the difficult second Lp

Cream had three great ones!

couldn't sleep last night, so instead of counting sheep i though of two others:
1. moby grape--wow. depending on my mood i believe their first record was the greatest pop album ever (or at least the greatest debut), but this one's a mess, with all sorts of misplaced strings, horns and other such drivel. the songs themselves are actually quite good--skillful/clever--but it just don't swing. i don't think anyone's ever listened to the "grape jam" on disc 2.
2. the byrds--turn turn. by no means a bad record (the gene clark songs are among his greatest), but most of the rest sounds like leftovers from the first record.

The Cars made a near perfect debut that sounded like a greatest hits album..."Candy-O", although far from a stinker, was a noticeable decline in quality... In fact the Cars never made a record as solid as their new wave classic debut...an argument can be made for Cheap Trick as well

phase, it's hard to argue that cheap trick's second was a drop in quality--it's got 4-5 certifiable classics and, fwiw, is generally regarded as their masterpiece. that said, i also preferred their first, which i maintain is one of the best rawk records of all time. it didn't sell that much, so you can't blame 'em for opting for the glossier, more commercial direction that followed.
as for the cars, i respect their craft but was never a huge fan--they always sounded a bit like the 1910 fruitgum company to me (which is not necessarily a bad thing--"123 red light's" a cool song). looking back, their second album isn't close to their first, but the last track, dangerous type, is awesomish.

I disagree about The Doors "Strange Days" album. To my ears it is the equal of their debut album. I think the third "Waiting For The Sun" and the fourth "The Soft Parade" are weak efforts. Things got better with "Morrison Hotel" and LA Woman". My opinion.