Fourth time's the charm...

We've all heard of 'second album syndrome'. A band or singer put out a phenomenal debut effort and just can't match it on their next attempt. Bands like the Darkness, the Strokes and the Stone Roses all famously suffered from second album blues but fast forward two albums and there's another phenomena that is far less spoken about. A band's fourth album is often the culmination of their hard work and the evolution of their sound up to that point. For that reason there are many fourth albums that represent the peak of a band or singer's career. This doesn't mean that their musical output declines after this point, more that Album 4 often becomes the crown jewel in a stellar career. With that in mind here are five fourth albums that will forever stand as all time greats.

Toto: Toto IV

In 1982 Toto were a band struggling to live up to a hit debut album. Follow-ups 'Hydra' and 'Turn Back' achieved modest success but the band needed a hit album or be at risk of being dropped from Columbia Records. Enter 'Toto IV'. Tracks such as 'Make Believe' and 'I Won't Hold You Back' became big hits for the band and that's not even including the amazing 'Africa' or 'Rosanna' which gifted Toto one of it's 6 Grammy Awards for the album in 1983. To top it all off the band delayed touring the album so they could help on a little album called 'Thriller'. Talk about a band on fire!

Queen: A Night At The Opera

Queen were a band on the fringe of success. Their third effort 'Sheer Heart Attack' had been well received but a contract signed at the beginning of their careers meant that the band were making next to no money while their management reaped the rewards. 'Opera' was a make or break album. The most expensive album ever made at the time, Queen went all out and made the album they'd always dreamed of. The album stands tall as the one that sent Queen over the top on the road to becoming one of the biggest music acts in history. Still need convincing? Two words: Bohemian Rhapsody.

Def Leppard: Hysteria

Like Queen and Toto, Def Leppard were in a difficult position between albums 3 and 4. 'Pyromania' had been a huge success and even certified Diamond in the US. It was always going to be tough to create a follow up. Meat Loaf collaborator Jim Steinman started out on production duties but left due to creative differences. This was all before drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a horrific car accident. Allen stayed with the band and had a drum set customised to accommodate his amputation. It may have taken four years but 'Hysteria' eclipsed even the success of 'Pyromania'. 'Pour Some Sugar On Me', 'Animal' and 'Love Bites' were all monster hits and the band still perform most of the album to this day.

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin's career is full of such great albums that it's difficult to pick one as a highlight. Zep's fourth album saw the band coming off a lukewarm response to 'Led Zeppelin III'. Guitarist Jimmy Page purposefully left the album untitled ('Led Zeppelin IV' is just one name given to the album over the years) in order to downplay the band's notoriety. 'IV' gave birth to some of the most iconic Led Zeppelin songs of all time including 'Black Dog'. 'Rock and Roll' and the now iconic 'Stairway to Heaven'. The album put the band back on track and created in 'Stairway' arguably the most iconic rock song of all time.

David Bowie: Hunky Dory

While David Bowie's career was already on the rise, his albums weren't exactly lighting the album charts on fire. Signing with RCA for his fourth album, Hunky Dory marked a moment where Bowie creatively and commercially hit his stride. Not only is 'Hunky Dory' home to tracks like 'Changes' and 'Oh! You Pretty Things' but it is also the album from which 'Life On Mars' was born; a track that has only gained more significance over the years particularly after Bowie's death earlier this year. An absolute classic.

Please check out Episode 3 of 'My Classic Album' right now on iTunes, TuneIn or at www.myclassicalbum.co.uk.

Don't forget on 1st November to check out Episode 4. Perhaps it'll have the same success as these fourth albums!

There'll be two types of people reading this particular post. There'll be those who've read blog posts on Norris Approved before and are wondering why I haven't posted anything in recent months. That question can be answered by everyone else who have been directed here from the social media pages for my new podcast 'My Classic Album'. Either way welcome! (or welcome back!)

For those who've missed it 'My Classic Album' is a podcast about the great albums in music history. We all have a favourite album and I think it says a lot about a person as to which album they highlight as their number 1. Over on the 'My Classic Album' website I somehow managed to pick my 20 favourite albums of all time and I'm sure it's widely different to your own. So who is better qualified to talk about your favourite album than you? That's why I think the podcast is working so well. My good friends Robin Ellwood, Ian Matthews and Andy Barkess had so much knowledge and passion about the albums they picked that the three podcasts are possibly the work I'm most proud of out of anything media related I've been involved in! That is why I've decided to rename the blog to go side by side with the podcast. Welcome to My Classic Album's official blog!

Episode 4 (out November 1st) is about a Randy Newman album called 'Good Old Boys' and my guest Reed Turchi and I had such a fascinating and in depth conversation about the album. I really hope that translates to the finished product as I think many of my UK listeners may never have heard this album. Hopefully Reed can convince you to check it out! Besides Reed I have many more exciting prospective guests in the pipeline so please stay tuned... or begin to tune in if you've yet to hear the show!

With that in mind let's get to the crux of why I've resurrected this blog (again). One of my favourite things about creating 'My Classic Album' is the interaction with listeners and very often this has come in the form of general music conversation independent of podcast episodes. I'm always really interested in people's thoughts on music and thought listeners of the podcast may enjoy reading my ramblings every once in a while. Let's face it, if you can endure listening to my voice for an hour a month I'm sure the written word will be less daunting!

So I'll try and update this blog when I can. It'll be the same sort of thing its always been. A gig review here, a list there. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it all if you feel so inclined to share them.

If you want to listen to 'My Classic Album' the easiest ways are via iTunes for Apple users and TuneIn for everyone else. Search for 'My Classic Album with Mike Norris' on your Podcast app on iPhones or search for us on Tunein.com to make sure never miss an episode!

Until next time! Mike :-)