vainandy said:

If you think about it, it started in the 70s. People like EWF, The Eagles, etc. released almost every song on an album. If it wasn't released, it was played on the radio as an album cut. In the 80s, people started just releasing almost every song as a single. In the case of an album like Off The Wall, Thriller, Purple Rain, etc. radio was playing most of the songs anyway. Not to mention videos were in their early stages and the video helped to propel the songs longevity.

In the 80s, you also had a lot of radio hits. An album like Midnight Star's "No Parking" and Prince's 1999 had just as many non-singles played on radio as they did singles.

Deetooooxx Is cooooming!!!!

rmartin70 said:

One of my co-workers is in love with Tool. I hear their concerts are not to be recorded also because the effects would not be the same filmed on screen.

TD3 said:

man, next time you bold my shit, fix my spelling errors!

Nvncible1 said:

Exactly...you can make more in Europe....the dollar is alot more than US market's...by at least 1.60 on the dollar.

Yeah, Kate Bush is done I think. I mean, after The Red Shoes, she "retired" to raise her family. Her last (lovely) album was all about domesticity. I think that's where she'd coming from these days.

Also, bear in mind...quantity does not equal quality. Looking at Tori Amos AND Prince.

dodoriazarbon said:

I don't even bother trying to engage the irrational anymore.

I think a lot of times, artists take a long time in between albums is because the record companies don't want to release the music they bring to them. I know that was the case for Babyface and a few other artists. Babyface had "A Love Story" ready to release and Arista came back and said it wasn't commercial enough and made him re-do the album (which became Grown and Sexy).

"Unacceptable" to whom?

If there were only a handful of musical artists on earth, this might be an issue.
Since there's a ton of music available (past & present), I don't see the problem.

Personally, I respect musicians that don't throw out what might be sub-standard material and wait until they have something decent to offer.

If you can't find something else to listen to in the meantime, that sounds like your problem and not theirs.



Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

BklynBabe said:

OK.

It really depends, i think nowadays you are almost inclined to not do too much recording, you will get a record every 3-4 years even from major artists like Justin and Xtina and Alicia Keys, where as you get an album a year from Rihanna and Beyonce. The process now is not on the product but more on the whole package, meaning, what else have you got going on, not only now do you have to have the record, you need the videos done, magazines done, possibly a clothing or perfume line to go with it and some sort of give away or tv special. Back in the 70's you put out a record case closed, toured, case closed, it did what it did, you had singles and you went right on to the next, the business doesnt work like this anymore.

I think the older the artist gets they tend to take longer because they really want something more relevant to themselves more, than if the fans dig it thats a plus. My favorite band a-Ha recorded in 1985,1986,1988,1990,1993 but then the wheels fell off the bus and they stopped working together. They returned to recording in 2000 a 7 year break, then in 2002, 2005 and last in 2009, and ironically the four year gap till there latest, turned out to be their finest moment and best received by critics and fans, so who knows, sometimes you do your best recording quick and sometimes its better when you take a bit longer....

Elton used to do 2-3 a year and those 70's albums were some of the best albums in history

Thibaut said:

Oh tell me about it! How many albums has Eminem & 50 Cent release ahead of Dr. Dre at this point?!?

theAudience said:

THAT^ is very true. Instead of waiting for your favorite artists to finally release a new alubm, consider checking out new music by artists from outside of the USA & UK.

I was just thinking of how Axl Rose is kind of like Michael Jackson in that particular sense. A perfectionist who could probably have worked faster, but nevertheless releases a good album when the time comes.

NDRU said:

How did Chinese Democracy do commercially and sales?

sosgemini said:

better than Lotusflower, I think, but not great

but seeing as it had reached legendary status as "the album that would never happen" and it had been written off as the Waterworld of music, it is a good album that.

It's not like Dewy Cox's 1967 album with the choir of goats & 1000 didgeredoos.
[Edited 1/11/10 15:45pm]

SoulAlive said:

Well, before Thriller, he and his brothers released albums every year

Matter of fact, they released 3 albums in 1970 and 2 in 1971. J5 released about 12 albums in less that 7 years

theAudience said:

Sade,D'angelo,maxwell, I Love u all. But I must say y'all on some bullshit. I'll be 44 if sade decides to put out a record after this one. A TEN year average for a record with TEN songs? come on man that's a Long time for so little work. And yes I know quality out weighs quanity but,there's no reason these great artist should work soooo slow.
peace.carmy

Thibaut said:

It's not like he hasn't produced anything since The Chronic 2 though.

minneapolisFunq said:

i was missing the same one

it's ok to want an artist you love to release albums more frequently, but as pointed out above; it's really their choice. i do wish George Michael would've released more albums, but the man has had his share of set backs and that has to be respected. fortunately for me, my ladies Madonna and Kylie seem to keep their releases within a couple years. and touring and a couple other projects in between. there are so many artist i enjoy that it's sometimes hard to keep up with releases. i think it's a great compliment to want to enjoy music from your favourite artists, but it definitely shouldn't be expected. then there are some people who are everywhere all the time with a million releases and they should probably stop. not mentioning any names though.


on the flip side...kind of related. what irritates me to no end is when a song or album has only been out for about 6 months or even a year and people call it old. i think that's immature and shows a lack of appreciation. if it's good, it will still be good no matter how long it's been out.

Sade quote: “I only make records when I feel I have something to say. I'm not interested in releasing music just for the sake of selling something. Sade is not a brand.”

That being said, D'Angelo needs to put the cheetos(and weed)down, hit the gym, studio and release some music

To me, there are no unacceptable amounts of time between albums. An artist's life is their life and they should be able to put out albums when they want as long as they are within contractual guidelines. If they are in a contract where they have to put out a certain number of albums within a certain amount of time, they should honor that. Otherwise, they should be able to do as they wish. As fans, we want more, more, and even more, but musical acts are people too and long for some sense of normality like we have, so, I say, release when you want to release. Just keep releasing. Hear that, Donna Summer? (smile)

Scrapluv said:

Sade IS a brand, and the brand is quality.

Often the wait is always worth it. Steely Dan took 20 years between albums....20 fucking years!!! It all depends really on how creative that particular artist feels. I'm really digging Robert Plant's solo stuff. His output in the 2000's has been fantastic. One album ever 2-3 years but you just know it's gonna be worth it when the new material comes along. I agree with the other posters in that it's worth going to find other artists to explore. I think the whole one album ever year thing is pretty much a thing of the past unless you're Prince or Ryan Adams(who's material is very erratic).

CHIC0 said:

I don't know how Madonna does it with all the touring and stuff. Love or hate her she's not lazy.

CHIC0 said:

Our George sure does like his weed and free roaming peen

One of the greatest artists of our time and the bitch can't be bothered to get into the studio

I'm dying for Fiona Apple to put out another CD. all three of hers are amazing, and it's been about five years now.

WildheartXXX said:

exactly!
it's what keeps her ahead of everyone else. if others are lazy or not; i don't know. i think it's apparent that Madonna realy enjoys what she does. if she's got "something to say" or not, if she just wants to put out another great dance album, or experiment other styles; i think she wants to do it all and keeps on moving. and her fans benefit from it.

and respect to those who want to or need to take their time. some people wait a few years because they feel they need to get it just right. but there's no time limit on getting "it" right. many anticipated albums aren't necessarily the best in everyone's opinion.