This winter saw the release of another high-profile posthumous album, as recently departed mega-star Amy Winehouse was honoured with the collection Lioness: Hidden Treasures. So now is as good a time as ever to take a look back on some of the greatest posthumous albums of all time.
The ten albums listed here aren't simply vaults-clearing B-sides collections or bottom-scraping compilations of material that never deserved to be released in the first place. Rather, these are the lost classics that, in some cases, hold up against the artists' best work.
So it's with an apology to Amy (whose Lioness didn't make the cut) that Exclaim! offers its Top 10 Posthumous Albums of All Time, listed in order according to quality and canonical importance.
Top 10 Posthumous Albums of All Time:
10. John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Milk and Honey
Artist death: November 8, 1980
Album release: January 27, 1984
Just three weeks before Lennon's death in 1980, the Beatles legend released Double Fantasy, a call-and-response collection of songs with his wife Yoko Ono. In early 1984, this sequel arrived. Once again featuring songs from both husband and wife, it contained some of Lennon's final recordings, plus some touched-up and newly recorded material from Yoko. The material isn't quite as stirring at Double Fantasy -- there's nothing on par with "(Just Like) Starting Over" or "Beautiful Boy" -- but everyone ought to hear the final work of arguably the greatest pop songwriter ever.
9. 2pac - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
Artist death: September 13, 1996
Album release: November 5, 1996
The late rapper has been remembered with more posthumous releases than we care to count, but this very first one, recorded around a month before his 1996 murder and released less than two months after, is the one that left the most lasting impression. Even more significant than the music was the fact that this album helped to spawn endless conspiracy theories about Tupac Shakur's supposedly faked death thanks to its supposed hints that he would be reborn under the alias Makaveli.
8. Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
Artist death: October 23, 2003
Album release: October 19, 2004
When the beloved sad-sack songwriter tragically died in 2003, he was partway done what was to be his sixth album. The sessions included over 30 songs and the album was reportedly slated to be a double-disc, but producer Rob Schnapf and Smith's former girlfriend Joanna Bolme were hired and whittled the tracklist down to 15. Okay, so this album -- released almost exactly a year after Smith's passing -- is a bit of a mess compared to masterpieces like Either/Or and XO, but stone cold stunners like "King's Cross" and "A Fond Farewell" make this a must-have.
7. George Harrison - Brainwashed
Artist death: November 29, 2001
Album release: November 18, 2002
The Beatles great released his final album during his lifetime way back in 1987 with Cloud Nine. The subsequent Brainwashed was unfinished when Harrison died, but he left instructions for its completion with his son Dhani and collaborator Jeff Lynne. George had spoken extensively with with son about his ideas for the album, and Dhani and Lynne strove to remain true to that vision. They even finished the recordings during studio sessions booked by George prior to his passing. Given the positive reviews and Grammy nods, we'd say they did a good job.
6. Jeff Buckley - Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk
Artist death: May 29, 1997
Album release: May 28, 1998
The songwriting icon wasn't particularly close to finished his new album, slated to be titled My Sweetheart the Drunk, when he tragically drowned at the age of 30. He had expressed dissatisfaction with the studio recordings, and had cut a number of four-track demos in preparation for the new session. Rather than attempt to complete his unfinished work or approximate his vision, this collection of "sketches" brings together demos with more polished material. No, it's nothing like it would have been had Buckley been there to finish it, but that doesn't mean it's not a worthy addition to his legacy.
5. Otis Redding - The Dock of the Bay
Artist death: December 10, 1967
Album release: February 23, 1968
Otis Redding recorded his most enduring song, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," just days before he died in a plane crash at the age of 26. He left behind enough unreleased material to make up several news LPs. This one included some older singles and B-sides, but it's that classic first track that earns it a place on list. Also be sure to check out posthumous releases The Immortal Otis Redding (1968), Love Man (1969) and Tell the Truth (1970).
4. Janis Joplin - Pearl
Artist death: October 4, 1970
Album release: January 11, 1971
When Janis Joplin died in 1970, she was partway done recording what would go on to become her third and final album. Pearl, which came out a few months later, was a smash hit that gave us unforgettable songs like "Me and Bobby Magee" and "Mercedes Benz." In retrospect, the whole thing is made even more poignant by the fact that extended versions of the album have included the birthday greeting she recorded for John Lennon; less than a decade later, John would also be taken away too soon (and also earn a place on this list).
3. Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
Artist death: March 9, 1997
Album release: March 25, 1997
Of all the albums on the list, this prophetically titled LP came the soonest after the passing of its creator, as it arrived on shelves a mere two weeks after Biggie was gunned down in 1997. It was already completed and ready for release, and serves as an exact document of Christopher Wallace's vision. Of course, it went on to become one of the biggest-selling and best-loved rap albums ever.
2. Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York
Artist death: April 5, 1994
Album release: November 1, 1994
Nirvana's stripped-down TV performance for MTV Unplugged aired several months before Kurt Cobain died, but it wasn't until after his death that the band chose to release it. We're sure glad they did, since this performance captures Nirvana at their most harrowing and beautifully fragile. With a slew of brilliant covers and reinvented back catalogue cuts like "Pennyroyal Tea" and "About a Girl," MTV Unplugged in New York is a record that grunge enthusiasts, folk lovers and average radio listeners can all agree on.
1. Joy Division - Closer
Artist death: May 18, 1980
Album release: July 18, 1980
When singer Ian Curtis committed suicide in 1980, the talented young artist was just 23 years old. He never knew just how influential his work would go on to be; the non-LP single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" became a hit after his death, and the haunting post-punk sound of Closer went on to become a touchstone for innumerable bands ever since. This isn't simply our favourite posthumous albums ever, it's one of the best albums ever -- period.
The ten albums listed here aren't simply vaults-clearing B-sides collections or bottom-scraping compilations of material that never deserved to be released in the first place. Rather, these are the lost classics that, in some cases, hold up against the artists' best work.
So it's with an apology to Amy (whose Lioness didn't make the cut) that Exclaim! offers its Top 10 Posthumous Albums of All Time, listed in order according to quality and canonical importance.
Top 10 Posthumous Albums of All Time:
10. John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Milk and Honey
Artist death: November 8, 1980
Album release: January 27, 1984
Just three weeks before Lennon's death in 1980, the Beatles legend released Double Fantasy, a call-and-response collection of songs with his wife Yoko Ono. In early 1984, this sequel arrived. Once again featuring songs from both husband and wife, it contained some of Lennon's final recordings, plus some touched-up and newly recorded material from Yoko. The material isn't quite as stirring at Double Fantasy -- there's nothing on par with "(Just Like) Starting Over" or "Beautiful Boy" -- but everyone ought to hear the final work of arguably the greatest pop songwriter ever.
9. 2pac - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
Artist death: September 13, 1996
Album release: November 5, 1996
The late rapper has been remembered with more posthumous releases than we care to count, but this very first one, recorded around a month before his 1996 murder and released less than two months after, is the one that left the most lasting impression. Even more significant than the music was the fact that this album helped to spawn endless conspiracy theories about Tupac Shakur's supposedly faked death thanks to its supposed hints that he would be reborn under the alias Makaveli.
8. Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
Artist death: October 23, 2003
Album release: October 19, 2004
When the beloved sad-sack songwriter tragically died in 2003, he was partway done what was to be his sixth album. The sessions included over 30 songs and the album was reportedly slated to be a double-disc, but producer Rob Schnapf and Smith's former girlfriend Joanna Bolme were hired and whittled the tracklist down to 15. Okay, so this album -- released almost exactly a year after Smith's passing -- is a bit of a mess compared to masterpieces like Either/Or and XO, but stone cold stunners like "King's Cross" and "A Fond Farewell" make this a must-have.
7. George Harrison - Brainwashed
Artist death: November 29, 2001
Album release: November 18, 2002
The Beatles great released his final album during his lifetime way back in 1987 with Cloud Nine. The subsequent Brainwashed was unfinished when Harrison died, but he left instructions for its completion with his son Dhani and collaborator Jeff Lynne. George had spoken extensively with with son about his ideas for the album, and Dhani and Lynne strove to remain true to that vision. They even finished the recordings during studio sessions booked by George prior to his passing. Given the positive reviews and Grammy nods, we'd say they did a good job.
6. Jeff Buckley - Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk
Artist death: May 29, 1997
Album release: May 28, 1998
The songwriting icon wasn't particularly close to finished his new album, slated to be titled My Sweetheart the Drunk, when he tragically drowned at the age of 30. He had expressed dissatisfaction with the studio recordings, and had cut a number of four-track demos in preparation for the new session. Rather than attempt to complete his unfinished work or approximate his vision, this collection of "sketches" brings together demos with more polished material. No, it's nothing like it would have been had Buckley been there to finish it, but that doesn't mean it's not a worthy addition to his legacy.
5. Otis Redding - The Dock of the Bay
Artist death: December 10, 1967
Album release: February 23, 1968
Otis Redding recorded his most enduring song, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," just days before he died in a plane crash at the age of 26. He left behind enough unreleased material to make up several news LPs. This one included some older singles and B-sides, but it's that classic first track that earns it a place on list. Also be sure to check out posthumous releases The Immortal Otis Redding (1968), Love Man (1969) and Tell the Truth (1970).
4. Janis Joplin - Pearl
Artist death: October 4, 1970
Album release: January 11, 1971
When Janis Joplin died in 1970, she was partway done recording what would go on to become her third and final album. Pearl, which came out a few months later, was a smash hit that gave us unforgettable songs like "Me and Bobby Magee" and "Mercedes Benz." In retrospect, the whole thing is made even more poignant by the fact that extended versions of the album have included the birthday greeting she recorded for John Lennon; less than a decade later, John would also be taken away too soon (and also earn a place on this list).
3. Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
Artist death: March 9, 1997
Album release: March 25, 1997
Of all the albums on the list, this prophetically titled LP came the soonest after the passing of its creator, as it arrived on shelves a mere two weeks after Biggie was gunned down in 1997. It was already completed and ready for release, and serves as an exact document of Christopher Wallace's vision. Of course, it went on to become one of the biggest-selling and best-loved rap albums ever.
2. Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York
Artist death: April 5, 1994
Album release: November 1, 1994
Nirvana's stripped-down TV performance for MTV Unplugged aired several months before Kurt Cobain died, but it wasn't until after his death that the band chose to release it. We're sure glad they did, since this performance captures Nirvana at their most harrowing and beautifully fragile. With a slew of brilliant covers and reinvented back catalogue cuts like "Pennyroyal Tea" and "About a Girl," MTV Unplugged in New York is a record that grunge enthusiasts, folk lovers and average radio listeners can all agree on.
1. Joy Division - Closer
Artist death: May 18, 1980
Album release: July 18, 1980
When singer Ian Curtis committed suicide in 1980, the talented young artist was just 23 years old. He never knew just how influential his work would go on to be; the non-LP single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" became a hit after his death, and the haunting post-punk sound of Closer went on to become a touchstone for innumerable bands ever since. This isn't simply our favourite posthumous albums ever, it's one of the best albums ever -- period.
