement. In the years since the band's spotlight has faded, some of the band members have called this the best record they have ever made, even jokingly referring to it as The Cars' Greatest Hits. Whether they are the greatest is up for debate, but there's no chance of getting this much quality on a pop record any time soon.