what is the idal lifespan for a band?

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if you could institute term limits on bands what would you set as the limit? 4 albums seems about right to me. the new ideas are few and far between by then normally and i always find myself losing interest by than anyhow, takes a few months to get the new album, i never seem to love the records and the pudgy bandmembers are turning into even uglier adults.

― keith, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Three albums and three singles maximum. Ideally, one album and one single.

― electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Then they can change a member or two, get a haircut, a new name, and the whole thing starts again

― electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They never get beyond the NME hype!

― DG, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Whoaaaa, way off. I would make it about 100 albums. Actually I would make a minimum of 4.

― A Nairn, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sod the NME. Actually, a band can make as many albums as they like, as long as they release at least one every six months.

― electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Preferably at 'discovery price'

― electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ideally, one album and one single.

You broke up Tugboat already?

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

a thousand albums if i like them, no albums if i hate them, three albums if they're only going to do three albums i'll like and then a bunch of other crap.

― ethan, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Of course, I'd never follow such advice. I'd like to keep putting out record after record for the next 25 years, like Jandek.

― electric sound of jim, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Three albums and a "rarities/best of" compilation. And then the talented member goes on to his solo career.

― Judd Nelson, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Five years, three albums. A reunion gig three years after breaking up - it's an incredible gig, but fails to reunite the band permanently. Six years hence, a high-quality mid-career live bootleg is officially released.

Only the drummer goes on to form another band. The bass player becomes a teacher, the guitarist works in a record store. If there's another member, no one knows what he's doing now.

― Dave225, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

As many singles as they like (preferably early obscure 7"s that people can spend their lives hunting down. Three perfect albums. Then the creative genius goes insane and kills himself/enters permanent isolation. The drummer becomes a chef. The keyboard player absolutely does NOT turn into Rick Wakeman (although of course in my eyes the keyboard player is the creative genius, hmmm). The bass player forms another band who last for precisely one album, then retires from music into a life of card making. Particularly popular is his Blondie 'Thank You' card, which inside says "I'm always touched by your presents, dear".

― emil.y, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It would seem that it is down to time rather than album releases. I still think that bands should release albums more frequently (about once every year or so) and space out their single releases (instead of releasing 4 singles within the first 6 months of the album comin out and then nothing for a year and a half). If the Beatles had only released 4 albums, they'd only have been going for something like 2 and a half years. But then, some bands take forever to release albums.

― dog latin, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

it depends on whether the splitting up of a band is real or just a publicity stunt - note most bands always say they're splitting up and then release anther song, album, best of......

― Rach, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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