Longest gaps between studio albums

Mutantes - Ao Vivo (1976 - recorded Aug, so let's say Nov 1976) / Haih... Ou Amortecedor... (2009) - 33 years or thereabouts.

(there's one between, but recorded in 1973)

Vashti Bunyan’s Lookaftering. I would listen to that anytime.

I like the mbv didn't even make the cut. Try harder Kevin!

Danny Elfman seems a bit of a con given the dozens of film and TV soundtracks he’s released in that period.

And how many albums credited to the P-Funk All Stars or some variation thereof between Trombipulation and Medical Fraud Dogg?

For anyone curious as to who the Lilacs were, they were an almost-power-pop band from Chicago led by recently-pardoned-by-Trump and more-recently-charged-with-cyberstalking buddy of Jared Kushner, Ken Kurson.

Missing from the list: trumpeter/composer Jacques Coursil — 34 years between Black Suite (1971) and Minimal Brass (2005).

This is easily Psych Furs for me, a legit great album after almost 30 years!

Danny Elfman seems a bit of a con given the dozens of film and TV soundtracks he’s released in that period.

Studio albums is fair, especially as only one of his soundtracks contains songs that people know (possibly only one that includes songs at all)

Any particular reason why you missed out Dean Gitter, or the New York Dolls, for instance?

it's just the first 50 from the wikipedia article

The only two instances where I've heard both of the pair are:

- Emitt Rhodes: Farewell to Paradise is a fine record, albeit with an aura of frustration and anxiety compared to his earlier albums. Rainbow's End is a pleasant mediocrity, although on a personal level, I think it's heartening that he managed to make a final record.
- Roger Waters: Amused to Death is the most Watery record imaginable, crammed full of samples and sound effects, with one amazing song/guitar solo ("What God Wants Part III"); the follow-up is a lot more listenable in general, and probably the best record he was going to make. I'll vote for it, but I might quibble that the opera Ça Ira from 2005 counts as a Waters record.

I'll listen to the new ABBA record and Present by VDGG sooner or later. Don't know when I can face up to listening to Supercalifragile, but it's here on a technicality; for me Loud Family = Game Theory.

xp seems the article has been significantly improved in the last few hours, loads more added! or else I have slipped into a parallel universe or excel did it or sth

I'm fairly certain the winner is Harry Taussig:

Fate is Only Once (1965)
Fate is Only Twice (2012)

47 years

oops didn't see the sonics

the Possessed one was dope because despite only having one original member (Becerra), it was a helluva return to form, like no time had passed.

can't wait for 'fate is only thrice' to drop in 2059

really looking forward to new Richie Valens material, wondering why he hasn't recorded in a while

can't wait for 'fate is only thrice' to drop in 2059

― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Friday, September 3, 2021 9:53 AM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

haha yeah he's kind of one of those classic outsider dudes..recorded a fate is only once as a private press record, had 2 odd songs on a takoma records comp for fahey, then ended up getting a doctorate in biochemistry, studied photography, then had a decently successful career a as a visual artist, over the years the private press record had turned into a big american primitive collector's holy grail and tompkins square reissued it and had him do another album, i'm not sure he was aware that anyone knew or cared about the first record until they approached him

Black Flag - In My Head 01/10/85 / What The... 05/11/13 - 27 years, 1 month

"Black Flag"

There should be a special category for longest gap before releasing a first album, like Tom Petty's Mudcrutch.

oh yeah! i feel like another one is on the tip of my tongue and i can't think of it

kim gordon's gotta be pretty high, i think her official solo debut was 2019's no home record

the poll closes before the ABBA album even comes out, anyone voting for it has a lot of trust

can't wait for 'fate is only thrice' to drop in 2059
― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Friday, September 3, 2021 9:53 AM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

some of these probably shouldn't count - the Sea Nymphs album was recorded alongside the first one, and The Garden by Silver Apples was mostly tracks from a 3rd LP by the original band that was scrapped because they got sued. though Silver Apples do have a comeback album called Beacon, and it's pretty bad.

VdGG might be the winner for me, though Present really isn't that great a comeback, despite the fact that they really do sound just like they did. the two they did after were better. I haven't heard the last one.

I've also heard the Gryphon comeback was really good, but I suspect you gotta be a pretty big fan to listen to a Gryphon comeback album

wait are we voting for longest gaps, cos if so this is the easiest poll ever

Don't know when I can face up to listening to Supercalifragile, but it's here on a technicality; for me Loud Family = Game Theory.

― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 3 September 2021 14:41 (twenty-three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

otm

Present isn't that great but Every Bloody Emperor alone justifies it, and yeah, the next couple of albums were better (and then the most recent one wasn't)

that Sanctuary reunion album was pretty good but it sounded more like Nevermore than Sanctuary reunion (for obvious reasons)

Hard to not vote for the Sea Nymphs tho. In fact I'm going to. Try and stop me

Your loyalty demands.

when LSD drops we rerun this poll obv

I guess I'm not sure what LSD refers to in this context.

What about groups you HOPE will record follow-ups? I'm not a huge fan, but I think Sisters of Mercy (31 years in October and counting) may have one of these in them.

its a Cardiacs album that probably won't come out

I'd love to hear anything from Rosie Vela (35 years).

I was really hoping The Police would have recorded something in 2007 when they reunited. just out of morbid curiosity really

XTC would be a big one. I guess there's no way those two get together again but I'd really like to hear Andy do something new

its a Cardiacs album that probably won't come out

thanks!

not AS long, but it's been 18 years since The D.O.C. released an album, and as of 2015, his voice started coming back. doesn't have the same power and he has to concentrate hard, but he actually spoke with a normal voice in an interview for a few seconds and it sounded remarkable, even if the rest of the time, he sounded gravelly (https://www.vibe.com/news/entertainment/the-doc-regains-voice-371632/).

would love to hear that boisterous voice with those clever assed rhymes again. even if he had to record it in spurts. but I don't think he's interested and it would require a lot of effort I'm sure.

Any particular reason why you missed out Dean Gitter, or the New York Dolls, for instance?

― Mark G, Friday, September 3, 2021 10:35 AM (one hour ago)

Wikipedia user "Doc Strange" has been editing that list like a madman over the past 24 hours, so this thread may predate a few of those edits

I'm not too thrilled that Dean Gitter holds the world record, as he spent his last years planning the development of a resort that poses an environmental threat to the Catskills. feel like someone should coax Diane Renay and/or Diane Ray out of retirement so they can smash his record

I've been compiling my own list for nearly a decade, limiting myself to gaps of 35 years or longer. you have to squint a bit to see some of these albums as glorious returns -- ex. Les Paul technically went 37 years without releasing a solo album, but he put out a couple of duets in the meantime; Chuck Berry's posthumous comeback was most likely recorded several years (decades?) prior to its release. I'm also not always sure whether to include bands that radically changed their lineups, released albums under different band names in the intervening years, released teaser EPs prior to the comeback album, etc.. building a useless ball of yarn is more complicated than it seems!

It’s Immaterial; 27 years.

https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/15/we-got-there-cult-pop-band-its-immaterial-back-after-27-years

xpost - I don't know that I would count that 1980 Sonics record since, iirc, it's just versions of old songs with only one original member anyway. But that's just me, otherwise I really like that list!

feel like we're going to see more and more metal bands on this list. idk why but a lotta these old obscure death metal groups decide in their 50s "it's time to revisit my past"

xpost - I don't know that I would count that 1980 Sonics record since, iirc, it's just versions of old songs with only one original member anyway. But that's just me, otherwise I really like that list!

ah, thanks for the tip -- guess I didn't research that one properly, but the 1980 release does seem to be the Sonics in name only

apparently J.S. Bach was on the list at one point lol

He's just waiting out his previous recording contract.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--oA5LEOkoHE/V-E4Oy3SYfI/AAAAAAAAApc/vQrhNoTa4y42AcM3s2SC53CMNuNbJXyPwCLcB/s1600/flat%252C800x800%252C075%252Cf.jpg

So, if The La's get around to releasing album number two, that will be ooh.......

31 years.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

where's Dick Dale? (29 years, and the new one is excellent). or Jake Holmes (also 29 years, but the new one made me wish he didn't bother)...

...or Big Star (27 years, and would have been 31 years had the first of the pair been issued immediately after it was recorded)

wait are we voting for longest gaps, cos if so this is the easiest poll ever

surely highest quality gap = it being good that the artist didn't record ;)

thank u mike love for staying out of the limelight so long

I was really hoping The Police would have recorded something in 2007 when they reunited. just out of morbid curiosity really

XTC would be a big one. I guess there's no way those two get together again but I'd really like to hear Andy do something new

i was expecting more of these to be like the Mike Love records - two solo albums from someone who was heard from many times between them in a group context - but there actually aren't many like that

voted for 36 years of silence from Mike Love

xpost some of these are like that-- Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, Chris Squire, Danny Elfman

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

XTC would be a big one. I guess there's no way those two get together again but I'd really like to hear Andy do something new

Andy Partridge's new EP My Failed Songwriting Career is pretty good - lots of his post-XTC stuff veers away from XTC stylistically, but this is much closer.

I'm not sure about any of these pairs, but in terms of the belated follow-up, X's Alphabetland would be my top pick.

(FWIW that X vote isn't mine though 'cause I didn't vote.)

Of course, if My Bloody Valentine had waited a couple of years, they’d have made the original list, and walked this.

(Then again, that list has been hugely added to - Rainbow Ffolly obviously, number two now (Sonics be third now))

Yeah, I would've gone with MBV. I'll need to listen to mbv again - I thought it was fine, but I played it for like a week then forgot about it.