10 Sophomore Slump Albums By Amazing Bands

For the first few years of Bruce Springsteen’s career, the Boss’ main ambition was to run as far away from his heroes as he could. Even though his first album Greetings From Asbury Park gave him some local attention in his native Jersey, there were more than a few critics that were skeptical that they just found a rough and tumble version of Bob Dylan, hoping that he would just pick up the mantle that Mr. Zimmerman left on top. It was time to spread out for Springsteen, and his second album was when things started to get a little more loose.

As opposed to the sharp songwriting on his debut, there’s a more jam-based feel to this entire project, almost like you’re sitting in a sweaty gym watching these guys discover these songs in real time. Although Bruce’s tongue is as sharp as it’s always been, the stories on this album tend to meander a little bit more, giving Bruce much more time to spend with these characters before releasing them out into the wild once the rest of the song plays out.

Then again, that long runtime doesn’t make for the best single power either, with Kitty’s Back being one of his greatest songs that will probably never get played on the radio because of its 7 minute running time. This is the record that put the Boss’ back against the wall, but when you’re in that position, that’s what gives you the drive to make something like Born to Run.