Artist with longest, most consistent quality over time?*

This guy's still doing okay.

 

Pet Shop Boys are the only band that I’ve loved for over 30 years and who’s new material I continue to enjoy at a level similar to their early work.

 

Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave.

 

Pat Metheny.
From 70’s ECM dates to his present Nonesuch work, he does it all, it seems.
Bop, fusion, symphonic suites; Ornette Coleman, John Zorn, Jim Hall; synclaviers, orchestrions, 42-string guitar... he’s relentless.

 

The Residents!

 

John Prine.
this is one of his new songs:

 

Robyn Hitchcock

 

Duke Ellington's music from the 1970s feels just as vital as his recordings from the 1920s. With nary a dip in quality in between and many of his orchestra remaining with him for their entire careers.

East St. Louis Toodle Oo (1927)
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra: East Saint Louis Toodle-Oo (1927)

It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (1932)
It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra (1932)

Caravan (1937)
1937 HITS ARCHIVE: Caravan - Duke Ellington

C Jam Blues (aka Duke's Place) (1942)


Skin Deep (1952)
Duke Ellington - Skin Deep

Jeep's Blues (1956)
Jeep's Blues - Duke Ellington 1956

Blood Count (1967)
Duke Ellington, Blood Count (Billy Strayhorn)

Blues For New Orleans (1970)
Blues for New Orleans Duke Ellington

 

PH live is always a memorable event: I saw Peter Hammill in Paradiso Amsterdam in 1992. Spellbinding solo concert. For the encore he sat at the edge of the stage and sang acapella. Forget which song but it was quite something. I most recently saw him in Gateshead about 10 years ago he began the show with Easy To Slip Away which was an excellent live moment also. The era of the 'K' group was brilliant too as seen on the Rockpalast show. The live Flight is memorising.
I haven't really or sought out his more recent solo material since VDGG but he is very consistent.

 

Can't remember if I've posted yet.

The Waterboys - Modern Blues and Out Of All This Blue are two of my favorite albums ever. They came out in 2015 and 2017. The band was formed in 1981.

The Church - maybe a very minor dip in the early '90s when the reality of the industry hit, but even the weaker stuff on Gold Afternoon Fix is not even close to bad.

Bash & Pop - not really a long runner, two albums with a ~25 year hiatus between them, but I'm tempted to say that Anything Could Happen is the better album!

 

Rush.

 

Sir Paul

 

Neil Young

Paul Weller

 

I think Paul Weller and Elvis Costello are pretty unique in the fact that they still experiment with new sounds and try not to repeat themselves. Even if they sometimes fail, they still release music that is always interesting and sometimes, some of their best albums (Costello's Momofuku or Weller's Saturn's Pattern, for example).
There are others I still love, like Tom Waits or Robyn Hitchcock. But I don't think they're trying anything they haven't been doing for at least 20 years already. Nick Cave is another example of an artist on auto pilot.

 

Joni Mitchell. Obvious really.

Others:
Gordon Lightfoot (yes another Canadian)
Paul Kelly
Kate Bush

Can't think of any others who have not had significant dips. Even Joni did a handful of lacklustre albums at one point, but that was only a small part of her career.

 

I agree. Whoever they are / is.
Other bands that deserve all the respect are The Ex and Wire.

 

I was there too! IIRC, it was Again that he sang acapella.

 

I must admit I'm seeing some names put forward here that are real headscratchers IMO: Neil Young? Sorry, but when Neil himself describes an album like Landing On Water as a "piece of sh-t" (as much as that album does have its fans) I think that sorta tosses an idea like consistent quality right out the window. Miles Davis? Same thing- seems to me there's a few Miles fans who get off the train after Panagea save for maybe one or two of his 80's records.

I've said it before: I don't think there's any artist in any medium who is going to consistently knock it out of the park every time. Besides it's all subjective anyway: one person's quality and consistency is another's inconsistent lack of quality. And so it goes...

 

I immediately thought of Richard Thompson, Ry Cooder, and Chris Hillman. I haven't counted or compared but I'll
bet I have more music from these three than from anyone except, perhaps, Dylan or Van the Man. I think these three
have each made more consistently pleasing music than Bob or Van.

 

Who is it?

 

Who is that?

I'd say Paul McCartney, radiohead, stones

 

The Grateful Dead

 

The Pretty Things

 

Neil is probably the worst judge of his own work--I absolutely love Landing On Water along with much of his 80s work.

60s: Great--Buffalo Springfield, CSNY and beginning of solo career
70s: Unbelievably great from beginning to end, with Crazy Horse, CSNY and Solo brilliance
80s: Underrated due to stylistic inconsistency, but in retrospect some good work and Freedom was a great return to form
90s: A dynamic resurgence filled with vitality and good natural diversity. Ragged Glory, Harvest Moon, Sleeps With Angels, Mirrorball, Unplugged, most of Broken Arrow...
00s: Very good overall--Silver and Gold, Greendale, Living With War, Prairie Wind
10s: Pretty solid if you have an open mind: Le Noise, Psychedelic Pill, Storytone, Peace Trail and The Visitor

Neil has lost much of his audience, and on some level that must be indicative of perceived sub-standard material, but I've found most of his recent work to be very good. There has been a dip lyrically, but there's a lot of good music to be found recently for those willing to listen.

And as a few others have said, Neil's live performances have been incredibly consistent in every decade.
NYF

PS: Not to mention his archival releases...

 

Pere Ubu is the greatest most over looked under appreciated band since the Velvet Underground...

David Thomas & his chamelon band Pere Ubu continue to release intelligent challenging relevant music for near 44 yrs now...

And DT solo projects are a gas also as are Rocket From The Toombs outputs