Your favorite "difficult 3rd album(s)"

Octahedron

+1 for "Toys in the Attic" by Aerosmith

+1 for "Sheer Heart Attack" by Queen

+1 for "Tres Hombres" by ZZ Top

+1 for "Pyromania" by Def Leppard

+1 for "Amorica" by The Black Crowes

+1 for "A Nod's as Good as a Wink..." by The Faces

And then there was... 

"Hot Cakes" by The Darkness

"Awake" by Dream Theater

"Women & Children First" by Van Halen

"Shaka Rock" by JET

"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" by AC/DC

And then I question whether I can count...

"Use Your Illusion" 1 + 2 by Guns N Roses (since "Lies" came before and people seem to count that as an album regardless of whether it can truly be heralded so). 

mike_l

Slayer - Reign in blood (although, I prefer South of Heaven and Seasons in the abyss as albums)

Judas priest - Sin after sin, not as popular as later albums, but awesomes non the less. 

Neil

 David Bowie - Hunky Dory .

guitarfishbay

Megadeth - So Far So Good So What

Philly_Q

Octahedron said:

And then I question whether I can count...

"Use Your Illusion" 1 + 2 by Guns N Roses (since "Lies" came before and people seem to count that as an album regardless of whether it can truly be heralded so). 

I was going to ignore Lies and The Spaghetti Incident?, count Use Your Illusion as one album and say.... Chinese Democracy.

Deadman

It can only be The Jam's All mod cons for me although it's obviously well accepted anyway.

guitari

Some good suggestions so far. Plus

Muse - Absolution
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
Texas - Rick's Road
Pearl Jam - Vitology
Slipknot - Vol 3
Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
Wilco - Summerteeth
Eagles - On the Border

Placidcasual79

dtr said:

Curtis Mayfield - Superfly

The Clash - London Calling

Primal Scream - Screamadelica

Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen we are Floating in Space

This!!!!! Plus Summerteeth by Wilco 

DarnWeight

Talking Heads - Fear Of Music

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Your Funeral...My Trial

Wire - 154

Low - The Curtain Hits The Cast

Comsat Angels - Fiction

DiscoStu

Metallica - Master of Puppets

Radiohead - OK Computer

Tool - Lateralus

Nirvana - In Utero

dEUS - The Ideal Crash

Muse - Absolution

 

 

 

tabbycat

broadcast, can be either 'haha sound' 2003 or 'tender buttons' 2005 depending on whether you include the warp records early singles compilation 'work and non-work' 1997.
rip the wonderful trish keenan, whose early death still upsets me. her music lives on always.

Phil_aka_Pip

+1 for

Wishbone Ash: Argus
Santana: III

Also:
Camel: Music Inspired by The Snow Goose
Cream: Wheels of Fire

James Taylor's third official album was Mud Slide Slim. tbh although it was an excellent album. I think I preferred Sweet Baby James, his second. However if you include the Flying Machine bootleg, then they all move up one, and SBJ becomes no 3, and thus my favourite (3rd) album

Deep Purple
Their 3rd album in the MkI line up was the eponymous one with the Heironymus Bosch cover. It is my favourite MkI album
Their 3rd album in the MkII line up was Machine Head. Now that IS a masterpiece (although I think my favourite DP album will always be In Rock)

Paul_C

XTC - Drums and Wires

Counting Crows - This Desert Life

lasermonkey

+1 for Summerteeth and The Curtain Hits The Cast.

Paul_C

Now That's What I Call Music 3

Moss

The National - Alligator
Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind Of Fix
King Gizzard... - I'm In Your Mind Fuzz
Hot Chip - Made In The Dark

Basher

Jethro Tull - Benefit
Pentangle - Basket of Light
Bert Jansch - Jack Orion
John Renbourn - Sir John Alot of Merrie Englandes Musyk Thyng and ye Grene Knyghte
Black Crowes - Amorica
Morrissey - Your Arsenal

TonyR

lasermonkey said:

The Chameleons- Strange Times

Wisdom right there!

As well as Strange Times:

The Jam - All Mod Con

Patti Smith - Easter

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

James - Gold Mother

Happy Mondays - Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches

Tansads - Flock