3 of the Best Second Albums in Rock History

Many artists have expressed some variation of the following statement: You spend years writing and preparing your first record but have only limited time for the follow-up. Following a successful first album isn’t easy, and some bands, like Weezer or Guns N’ Roses, spend the rest of their careers trying to live up to groundbreaking debuts.

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Still, others, like those listed here, record a second album with an impact far beyond successful chart positions or sales. The second albums on this list helped propel rock history’s evolution and cemented these bands’ legendary status.

Oasis: ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’

When Oasis arrived from Manchester with Definitely Maybe, it could have been their Appetite For Destruction. A stellar debut that the Gallagher brothers couldn’t duplicate. But it wasn’t to be their story (Morning Glory). Instead, Noel Gallagher wrote “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back In Anger”, and “Champagne Supernova”. Did I mention “Some Might Say”?

The second Oasis album finally broke the band in America, and even if they’d have stopped here, they’d still be legends. This could have been a double album. “Talk Tonight”, “Acquiesce”, and “The Masterplan” were all B-sides to the album’s singles.

Led Zeppelin: ‘Led Zeppelin II’

“Whole Lotta Love” opens Led Zeppelin II with arguably the greatest guitar riff ever. Speaking of riffs, this LP also has “Heartbreaker”, and one of Led Zeppelin’s grooviest grooves, “Moby Dick”, which segues into a John Bonham drum solo. Then there’s “Ramble On” and “Thank You”, the latter being the band’s most gorgeous track.

Though Led Zeppelin was just getting warmed up in 1969, this one might be their best. It equally shows off the genius of each member in a near-perfect LP, forever changing rock music.

The Beach Boys: ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’

If it wasn’t apparent already, Brian Wilson emerged as a musical genius on Surfin’ U.S.A. The title track distilled American culture as vividly as any Norman Rockwell illustration, making The Beach Boys the country’s most important rock band. However, lurking beneath all the fun-in-the-sun vibrations and excitations was the melancholy driving Brian’s genius. “Lonely Sea” is so utterly sad and also features one of Brian’s most emotional vocal performances.

The second Beach Boys album also features Brian double-tracking the band’s vocals as he continued to emulate his hero, Phil Spector. He’d create his own Wall of Sound with beach vibes and voices. Surfin’ U.S.A. remains an important piece of American pop-culture history, and you can hear Brian working toward his pocket-symphony masterpiece, “Good Vibrations”.

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