Most albums released

[heypaulie]

Does anyone know what artist or band is responsible for releasing the most albums in their lifespan?!
Think this could make a good fact.....

[rottieluver]

Deep Purple has released 44 so far.
Black Sabbath has released 33 but if you add Ozzy by himself with Black Sabbath I know it will beat Deep Purple, but not exactly sure by how many.

[littleoldme]

I can't say for sure, but I think James Last may be tough to beat on this - very nearly up to his 200th album release and still going. I guess the only one who would come close for total releases is Elvis Presley, but his total would include many posthumous compilations.

Of course, there may be some weird underground group who have released an album every week for the past 10 years, but not as far as I know. :-)

[spat]

As of February 2001, Elvis Presley had 100 hit albums in the UK chart. This is just one of the 15 records held by The King � others include "Most No.1 Singles In The UK Chart", "Most No.1 Hit Singles By A Solo Artist", and "Most Fan Clubs".

[sophie_1003]

how have these artists managed this many albums??

[littleoldme]

In the case of Elvis Presley, he was fairly prolific during his lifetime, especially for the first five or six years of his career, but his tally has undoubtedly been helped by his record company endlessly repackaging his material for large numbers of compilations since his death.

In James Last's case, it's because it doesn't seem to take him long to throw together his cheesy easy listening takes on other people's music. He's been churning out four or five albums a year (sometimes more) most years since the mid-60s, although he's slowed down a little in recent years and some have only been released in his native Germany. I suspect there is also some repackaging in his case too.

[sophie_1003]

oh right, never even heard of James Last! Obviously a busy guy!

[Gromit]

Lata Mangeshkar, indian singer.

If you have ever heard a Bollywood film then you have probably heard Lata mangeshkar. She has recorded in excess of 30,000! songs in 25 languages. Her career spans the 1940s to present day.

here is a wikipedia link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangeshkar%2C_Lat a

[abelmanmoth]

I dont think it should count 'best of' 'greatest hits' 'live' etc albums but actual studio albums.

Lee Scratch Perry has released around 50 of his own albums, but that number could be extended as apparently there is no official figure on him because he has released so many, not counting the hundreds he has produced and contributed to!

[mikeydred]

Surely The Fall must be up in the top 2 with over 50 last time I counted

[barniclebill]

Frank Zappa has released in excess of 70 albums...
http://bg.mixonline.com/ar/audio_mothers_sound /

[jamesy boy]

Various Artists, they've done loads!

[M M]

Frank Zappa by far bitches! Represent! You better recognize the master!!!

[dansator]

While he hasn't reached James Last's amount yet, Pete Namlook is a hot tip for becoming the person to release the most albums. Pete has released about 130 albums in only 15 years.

Other prolific artists are Klaus Schulze (110 solo albums since 1972) and Uwe Schmidt (about 80 albums). Is it a coincidence that all four of these artists are Germans?

Incidentally, Klaus Schulze holds the record for the biggest new release; his "Jubilee Edition" was a 25-CD box set of new (ie unreleased) music with a total of 1947 minutes.

[cipher0]

The Oak Ridge Boys

200+ Albums

http://www.oaksdiscography.com/

[sara31tx]

It depends on whether you are considering published albums, studio albums, collaborations, and re-releases. And whether you count albums by individual members or parts of the group.

Some Examples
-- The Grateful Dead has issued 319 albums (142 separately released), but their discography as a group is only 22 albums (9 arranged and 13 live). There are various remixes, compilations, box sets, and retrospectives that may have previously unreleased material.
-- The Beatles (including UK-only releases) have as many as 31 albums but more than 57 compilation albums.
-- Rush: 18 studio albums + 6 live + 9 video albums = 33.
-- Queen: 15 + 6 + 11 + 3 = 35.
-- AC/DC : 20 studio albums
-- Rolling Stones: 55 albums
-- Tangerine Dream: over 100 albums excluding remixes
-- The Ventures: over 100 including foreign releases

It also comes down to whether to include individual performers, or singles:
-- Elvis Presley: 55 albums and 21 singles
-- Johnny Cash: 96 albums altogether
-- Dolly Parton: 58 studio albums

Perhaps the greatest number by a single artist is Australia's Slim Dusty (1927-2003) who has more than 109 albums over a period of 47 years, including collaborations and live albums.