Basically this is a thread to shoot down the theories that you do ALL your best work early and everything after sucks, or doesnt compare. Now on this forum we hear the constant bitching about Early Prince or Early U2 or early this or that. But despite thhis MYTH, there are many accounts where an album made well after an artists heyday, is light years better than what they did. The problem comes from people not letting go, or at least just looking back with a smile instead of this constant comparisons of a new album with what an artist was doing when they were 20. To me if an artist is STILL singing about the things they did when they were 20, when they are 40 and over, then they need help and should be kept away from the public. The MYTH that a slow song is for OLD people and that once you hit a certain age you arent marektable, is all THIS DECADES creation, that they own, that has been the contribution of this decade.

But here is a small list of what i feel are artists that have done great albums well past their "prime" selling days.

Elton John "Songs from the West Coast" (2001)- one of the best records of this decade and of eltons career.
Paul McCartney- Flaming Pie (1996)- McCartney finally let go of that damn echo on his voice and did his best solo work in over 20 years.
U2- All that You Cant Leave Behind (2000), No Line on The Horizon (2009)- some may argue this, but U2 hasnt sounded better on record than these 2 works.
a-Ha "minor Earth major sky"(2000) "Analogue" (2005) and "Foot of the mountain" (2009) forget the early days, thats what these 3 albums make you do, its not even possible to compare their 80's work to these masterpieces.

The artists here at the time of these records were all just turning 40 (u2 members and a-ha members) and now turning 50
Elton and Paul were in their 50's approaching 60 at the time of the records mentioned.

So clearly this and many other works by others show that just like ACTORS who all do their best work later not earlier, many musicians are the same. YOU GROW.

Tina Turner sort of goes with this. Although she shared success with wife-beatin' Ike as a duo, it took her a long while doing Vegas shows, and small club revues to gain any sort of respect again as a solo artist. She also worked to pay off debts she had incurred during her time w/ Ike. It was July 1976 when that infamous incident of her fight w/ Ike in a limo when going to a hotel, and eventual leaving of him with a few cents in her pocket, a gas card, and a lot of cuts and bruises on her face, that she was truly "solo". Private Dancer didn't come out until 1984. And even the creation of that was generated by a popular remake of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together". She did a country album, and a few other not-so-great albums before Private Dancer. So she suffered a decline in popularity w/ Ike, then worked just under a decade to really get herself back in the lime light. Thank God for Roger Davies putting some faith in her, and letting her do the rock n' roll she wanted to do, instead of the constant string of blues songs that Ike was putting to tape.

I'm watching her Live in Holland 50th Anniversary concert, and it's amazing that at almost 70 (her birthday is this month), she's working that stage like she did 40 years ago.