baimun
Funkasaurus Rex
There are many statistical, environmental factors that come into play with bands debut, second, and later releases.
Debut albums... songs that may be 10 years old... stuff that has percolated out of their set lists and become local crowd favorites.
If the first album takes off and a band gets the attention of their studios, then the second album is infused with more money, studio time, better production, and the band is often playing to larger crowds than they ever have, so energy... ideas.... Oh YEEEAAAHH.....
Third, Fourth, and Later albums..... depends on the number and size of the egos in the band. It takes a pretty big ego to stand in front of 20,000 people and say "LOOK AT ME MOTHER FUCKERS!" so often times those egos collide (or the band was built around a volatile chemistry in the first place)
Factor in the songbook well might be tapped out.... or studio songwriters are brought in which can sometimes help, sometimes hinder, the writing and recording process, or change the feel of the band's songs. Then the later albums almost always have some songs (or a whole album of) "We wanted to branch out and try something new/experimental/got the green light from the studio to indulge our creative desires for an album of unlistenable drek".
Obviously there are exceptions to the rule... bands where everyone is a fucking cool as cucumbers, or there was a strong vision and the band was built around it, or bands that reinvent themselves for a new energy (and arguably starting the above cycles over)... but the music industry is a machine that like repeatable success, so it uses many templates over and over, or cycles through them generationally.... and some musicians jump on that machine and ride it.... while others get chewed up in the gears, or drugs, or any of the hurdles above.
Debut albums... songs that may be 10 years old... stuff that has percolated out of their set lists and become local crowd favorites.
If the first album takes off and a band gets the attention of their studios, then the second album is infused with more money, studio time, better production, and the band is often playing to larger crowds than they ever have, so energy... ideas.... Oh YEEEAAAHH.....
Third, Fourth, and Later albums..... depends on the number and size of the egos in the band. It takes a pretty big ego to stand in front of 20,000 people and say "LOOK AT ME MOTHER FUCKERS!" so often times those egos collide (or the band was built around a volatile chemistry in the first place)
Factor in the songbook well might be tapped out.... or studio songwriters are brought in which can sometimes help, sometimes hinder, the writing and recording process, or change the feel of the band's songs. Then the later albums almost always have some songs (or a whole album of) "We wanted to branch out and try something new/experimental/got the green light from the studio to indulge our creative desires for an album of unlistenable drek".
Obviously there are exceptions to the rule... bands where everyone is a fucking cool as cucumbers, or there was a strong vision and the band was built around it, or bands that reinvent themselves for a new energy (and arguably starting the above cycles over)... but the music industry is a machine that like repeatable success, so it uses many templates over and over, or cycles through them generationally.... and some musicians jump on that machine and ride it.... while others get chewed up in the gears, or drugs, or any of the hurdles above.