Bands.

Is there a better debut album than Placebo's self-titled one? Well, there are, but not very many. I like the group a lot but their work, taken as a whole, puts them on the second-tier category for me. But if all their albums were like their first, they'd be tier-one all the way. The same goes for Suede, now that I think about it. Brilliant debut, followed by a string of good but somehow flawed albums. Compare both of these groups to Radiohead, whose debut album was just above-average except for the standout hit "Creep," and then the band topped it with a much more polished second effort, and the rest is history. Like the Beatles, from fairly conventional beginnings, they went on to completely define a new sound. When someone asks you what genre Radiohead (or The Beatles) are, you just kinda scratch your head and say... "Radiohead." Bowie has always done his own thing as well. Then there are groups whose sound always stays the same; they play it safe and stay with what works. Exhibit A: The Cranberries. Anyways, just some observations about what bands do after their debut album. This could be a topic that went on and on, but then I would lose my tiny readership entirely.

But for fun, can you think a good examples of bands that you like that a) Had a great debut album which they never matched again, b) Had inauspicious beginnings but grew to be a great band, and c) A band which always put out good material but never really pushed their creative frontiers? Be fun to see what people come up with.