Music Do any Music acts get better with age ?

lsd

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Since i have been working from home i spend most of the days listening to music and even though i prefer hip hop i have been listening to pretty much every type of music from Creedance to Artic monkeys to Kendrick Lamar to The Courteeners and everything in between .

I can't help thinking that no matter the act and how long they lasted they were never able to top anything they did in their first five years or so . In fact a lot seemed unable to beat their first album .

Whether they lasted ten years or in some cases going on 50 years their best work comes in thier first few years

Do any acts age like fine wine ?
 

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Underworld seem to have got better and better as they’ve got older and judging by the Chemical Brothers lasted album, they’re ageing well too.
 

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Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. After being creatively locked into the Motown sound for a few years into their respective careers, they eventually wrestled creative control over their music and got better and better.
 

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Good shout with Motown artists.

I think individual artists may develop more over time than bands, which have a “sound” that is the sum of its parts and it’s harder for 3-4 people to make better music together over time than it is for one person on their own.

Case in point could be John Martyn, whose first two albums were straightforward folk, before he branched out and came up with his own sound.
 

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Ive been trying to listen to an album a day recently using a random top album list and lots of beatles have come up...my favourite so far is rubber soul so id agree with olly
 

lsd

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The Beatles. Their first few albums were good enjoyable pop/rock albums that got girls screaming, but their best albums came after.

To be honest while doing this The beatles were the ones i thought off as they obviously got better and developed their own sound after their first couple of albums.

Thats why i kinda cheated and put in five years as i don't think their last couple of years were anywhere near as good as the few before it and had they lasted past 69/70 i doubt anything would have changed
 

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Clutch released 2 of their best albums 20 years after they started.
 

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Drive By Truckers are putting out some of their best stuff right now IMO and they're 22 years and 12 albums deep. Their album 'American Band' is one of the best albums I've ever heard.
 

amolbhatia50k

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How's D'Angelo's first few albums? His recent one (been 4-5 years now) is probably one of the few RnB albums I've loved (don't like the genre). Would be impressive if he's tipped that before.

Also, wasn't Metallica's most reknown work well after their first 5 years?

One thing to note is that the lead singers voice tends to disclose post the mid 30s. So, that's a factor as well to consider.
 

amolbhatia50k

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I don't know if it beats their first 5 years work, but U2 agesd very very well and got bigger in their All that you can't leave behind.. and following phase. Were they really considered the biggest band around before that? Don't think so. But it's hard to argue that any of that tops Joshua Tree or course.

Recent stuff got panned but every band eventually declines.
 

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Also, my two favorite women (and among my top 5 artists ) - Joanna Newsom and Fiona Apple definitely break the mould here.
 

Woodzy

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How's D'Angelo's first few albums? His recent one (been 4-5 years now) is probably one of the few RnB albums I've loved (don't like the genre). Would be impressive if he's tipped that before.

Also, wasn't Metallica's most reknown work well after their first 5 years?

One thing to note is that the lead singers voice tends to disclose post the mid 30s. So, that's a factor as well to consider.
You’re probably referring the ‘Black Album’ which was the most commerically successful, but even that is about 20 years old now.

Most of the hardcore fans will say that this was actually the start of their decline anyway, but personally I enjoy a lot of stuff after the Black Album including the most recent album

Still, I don’t think I’d say they got better with age, but the change is style has been so drastic it could be subjectively.
 

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A lot of people preferred Bat Out of Hell II (1993) to Bat Out of Hell (1977) from Meatloaf. Some phenomenal songs on both albums. I prefer Bat II personally
 

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I think it's generally accepted that artists' creativity fades with the passing of time (and, often, because of the demands on their time). Regarding musicians, endless tours and record labels' insistence on regular products surely take their toll on enthusiasm, something which I feel is absolutely key to creating great works. Finally, it's a cliche, though surely true enough, that most writers 'pour everything' into their first book(s) - this probably goes for musicians too.
 

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Loads, depending on what you count as "aged".

Certainly around the 10+ year mark countless acts were still releasing some of their best music. Violator was Depeche Mode's 7th album, REM were on album #8 with Automatic For The People, Low was Bowie album #11, Blood On The Tracks was Dylan's 15th. Pulp would've been about a decade in with Different Class. Radiohead over a decade in with In Rainbows. It's really an endless list, not uncommon at all 10-15 years in.

Much rarer is people still releasing some of their best music several decades in but there are still a few you could argue the case for. Johnny Cash definitely, Scott Walker, Gil Scott-Heron, Nick Cave, maybe Bowie again with Blackstar (though you'd be hard pressed to argue that's his best tbf). Then again, how many acts are even still active after that much time?
 

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Arctic Monkeys without a doubt has gotten better with age. And I'm someone who still listens to their first album to this day. Every one of their albums is a class act, and if I'm not mistaken, all debuted at number one in the charts.
 

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Loads, depending on what you count as "aged".

Certainly around the 10+ year mark countless acts were still releasing some of their best music. Violator was Depeche Mode's 7th album, REM were on album #8 with Automatic For The People, Low was Bowie album #11, Blood On The Tracks was Dylan's 15th. Pulp would've been about a decade in with Different Class. Radiohead over a decade in with In Rainbows. It's really an endless list, not uncommon at all 10-15 years in.

Much rarer is people still releasing some of their best music several decades in but there are still a few you could argue the case for. Johnny Cash definitely, Scott Walker, Gil Scott-Heron, Nick Cave, maybe Bowie again with Blackstar (though you'd be hard pressed to argue that's his best tbf). Then again, how many acts are even still active after that much time?
My man!
 

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Fugazi. Their final album was their best album, though their output was consistently good anyway. Same applies to Bolt Thrower. They kept trying to follow up on their 2005 album and always ending up scrapping it as it wasn't as good.

I prefer Tyler, The Creator's more recent output to the earlier stuff too, particularly the two most recent albums. He's a much more well rounded artist than he used to be.

Bjork got much better after that 1st album too. Her work has been consistently good since.
 

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Paradise Lost, Bolt Thrower, Katatonia, Ulcerate, Anathema, Metallica*

*Kidding
 

Bobski

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Newsom started pretty bloody well...is her later work better than MEM?
Every Newsom album is excellent imo, Ys perhaps the high point, but I do adore her last 2 albums. Have one on me is bloated but it has some beautiful tracks, while Divers is refined excellence.
 

adexkola

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How's D'Angelo's first few albums? His recent one (been 4-5 years now) is probably one of the few RnB albums I've loved (don't like the genre). Would be impressive if he's tipped that before.

Also, wasn't Metallica's most reknown work well after their first 5 years?

One thing to note is that the lead singers voice tends to disclose post the mid 30s. So, that's a factor as well to consider.
First few? He only has 3 :lol:, the bastard

They're all excellent IMO. Brown Sugar is his most conventional. Voodoo is his best album IMO, and his most radical (you really can't put it in a genre box). His latest, Black Messiah, isn't as good as either two but that may be my nostalgia talking

Long story short is he's too talented to only have 3 albums out.
 

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Two of the most famous British bands, Radiohead and The Beatles, nip this in the bud right away. There’s also that ‘10,000 hour’ theory whereby you only master something after that amount of time, which coincides with around 7 years of consistent practice; in this case playing together as a band.
 

lsd

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Two of the most famous British bands, Radiohead and The Beatles, nip this in the bud right away. There’s also that ‘10,000 hour’ theory whereby you only master something after that amount of time, which coincides with around 7 years of consistent practice; in this case playing together as a band.

The Beatles only lasted 7 years though which is crazy when you think about it so to say their best years were the last 2 is a statement .

Thinking of them though you have the Who and the Stones i guess who did release some great stuff in the 70s . Whether it was just as great as some if the early stuff is debatable

I love Nas and he has released some great stuff over the years but in my opinion not topped Illmatic which i know is no dlight on him as it was an all time classic

Same for Kendrick i out him number one since he came out and love everything he has released but put a gun to my head and have to admit none topped Section 80 or GKMC
 

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Two of the most famous British bands, Radiohead and The Beatles, nip this in the bud right away. There’s also that ‘10,000 hour’ theory whereby you only master something after that amount of time, which coincides with around 7 years of consistent practice; in this case playing together as a band.
Not sure I agree with Radiohead. Their first album was poor, and the 3 after that were good. But they haven't done much since.
 

adexkola

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The Beatles only lasted 7 years though which is crazy when you think about it so to say their best years were the last 2 is a statement .

Thinking of them though you have the Who and the Stones i guess who did release some great stuff in the 70s . Whether it was just as great as some if the early stuff is debatable

I love Nas and he has released some great stuff over the years but in my opinion not topped Illmatic which i know is no dlight on him as it was an all time classic

Same for Kendrick i out him number one since he came out and love everything he has released but put a gun to my head and have to admit none topped Section 80 or GKMC
I love Section 80 but you seriously can't think he peaked with Section 80/GKMC. I mean you can like them better but strictly from a critical acclaim perspective this is false.
 

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The Beatles only lasted 7 years though which is crazy when you think about it so to say their best years were the last 2 is a statement .

Thinking of them though you have the Who and the Stones i guess who did release some great stuff in the 70s . Whether it was just as great as some if the early stuff is debatable

I love Nas and he has released some great stuff over the years but in my opinion not topped Illmatic which i know is no dlight on him as it was an all time classic

Same for Kendrick i out him number one since he came out and love everything he has released but put a gun to my head and have to admit none topped Section 80 or GKMC
The Beatles ‘formed’ in 1960, with Love Me Do hitting in ‘62. Revolver, often regarded as the greatest album ever, hit in ‘66 starting an incredible run of brilliance for a few more years so that doesn’t hurt my case.
 

Organic Potatoes

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Not sure I agree with Radiohead. Their first album was poor, and the 3 after that were good. But they haven't done much since.
They released Creep in 1992. OK Computer was 1997, and many consider In Rainbows their best which was a decade later. If we’re going by the 5 year mark established by the TC then I think I have a good case.

Two more near and dear to me: Wilco and The Flaming Lips...
 

adexkola

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The Roots are still going strong, more than 20 years into this. And I think they hit their initial stride with Illadelph Half-Life/Things Fall Apart in 96/98. Meanwhile Undun is one of the best albums to be released this past decade.