It’s been 17 years–count ’em, 17–between the last albums of original music by Guns N’ Roses (“Use Your Illusion I and II” in 1991 and “Chinese Democracy,” slated for release Nov. 23). Given such a long stretch, the question “Was it worth the wait?” takes on an entirely different thrust. To get a grip on the answer, we decided to see what other artists have been able to achieve in 17 years–or even less:
4 years
Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508-12).
6 years
English Romantic poet John Keats, who died of tuberculosis at 25, wrote all of his poems (1814-20).
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7 years
The Beatles released all 12 of their albums as an intact group (1963-70).
12 years
Slash, the original Guns N’ Roses guitarist, released two solo albums and two albums with Velvet Revolver (1995-2007).
13 years
Dante Alighieri wrote his 14,000-line poem “The Divine Comedy” (1308-21).
15 years
James Michener published 11 novels and at least five non-fiction works (1974-89).
16 years
The Taj Mahal was constructed in Agra, India (1632-48).
17 years
Director Oliver Stone made 11 films and wrote or contributed to at least eight screenplays (1991-2008).
17 years
J.K. Rowling got the idea for and then wrote her seven-volume “Harry Potter” series (1990-2007).