Some of the Longest Waits Between Albums

Albums: Some of the Longest Waits

This list was originally posted on my Dave’s Music Database Facebook page (Some of the Longest Waits Between Albums) on 2/5/2012 and has been updated several times since. Here’s a little history about this list. In March 2012, I penned an article for PopMatters.com (“I Heard You Missed Us – We’re Back!”) on bands who’d had long breaks between albums. At the time, I’d waited five years for a new album from Fish, one of my favorite acts. That month Van Halen ended a 14-year silence and in recent years Guns N’ Roses received a lot of press for its 15-year delay between albums. I ended up with an extensive list of acts who have tried the patience of their fans to the max. Note: I’m only looking at album’s worth of new studio material. That includes “specialty” releases of new material for that act such as covers collections or Christmas recordings, but does not include live albums, compilations, remixes, or other reissues of previously released material. Thanks to DMDB fans who contributed to this list! I also recommend checking out the list by camara_azteca at Rate Your Music: “Longest Gaps Between Albums: Artists Who Waited Over 35 Years to Release a Follow-Up” since I have not integrated that list here. There’s a lot of artists there with whom I’m unfamiliar. Some of the Longest Waits: 38 years: Chuck Berry Rock It (1979), Chuck (2017) 38 years: John Lodge Natural Avenue (1977), 10,000 Light Years Ago (2015) 36 years: The Yardbirds Little Games (1967), Birdland (2003) 35 years: Vashti Bunyan Just Another Diamond Day (1970), Lookingafter (2005) 35 years: The Sonics Sinderella (1980), This Is the Sonics (2015) 34 years: The Stooges Raw Power (1973), The Weirdness (2007) 32 years: New York Dolls Too Much Too Soon (1974), One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (2006) 30 years: Magazine Magic, Murder and the Weather (1981), No Thyself (2011) 28 years: Eagles The Long Run (1979), Long Road Out of Eden (2007) 28 years: The Slits Return of the Giant Slits (1981), Trapped Animal (2009) 28 years: Cat Stevens Back to Earth (1978), An Other Cup (2006) 27 years: Big Star Third/Sister Lovers (1978), In Space (2005) 27 years: Dexy’s Midnight Runners Don’t Stand Me Down (1985), One Day I’m Going to Soar (2012) 25 years: Bauhaus Burning from the Inside (1983), Go Away White (2008) 25 years: Levon Helm Levon Helm (1982), Dirt Farmer (2007) 25 years: Throbbing Gristle Journey Through a Body (1982), Part Two: The Endless Not (2007) 25 years: Roger Waters Amused to Death (1992), Is This the Life We Really Want? (2017) 24 years: The Cars Door to Door (1987), Move Like This (2011) 24 years: Steve Perry For the Love of Strange Medicine (1994), Traces (2018) 24 years: The Who It’s Hard (1982), Endless Wire (2006) 23 years: The Zombies Odessey and Oracle (1968), New World (1991) 22 years: Jeff Lynne Armchair Theatre (1990), Long Wave (2012) 22 years: Mission of Burma Vs. (1982), ONoffON (2004) 22 years: My Bloody Valentine Loveless (1991), MBV (2013) 22 years: The Soft Boys Underwater Moonlight (1980), Nextdoorland (2002) 21 years: The Vaselines Dum-Dum (1989), Sex with an X (2010) 20 Years The Del-Lords Lovers Who Wander (1990), Under Construction (EP, 2010) Devo Smooth Noodle Maps (1990), Something for Everybody (2010) The Feelies Time for a Witness (1991), Here Before (2011) Pink Floyd The Division Bell (1994), Endless River (2014) Steely Dan Gaucho (1980), Two Against Nature (2000) 19 Years Del Amitri Can You Do Me Good? (2002), Fatal Mistakes (2021) Grace Jones Bulletproof Heart (1989), Hurricane (2008) 18 Years Black Sabbath Forbidden (1995), 13 (2013) Faith No More Album of the Year (1997), Sol Invictus (2015) Was (Not Was) Are You Okay? (1990), Boo! (2008) 17 Years Blondie The Hunter (1982), No Exit (1999) The Go-Go’s Talk Show (1984), God Bless the Go-Go’s (2001) Kraftwerk Electric Café (1986), Tour de Force Soundtracks (2003) Steve Miller Band Wide River (1993), Bingo (2010) Squeeze Domino (1998), From the Cradle to the Grave (2015) 16 Years The Beach Boys Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 (1996), That’s Why God Made the Radio (2012) The B-52’s Good Stuff (1992), Funplex (2008) Dr. Dre 2001 (1999), Compton (2015) Gang of Four Shrinkwrapped (1995), Content (2011) Gil Scott-Heron Spirits (1994), I’m New Here (2010) Kansas Somewhere to Elsewhere (2000), The Prelude Implicit (2016) 15 Years Camper Van Beethoven Key Lime Pie (1989), New Roman Times (2004) Electric Light Orchestra Balance of Power (1986), Zoom (2001) Roky Erickson All That May Do My Rhyme (1995), True Love Cast Out All Evil (2010) Foreigner Mr. Moonlight (1994), Can’t Slow Down (2009) Guns N’ Roses The Spaghetti Incident? (1993), Chinese Democracy (2008) Don Henley Inside Job (2000), Cass County (2015) Nitzer Ebb Big Hit (1995), Industrial Complex (2010) Alan Parsons A Valid Path (2004), The Secret (2019) The Rainmakers Skin (1996), 25 On (2011) Shania Twain Up! (2002), Now (2017) 14 Years Accept Predator (1996), Blood of the Nations (2010) Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (1995), Black Gives Way to Blue (2009) David Baerwald Here Comes the New Folk Underground (2002), Hellbound Train (2016) Big Country Driving to Damascus (1999), The Journey (2013) Lindsey Buckingham Out of the Cradle (1992), Under the Skin (2006) Crowded House Together Alone (1993), Time on Earth (2007) D’Angelo Voodoo (2000), Black Messiah (2014) Electric Light Orchestra Zoom (2001), Alone in the Universe (2015) Emerson, Lake & Palmer Love Beach (1978), Black Moon (1992) Hooters Out of Body (1993), Time Stand Still (2007) Lynyrd Skynyrd Street Survivors (1977), Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 (1991) New Kids on the Block Face the Music (1994), The Block (2008) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Universal (1996), History of Modern (2010) The Swans Soundtrack for the Blind (1996), My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky (2010) Television Adventure (1978), Television (1992) Van Halen Van Halen III (1998), A Different Kind of Truth (2012) 13 Years Garth Brooks Scarecrow (2001), Man Against Machine (2014) Dennis DeYoung One Hundred Years from Now (2007), 26 East Vol. 1 (2020) Jane’s Addiction Ritual de lo Habitual (1990), Strays (2003) Tool 10,000 Days (2006), Fear Inoculum (2019) The Who Endless Wire (2006), Who (2019) The Zombies New World (1991), As Far As I Can See… (2004) 12 Years Kate Bush The Red Shoes (1993), Aerial (2005) The Go-Betweens 16 Lovers Lane (1988), The Friends of Rachel Worth (2000) Wire The First Letter (1991), Send (2003) Hole Celebrity Skin (1998), Nobody’s Daughter (2010) The House of Love Audience with the Mind (1993), Days Run Away (2005) Billy Idol Cyberpunk (1993), Devil’s Playground (2005) Loretta Lynn Van Lear Rose (2004), Full Circle (2016) Polvo Shapes (1997), In Prism (2009) Styx Big Bang Theory (2005), The Mission (2017) 11 Years Boston Life, Love & Hope (2013), Corporate America (2002) Crowded House Intriguer (2010), Dreamers Are Waiting (2021) ESG ESG (1991), Step Off (2002) Grandmaster Flash Flash Is Back (1998), The Bridge: Concept of a Culture (2009) Heart Desire Walks On (1993), Jupiter’s Darling (2004) Kiss Psycho Circus (1998) Sonic Boom (2009) The Libertines The Libertines (2004), Anthems for Doomed Youth (2015) No Doubt Rock Steady (2001), Push and Shove (2012) Portishead Portishead (1997), Third (2008) The Power Station The Power Station (1985), Living in Fear (1996) The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang (2005), Blue and Lonesome (2016) Bob Seger It’s a Mystery (1995), Face the Promise (2006) The Verve Urban Hymns (1997), Forth (2008) Scott Walker Climate of Hunter (1984), Tilt (1995) Scott Walker Tilt (1995), The Drift (2006) 10 Years American Music Club San Francisco (1994), Love Songs for Patriots (2004) David Bowie Reality (2003), The Next Day (2013) Bush Golden State (2001), The Sea of Memories (2011) Dinosaur Jr. Hand It Over (1997), Beyond (2007) Eurythmics We Too Are One (1989), Peace (1999) Peter Gabriel Us (1992); Up (2002) Gin Blossoms Congratulations I’m Sorry (1996), Major Lodge Victory (2006) The Human League Secrets (2001), Credo (2011) Journey Raised on Radio (1986), Trial by Fire (1996) The Knack Round Trip (1981), Serious Fun (1991) The Lemonheads Car Button Cloth (1996), The Lemonheads (2006) Matchbox 20 More Than You Think You Are (2002), North (2012) Steve Perry Street Talk (1984), For the Love of Strange Medicine (1994) Sade Lovers Rock (2000), Soldier of Love (2010) Suicide Why Be Blue (1992), American Supreme (2002) Supertramp Free As a Bird (1987), Some Things Never Change (1997) Scott Walker We Had It All (1974), Climate of Hunter (1984) Stevie Wonder Conversation Peace (1995), A Time to Love (2005) Yes Magnification (2001), Fly from Here (2011) 9 Years The Allman Brothers Band Brothers of the Road (1981), Seven Turns (1990) The Allman Brothers Band Where It All Begins (1994), Hittin’ the Note (2003) Leonard Cohen The Future (1992), Ten New Songs (2001) Deep Purple Come Taste the Band (1975), Perfect Strangers (1984) Styx Edge of the Century (1990), Brave New World (1999) 8 Years AC/DC Stiff Upper Lip (2000), Black Ice (2008) Aerosmith Honkin’ on Bobo (2004), Music from Another Dimension! (2012) Berlin 4Play (2005), Animal (2013) Blondie The Curse of Blondie (2003), Panic of Girls (2011) Boston Don’t Look Back (1978), Third Stage (1986) Boston Third Stage (1986), Walk On (1994) Boston Walk On (1994), Corporate America (2002) Camper Van Beethoven New Roman Times (2004), virus_installer.exe (2012) Chicago Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album (1998), XXX (2006) Leonard Cohen Dear Heather (2004), Old Ideas (2012) Fleetwood Mac Time (1995), Say You Will (2003) Michael Jackson Invincible (2001); Michael (2010 – released posthumously; Jackson died in 2009) Mick Jagger Wandering Spirit (1993), Goddess in the Doorway (2001) Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007), Strangers to Ourselves (2015) The Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon (1997), A Bigger Bang (2005) Rush Test for Echo (1996) Vapor Trails (2002) Sade Love Deluxe (1992), Lovers Rock (2000) Bob Seger Face the Promise (2006), Ride Out (2014) The Smithereens God Save the Smithereens (1999), Christmas with the Smithereens (2007) Stevie Wonder Characters (1987), Conversation Peace (1995) Still Waiting… 42 years: Led Zeppelin In Through the Out Door (8/15/79) (1979) 28 years: Billy Joel River of Dreams (1993) 24 years: Genesis Calling All Stations (1997) 23 years: Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) 20 years: Mick Jagger Goddess in the Doorway (2001) 19 years: Supertramp Slow Motion (2002) 18 years: The Allman Brothers Band Hittin’ the Note (2003) 18 years: Fleetwood Mac Say You Will (2003) 18 years: Kraftwerk Tour de France Soundtracks (2003) 18 years: Steely Dan Everything Must Go (2003) 17 years: Tears for Fears Everybody Loves a Happy Ending (2004) 16 years: Stevie Wonder A Time to Love (2005) 14 years: Hooters Time Stand Still (2007) Resources and Related Links: My article for PopMatters.com (3/5/2012). I Heard You Missed Us – We’re Back! Dave’s Music Database Facebook Note (2/5/2012). Some of the Longest Waits Between Albums) First posted 2/5/2012; last updated 5/18/2021.