What Are You Listening To?

[Julian, Forum COGNOSCENTI]

I like some of his early 90s stuff but after that it’s hard to find anything redeemable. It happens…even geniuses lose their ability to write great songs.

Ah, the Julian Theory Established Fact that 99.999999% of artists write their seminal work at age 30 or before. Yes, you are correct.

[ye-ole-hatch ıll|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llıl]

I like some of his early 90s stuff but after that it’s hard to find anything redeemable. It happens…even geniuses lose their ability to write great songs.

Ah, the Julian Theory Established Fact that 99.999999% of artists write their seminal work at age 30 or before. Yes, you are correct.

wrong with Bob pollard there

[kosmo vinyl]

Prince - Welcome 2 America

Regardless of when this was released I would rank this one at the same level of Around The World and Controversy.  Not solid bangers but definitely some of his best work... 

Hot Summer is however the banger hatch is craving to listen to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiAhTus8RRs

[Julian, Forum COGNOSCENTI]

I like some of his early 90s stuff but after that it’s hard to find anything redeemable. It happens…even geniuses lose their ability to write great songs.

Ah, the Julian Theory Established Fact that 99.999999% of artists write their seminal work at age 30 or before. Yes, you are correct.

wrong with Bob pollard there

Yes, the guy who started putting out music at 30 falls into the .000001% exclusion I carved out.

[Starsky]

There are plenty of artists who put out masterpieces after 30. I just don’t believe they did so consistently. And they certainly no longer captured the zeitgeist.

And one  can’t say Bowie was forward looking after 1982. Or Dylan or Cash or Petty or Cohen.

But Bowie’s low came out about a week after he turned 30. But he is a remarkable exception to the general rule.

There may be other great examples. My favorite musician, Andres Calamaro, came out with his best work between 1996-2000 and he was 35-40 years old. He had been successful since the early 80s. Another Argentine , Charly Garcia, comes to mind. In fact when you look international you see lots of great examples such as Gainsbourg, Joaquin Sabina, Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben. But within the rock and pop idiom being over 30 is almost tantamount to being dead.

Suicide were notable late bloomers.

Bob Dylan with Time out of mind
Leonard Cohen with You want it darker
Bowie
Petty
Cash

Underworld put out all their great stuff after the two founders were over 30. Their Drift box set which only came out a few years ago is incredible.

What is notable about Prince is he cratered. There isn’t even one song that can sit on his greatest hits from his last 10 years.

[Julian, Forum COGNOSCENTI]

There are plenty of artists who put out masterpieces after 30. I just don’t believe they did so consistently. And they certainly no longer captured the zeitgeist. One can’t say Bowie was forward looking after 1982.

Bob Dylan with Time out of mind
Leonard Cohen with You want it darker
Bowie
Petty
Cash

Underworld put out all their great stuff after the two founders were over 30. Their Drift box set which only came out a few years ago is incredible.

What is notable about Prince is he cratered. There isn’t even one song that can sit on his greatest hits from his last 10 years.

We've had this conversation many times and you continue to not possess reading comprehension. I never say "no one put out good music after 30" or "the second an artist hits 30 their music becomes shit" which you always seem to be retorting to. I say artists BEST work comes before 30. Literally every person you listed (with the exception of Underworld, a group whose members have no sub-30 material) had their best work before 30.

And no, I don't want to debate Blood on The Tracks for the fifth time. Its fine. It's also not in Dylan's top three. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[Starsky]

Don’t flatter yourself. Am not debating with you just posting my thoughts.

Underworld did have albums before 30 . Two as Freur and two or three as an earlier incarnation and they are abominable.

And if we accept Bowie’s Berlin trilogy as his high point- as more and more people do every year, Bowie peaked after 30.

There are remarkable exceptions. I added to my post above.

Another incredible exception might be arguably the creator of rock and roll: Chuck Berry who would have turned 96 today. Almost all his seminal stuff came out in his 30s.

[Starsky]

Another great example of an artist that indisputably peaked after 30 is Nick Cave. I think he peaked around 1994 which is I think in his mid 30s! The stuff he put out in his 20s has its moments and there are incredible songs but there are also clunkers and the scuzz bucket Cramps/Gun Club blues rock can be unbearable

Again, an exception but they are out there….

[Space Freely]

My wife says that Bowie peaked with "Let's Dance", and anyone who likes his earlier crap is just a music snob.

[ye-ole-hatch ıll|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llıl]

My wife says that Bowie peaked with "Let's Dance", and anyone who likes his earlier crap is just a music snob.

yowza that's a weak take
I'd say after that Its hard to find great stuff.
But I would say that's the end of his great run
Blue Jean came out on Tonight, but that's the only redeming song on Tonight
His later stuff has some decent stuff, but not really of the caliber of his work from 71-83

[kosmo vinyl]

.

What is notable about Prince is he cratered. There isn’t even one song that can sit on his greatest hits from his last 10 years.

ok just keep clinging to the fact that you are the expert on all 20+ records he recorded since 1994

and for the record PlectrumElectrum is on par with Dirty Mind

and here the banger from the album recorded with Lizzo in 2014

BOYTROUBLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCg5FdmyznA

[Starsky]

The issue is not just about the actual music but about what type of music we are talking about. If we are talking about popular music or say rock and roll then it’s about music for the young and for youth culture; largely preteens, teens etc. obviously for a musician to be able to write music that youth can identify with, process etc the musician can’t be in their 40s!!

This is why if we move away from popular music we find plenty of artists peaking after 30 even if their music is not as popular. Ryuichi Sakamoto for example. Ennio. Many

[Julian, Forum COGNOSCENTI]

And if we accept Bowie’s Berlin trilogy as his high point- as more and more people do every year, Bowie peaked after 30.

Five music nerds who are wrong think this.

[Starsky]

.

What is notable about Prince is he cratered. There isn’t even one song that can sit on his greatest hits from his last 10 years.

ok just keep clinging to the fact that you are the expert on all 20+ records he recorded since 1994

and for the record PlectrumElectrum is on par with Dirty Mind

and here the banger from the album recorded with Lizzo in 2014

BOYTROUBLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCg5FdmyznA

You have lost your damn mind.

[kosmo vinyl]

.

What is notable about Prince is he cratered. There isn’t even one song that can sit on his greatest hits from his last 10 years.

ok just keep clinging to the fact that you are the expert on all 20+ records he recorded since 1994

and for the record PlectrumElectrum is on par with Dirty Mind

and here the banger from the album recorded with Lizzo in 2014

BOYTROUBLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCg5FdmyznA

You have lost your damn mind.

Have you listen to the record?

and just oh by the way

"The album reached number 1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart, and 8 on The Billboard 200. It also entered the main charts in Europe, Australia and Japan, reaching top 10 positions in Austria, Denmark, France, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands.'