Rock bands - essential records after their 40´s

[thavidesco]

Queen had they continued would have been in with a shot of creating essential records in their 40's. A Kind Of Magic, released when Freddy was 40, is damn good.

 

[jeevey]

Bono has solo work out?

Exactly.

 

[BVS]

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[mikal]

Is Pearl Jam in their 40's yet? I'm thinking they must be. Their last album was really good.

 

[Hewson]

Is Pearl Jam in their 40's yet? I'm thinking they must be. Their last album was really good.

Vedder will be 50 in December, Ament and Cameron are already in their early 50's. Gossard and McCready both 48.

 

[JTbaby]

Great late career effort by a band in their 50's, best album of 2012

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Probably none, least of all because not many rock bands used to last into their 40s.

The Rising is not Springsteen's magnum opus. It's his comeback album, like ATYCLB was for U2.

Bruce was 52 when he released The Rising.

 

[lemonfly]

Queen d they continued would have been in with a shot of creating essential records in their 40's. A Kind Of Magic, released when Freddy was 40, is damn good.

I think A Kind Of Magic was the last "solid" Queen album (Freddie knew he was living on borrowed time when they recorded The Miracle and Innuendo, so it's unfair to be harsh on those two). But I think A Night At The Opera is the only essential Queen album. Practically every other album of theirs follows the pattern of two or three stellar singles and the rest is filler.

 

[bono_212]

Paul Simon did "Graceland" at 45-ish. Maybe not his best stuff but everyone seemed to buy it.

I can get behind this being his best album.

 

[corianderstem]

Guy Garvey turned 40 this year. Maybe the next Elbow album will top Seldom Seen Kid as their "essential."

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Guy Garvey turned 40 this year. Maybe the next Elbow album will top Seldom Seen Kid as their "essential."

Hopefully, I reckon they have it in them.

 

[lazarus]

Is Pearl Jam in their 40's yet? I'm thinking they must be. Their last album was really good.

"Really good" doesn't equal "essential".

I doubt they'll ever have another one of those.

Bruce was 52 when he released The Rising.

Springsteen is, for all practical purposes, a solo artist. He writes everything by himself. And the fact that he has made albums without the band. Just like Tom Petty.

 

[bono_212]

Let's be real here: Tom Petty did not make albums without the band.

 

[MrPryck2U]

"Really good" doesn't equal "essential".

I doubt they'll ever have another one of those.

C'mon, lazzy, don't you know that every Pearl Jam album is "essential"? Get with the program.

 

[The_acrobat]

Let's be real here: Tom Petty did not make albums without the band.

Indeed. Solo album or not, Petty has rarely recorded a song without his co-pilot Mike Campbell. Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Howie Epstein were also active contributors to Pettys solo albums. I wonder if the only reason Tom made solo albums at all was because he hated working with Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch.


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[Yahweh]

Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 - All of these musicians were at least 40 when this album was released - and its a great record, however I know they aren't a real band that started together but a Super Band

 

[stray dog]

Have to pass on the Travelers...they sounded way to canned and exactly...We are 40 and we are releasing an album and we are famous...I prefer the country version...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFkcAH-m9W0

 

[Hollow Island]

In my opinion Kate Bush recorded her magna opera and the best albums of her career during the last 10 years (Aerial and 50 Words For Snow). The same goes to P.J. Harvey and Let England Shake.

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I was hoping someone would suggest these.

Abattoir Blues/the Lyre of Orpheus is Nick Cave + the Bad Seeds best record.

m b v is my favorite MBV album, but it's hard to say it's better than Loveless because I've been listening to that one for so long.

Real Emotional Trash is possibly Stephen Malkmus + the Jicks best record, and Murray St is a contender for the best Sonic Youth album. I can't really think of any bands aside from the Bad Seeds who recorded their best album when at the least the primary creative force is in their 40s.

 

[thavidesco]

Vedder will be 50 in December, Ament and Cameron are already in their early 50's. Gossard and McCready both 48.

Pearl Jam...I personally think they were never really a great band, good yes, but they always lacked something really unique
U2 had it, Nirvana did, Queen, Red hot chilli peppers,...but Pearl Jam???

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

"Really good" doesn't equal "essential".

I doubt they'll ever have another one of those.

Well... This of course leads to one of the core issues with this entire thread.

One could certainly make the case that Pearl Jam's post 40s releases feature better musicianship, better writing, and a much more polished band than when they released what are their "essential" albums... but very few would ever make the case that any of their post 40s albums are among their very best.

Nostalgia weighs heavy when critiquing music from bands that have been around for a while. You're not just debating song vs song, you're arguing song vs (song + memories). It's an incredibly difficult battle to win.