10 Living Rock Artists Overdue For A New Album

There are rock legends like Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Elton John who even in their 60’s 70s and 80’s have continued to release new studio albums throughout their entire careers. These are artists that stand as pioneers of popular music and could have retired long ago based on the fortunes they made when they were younger. However, it’s obvious that these brilliant artists continue to release new music not for monetary purposes. These artists still feel that passion they had when they started. The artist and performer in them still burns deeply. Whether or not the material they are releasing as elder statesman compares to the music they issued in their 20s is as good, is irrelevant. The point is they have continued to be artists and their fans should be incredibly grateful to them for that.

On the other hand, there are rock stars and bands still alive that have not released music in a long time. We are not here to discuss why. None of those artists owe us anything. They have their own reasons for not releasing new music. Everyone should be allowed to retire and be left alone. For some it may be medical reasons, or just old age that have caused them to no longer release new music. Some may have nothing left to say. Of course some of them just don’t want to do it anymore. Most importantly, we can’t neglect to mention possibly the biggest reason. We live in an era in which no one buys music anymore. An entire generation of music fans now in their 30s have grown up downloading music for free.

So why should an artist spend a year in a studio working their tails off and spending a great deal of money to put together an album that people will only download for free?  Maybe for a Paul McCartney that does not matter, but someone like a Paul Rogers or Sheryl Crow might just say yeah not gonna waste my money and time when everyone will just pay Apple Music or Spotify a cheap monthly fee to get it for pennies or just download it for free from youTube.”

With all that said, we as fans still would love to hear new music from our favorite artists who have gone silent for too long. In a perfect rock and roll world, these are the 10 artists and bands we wish would release new albums. Most of this is COMPLETE FANTASY as some of these bands have long broken up or have long standing feuds. However, all our choices can still in reality release new music because the only rule is the artists must still be alive. As for band’s, at least the core or essential members should still be alive. So The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd type bands don’t qualify because of the loss of key members of those groups.

# 10 – Journey with Steve Perry

Well we have had new Journey albums, and this month we recently enjoyed a new Steve Perry album. However we can still be a bit greedy and yearn for a new Journey album with Steve Perry on lead vocals. The last Journey album to feature Steve Perry was released in 1999 entitled Trial By Fire.

# 9 – Genesis

The last Genesis album was released in 1997 entitled Calling All Stations. That album did not even include Phil Collins. The last Genesis album that featured Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford was released in 1991 entitled We Can’t Dance. Of course the last album to feature Steve Hackett was Wind and Wuthering in 1976. Peter Gabriel left after the release of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway in 1974. Imagine if they all came back for one more record? They are all still alive.

# 8 – The Moody Blues

Their last studio album was a Christmas album released in 2003. The Moody Blues last album of new studio material was issued in 1999 entitled Strange Times. In 2018, the band still tours but it’s been a long time since any new music has been released.

# 7 – Fleetwood Mac

The last studio album Fleetwood Mac released was 2003’s Say You Will. Fifteen years is a long time. The band has gone through so many lineup changes, but this is the longest the group has gone without releasing new music regardless of the band’s lineup.

# 6 – The Police

We all got a little tease a few years ago when The Police reunited for a tour and released a live album of the reunion. Nonetheless, the band’s last studio album was released in 1984. Sting has had an amazing career and seems to feel the band The Police is forever in the past as far as new material. Who can blame him, he has released a body of work that has distinguished him as one of the premier musical artists of the past thirty years. But oh! would a new Police album still be so cool.

# 5 – Bad Company with Paul Rogers

The last Bad Company studio album to features the great Paul Rogers on lead vocals was the band’s Rough Diamonds album in 1982. Original members  guitarist Mick Ralphs and  drummer Simon Kirke are still alive along with Paul Rogers. Sadly bass player Boz Burrell has since passed away.

# 4 – Jimmy Page

It may be hard to believe but Jimmy Page has released only one solo album. The very underrated Outrider album was released in 1988. There can never be another Led Zeppelin album without John Bonham. Robert Plant has helped satisfy Led Zeppelin fans a bit by releasing new music over the years as a solo artist. Yes, Jimmy Page has put stuff out with The Firm, The Black Crowes and David Coverdale but a Jimmy Page solo album would be something longtime Led Zeppelin fans would go crazy over.

# 3 – The Kinks

The last time Kinks fans were able to buy a new Kinks album was in 1993 when the band released the album Phobia. Ray and Dave are still alive and in their 70’s.

# 2 – The Rolling Stones

Even though the band did release a new studio album in 2016, it was an album that consisted entirely of blues covers. The Rolling Stones last studio album containing new material was released in 2005 entitled A Bigger Bang. It is the longest stretch of time the Rolling Stones have had in between studio albums of new material.

# 1 – Billy Joel

In 1993, Billy Joel sang the lyrics “These are the last words I will ever write.” He was not kidding. I would have never believed in 1993 that Billy Joel would never release another studio album. The lyric from the song “Famous Last Words,” appeared on his last studio album The River Of Dreams. Here we are in 2018, twenty five years later and he has kept his word.