Believe me as I assure you that this article was not written in the 80’s. The Cars just came out with a new album. I know, right? It’s 2011 and The Cars have released Move Like This, their first album in over 20 years. When the band’s previous album, Door to Door, was put on store shelves, I was still months away from being introduced to this world.
    I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan of The Cars, but the fact that I’ve never witnessed an album release by them has caught me in the hype. When reading about the album, I thought about other bands that have released an album after spending many years out of the studio. So this week, I present you a sample of albums that bands created years after their previous release.

Sublime with Rome: Yours Truly
Release Date: July 12, 2011
Years Since Last Album: 15

    Don’t let the name confuse you; this is Sublime. Upon singer and guitarist Bradley Nowell’s death in 1996, remaining members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh decided to immediately terminate the band, thus ending a run of one of the most popular third wave ska bands in history. Wilson and Gaugh have collaborated and even made new music since, but they weren’t under the Sublime name and their music was more of a dub sound than the reggae/punk style of Sublime.
    In 2009, Wilson and Gaugh performed under the name Sublime with new singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez. After that performance, legal issues forced them to change their name, so they simply called themselves Sublime with Rome. Under this new name, the band has played many shows and revealed a new song entitled “Panic.” Any doubters claiming that Sublime would never be the same without Nowell were quickly silenced when the band debuted the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2010. “Panic” is instantly recognizable with the classic Sublime sound, and Ramirez definitely has the talent to fill the shoes of the late Nowell. I’m excited to hear more tracks released soon.

 

Guns N’ Roses: Chinese Democracy
Release Date: November 23, 2008
Years Since Last Album: 15

 

    After years of seeing no progress on recording new material, legendary guitarist Slash quit the band. Soon to follow were bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum. Frontman Axl Rose’s dedication to releasing this album shows in the years to follow. Amid the replacement of many musicians throughout its recording and troubles with then manager Merck Mercuriadis, the album became delayed numerous times and entered a state of development hell. Although many believed the album will never release, Rose assured fans that it was coming.
    Finally, after 13 years of being in production, Chinese Democracy progressed from urban legend to a complete album. The album saw mixed reviews from critics. Rolling Stone gave it four out of five stars, calling it, “a great, audacious, unhinged and uncompromising hard-rock record.” In contrast, Pitchfork.com rated the album 5.8/10, saying that it is, “a record of relatively simple, similar songs overdubbed into a false sense of complexity in a horrorshow of modern production values.”

Soundgarden: Not yet been titled
Release Date: TBD 2011
Years Since Last Album: 15

    While recording their fifth album in the late nineties, one of Seattle’s premiere grunge acts began having conflicts while recording. Frontman Chris Cornell desired a lighter sound to their music, while guitarist Kim Thayil wished to keep their dark tone. They completed and released their album, Down on the Upside, but tensions only increased while on tour in support of the record. After a blowup on stage in Honolulu, Hawaii, Soundgarden was officially finished. Cornell started another band (Audioslave), and repeatedly denied rumors that a reunion was happening.
    Fast forward to 2010, and Soundgarden is back in action. The band performed in Seattle for the first time in 14 years. It took another year for them to announce they’re making new music, and fans are excited. Although very little is known about the new album, Thayil stated that it won’t be, “another grunge or metal record.” The band plans to be finished recording at the end of the month, and we can’t wait to see how they’ve evolved.

 

The Who: Endless Wire
Release Date: October 30, 2006
Years Since Last Album: 24  

 

    Although the band officially stopped recording in 1983 amid difficulties with guitarist Pete Townshend writing new music, The Who continued to play shows throughout the next two decades. They played on after the tragic death of drummer Keith Moon, and still after bassist John Entwistle was found dead in a hotel room. With only Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey as the only surviving original members, the two are still dedicated to the high demand of their fans to play worldwide.
    Fans generally weren’t expecting new material, nevertheless Townshend announced on his blog in 2005 that a new album was in the works. A year later, the album’s release saw generally positive reviews from critics. Rolling Stone rated it four stars out of five, saying they, “have made a record as brazen in its way and right for its day as The Who Sell Out and Tommy were in theirs.” British music and movie site Uncut gave the record three out of five stars, citing that Endless Wire is, “pretentious and portentous, but packed with spirit and a lacerating intelligence.”

 

The Cars: Move Like This
Release Date: May 10, 2011
Years Since Last Album: 24

    The Cars peaked in the late seventies and early eighties, but the band decided to disband to pursue solo projects. There was no behind the scenes tension; still the band seemed like it wouldn’t reunite again due to other musical projects, the retirement of drummer David Robinson and death of bassist and vocalist Benjamin Orr. In 2005, guitarist Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes formed The New Cars to perform new takes on classic Cars songs, and fans assumed that was the closest they would come to seeing a reunion of the band. Yet five years later, the surviving members posted a picture on Facebook of themselves playing in a studio. That was their only hint of a reunion, but fans were still excited.
    Move Like This released after the band slowly released new songs throughout the year. In a not so surprising result, reviews were mainly favorable. Consequence of Sound gave the record three and a half out of five stars, saying although the band, “feels like they didn’t miss a beat…The album’s lack of obvious hits is a fact that can’t be discounted.”

Hot Tuna: Steady as She Goes
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Years Since Last Album: 21
Years Since Album Before That: 14

    You may be wondering who Hot Tuna is. All you need to know is they’re a blues band formed in 1969 by Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Cassady, and that they are the champions of waiting a long time to release their next record. After numerous reunions throughout the years, Pair a Dice Found was released in 1990. This was their first record since 1976’s Hoppkrov. The band has been through many incarnations, but still remains as the brainchild of Kaukonen and Cassady. Spending the next 20 years solely performing live shows, the recording of their next album began in 2010.
    As a continuing trend, Steady as She Goes was received with positive reviews. Allmusic says the album is, “decidedly older, wiser, and more laid-back unit than the amped-up boogie-ers responsible for a series of successful albums in the '70s.” Now let’s hope their next album releases before 2020 hits.