beantownbubba wrote:RevMatt wrote:Name some albums recorded by a band or artist near the age of fifty that are as good or better than English Oceans? It isn't easy to come up with a list.
But that's not the standard, or at least I hope it's not.
No, that isn't the standard. But at some point age has to be brought into the discussion because it is a big part of the DBT story.
Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley were in their thirties when they formed Drive By Truckers in 1996. They released four albums and toured for eight years before they reached national act status in 2002. They released four albums on their own before Lost Highway paid for the second pressing of
Southern Rock Opera. This makes Patterson Hood 38 and Mike Cooley 36 when they finally got the kind of record deal where the record company fronts the money for the recording, mastering and manufacture of an album. It is pretty unprecedented for a band to get their first record deal when they are past the age of thirty-five. The only guy I can think of is Alex Harvey who was 37 when The Sensational Alex Harvey band was signed.
Since 2004 Drive By Truckers have released
The Dirty South, A Blessing and a Curse, Brighter Than Creation's Dark, The Fine Print, The Big To Do, Go Go Boots and
English Oceans. I don't think there are very many artists in any musical genre who have produced a comparable body of work when they were past the age of 40. The only guy I can think of is Leonard Cohen who turned 40 in 1974.
No, age should never be the standard. Great albums are the sole standard. But when age is taken into consideration DBT's accomplishments are amazing. Songwriters tend to be very prolific during the first ten years of practicing the craft. When the process is new the inspiration for new songs seems endless. Songwriters take this for granted. But after a certain number of years a songwriter almost has to relearn the craft or, at the very least, develop the sort of disciplined set of work habits he might have scoffed at when he was 25. Great songs are harder to come by.
Producing such a great body of work past the age of 40 is one of the reasons why I am in awe of DBT. Their accomplishments are almost unprecedented.
I have nowhere else to go. There is no demand in the priesthood for elderly drug addicts