daviddesper
02-16-2013, 12:04 AM
I don't recall if this subject has ever been addressed on here before or not, but when playing a certain CD today, the thought occurred to me that some of the artists in my collection released such a terrific debut album that they were never [[in my opinion at least) able to top it. Now I am not talking about record sales, chart position, etc. but rather just my own personal enjoyment of the music. Before I list some examples, be aware that I am an "old school" music fan, so from me at least we won't be talking Rihanna or anybody recent, but rather some of the classics.
Here are some of the artists that I think fit this category:
Freda Payne: Actually as soon as I typed her name, it occurred to me that she had some obscure earlier releases before Band of Gold, so therefore the comments that I was about to make about that album may not be valid, since it was not technically her debut. But since I have started the post, I may as well finish what I wanted to say. I just thought that B of G was a great song, as well as The Easiest Way to Fall, Unhooked Generation, and the SUPERB I Left Some Dreams Back There. It seemed like such a totally well-crafted album. She had some other good ones [[Reaching Out for example) but I just thought the Band of Gold album topped anything that followed it.
The Jones Girls: That first album rocked and their harmonies were amazing. The second album was nowhere near as good in my opinion, and after that, they rushed out two or three others in such rapid succession that I think quantity became more important than quality. Shirley's debut solo album was great though.
Odyssey: What an outstanding first album!!!! There was not a weak cut on there. Loved Native New Yorker of course, but also Golden Hands and Weekend Lover. The second album was abominable by comparison, especially that awful Lily and Harvey nonsense. They did bounce back nicely with the very good Hang Together album [[Love Love LOVED "Down Boy,") but after that they tanked big time and got lost in the disco shuffle.
Whitney Houston: Considering how long it took to produce this album and the anticipation of it, how could it have been anything but perfect? Again not a weak cut to be found. To her credit, the follow-up was "almost" as good and contained some sensational songs, but nothing after those two did it for me.
Martha Reeves [[solo): That Richard Perry album was fantastic and I had such high hopes that she would make it big as a solo artist. The one that followed on Arista [[Rest of My Life) was also a decent album that needs to be released on CD by the way, but the two that followed were an embarrassment to such a beloved artist.
Finally, although this is a soul-music board, there is a pop singer that I would include in this subject matter. I thought that Curtis Stigers' first album on Arista in the early 90s was terrific and that he had a real future as a power balladeer, but for some reason he almost immediately changed his style and is now more acoustic so that you don't hear his range at all.
OK, those are my nominees, at least the ones that I can think of at the moment.
Here are some of the artists that I think fit this category:
Freda Payne: Actually as soon as I typed her name, it occurred to me that she had some obscure earlier releases before Band of Gold, so therefore the comments that I was about to make about that album may not be valid, since it was not technically her debut. But since I have started the post, I may as well finish what I wanted to say. I just thought that B of G was a great song, as well as The Easiest Way to Fall, Unhooked Generation, and the SUPERB I Left Some Dreams Back There. It seemed like such a totally well-crafted album. She had some other good ones [[Reaching Out for example) but I just thought the Band of Gold album topped anything that followed it.
The Jones Girls: That first album rocked and their harmonies were amazing. The second album was nowhere near as good in my opinion, and after that, they rushed out two or three others in such rapid succession that I think quantity became more important than quality. Shirley's debut solo album was great though.
Odyssey: What an outstanding first album!!!! There was not a weak cut on there. Loved Native New Yorker of course, but also Golden Hands and Weekend Lover. The second album was abominable by comparison, especially that awful Lily and Harvey nonsense. They did bounce back nicely with the very good Hang Together album [[Love Love LOVED "Down Boy,") but after that they tanked big time and got lost in the disco shuffle.
Whitney Houston: Considering how long it took to produce this album and the anticipation of it, how could it have been anything but perfect? Again not a weak cut to be found. To her credit, the follow-up was "almost" as good and contained some sensational songs, but nothing after those two did it for me.
Martha Reeves [[solo): That Richard Perry album was fantastic and I had such high hopes that she would make it big as a solo artist. The one that followed on Arista [[Rest of My Life) was also a decent album that needs to be released on CD by the way, but the two that followed were an embarrassment to such a beloved artist.
Finally, although this is a soul-music board, there is a pop singer that I would include in this subject matter. I thought that Curtis Stigers' first album on Arista in the early 90s was terrific and that he had a real future as a power balladeer, but for some reason he almost immediately changed his style and is now more acoustic so that you don't hear his range at all.
OK, those are my nominees, at least the ones that I can think of at the moment.