Reading on the main page about Huey from Fun loving criminals made me think that he had one song out 15 odd years ago, and is still in the public eye. Is there anyone you can think of who has stayed in the limelight for a long period of time, despite only releasing a small body of work. THe other person who springs to my mind is sinitta. Two songs out almost thirty years ago and she is still very much in the public eye.
Last edited by pearlsandplums : 04-11-2013 at 17:08

The fun loving criminals have released 7 albums in there career and are still going.

Amazingly the sex pistols only made one studio abum and so did lauryn hill.

Sinitta is only in the public eye because of her sugar daddy

Kate Bush has had a pretty extensive career releasing only 9 studio albums and 2 compilations (i count Directors Cut as a Compilation no matter how much she protests )and yet 35 years later she's still releasing critically acclaimed material amd has never ha an album peak below #6.

Justin Timberlake has been going since the late 90s/early 2000s and has only recently got past his 3rd album.

He so doesn't count, he was in some big hollywood movies.

Matt Cardle or Leona Lewis

Engelbert Humperdinck (cant spell it!)
He's been around DECADES and is known for 1/2 songs...?

Buena Vista Social Club would be up there. If not for Ry Cooder they would have pretty well disappeared into folk legend to most of the world.
Instead they had a late career that has completely eclipsed their earlier output and fame.

If you think about it, Lily Allen has had a very successful career since 2006 with only two albums under her belt.

Marc Almond

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiTW0sGJgZU

Jamelia's last album was seven years ago (and her last successful one was ten years ago), but she still seems to be on every panel show going, plus she coaches on the Irish Voice.


I thought he'd released an album every year since winning X Factor?

You can't really have a long career AFTER not releasing much but you could have a long career during which you release little and sporadically, although it's uncommon.

Sometimes a one hit wonder will be remembered decades later because of their hit being played but their career will not be continuing in any really sense so this doesn't count.

Strictly speaking this thread relates to artists who over an ongoing period have released songs only very occasionally. This is uncommon within major label music - the labels want to make money and you will usually be contracted for a specific number of releases over a given period. You are signed to create product. If you don't sell, you'll be dropped.

Someone like Kate Bush has released far too much in my opinion to be considered for this - and too regularly - more a case of going on a lengthy hiatus a couple of times. A solo artist (like KB) has an advantage here as they can't split up. Sade Adu has done this also and the rest of the band have worked as Sweetback in the interim. Blondie were prolific but split and returned about a decade-and-a-half later. If you split up and reform you have not necessarily had a music career in the gap years.

It's more likely within mainstream music that an artist will disappear, making an unexpected reappearance much later, than to issue recordings very sparsely over a period of time.

I'm not sure if people will come up with too many examples that strictly meet the criteria. Kele Le Roc was dropped with indecent haste but has continued to sing on various artists' records and on her own, on a variety of labels since she ceased to be a chart artist. I'd say she would qualify (especially since she has never released an album beyond her major label debut) but she has a few too many releases to have had a truly sparse career.

Pete Burns somehow manages to keep in the public eye despite only having one hit single thirty years ago, which was pretty shite in the first place.

She doesn't seem to have recorded anything since so it's arguable that she has any music career now. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if she does make some return sometime. She has switched careers, moving to television work.

The same would apply to pop stars like Sinitta and Myleene Klass etc.

Mike Oldfield

The band Tool have released 4 albums in 21 years. Pretty glacial progress unfortunately.

I cheated - http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/slideshow...-albums.htm#12
Kraftwerk - forgot about them as an option, they've been a permanent fixture. There's other in there I'd never have thought of too.

You remind of me of Dave who likes to travel on buses

I would say The Blue Nile - 4 albums since 1981, not exactly prolific!

Christina Aguilera has had a 15 year career and only released 5 albums.

Justin too.

At that rate you might include U2, 37 years and only 12 albums!

Whitney Houston managed almost 30 years in the industry and only released 6 studio albums, of which the last two had little impact! Her number of albums is also staggering when you look at how much she has sold!

Ok - they're dead - but -

Buddy Holly.

And Nick Drake.

They still sell tunes.

This.

Good call from scrilla, regarding Sade.

Not sure if Scritti Politti will release another album (their last one came out back in 2006). They released just 5 albums in 24 years.