Doesn't this piss you off? There is no excuse for a working artist to take more than 3 years between albums. The rest of us work day jobs and have to get things done within deadlines and it should be no different for musicians.

If artists like Prince and Tori Amos can put out a constant stream of new material every year to two years why does it take people like Kate Bush, Sade, George Michael or The Time a ridiculous amount of time to put 12 songs on a CD?

There are no excuses. It's sheer laziness. Morris Day - stop smoking pot and release that Time album we've been waiting for for two fucking decades.

Rant over.
[Edited 1/11/10 5:32am]

It's amazing that,back in the 70s,artists released an album a year....sometimes two albums in the same year!

I think releasing a consant stream of Music is not for everyone.
I am very grateful that Prince does it.

Hi, my names D'angelo. I have the nerve to criticise the quality of Prince's output when I've managed to release two CD's in 15 years. Wanna get high??



Hi, my names Kate Bush. I average on an album a decade. I'm hoping to release one more before I die of old-age, but I'm not making any promises..



Hi, my names George Michael. I also average on an album a decade. I'm off to the park... for a walk... ahem... wanna get high??"



Hi, my name is Axl Rose. It took me 17 years to make my last album. Wanna join my band? We always have an open vacancy.
[Edited 1/11/10 5:42am]

MattyJam said:

Too funny!

I don't mind 2-3 years and I understand at times there are personal and legal distractions but after about 3 years I put such artists in a box until further notice. I hate clinging and hoping for new releases only to be disappointed every year.

Sade drives me crazy with it but I know this is her process and I like that when she’s gone, she’s completely gone. Little to no rumors, sightings, arrests (normally). She goes away, lives her life. When she comes back with a new release, everything seems organized and timely without a big production or fanfare.
[Edited 1/11/10 5:55am]

Sadly,I think alot of these people are simply running low on inspiration.They don't even know what to sing about anymore.They should just relax and not put so much pressure on themselves.Record 12 songs and put in on a CD.I don't need a "masterpiece" from my favorite artists everytime,I just want some new music from them.

SoulAlive said:

Exactly. Look at Prince. He's released more turds than I care to remember. But at least nobody can call him lazy....

MattyJam said:

true

I'm surprised Morris Day isn't headlining this:

Christina Aguilera has been known to do this

One of my favorite artists, Annie, finally released an album this year after her previous one came out in 2004. It wasn't her fault, though, as record company disputes delayed her album for nearly 2 years. In the meantime, though, she gave her fans a DJ Kicks compilation as well as 5 one-off singles in the meantime.

However, with other artists, it's truly excruciating. Annie Lennox dropped her last studio album in 2007, 4 years after the previous one, which came 4 years after the last Eurythmics record, which came 4 years after the previous Annie record. She's had a few tracks scattered here and there in the meantime, but it's a tough cycle.

It continued on into the 1980s also. Michael Jackson is the one that started a lot of people trying to drag an album out for years and milk it for every dime they can make off of it when he had major success with "Thriller". In the early 1980s though, if a song was popular in the summer, it was out of style by Christmas.

vainandy said:

Yeah,Michael is the one who started that whole strategy Release an album,milk it for all its worth,release 7 singles,and then wait four year before releasing another album,lol.

MattyJam said:

lmao

My favorite band Tool average 5 years between releases. While I do wish for more output, it is always worth the wait. Lead singer Maynard James Keenan usually has some other project going on in between albums.( A Perfect Circle and now Puscifer.) At least I can get my Maynard fix. 10,000 Days was released in 2006, so I guess we can expect a new Tool album next year. I can hardly wait. If you guys have never seen Tool live, I definately recommend it. I attend about 20 different concerts a year, and Prince is the only live act I have seen that is better than Tool.

SoulAlive said:

I know! Those artist in the 70's did drugs, losts of drugs and still put an album out every year, twice a year, or every other year. WTF?!

Serioulsy tho'

I think a lot of these artists can't cope with the fame. Yeah I know, You knew that when you chose to go into music, I think that's easier to say if you aren't the one caught up in it. A lot of these guys can't get an album out because they're dope addicts.

Even so, most of these singers/musicians made their "bank" when people brought vinyl and Cd's records and those days are lone gone. Established artist are finding it hard to reach 1 million in records sales. So, I think many of todays artist won't be able to take 3, 4, 5, 8 year hiatus anymore. Well unless you're one of these artist that's become a "brand". Either you sing for you supper are yo' butt will be broke and forgotten.

=====
[Edited 1/11/10 8:29am]

something we have to take into consideration is that promotion takes ALOT of time. especially worldwide promotion.

i know alot of us be like ,"where is so and so? they disappeared?!" where little do we know they are on the otherside of the world trying to build up a fanbase. touring, doing interviews we know absolutely nothing about. they are trying to tap into a market, because america is only a small part and many of the are learnign that there is even more money to be made in japan or austrailia or something.

so just because its quiet and its been months since you heard form them doesnt mean their not working.
but yeah some are lazy.

understandably so. taking a year/ 2 off and then recording after doing 2 years of touring and promotion isnt all that crazy if you ask me.

MattyJam said:

Well they do they talk about him like a yard dog. They say he is trying 2 hard 2 cater 2 the young and making 2 much uninspired music.... Go figure.. Damn if u do, damn if u don’t.

I tell u what, those like u that feel he’s releasing more turds need 2 appreciate the fact he’s releasing music more often than any artist and I will never agree with u r anyone else saying he’s releasing more turds. Give me a freakin break. Appreciate him dear. What u call a turd is another listeners pleasure

SoulAlive said:

In the 1970's, KISS released their first 3 albums within a 1 year spin alone. I think The Isley Brothers (3+3) released albums every 6 months to a year on average.

vainandy said:

I do recalled that Prince wanted to relase Around The World In A Day a lot sooner than 1985 because he was already losing interest in Purple Rain. But the suits at Warmer Brothers weren't finish making the rest of the money off of Purple Rain just yet. Had Prince had his way, he would've single handedly restarted the 2 albums per year tradition of the 1970's.
[Edited 1/11/10 9:18am]

MattyJam said:

Where's Sade? She is another artist that has taken time off between albums in recent years.

SoulAlive said:

If I'm not mistaken, Fatback and The Isleys actually did 3 in one year....and while not all "classic" material, they DID get the "spirit" they were feeling at the time on wax. I'd rather that (even if it's only mediocre) than waiting too long (Sade, Maxwell, Deangelo & MJ...I'm looking at YOU).

There's a lot to be said for being "in the moment".....too much over-thinking & over production ruins the art, IMHO (Def Leppard, Guns & Roses & others).

If God is listening.....please teach our artists & what's left of the "industry" to let the art flow & to use Pro Tools, Click Tracks & Auto Tune to enhance.....not replace real musicianship & talent.

I'd rather wait for a quality product (if the artist isn't futzing around snorting up and shit) They are human beings with other stuff happening in life, and if I could make a milli every 5 years you probably wouldn't see me too often either.

What really irritates me is this new release the dulexe, the deluxe deluxe, the super delux, and deluxe redux of the same album every year bullshit. Now that is jus pure fucking greed and lazy....

BklynBabe said:

I really miss David Bowie. He was one of the most prolific artists for the majority of his career and I know his recent lull is most likely due to health reasons, but I can't get over the feeling of misshing him dearly. He's my man.

Kelis is getting pretty bad for this, although I think that has something to do with label drama and an international fanbase.

I think it's silly that any of us can have an expectation of when art is released. We don't have the same expectations of painters, film directors or architects. For people to slap on their own silly expectations, well...it says more about the person then the artist.

Dr.Dre