Follow up albums that equalled or topped a landmark album

[HOF]

I'm always kind of fascinated by the albums that follow up "landmark" albums. Using that term somewhat broadly/vaguely, but thinking of the albums that might be considered a band's or artist's masterpiece, or most critically acclaimed, or general fan favorite, or maybe just the most commercially successful. The next one isn't always better, and in fact in most cases it's probably not. But I can think of a good number of bands where I personally feel that the follow up album is just as good or better than the one that might be considered more of a landmark album.

In random order:

Dream Theater - Awake (following I&W)
Marillion - Clutching at Straws (following Misplaced Childhood)
Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight (following Brave)
Rush - Signals (following Moving Pictures)
Genesis - A Trick of the Tail (following The Lamb, but arguably Selling England by the Pound is the bigger landmark album)
U2 - Achtung Baby (following Joshua Tree)
Pearl Jam - Vs. (following Ten)
Eric Johnson - Venus Isle (following Ah Via Musicom)
Extreme - III Sides to Every Story (following Pornograffiti)
Journey - Frontiers (following Escape)
King Crimson - Beat (following Discipline)
Mr. Big - Bump Ahead (following Lean Into It)
Phil Collins - But Seriously (following No Jacket Required)
Queensryche - Empire (following Operation: Mindcrime)
R.E.M. - Monster (following Automatic for the People)
Tears for Fears - The Seeds of Love (following Songs from the Big Chair)

[Indiscipline]

Too many to list.

The Beatles: White Album following Sgt Pepper
Iron Maiden: Piece of Mind following The Number of the Beast
Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here following Dark Side of the Moon

[WilliamMunny]

I'm always kind of fascinated by the albums that follow up "landmark" albums. Using that term somewhat broadly/vaguely, but thinking of the albums that might be considered a band's or artist's masterpiece, or most critically acclaimed, or general fan favorite, or maybe just the most commercially successful. The next one isn't always better, and in fact in most cases it's probably not. But I can think of a good number of bands where I personally feel that the follow up album is just as good or better than the one that might be considered more of a landmark album.

In random order:

Dream Theater - Awake (following I&W)
Marillion - Clutching at Straws (following Misplaced Childhood)
Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight (following Brave)
Rush - Signals (following Moving Pictures)
Genesis - A Trick of the Tail (following The Lamb, but arguably Selling England by the Pound is the bigger landmark album)
U2 - Achtung Baby (following Joshua Tree)
Pearl Jam - Vs. (following Ten)
Eric Johnson - Venus Isle (following Ah Via Musicom)
Extreme - III Sides to Every Story (following Pornograffiti)
Journey - Frontiers (following Escape)
King Crimson - Beat (following Discipline)
Mr. Big - Bump Ahead (following Lean Into It)
Phil Collins - But Seriously (following No Jacket Required)
Queensryche - Empire (following Operation: Mindcrime)
R.E.M. - Monster (following Automatic for the People)
Tears for Fears - The Seeds of Love (following Songs from the Big Chair)

[/b]

I'll second all of those, especially Journey.

As for R.E.M., I LOVE Monster, but Automatic is a personal top-5 album (and I think very highly regarded among their fanbase), so for them I'd probably go with Document following Lifes Rich Pageant (splitting hairs here)

I'll also add: Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy (following IV)

[lonestar]

How about 3 in a row....

The Who - Quadrophenia following Who's Next following Tommy

[King Postwhore]

Close to the Edge (following Fragile) - Yes.

[romdrums]

Dream Theater: Six Degrees following up SFAM.
Haken: Affinity following up The Mountain.

[TAC]

On what planet does Extreme and Mr. Big have a landmark album?

[HOF]

On what planet does Extreme and Mr. Big have a landmark album?

It's all relative, but those were both platinum albums in the US and beyond. They each sold more than Operation: Mindcrime for example!

I'm always kind of fascinated by the albums that follow up "landmark" albums. Using that term somewhat broadly/vaguely, but thinking of the albums that might be considered a band's or artist's masterpiece, or most critically acclaimed, or general fan favorite, or maybe just the most commercially successful.

[ganpondorodf]

Dream Theater: Six Degrees following up SFAM.
Haken: Affinity following up The Mountain.

Good shout, Affinity is probably my favorite Haken album.

Bad Religion: No Control following Suffer, and again fifteenish years later when Empire Strikes First followed The Process of Belief... and ANOTHER fifteen years later again when Age of Unreason followed True North.

BTBAM: The Great Misdirect following Colors, though Misdirect was for sure a slow burn for me.

[TAC]

On what planet does Extreme and Mr. Big have a landmark album?

It's all relative, but those were both platinum albums in the US and beyond. They each sold more than Operation Mindcrime for example!

I'm always kind of fascinated by the albums that follow up "landmark" albums. Using that term somewhat broadly/vaguely, but thinking of the albums that might be considered a band's or artist's masterpiece, or most critically acclaimed, or general fan favorite, or maybe just the most commercially successful.

Oh ok. I didn’t read the OP thoroughly. 

[HOF]

Close to the Edge (following Fragile) - Yes.

Yeah, I really should have included this pairing. Was having a hard time deciding which of the two were more of a "landmark," but from a commercial standpoint it was probably Fragile.

[HOF]

As for R.E.M., I LOVE Monster, but Automatic is a personal top-5 album (and I think very highly regarded among their fanbase), so for them I'd probably go with Document following Lifes Rich Pageant (splitting hairs here)

Monster is very much a sentimental favorite for me. I think Automatic is probably the stronger artistic statement, but Monster was one of the first albums I owned as a kid so I still hold it in as high or higher esteem.

[Indiscipline]

Faith No More: Angel Dust following The Real Thing

[nick_z]

Dream Theater - Awake (following I&W)
Marillion - Clutching at Straws (following Misplaced Childhood)
U2 - Achtung Baby (following Joshua Tree)
Journey - Frontiers (following Escape)

Nice thread and some really good ones here. Quoting the ones I'm wholeheartedly seconding.

I&W is my #1, but it's pretty amazing how DT came up with an album that's quite different and almost as good (in my book). Marillion too - in this case, Clutching might well be my favorite.

I'm adding a couple myself:

Paradise Lost - Draconian Times (following Icon) (Ok, maybe some people wouldn't considered Icon their landmark...perhaps Gothic was the truly "innovative" one, but Icon did put them on the map big time. And Draconian Times was basically as good.)

Tori Amos - Under the Pink (following Little Earthquakes)
Tool - Lateralus (following Ænima)...although maybe fans consider Lateralus more of a landmark?
Faith No More - Angel Dust (following The Real Thing)

[nick_z]

Faith No More: Angel Dust following The Real Thing

you just ninja'd me 

[WilliamMunny]

As for R.E.M., I LOVE Monster, but Automatic is a personal top-5 album (and I think very highly regarded among their fanbase), so for them I'd probably go with Document following Lifes Rich Pageant (splitting hairs here)

Monster is very much a sentimental favorite for me. I think Automatic is probably the stronger artistic statement, but Monster was one of the first albums I owned as a kid so I still hold it in as high or higher esteem.

Same here!

I feel like the album was misunderstood/lumped in with the alt-rock thing, but R.E.M. was really channeling their love '70s glam on that one...also, "You" might be my favorite album-closer in their catalog.

[soupytwist]

Surely REM is Out of Time to Automatic?

[HOF]

Surely REM is Out of Time to Automatic?

Possibly, though I'm generally not a big fan of Out of Time apart from the singles.

[WilliamMunny]

Surely REM is Out of Time to Automatic?

You may technically be correct there...

[soupytwist]

Surely REM is Out of Time to Automatic?

Possibly, though I'm generally not a big fan of Out of Time apart from the singles.

In terms of sales those are the big two albums though.

[HOF]

Surely REM is Out of Time to Automatic?

Possibly, though I'm generally not a big fan of Out of Time apart from the singles.

In terms of sales those are the big two albums though.

Yeah, I think that's fair to say.

[King Postwhore]

I would have said, Automatic For the People over its higest selling predecessor Out of Time.

[MirrorMask]

Some not yet mentioned:

Bruce Dickinson: The Chemical Wedding topped the already fantastic Accident of Birth
Blind Guardian: Imaginations from the Other Side topped the already magnificent Somewhere Far Beyond.
Rage: End of All Days was on par with the masterpiece Black in Mind.
Virgin Steele: Invictus was on par, if not even better, than TWO compaion albums, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell I & II.
Judas Priest: Defenders of the Faith surpassed the great Screaming for Vengeance.

[pg1067]

Black Sabbath - Mob Rules >/= Heaven and Hell

Fates Warning - Inside Out ~= Parallels

Genesis - A Trick of the Tail >>> The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind > The Number of the Beast

Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith >/= Screaming for Vengeance >> British Steel

Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman > Blizzard of Ozz

Rush - A Farewell to Kings > 2112

[Nick]

Marillion - Clutching at Straws (following Misplaced Childhood)

Too many to list.
Iron Maiden: Piece of Mind following The Number of the Beast
Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here following Dark Side of the Moon

Yes.

In random order:
Dream Theater - Awake (following I&W)
King Crimson - Beat (following Discipline)
Queensryche - Empire (following Operation: Mindcrime)

No.

Haken: Affinity following up The Mountain.

Absolutely not. More based on The Mountain being top than anything against Affinity.

---

Adding:
Rush - A Farewell to Kings after 2112. (although just seeing someone did mention that)
Transatlantic - BAF after SMPTe

[HOF]

Adding:

Transatlantic - BAF after SMPTe

Agree there, though that’s another case where I struggled to identify which album would be considered the landmark. In my view BAF is the landmark, though following SMPTe was no small task. I also think many TA fans would call The Whirlwind their landmark album (but I would not).

[Nick]

Adding:

Transatlantic - BAF after SMPTe

Agree there, though that’s another case where I struggled to identify which album would be considered the landmark. In my view BAF is the landmark, though following SMPTe was no small task. I also think many TA fans would call The Whirlwind their landmark album (but I would not).

SMPTe is a landmark in just existing. Those four brilliant minds coming together for an album just makes that initial release something truly special.

Just looking at the now extensive history Neal and Mike have, it all started there.

[Indiscipline]

Neal Morse: One following Testimony

[SoundscapeMN]

Disconnected following A Pleasant Shade of Gray
Catch Without Arms following El Cielo
Frances the Mute following Deloused in the Comatorium

[Stadler]

Faith No More: Angel Dust following The Real Thing

GREAT call. 

[billboy73]

The one that first comes to mind is:

...And Justice for All >>>> Master of Puppets


I agree on some of the others mentioned:

The Great Misdirect >>>> Colors

Vs. >>>> Ten

Monster >>>> Automatic

[Animal]

Jethro Tull - Aqualung followed by Thick as a Brick

[King Postwhore]

I love VS but it's not better than Ten.

[nick_z]

I love VS but it's not better than Ten.

Yep, I would agree with this

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Frances the Mute following Deloused in the Comatorium

The Great Misdirect >>>> Colors

These are the ones that immediately come to mind.