Artists which have released a bench mark album....then topped it.

[Pavilionaire]

The Chemical Brothers first album "Exit Planet Dust" was innovative and excellent, then they released the sublime and - for me - unparalleled "Dig Your Own Hole".

20 years ago, still sounds fresh as a daisy.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Cocteau Twins went uphill from a good start for nearly a decade.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Spiritualised?

 

[Pevenseagull]

Bongwater
Double Bummer . Good
Too Much Sleep. BENCHMARK
The Power Of Pussy. .... different class ....... oh, and Pulp

 

[Grombleton]

The Album Leaf.

Loved 'In A Safe Place'. ADORED 'Into The Blue Again'.

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

Pixies c'mon pilgrim, surfer Rosa, ......DOOLITTLE!!!!

The first thing that I thought to post when I read the OP. Beaten to it.

I'll add Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream -> Mellon Collie.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

'Live At The Witch Trials' was The Fall setting their astounding stall out. So many albums, crises and personnel changes later, 'Reformation Post TLC' just edges it for me.

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

ELO, A New World Record - trumped with: Out of the Blue... Simply staggering.

And before you say it :/ I've always been a fan, even when ELO was THE byword for shite in one or two critical circles. Ahem.

Agreed... to be honest think Discovery is pretty brilliant too but after that.... welll

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

Prefab did it twice swoon to Steve McQueen to Langley Park... and thirdly with the heavily underrated but masterfully well written Jordan the Comeback.

Rush - 2112 to Moving pictures - a massive 5 album surge and then it all went downhill

Marillion three times..... every album a hug improvement on what were already masterful albums of their time..... and I mean Fish - Marillion here.

More recently, it's hard to look past the first two Linkin Park albums and perhaps the last two albums of Bring me the Horizon


For the really rare.... the man is Paul Kelly - Gossip, Under the Sun, So much water and Comedy

 

[LennyD]

Has anybody mentioned Nirvana yet?

 

[kevo]

Unknown Pleasures is pretty much imperious, so no-one say Joy Division, OK?

I said it already. Closer tops it.

 

[studio150]

Erm, I going to be a bit of pedant here, but that's 'Sergeant Pepper' s', (which nobody ever actually listens to in it's entirety because half of it is a bit shit), 'Magical Mystery Tour' and Yellow Submarine.

Hey Bulldog's pretty good.

Magical Mystery Tour was originally released as a double ep in ths UK and therefore doesn't count as an album. Also alrhough credited as a Beatles album the 2nd side if Yellow Submarine is film score music. And the Yellow Submarine songbook was released well after the Beatles had finished
.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

And Also The Trees. Lucky to have seen them several times in the last 10 years, given they now live i France and didn't play in the UK for nearly 20 years:

Virus Meadow (1986)
The Millpond Years (1988)
Farewell to the Shade (1989)

Step by step these albums evolve with great elegance. I saw them last uear in London, doing a retrospective. It was Emotional

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

If its little known bands you're after:

VNVNation - Advance and follow, then Praise the Fallen

Apoptygma Berserk - 7, then Welcome to Earth

Velvet Acid Christ - Church of acid, then Twisted Thought generator

Caravan - Land of pink and greay, then For girls who grow plump in the night.

 

[studio150]

If its little known bands you're after:

VNVNation - Advance and follow, then Praise the Fallen

Apoptygma Berserk - 7, then Welcome to Earth

Velvet Acid Christ - Church of acid, then Twisted Thought generator

Caravan - Land of pink and greay, then For girls who grow plump in the night.

I wouldn't class Caravan as little know if you know 70s music

 

[Whitechapel]

The Streets

"Mike, your debut album Original Pirate Material is being described as one of the best albums of the decade, it's a masterpiece. People love it. How are you ever going to top that?"

"Well, for my 2nd album I'm going to tell a story. It'll be one of, if not the best example of Hip-Hopera ever and we're going to spawn three Top 10 singles including a number one. I'm going to produce all the beats too, because I can and I'm going to do all of it in my flat with no big name features or help because why the f*ck not? I'm going to call it... A Grand Don't Come For Free

 

[LlcoolJ]

The Streets

"Mike, your debut album Original Pirate Material is being described as one of the best albums of the decade, it's a masterpiece. People love it. How are you ever going to top that?"

"Well, for my 2nd album I'm going to tell a story. It'll be one of, if not the best example of Hip-Hopera ever and we're going to spawn three Top 10 singles including a number one. I'm going to produce all the beats too, because I can and I'm going to do all of it in my flat with no big name features or help because why the f*ck not? I'm going to call it... A Grand Don't Come For Free

What a ****ing album that is. Not actually an album, a story that just happens to contain some bloody great tunes. I love it.

 

[Captain Sensible]

Pink Floyd,
Dark Side Of The Moon 1975
Wish You Were Here 1977

End of thread....

 

[indy3050]

The 3rd Album 'Be Here Now' was one of the great letdowns.

I agree that at the time, people's expectations were sky high for that 3rd album so in that respect yes it was a letdown. The whole band and production team were off their tits from start to finish of that album. Rumour has it that the brothers Galagher sent one of them out to buy an 8th of weed and he returned with an 8th of cocaine! There was also huge amounts paronioa and infighting (Noel and Liam's relationship was at rock bottom) but listening back to Be Here Now these days I actually REALLY enjoy it! It was definitely the 'best of the rest' of their catalogue but saying that Heathern Chemistry pushes it in my opinion because it holds some of thier finest anthems. I can't and never have been able to pick one of Definetly Maybe or What's the Story because they both meant so much to me for different reasons at the most exciting time of my life, the mid 90's

 

[BadFish]

The Cure, ..... twice ..Three Imaginary Boys, Faith, Disintegration.

You can throw, Pornography, Seventeen Seconds and Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me in there as well