10 Legendary Rock Bands With Sophomore Slump Albums

First things first, A Saucerful of Secrets is far from the worst Pink Floyd album. As a worthy successor to their album Piper at the Gates of Dawn, this is a pretty respectful entry in their catalog as well, going for something a little bit more ambitious in terms of psychedelic rock. What makes this a sophomore slump for the band though is that it marks the beginning of the end for the band that we got to know at this stage of their career.

In between tours for both of these albums, bandleader Syd Barrett started to really go off the rails, with his mental health steadily declining and being unable to function for shows and even recording sessions. Though you can hear the band still trying to work through the setbacks here, they still make for some intriguing songs, like the eerie flavor of Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.

By the time that the record had actually come out though, Floyd already had David Gilmour on hand, serving as another guitarist filling out Barrett's parts before becoming a full member of the band after Syd's departure. Though this might be one of the few albums that features every classic member of Pink Floyd, you can't help but feel bittersweet as you see Syd going more and more off the rails on the tracks. The future of the band was going to be a lot different without Syd at the helm, but his presence was about to haunt the band's music for many years to come.