10 Rock Albums That Peak With The Second Song

First the worst, second the best?

Rage Against The Machine
Epic

Starting an album off on the right foot is vital.

If the first track on a record is no good, then people probably won't stick around to hear the rest of it. However, sometimes a band can make the opening song too good and it ends up overshadowing everything that comes after it.

We've acknowledged this with a list of 10 Rock Albums That Peak With The First Song. Still, it's not just the opener that can put everything else on an album to shame.

Getting the second track right is just as important as succeeding with the first one. It's no good to have a really strong opening song if the one that comes immediately afterwards is a load of tripe.

These bands clearly understood that but, once again, they made the songs a little too impressive.

We are not saying that the rest of the songs on these albums are bad, nor are we saying that they are all bad albums. What we mean is that, in terms of quality or popularity, these lot hit their strides just two songs in.

It's a compliment, if you really think about it.

10. Love It To Death - Alice Cooper

Let's clear up some confusion before we get started.

This entry is about Alice Cooper the band, which was fronted by Alice Cooper the man until they broke up in 1974.

It's a weird one, but just try and keep up.

The group got their first taste of mainstream success with their third studio album Love It to Death in 1971. A large part of that success came from the record's lead single I'm Eighteen.

And wouldn't you know it - it was the second song on the album!

What are the odds?

As you can probably figure out, the song is about that awkward stage between being a child and an adult. Alice (the man) sings about not knowing what he wants from life and being uncertain of the future.

The fact that he was actually 22 when this song came out only slightly ruins it.

I'm Eighteen paved the way for the monster hit that was School's Out the following year and all the success that the band and the person would have in the future.

The rest of the album has some decent stuff on it, but nothing can match up to this teenage anthem.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.