# Albums delivered after a long hiatus by the artist(s). Are these more often masterpieces or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732 "2012-12-02T04:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/21 "2012-12-03T15:24:40Z")
The classic Deep Purple lineup (Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice and Jon Lord) disappeared in 1974 and the band split up entirely in 1975. In 1984, they regrouped and made _ **Perfect Strangers** _, an album I loved… but I don’t have a strong feel for how popular it was or how it went over with their old fans. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/22 "2012-12-03T15:48:05Z")
The Who’s _Endless Wire_ came out 24 years after their previous album, _It’s Hard_. It is not a masterpiece. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/23 "2012-12-03T15:56:35Z")
Another one: Testament released _The Gathering_, their 8th and finest album, in 1999. Work on the follow-up was delayed by, among other things, two band members battling cancer. After 5 years of inactivity and 4 years of production, _The Formation of Damnation_ was released in 2008. It was well-received, but a step backward from _The Gathering_. So, not a masterpiece, but much better than _Endless Wire_. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/24 "2012-12-03T16:37:47Z")
> [@azraiel](#): > > From September 1962 to May 1966 Dylan issued seven albums, close to an album every six months. Harding took three times as long, and Skyline almost four times. One or both are classics depending upon who you ask (both, IMHO). Don’t forget Dylan was badly injured in a motorcycle accident in July 1966, stopped touring, and spent much of his time editing the sequel to _Don’t Look Back._ During that period he also recorded the Basement Tapes, although they wouldn’t be released for years, so he had other things to occupy his time. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/25 "2012-12-03T17:54:48Z")
Traffic. The group broke up for two years (after their second album – _Last Exit_ was made up of unreleased and live tracks). Steve Winwood joined Blind Faith and Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Dave Mason went solo, and Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood were part of Mason, Capaldi, Wood and Frog. Winwood then decided to do a solo album, asked Capaldi to do drums and Wood to add woodwinds and the result – _John Barleycorn Must Die_ – was a big success. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/26 "2012-12-04T04:28:17Z")
Ben Folds Five came out with a new album this year. I’ve already forgotten about it. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/27 "2012-12-04T13:23:19Z")
I never liked Patti Smith, but she took a long time off to raise her kids with Fred “Sonic” Smith. After the _ **Wave** _ album in 1979, she didn’t make a new album until 1988. I’ll let her fans decide if the results were any good. All I remember was the mediocre “People Have the Power.” ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/28 "2012-12-04T14:05:42Z")
Based purely on [Sturgeon’s Law](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_Law), I would say ‘more often not.’ ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/29 "2012-12-04T16:17:36Z")
Based on Fleetwood Mac’s #Tusk", I’d say most of the time albums that take a long time to make aren’t good, the artist is short of ideas, and wasting money to try to come up with something that most likely they won’t ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/30 "2012-12-05T06:28:33Z")
One of my all-time favorite bands, Superchunk, went nine years between studio albums. _Majesty Shredding_, the album they put out upon their 2010 return, was just amazing. They sounded totally refreshed, on top of their game, hooks all over the place. I would probably have to go all the way back to 1995 to find an album of theirs that I liked as much as this one. Another fave, Buffalo Tom, also went away for nine years before coming back with _Three Easy Pieces_. It felt like a really solid return to form. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_E.Nixon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@Richard\_E.Nixon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_E.Nixon)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/31 "2012-12-05T08:13:24Z")
Peter Gabriel’s “Up” came out ten years after “Us.” It’s a brilliant album. Genesis’s “We Can’t Dance” cane out five and half years after “Invisible Touch.” Not a masterpiece but still very good. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/32 "2012-12-05T16:38:26Z")
Lucinda Williams’ _Car Wheels on a Gravel Road_ album was famously long-gestating (six years) and famously well-received. ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/33 "2012-12-05T21:22:20Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Has there ever been one that turned out to be a masterpiece? Scott Walker’s _The Drift_. (I suppose he’d kept a hand in the game with film scores and other one-off things, but there were eleven years between that and _Tilt_, the album he did previously.) ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732/34 "2012-12-05T21:24:49Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Based on Fleetwood Mac’s #Tusk", I’d say most of the time albums that take a long time to make > aren’t good, the artist is short of ideas, and wasting money to try to come up with something that most likely they won’t “Short on ideas” is pretty much the last phrase I’d use to describe _Tusk_! Also, it came out about two and a half years after _Rumours_ - I guess for a pop group in the late '70s that’s a fair amount of time between albums, but since they were also touring and going through all manner of awful interpersonal dramas in the meantime, it doesn’t seem like an especially long amount of time between the two albums. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-delivered-after-a-long-hiatus-by-the-artist-s-are-these-more-often-masterpieces-or-not/642732.md?page=1)