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(Credits: Far Out)
Oversaturation is a big point of contention in art right now. Some argue that putting out more material means keeping audiences engaged, while others say it’s a sure way to cause fatigue.
All of the usual suspects come into the firing line whenever this topic comes up. Taylor Swift is a big one, of course, as is Charli XCX. Sabrina Carpenter recently joined the growing list, though she hit back with something few can debate with. “If artists put out albums frequently, it’s like, ‘Why did they do that? Why are they making art?’ I didn’t watch Frozen for like three years after it came out,” she said, adding, “If you’re not ready to hear the music, don’t click play.”
Chappell Roan was getting at something similar when she said people would be in for a shock if they thought her sophomore album was going to be released in the next couple of years. But what we often forget is that doing a lot in a short space of time isn’t new. It feels different now, obviously, with social media making us feel time is going a lot faster than it actually is. And that everything is a lot deeper than it actually is (most of the time).
But how does all this fare against some of our most legendary names in history? The Beatles, for one, put out an album each year they were active, sometimes two. Prince was one of the most intense in this regard, releasing an album almost every year for over 20 years. Proliferation can get you everywhere, literally, but somehow it’s become a bad thing, which, in some ways, it is.
Naturally, it gives us a lot to play with, which is gold dust for some of the musicians who are no longer alive, like David Bowie and Elvis Presley. Which also means keeping their spirit alive, pumping out posthumous material as though they’re still with us. But it can also have the adverse effect, laying it on thick when there isn’t even much of a legacy there to begin with.
Which artist or band released the most albums?
Presley actually has somewhere around 200 to 300 albums, and a record as the artist with the most albums charted on the Billboard 200. Johnny Cash has over 100 albums, as does Frank Zappa. Though Zappa’s situation is fairly unique in that more albums have been released posthumously than when he was alive.
When it comes to those who have released even more, some are names you’ve probably never even heard of. Like Merzbow, who became one of the most prolific artists with over 400 albums to his name and countless other recordings and collaborations, and Nana Mouskouri, who has released around 450 albums. But the one who takes the cake, with over 650 albums, is Buckethead.
Most of this makes up Buckethead’s Pike Series albums, his mini-albums, which usually run for around 30 minutes. Apparently, his restless and hyper-focused behaviour isn’t to everyone’s liking, as collaborating once proved difficult for a certain Axl Rose. He once said, “Buckethead has been inconsistent and erratic in both his behaviour and commitment. His transient lifestyle has made it impossible for even his closest friends to have nearly any form of communication with him whatsoever.” Guess he put his mouth where the mic is instead to cinch a record with his records.
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