Imagine being so exceptional in your craft that you have the opportunity to continue it for an impressive span of 50 years. The 16 legendary rock stars featured in this list can proudly claim this remarkable achievement, having successfully released new studio albums in both 1974 and 2024. This showcases not just their talent but also their enduring presence in the ever-evolving music industry.

Over the course of five decades, a multitude of factors can lead to significant changes within a band. Notably, none of the musical groups highlighted in this list maintains the same lineup for their releases in both 1974 and 2024. In fact, many of the artists here began their illustrious careers as part of bands in 1974, only to evolve into successful solo artists later on. A prime example is Ace Frehley, who was a key member of Kiss and released two albums with them in 1974. However, since parting ways in 2001, he has focused on his solo career and released a new album titled 10,000 Volts in 2024.

Discover More: 15 Artists Who Released New Albums in Both 1973 and 2023

Following their recent and highly publicized breakup, Darryl Hall and John Oates both made strides in their solo careers by releasing individual albums in 2024. This marks fifty years since they collaborated on their critically acclaimed experimental album, War Babies. Additionally, two iconic members from the most celebrated lineups of Yes also returned to the music scene with solo projects this year: Steve Howe with his instrumental work Guitarscape and Jon Anderson with the album True.

While this list highlights many incredible artists, a few major classic rock legends narrowly missed inclusion. For instance, David Gilmour released a critically acclaimed album titled Luck and Strange in 2024. However, since there isn’t a corresponding Pink Floyd album from 1974, he is not featured here; The Dark Side of the Moon was released in 1973, and Wish You Were Here followed in 1975, leaving him just outside the list’s criteria.

Ringo Starr also just missed the cutoff by a mere two weeks. His classic album Goodnight Vienna was released in 1974, but his upcoming country-themed album Look Up is set to hit stores on January 10th, 2025. It’s worth noting that his 12-minute EP from 2024, titled Crooked Boy, does not qualify as a full album for this particular list.