Mega Producer Says Paul McCartney & Elton John Have Made 'Too Many Albums'

themusic.com.au
Mega Producer Says Paul McCartney & Elton John Have Made 'Too Many Albums'
Neil Griffiths
Mar 6th 2018


John (pic by Lucinda Goodwin) and McCartney (pic by Peter Dovgan) in Aus last year

With talk that Paul McCartney is gearing up to release a new album, revered UK mega producer Steve Lillywhite says that iconic artists such as McCartney and Elton John have made "too many albums". 

Appearing on The Music's latest Producer Series podcast, Lillywhite, who has worked with the likes of The Rolling Stones and U2, discussed the topic when asked if he would work with Queen if they were to record a new album with frontman Adam Lambert. 

"I'm a big believer in artists who don't clog up the airwaves with new music just because they think they must release a new album," Lillywhite said.

"I love Paul McCartney, I love Elton John… I think they've made too many albums.

"Someone like Billy Joel, who I'm not a big fan of, but he's a good songwriter; he has not made an album for 20 years [excluding the 2001 Joel-composed classical LP, Fantasies & Delusions] because he hasn't really thought of what he wants to say.

"If Billy Joel made a new album, I'd go, 'That's going to be interesting' because he feels like he has something to say now."

While McCartney said in a recent interview he is putting the "finishing touches" on what would be his 17th solo studio album, John's latest and 30th studio effort came in 2016 with Wonderful Crazy Night.

Meanwhile, when asked last month about releasing a new LP with Queen, Lambert told News Corp, "I wouldn't ever say never". 

"With Queen, if they decided they wanted to make a new album, I would trust them in the fact that they believed they could make a good album," Lillywhite continued.

"Paul McCartney, I don't trust him. Elton John, I don't trust him. They feel like they want to make a new album because they have to make a new album."

Listen to the full podcast with Lillywhite below.