Albums That Reached #1; Their Predecessor Is Better

Yesterday while listening to Thick As a Brick, I was thinking about albums that reached #1 on the Billboard charts at some point, but nowadays we typically hold its predecessor (which did not reach #1) in higher regard.

Here are just a few that came to mind:

Thick As a Brick (#1), Aqualung (#7) - Jethro Tull
For Those About To Rock (#1), Back In Black (#4) - AC/DC
Catch Bull at Four (#1), Teaser and The Firecat (#2) - Cat Stevens
Seventh Sojourn (#1), Days of Future Past* (#3) - The Moody Blues

*Technically Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is the real predecessor to Seventh Sojourn but the 1967 album was high in the charts in late 1972 right at the time Seventh Sojourn was released due to the single release of Nights In White Satin.

I also considered listing Led Zeppelin II, but I think most fans prefer it to the debut album (this one prefers the former over the latter).

In most of these cases, the predecessor is the breakthrough album for the artist and the follow-up is released during the hype.

Do any more come to mind?

 

Bowie's Tonight went to number 1. It's predecessor Let's Dance is a better album. Just.

 

As much as I enjoy Graceland, I've always thought Hearts and Bones was Paul Simon's best album.

 

There are a lot of Jethro Tull fans who would challenge the assertion that Aqualung is better than Thick as a Brick. I personally prefer Aqualung (though it's close), but many fans feel otherwise.

 

Emotional Rescue #1
Some Girls #2

 

But you're only as good as your last album. It makes sense that a lacklustre album could get to number one because it was the followup to an album that was popular: maybe that first album had a slow burn, many people came to love it, and expectations for the follow up were high. Boom, number one. But if that number one album doesn't meet the expectations, the fall off can be precipitous with subsequent albums.

I expect the next Arctic Monkeys album to go to number one in the US - their last album got to number 6 but it hung around for *ages*. Possibly the next St Vincent album will get there too.

 

Automatic For the People-- #2
Monster-- #1

 

I thought it was the fans (and the critics) that prefer Aqualung over Thick As a Brick. It certainly wasn't a personal preference as I don't believe I've ever listened to the entire Aqualung album (I've heard plenty of song from it on the radio, though).

Slow burn is a good way to put it.

Going back to Jethro Tull, A Passion Play is another one that hit #1, but only for one week and quickly fell off. It seems that there was hype in it coming after two great albums, but I've heard that this one wasn't near as good. That's another album I haven't ever heard, so I can't speak from experience.

 

Actually the critics were much impressed by TAB, it was Passion Play they didn't like.

 

Van Halen 5150 ... #1

Van Halen 1984 ... #2

 

These would have been my picks.

 

Bruuuuuuuuuuuce...
Darkness on the Edge of Town (#5) and Nebraska (#3). (The River and BITUSA both got to #1...I like them, but the other two are my all time favorites of his.)

 

Out of the Blue - #4
Discovery - #1

 

Yes-Tales From Topographic Oceans #1
Yes-Close To The Edge #4
Yes-Fragile #7
Yes-The Yes Album #4

 

Though opinion vary regarding the relative quality (which album was better - some actually prefer Kid A), but a good example of a low (ish) charting album followed by a "straight in at #1 album" (in the US chart) is:

OK Computer - US #21
Kid A - US #1

Despite this OK Computer sold more copies to date

 

Billy Joel:
The Stranger (2)
52nd Street (1)

 

US

Pat Benatar: Crimes Of Passion (#2), Precious Time (#1)
Madonna: Ray Of Light (#2), Music (#1)
U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind (#3), How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (#1)
Fleetwood Mac: Tusk (#4), Mirage (#1)
Sade: Diamond Life (#5), Promise (#1)
Boston: Boston (#3), Don't Look Back and Third Stage (#1's)
Anita Baker: Rapture (#11), Giving You The Best That I Got (#1)
Depeche Mode: Violator (#7), Songs Of Faith And Devotion (#1)
Aerosmith: Pump (#5), Get A Grip (#1)

 

yes and yes

 

Some very good examples there. Aerosmith and Boston without question.

 

Yes, but barely. I also really like 52nd Street, but I suppose The Stranger beats it just a bit.

 

Some may argue this one:

Michael Jackson
Off The Wall #3
Thriller #1
(US)

 

The Modest Mouse rise is the charts is proportional to the drop in quality of their output:

The Moon and Antarctica: #120
Good News for People Who Love Bad News: #18
We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank: Straight to #1 on the first week

 

Harvest (#1) and After The Gold Rush (#8) is another example. I believe Harvest is more loved by the fans, but After The Gold Rush is preferred by the critics. Personally, I prefer Harvest by a slight margin.

Unlike previous examples I've mentioned, it seems that in this case it was the follow-up album that put the artist on the map more than its predecessor. The 1972 LP yielded a couple of hit singles and was the best-selling album of the year.

 

Some of these you may disagree with, but IMO:
Foreigner - 4 (#1), Head Games (#5)
Bat Out Of Hell 2 (#1), Bat Out Of Hell (#14)
Rage Against The Machine-Evil Empire (#1), Rage Against The Machine (#45)
Queen-The Game (#1), Night At The Opera (#4)
Police-Syncronicity (#1), Reggatta de Blanc (#25)

 

I agree on all except I do prefer After the Goldrush. Welcome, btw.