Posthumous Careers

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Not sure if this is true or not, but somebody told me that there's another 2-disc Tupac album either just out or due soon. Then I thought about the late great Muslimgauze -- can you imagine a time when Bryn Jones' estate finally says, "That's it -- no more albums!" No way. I have to believe the release schedule will go on forever.

So what are the best & worst of the posthumous careers? Anyone actually release a decent body of work from beyond the grave?

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 2 January 2003 04:13 (twenty-two years ago) link

Although no one from the band has actually died, they did break up -- Fuxa's best material is just now being released.

― paul cox (paul cox), Thursday, 2 January 2003 04:28 (twenty-two years ago) link

The 2Pac record is "Better Dayz," currently #23 on the Billboard charts.

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 2 January 2003 07:08 (twenty-two years ago) link

Jimmie Rodgers

― Amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 2 January 2003 07:51 (twenty-two years ago) link

2Pac sucks some righteous dick dead or alive.

― maria b (maria b), Thursday, 2 January 2003 08:38 (twenty-two years ago) link

Destroy Eve Cassidy, obviously.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 2 January 2003 12:03 (twenty-two years ago) link

Jimi Hendrix, anyone?

― Siegbran (eofor), Thursday, 2 January 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago) link

I find Jeff Buckley's posthumous releases to be horse-shit. The first disc of "Sketches..." is ok, and it does sound like it was more or less ready for release anyway, but next to "Grace" it must be called a big disappointment. Disc two is unbearably bad, it should never have seen the light of day. Nirvana's "You Know You're Right" is average also, but probably doesn't constitute a posthumous "career".

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Thursday, 2 January 2003 15:23 (twenty-two years ago) link

those Yoko-propelled posthumous Lennon platters, especially the "bonus"-stuffed bulgy box -- lotsa lazy flotsam & jetsam in there

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Thursday, 2 January 2003 16:16 (twenty-two years ago) link

Yeah Nirvana's situation is amazing when you think about it: Seven years after the fact, the biggest band of the last 20 years, and only one unreleased track.

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 2 January 2003 16:34 (twenty-two years ago) link

A significant portion of Blind Lemon Jefferson's body of work was released after his death, just like Jimmie Rodgers (who recorded his last session while dying of TB).

― Amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 2 January 2003 16:42 (twenty-two years ago) link

You could count Robert Johnson in here, seeing as that box set featuring "unreleased" tracks and alternate takes has sold upwards of a million copies, far more than any of Johnson's original 78's sold.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 2 January 2003 16:44 (twenty-two years ago) link

Blues singers seem to have an unfortunately high chance of achieving great things after their deaths.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 2 January 2003 16:45 (twenty-two years ago) link

they're like painters, blues singers

or it could be that post-romantic boomer fallacious "authenticity" ideal that people only mattered when they've suffered or can not enjoy their success

― horace mann, Thursday, 2 January 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago) link

Nick Drake?

― Aaron W, Thursday, 2 January 2003 16:56 (twenty-two years ago) link

I was thinking about suggesting him too, Aaron. Was "Pink Moon" released after his death? Also the fact that he was largely unknown til after his death, but I suppose that doesn't constitute releasing posthumous material.

Also, Joy Division's "Closer" was released following Ian Curtis' death. Could it be counted? Perhaps not...

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

What about Minor Threat?
No one's dead, but basically, their 20 year-old recordings have underwritten Fugazi, Make Up, Q and not U, and the rest of the Dischord Allstars, as well as provided millions of teenagers a sense of being hardcore through ownership of a product.

― Horace Mann, Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:01 (twenty-two years ago) link

Nick Drake seems like a fine choice. How about the Smiths? No one's dead yet either, but that hasn't stopped the gushing tsunami of compilations from flooding the racks periodically.

"Reissue, Repackage, Repackage......"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:09 (twenty-two years ago) link

The Ramones as well (especially now that two of the originals are no longer Ramoning.)

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:10 (twenty-two years ago) link

Elvis.

― christoff (christoff), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:12 (twenty-two years ago) link

Aaron and Alex: But all of Nick Drake's records save for Time of No Reply were released before his death. But I wouldn't disagree in that those records sold many more copies after his death than before, probably most of them in the past few years.

Horace: I don't think our romantizing blues singers explains the phenomena. There are singers like Bukka White and Son House who lived long lives without losing much in the way of veneration. But probably the fact that RJ was not around to enjoy the blues revival (and to show off diminished skills or a prosaic personality, as so many "rediscoveries" did) has helped his legend quite a bit.

Anyway, I think it's (blues singers earning posthumous success) simply a matter of blues singers of the '20s and '30s belonging to a group of people who were economically disadvantaged, and mostly out of the reach of whatever health care existed at that time. You read a lot of stories of blue singers dying of diseases that aren't usually considered life-threatening today. That said, the way most people tell it, Robert Johnson has only himself to blame for his own death.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:14 (twenty-two years ago) link

romantizing = romanticizing

― Amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:17 (twenty-two years ago) link

By posthumous careers, what is meant?

a) Material released after death of artist
b) Material released following split of band / a)
c) Careers that took off following a) or b)
d) All of the above

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:25 (twenty-two years ago) link

Material released after death of artist

This is what I meant originally; I was wondering if an interesting album had ever been cobbled together after an artist's death. I have a feeling some of that Mulimgauze stuff is pretty good, but all I own by him was issued while he was alive.

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:29 (twenty-two years ago) link

eleven years pass...

Chuck Brown posthumous release coming out next week

― curmudgeon, Friday, 15 August 2014 20:14 (ten years ago) link

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Posthumous Careers - S/D