6 Lost Rock Albums That Have Never Been Released

For all of the music bands release, there are often songs left unfinished, even entire albums recorded but never released. Some of these lost albums have become the stuff of legend and are something of musical holy grails—pieces fans are desperate for but will probably never hear.

Jimi Hendrix, Black Gold

Just before his death in 1970, Jimi Hendrix began recording new music for a suite titled Black Gold, made up of autobiographical songs in which Hendrix imagined himself as a variety of characters. The project likely would’ve become his fifth album and was going to be accompanied by an animated feature, but it was never finished.

Prince, Dream Factory

Prince left behind a treasure trove of unreleased music after his death, some of which has made its way out into the world. But one of the projects which remains unreleased is his unfinished Dream Factory album, with backing band the Revolution. It was scrapped when Prince grew frustrated with the band.

The Who, Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock!

The Who intended to explore their history as a band with a rock opera titled Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock! The band spent May and June of 1972 in the studio and were nearly finished when they decided the album sounded too similar to their previous album, Who’s Next, and scrapped it.

Green Day, Cigarettes & Valentines

Green Day was working on Cigarettes & Valentines in 2003 when the master recordings were stolen, leading the band to start from scratch with different material—which became American Idiot. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong saw the incident as “a blessing in disguise,” as he didn’t feel it was the band’s best material.

My Chemical Romance, The Paper Kingdom

In 2012, My Chemical Romance recorded The Paper Kingdom, a concept album about a support group made up of parents whose children had died. Some members of the band didn’t like its direction, and when the band went on hiatus on 2013, the album was shelved. One of the finished tracks,  “Fake Your Death,” was released on the band’s greatest-hits compilation.

Soundgarden’s final album

Soundgarden was in the process of recording a new album when frontman Chris Cornell died in 2017. For a few years, the unfinished album was caught in the middle of a legal battle between the band and Cornell’s widow. When the dispute was settled in 2023, they announced the album would be released, but it was still in progress as of 2025.