Best album by an artist already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when it was recorded

Love and Theft?

Probably.

Blackstar too

That was my other thought for the "consensus" pick, but I like L&T better.

some other contenders (for me)

Rolling Stones - Bridges to Babylon
Van Morrison - Down the Road
Johnny Cash - American Songs
Steely Dan - Everything Must Go
Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker

I'd stand up for World Gone Wrong or Heathen myself.

I wouldn't look askance if someone suggested:
The Healing Game, Van Morrison
Everything Must Go, Steely Dan

I don't think it's impossible for the next Radiohead album to be a contender. I wish I had as much confidence in Kate Bush.
Also, don't count out Charley Patton.

Riding With The King, just two dudes blueshammering away in a Cadillac convertible

Waiting for someone to make an argument for Lulu (Metallica entered the HOF in 2009, Reed in 1996, albeit as a member of the Velvet Underground).

Roy Orbison: Mystery Girl
ZZ Top: La futura

Nice!

Probably alone in this, but REM: Accelerate

possibly

r.e.m. - accelerate
nine inch nails - nine inch noize

*should* have been buddy guy but he wasn't inducted until three years after 'sweet tea'

Good thread idea.

With Van, the two I prefer would be “Choppin’ Wood” (unreleased and remade into “Down the Road”) and “Roll with the Punches”

Neil Young went in in 1995, so he must have made at least a couple that'd be in the running (as viewed by others, if not necessarily me); he seems like an obvious candidate.

Mirrorball, maybe.

Solomon Burke: Don't Give Up On Me

The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

Not mentioned yet:

Leonard Cohen - Live in London
Brian Wilson - SMiLE
Tom Waits - Bad as Me
Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
Elvis Costello - The Boy Named If
Prince - HITnRUN Phase Two
Lou Reed - Ecstasy
Paul McCartney - Run Devil Run
Robert Plant (with Alison Krauss) - Raise the Roof
Public Enemy - Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025
Neil Young - Prairie Wind
Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What
Patti Smith - Banga
Dr. John - Locked Down
Lindsey Buckingham
The Allman Brothers Band - One Way Out
Van Morrison - Roll with the Punches
Randy Newman - Dark Matter
U2 - No Line on the Horizon
The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang
The Who - WHO

(Those last four need either several substitutions for their worst cuts or a bit of trimming.)

I went with the first time being inducted, hence Lou

plant was only inducted as part of zep so i don't think that counts

Simon and Garfunkel were 1990, so with Paul Simon solo you've got Rhythm of the Saints (released October '90) and You're The One. Leonard Cohen I'd go with Popular Problems.

paul simon solo was inducted in 2001

so no

George Clinton appears on the first Methods of Mayhem album.

After Ringo made "Look Up" and "Long Long Road" it seemed to me that he was making albums worthy of the effort. Which prompted Paul into making what could potentially be his last album into something great to end with.

I'd nominate "The boys of Dungeon Lane" and "Long long road" but ive not heard either.

Dr. John - Locked Down

I thought about mentioning this one. I am by no means a Dr. John superfan, but I recall having a lot of fun with this album. "Ice Age" is a jam.

For reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame_inductees

The ones that immediately came to mind were Blackstar (and Earthling and Reality) and possibly my favourite FMac album Say You Will.

Accelerate, NLOTH, Bridges to Babylon and Boy Named If (and Look Now) all came to mind too, as did various McCartneys (C&CitBY, Memory Almost Full and Dungeon Lane)

But Stevie's Jungle Fever and the Bee Gees' This Is Where I Came In too.

what's the current ILM pulse on the Lou Reed/Metallica Lulu album?

Surely the biggest album is Supernatural?

Tossup btw SMiLE and Blackstar

Xxpost its a fine album but both the ilx versions are more memorable

Is SMiLE really post-induction tho?

I mean it wasn’t completed until after, but Brian’s contributions were largely wrapped up in the sixties

Black Sabbath - 13 - not the best but not bad at all

Never forget Gasms

Johnny Cash's American Recording run is a pretty amazing achievement for an artist that late in their career.

As much as I think Rick Rubin seems like a sun-dried lizard, I think just letting Cash sing and putting in him in that stripped down format was on the mark decision.

xps re: SMiLE, Robert Plant (and this applies to Lindsey Buckingham too) the same thing crossed my mind, but I still listed them in the interest of selecting something of better quality. Without SMiLE, it's slim pickings for Wilson, and I say this as someone who's grown to appreciate his 1988 self-titled album. (One wishes Landy hadn't impeded on its creation, and I could do without the liner notes. It's still a fine album but it's not in the same league as SMiLE. ) Except for the two albums Plant did with Krauss, there's no Zep-related post-breakup album that I'd listen to, only a track or two from a few different places. And once you take away their respective solo careers, there's nothing by Fleetwood Mac that I'd want to hear post-induction.

The live albums by the Allman Brothers Band and Leonard Cohen may be cheating too since they lean heavily on older songs. But in the Allman Brothers Band's case, you're hearing new interpretations by two great guitarists every bit the equal of their predecessors. Similarly Cohen is reinterpreting his songs, often times with a "golden" voice that had changed a lot since they were first recorded, and appreciatively with a leaner sound (or "production") than what you'd find on the original albums.

Count me among those who think SMiLE shouldn't count, it is truly the completion of something begun in the '60s

Another contender not mentioned yet: Hypnotic Eye by Tom Petty

Rough and Rowdy Ways!

Most of Dylan's post-induction (1988) albums are actually good-to-great. The only exceptions would be Under the Red Sky (which does have its defenders), the Christmas album (which at least has a hilarious video for the single), and the three albums covering standards.

dylan is also surely the only artist in the hall of fame whose live repertoire consists mostly of material written and recorded after he was inducted

There's probably a few others too - for example, Todd Rundgren is a recent inductee, but he generally alternates between focusing on his latest music and doing a "hits/favorites" tour - but I don't think anyone's approaching the level of success Dylan has had in doing this.

The answer here is LL Cool J- THE FORCE

Forgot about him - I originally looked over a list without committee selections.

Late breaking contender. Confessions II by Madonna.

Todd Rundgren is a recent inductee, but he generally alternates between focusing on his latest music and doing a "hits/favorites" tour

interesting, thanks. the thing about dylan is he doesn't do the hits/favorites tour, ever. it's 21st century or
bust for bobby.

xpost The Force is so great I'm sad it never really caught on

The last Peter Gabriel album was great too

also not mentioned: springsteen's the seeger sessions

Metallica probably?