Waits

seems to grow as a performer & writer as each decade passes.
Similarly Loudon Wainwright III.

Nick Cave too is maturing into a very seasoned songwriter and there is always Mr Cohen- not to labour a point but early success does seem to bedraggle it's victims somewhat.

Or is it only miserable bastards that escape?

that Tom Waits and Nick Cave have produced albums well into their 40's which are at least as worthy as anything which has gone before. I would also add Mark Oliver Everett who released Blinking Lights And Other Revelations at 42 years of age which for me is one of two best albums of his career.

Their new album has been one of the best of the year so far.

Cohen. Also one of the few artist whose 80's/90's/00's output is superior to that of his 60's and 70's.

Lucinda Williams : "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road" - she'll have been 45 when that came out, and I think it's her best.

Miles Davis - everything after May 66 qualifies here, so while there are arguments to be had over the relative importance of the electric years, "In A Silent Way", "On The Corner" and "Bitches Brew" were pretty damn good.

Charles Mingus - 41 when he released "Black Saint & The Sinner Lady". A towering achievement.

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein weren't exactly spring chickens...

Currently Goldfrapp aren't the youngest of groups, with Alison Goldfrapp being 43, and Will Gregory nearly 50.

And Weller's last album was one of the best solo albums he's done by far and away.

was 60 before she released her first album which was nominated for the Mercury. According to the judges at the time, it came down to a choice between that album and Pulp's Different Class. For my money, her second album was better.

by Echo and the Bunnymen is as good as anything they have done in the dim amd distant. 'Evergreen' came out when they were regarded as well past it and that is great also.

by Lloyd Cole outshines his 80s output. It is one of the best albums ever made, I think. Great tunes, absolutely hearbreaking lyrics, fantastic singing. Understated arrangements. Beautiful stuff. The follow up, 'Antidepressant' is nearly as good.

great record - by a band who continue to push the boundaries of modern music.

After years of underachievement and dossing about in Fagins, he finally hit his stride at the reasonably ripe age of 38 with Coles Corner and imo been getting better both as alive performer and recording artist ever since.

The Unfairground is suprisingly good, up there with the best of his 70's output, in my opinion. Also, Robert Wyatt's Shleep is one of his very best works.

were both over 40 when they did Apple Venus Vol1 and Aerial respectively both peaks IMO

As good as his early stuff was I think the American Recordings was the longest run of consistently great records in his career.
Also Mark Knopfler - all of his solo albums are better than his Dire Straits stuff and all were made after he turned 40.

Admittedly not in the commercial big league but Tom Russell,Gretchen Peters, Chuck Prophet and JJ Cale are all artists still making strong records now in fact I think the last JJ Cale album was his best since Troubadour.

I'd forgotten these (!)... Going to give them a spin right now.

Robert Forster and the much-missed Grant McLennan were 48 and 47 years old respectively when "Oceans Apart", the greatest Go-Betweens album of them all, was released. Well, it's my favourite, anyway.

Tom Waits and Andy Partridge as mentioned above

Also RANDY NEWMAN still writes great songs, and thankfully gives himself time till he's got something good before he records and releases stuff.

And love the new stuff from LEVON HELM - singing and playing drums together, great FEEL.

For my money it´s her best.

While he wrote many cracking tunes as a youngster, The Brentford Trilogy is at least equal in quality to his very best work and outshines his earlier efforts in terms of the sheer consistancy of the song writing.