I think it is time to retire

Mdhoover - I say a bumper sticker the other day along the lines of what you said.

"When I was your age, as least I didn't suck"

I think I'll pick one up just to embarress my kids.

Whenever this topic comes up, it is applied to rock musicians. If you substitute another genre, you may see it in a different light. Jazz musicians play until they drop and why shouldn't they? Even though Sonny Rollins is way past his prime, people still want to hear him. Ditto for a lot of classical giants. Perhaps the difference is musicianship vs. composition and songwriting. Songwriters tend to peak early. There are exceptions, but most songwriters' great work is in the early to middle of their careers. So their later recordings are spotty or lame even, but should they stop performing because of it?

While I agree these artists may be past their prime, they still have superior musicianship to many contemporary artists. Talk about retiring, they should never have been working in the first place!

I'd like to add to Herman's comment there's also allmusic.com which gives you the opportunity to listen to parts of songs right there in the privacy of your home before committing to buy.

As far as mandatory retirement goes, in a free market economy one may produce as long as fans buy the product; retirement happens naturally if they don't. Many of the artists I like are so eclectic, most listeners would probably feel these artists should've never been given a tape recorder in the first place. I find it interesting when I have a negative reaction to a piece of music: Sometimes I'll listen to the end, just to analyze what it is that bugs me. As result this has opened my mind and I can enjoy tunes from a spectrum as diverse as Lawrence Welk, Mantovani on one end and the Residents, the Shaggs and Trumans Water on the other. I try not let myself be influenced by anything other than my ears. That said, I'm extremely discriminating when it comes to my favorite music, but I hold no grudge against the chaff. I just ignore it.

These artists are musicians. It's their profession and life. We don't bash old black bluesman for playing until the end. If you don't like them fine, don't listen, don't go. Neil's latest is great.