Artist with longest, most consistent quality over time?*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by saturdayboy, May 31, 2018.

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  1. keyse1

    keyse1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    In relation to Bob if you could replace the officially released versions of songs between Desire and Love and Theft with the outakes and unreleased songs from Tell Tale Signs And Trouble No More that would Dylan’s great 60’s Records and make him a hands down winner
     
    mark ab likes this.
  2. Roland S.

    Roland S. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rostock, Germany
    Mickey Newbury

    Stephen Duffy
     
  3. Nielsoe

    Nielsoe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Aalborg, Denmark
    John Hiatt
     
  4. ralph7109

    ralph7109 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Franklin, TN
    To be fair, other artists are bing mentioned (like Talk Talk and their 5 albums/10 years) but they don’t get called out.
     
  5. Roland S.

    Roland S. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rostock, Germany
    Ry Cooder

    James Taylor
     
    lbgarcia likes this.
  6. slop101

    slop101 Guitar Geek

    Location:
    So. Cal.
    Paul Weller
    putting out quality albums, and no duds, since 1977
     
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  7. CBS 65780

    CBS 65780 "Could I do one more immediately?"

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Fair enough but I think that's more a tastes changing / zeitgeist thing going on there. Loads of artists mentioned in this thread have certainly had some of their albums reduced to the cutout orphanage or even some of their catalogue deleted. Does it reduce the *overall* impact of the work over their career entire? I don't think so. That's why we have the cult of the comeback album!
     
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  8. The Killer

    The Killer Dung Heap Rooster

    Location:
    The Cotswolds
    I prefer his 'older' voice - there's a Merle for everyone!
     
  9. veloso2

    veloso2 Forum Resident

    caetano veloso
    gilberto gil
    chico buarque
     
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  10. ostrichfarm

    ostrichfarm Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I named some non-rock folks earlier -- and did so with sincerity -- but if we're sticking mostly with rockers, I nominate Daevid Allen (of Gong, Soft Machine, etc.). Some of his albums I love, others I don't, but he never became a cheeseball or sounded like a pale imitation of himself. I view his entire career with respect.

    (I suppose you could say the same of Robert Wyatt.)
     
  11. stef1205

    stef1205 Forum Resident

    My favorite artists don't belong on that list because of Down in the groove, Everybody's Rocking, Lulu, Never let me down and Undercover. Some of these albums are not bad, though, but they don't show the same quality as their core albums.

    The first two artists that came to my mind are Nick Cave and Tom Waits.
     
  12. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    I dont even blame him for Skin.

    I don't listen to it but I don't blame the intent.
     
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  13. StarThrower62

    StarThrower62 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    Bruce Cockburn
    John Scofield
    Robben Ford
    Mike Keneally
     
    drobo likes this.
  14. dartira

    dartira rise and shine like a far out superstar

    I feel that way about Out of Water ;)
     
  15. e.s.

    e.s. Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Beat me to it.
     
  16. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    Really? I think its pretty good. Yeah Skin>>The Noise im not revisiting that much but I am a fan of In A Foreign Town oddly enough. Oh and Room Temperature. Thats about the only one I listen to and sums up that period well and in a different way. Just the songs in naked form. RIP Hooly and Mozart.
     
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  17. jerico

    jerico Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    There seem to be certain artists who really don't release BAD albums. Dire Straits, Van Morrison, Beck, Miles Davis, Tom Waits and Neil Young off the top of my head. I'm tempted to say Prince too, but I don't always care for his variations. But that's a me thing...
     
  18. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    Has anyone mentioned Peter Gabriel yet? What about Anthony Braxton.
     
  19. dartira

    dartira rise and shine like a far out superstar

    Room Temperature is great! I’m very fond of Fireships as well, as I saw quite a few great Hammill concerts in that period. Either solo, or with Nic and Stuart, as you said.
     
  20. Hoover Factory

    Hoover Factory Old Dude Who Knows Things

    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Probably Bob Dylan. He’s had his share of clunkers, but always seems to rebound. I should point out that I am a fan of Dylan’s Christian music - I don’t think that period was a downturn
     
  21. Doug Sulpy

    Doug Sulpy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I'm not sure how you make the argument that Dylan's albums are consistent because he's come back from making albums weren't consistent. The only thing Dylan seems consistent in, then, is being inconsistent.

    I like the born again albums, too. But stuff like "Down In The Groove" and a lot of his post-1960's output is pretty damn putrid.
     
  22. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Pete should be disqualified for this thread because he's only put out 3 new albums in the last 35 years!

    It's easy to maintain a consistent level of quality when you don't actually make music! :laugh:
     
  23. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    I don't see that. After the rather patchy two albums with Rod he made two terrible albums with Bob Tench on horrendous, yelping vocals, then that pathetic BBA album. Blow By Blow and Wired were superb however. Then came a succession of quirky, flashy, frustrating albums right up to today.
     
  24. berliszt

    berliszt Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Australia
    Surely the correct answer is Eliott Carter: basically 70 years of mature music, and he didn't decline in his nineties/early hundreds: in fact, he was more prolific.

    Stravinsky is also up there: over 60 years between the Firebird and his death, and a model of consistency: every decade as good as the last.

    Strauss is a candidate but probably a bit more uneven, although he made up for it in his last years.
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2018
    ostrichfarm likes this.
  25. quietlife

    quietlife Well-Known Member

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Mark E. Smith/The Fall , up until his passing earlier this year.
     
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