Nowadays, album releases are a sacred thing. Most of the time, an artist will spend a couple of years really digesting one piece of work before moving on to the next in a similarly all-encompassing way. In past decades, albums have been less concerted. Classic artists have discographies that seem to go on forever, featuring endless compilation albums and alternative versions. The three artists below have discographies that are almost too dense to work through.
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Johnny Cash
Including every live, compilation, tribute, and studio album Johnny Cash released during his lifetime, the sum measures a whopping 266 works. It’s a number that is not uncommon among his peers, but it remains a formidable track record. What makes Cash’s prolific career even more impressive is the fact that his talent never wavered. The beginning of his career is rivaled only by his latter years.
Cash released music right up until the end of his life. He rarely rested on his laurels, often trying out new sounds and interesting directions. His final album is just as good as his first, perhaps better. That stamina is not something every artist can boast.
Prince
Weighing in at 112 albums throughout his career is the mercurial Prince. Though that number doesn’t hold a candle to Cash, Prince‘s robust discography is meritable for its constant evolution. Prince was an artist who always had something to say. Then, the next year, he’d have something different to say. So forth and so on. Few artists have been able to excite their listeners with new material for as long as Prince did.
Prince never did anything that didn’t thrill himself. He seemed to fly only by his creative ambition. Little else mattered, which is more or less the mark of a true artist.
Elvis Presley
Unsurprisingly, Elvis Presley had the most sprawling discography on this list. Without even mentioning the albums released during his lifetime, the Presley estate has been busy making sure his reign in rock remains. All in all, his discography amounts to 814 records in total. He wasn’t called The King for nothing.
Presley was era-defining. In fact, he defined several eras throughout his career. His albums are like timestamps, instantly taking the listener back to the year they were released. Many generations can reminisce in that way, thanks to his mammoth discography.
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