[cshadows2887]

Everyone knows artists as a rule tend to release less and less vital music late in their careers. Who are some veteran artists you think released vital, relevant music late in their careers? I'd say at least 20 years into a career.

A few off the top of my head:
Bruce Springsteen (The Rising, Magic, Wrecking Ball)
Bob Dylan (Time Out of Mind, Modern Times)
Gil-Scott Heron (I'm New Here)
Tom Waits (Mule Variations)
Daryl Hall (Laughing Down Crying)
Mavis Staples (You Are Not Alone)
Mary Chapin Carpenter (The Age of Miracles)
U2 (All That You Can't Leave Behind)
Johnny Cash (American Recordings, American IV: The Man Comes Around)
Billie Holliday (Lady in Satin)
Elton John and Leon Russell (The Union)

What am I missing?

[cshadows2887]

Fuck a duck, I forgot Mystery Girl by Roy Orbison.

Edit: AND Warren Zevon's The Wind.

[Likelinus]

This may be an odd one but...

Deftones - Diamond Eyes
A masterpiece from a band that seemed to be close to it´s downfall. But pulled itself together and released its probably best work 22 years into the career. strong!

[kazuma_ootaro28]

Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two
Q-Tip - The Renaissance
Common - The Dreamer/The Believer

Mostly recent choices though, I know. I'll have to think of other ones later.

[Fourchordwonder]

Snakes and Arrows is definitely the best of the latter half of Rush's career.

[GetUpAndrew]

Funeral For A Friend - Welcome Home Armageddon
Weezer - Hurley

[CheckeredFloors]

^




:/

[zephyrsong12345]

For the sake of keeping with the front page, I thought Folie a Deux ruled.

Can't think of anything else at the moment.

[FigureItOut]

Morrissey (You Are the Quarry, Ringleader of the Tormentors, Years of Refusal)

Only one I can think of right now that you didn't mention.

[JinxRemoving]

These aren't necessarily essential or anything, just stuff I really like.

R.E.M. - Accelerate
Alison Krauss - Paper Airplane
Willie Nelson - Teatro
Merle Haggard - If I Could Only Fly
Descendents - Cool To Be You
Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company
Mission of Burma - ONoffON
Sonic Youth - Murray Street

[revfittherapy]

Robert Plant/Alison Krauss-Raising Sand
And totally agree with the person who dropped Morrissey into the equation. His last few albums have been stellar

[drewinseries]

Morrissey - Years of Refusal

[georgedcc]

Did someone really respond with Folie A Deux? Did that really happen? Anyway, agree with pretty much all your choices, Chris. The Billie Holiday album was released in 1958, so she'd only been making music for just over 10 years at that point. So that doesn't really fit into your 20 year rule ha. Fantastic album though.

Here's a few more late essentials:

B.B king - One Kind Favour
Al Green - Lay It Down
Miles Davis - The Man With The Horn
Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
Etta James - The Dreamer
Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
New Order - Waiting For The Siren's Call
The Cure - 4:13 Dream
Bjork - Biophillia

The Bjork one is 'only' 18 years after her proper debut, so she technically shouldn't qualify under your 20 year criteria, but fuck it, she's been making music since the mid 70s so I included her. And it's a better answer than Folie A Deux.

[rawesome]

Spot on with Waits. A lot of his later career stuff is among his best. You mentioned Mule Variations, but Blood Money and Bad As Me are both among his better material. And the Orphans collection, if you count that.

[ThisIsNotDan]

I'm gonna count this since he wrote virtually all of Oasis's songs, but the Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds album is the best stuff he's done since Be Here Now or even What's The Story Morning Glory

The Mountain Goats have existed since '91 and their album last year is one of my favorites of theirs