Discussion Favorite Decade for music?

[GodisanAtheist]

Yes. I figured age would be a huge component.

Though I expected the 80s to win because I have noticed comments under a lot of 80's music like: "I wasn't even born in the 80s, but its my favorite music". IMO it's the peak before a lot of digital processing dragged it down later.

I stumbled upon some of those YouTube biggest hit every month videos from something like the 1930's till now. While there is occasional good stuff everywhere, it's the mid to late 1960s where it really starts getting good for me, and the 1990s it starts getting bad.

As rock music fan, I can't imagine people leaving out Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin.

- True, I was born in the 80's and still too young to actually listen to music then, but its a helluva era for rock and roll.

I think rock bands from the 60's and 70's suffer a bit of "Seinfeld Isn't Funny" thanks to being pioneers in the genre, the bands that came up in the 80's and early 90's really matured rock and roll *a lot*. Combined with the increase in accessibility and fewer gatekeepers meant way more stuff could actually get out there and reach the ears of listeners.

Late and post 90's got hit with a double whammy over over commercialization and over accessibility. There are some incredible post grunge era bands out there (the doom metal/ stoner rock genre pioneered by Kyuss and Queens of the Stone age had a real golden age in the late 90's early 00's) but there are SO GOD DAMN MANY options now with streaming and such that its incredibly difficult for anything to really float above the noise. Listeners can also currate and dial in on personal preference so much that its hard for genres to evolve in a big way when everyone wants and can to listen to something familiar that they like there is far less serendipitous "Oh wow that was different and everyone liked that" in the air in general nowadays.

 

[nakedfrog]

No (c)Rap is a huge positive.

That noise needs to be outlawed.

This is a tremendously stupid statement, but also completely expected.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

90s also seems to have ushered in Post Rock Instrumental stuff.

 

[Heartbreaker]

The Stones = meh, Zep has some decent tracks, and the Beatles were great and all but I'd have to leave too much behind picking the 60s over the 90s. Essentially no punk music, only primitive electronic music, no rap, only very early examples of funk.

If you are into funk and punk, their heyday was in the 1970s. As far as the lack of electronic music and rap, I would count that as a positive.

 

[nakedfrog]

If you are into funk and punk, their heyday was in the 1970s. As far as the lack of electronic music and rap, I would count that as a positive.

The only think you're right about is funk, but good funk continued to be produced afterwards. Punk only got better in the following decades.

 

[nakedfrog]

90s also seems to have ushered in Post Rock Instrumental stuff.

I'm not always in the mood for Mogwai, but sometimes I am.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I'd pick the 70's or possibly the 80's but I wouldn't be happy about it.

I listen to all different kinds of music from every time-period.

I’m like 80’s - 90’s but it’s really tough because there’s just too much good music to pick one decade

 

[dank69]

90s and it's not even close. I'm not saying there was nothing good in the 80s, but the 60s and 70s both beat the 80s pretty comfortably.

The 90s, however, were on a whole new level.

 

[IronWing]

90s and it's not even close. I'm not saying there was nothing good in the 80s, but the 60s and 70s both beat the 80s pretty comfortably.

The 90s, however, were on a whole new level.

While the 90s were a fantastic decade for world music and early music, I pretty much tuned out of American pop for the 90s. My impression of 90s American pop music is still mostly boy bands and whiny crooners.

Edit: and endless gangster rap that all sounded pretty much the same.

 

[lxskllr]

Grunge rock was a pretty big deal for the 90s. I didn't really listen, and I don't think it brings the 90s into contention for "best", but it's something.

 

[dank69]

While the 90s were a fantastic decade for world music and early music, I pretty much tuned out of American pop for the 90s. My impression of 90s American pop music is still mostly boy bands and whiny crooners.

Edit: and endless gangster rap that all sounded pretty much the same.

I'd be interested to see a list of major genres of music invented by decade just to see how many huge ones began in the 90s.

 

[Greenman]

70's were a truly awesome time for music. I spent a lot of nights at the Winter Land listening to some of the greatest music ever produced.
New years eve concert at the Cow Place ended just before sunrise.

 

[Oyeve]

I'm going with the 70s overall. In that decade we peaked with rock, disco, punk, folk, post punk, progressive. So much great music. And while I was 14-24 in the 80s I found that the 80s, while having a lot of great music, also had a lot of shit music.

 

[Heartbreaker]

I'm going with the 70s overall. In that decade we peaked with rock, disco, punk, folk, post punk, progressive. So much great music. And while I was 14-24 in the 80s I found that the 80s, while having a lot of great music, also had a lot of shit music.

I was also a teen in 80's, but it was 70's music the really blew me a way.

When I was thinking about it. I thought about which decade would cost me the most beloved albums if I didn't pick it, and it was easily the 1970's. Bonus that it was all real, and not digitally corrected, auto-tuned fakery.

So many excellent albums from, and arguably the peak of: Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Yes, Rush, Kansas, Jethro Tull, Heart, Beatles, The Clash, Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Blue Oyster Cult, Queen, Eagles, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, CCR, The Doors, Talking Heads, David Bowie, The Who, Dire Straits, Steve Miller, etc....

There are some great 60's albums I would miss, like all of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zep 1 and 2, and early 80's I would miss a few good Rush albums, and there are good albums across other decades, but it's definitely the 70's that would hurt to lose the most.

 

[Muse]

70s since it's arguably peak of most of my favorite bands, and before autotune, and computers:

Led Zeppelin, Heart, Rush, Queen, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Yes, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Blue Oyster Cult, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Eagles, Doors, Fleetwood Mac.. So many insanely great albums in this decade.

Led Zep hit before 1970. The Beatles best was in the 60's. Rolling Stones too. Doors, definitely 60's. 60's spawned what followed. 50's (really the late 50's) presaged the 60's, set the stage, but it was only the introduction. Before the late 50's was the Dark Ages. Music exploded in the 1960's. 1970's had a lot of great music but disco cast a big shadow over it, a giant copout of the music industry, to which punk was a vivid rebellion (late 70's was its birth, although the seeds of it were earlier). Dylan's best work was in the 60's, although he had a few really good albums in the 70's (however, he said that his impetus then was straightening out his finances).

 

[IronWing]

Led Zep hit before 1970. The Beatles best was in the 60's. Rolling Stones too. Doors, definitely 60's. 60's spawned what followed. 50's (really the late 50's) presaged the 60's, set the stage, but it was only the introduction. Before the late 50's was the Dark Ages. Music exploded in the 1960's. 1970's had a lot of great music but disco cast a big shadow over it, a giant copout of the music industry, to which punk was a vivid rebellion (late 70's was its birth, although the seeds of it were earlier). Dylan's best work was in the 60's, although he had a few really good albums in the 70's (however, he said that his impetus then was straightening out his finances).

Black music in the 50s was awesome. Disco was okay. Punk was already rolling before disco got big.

BTW, RIP Wayne Kramer, MC5 guitarist.

Wayne Kramer (guitarist) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Thump553]

I answered the '70s but really meant 1967-76.

And no disco was NOT okay. It was an abomination which led directly to the nearly equal abomination of big hat "country."

 

[IronWing]

I answered the '70s but really meant 1967-76.

And no disco was NOT okay. It was an abomination which led directly to the nearly equal abomination of big hat "country."

You're going to have to map that one for me. Disco was happy dance music. Country isn't even music.

 

[Heartbreaker]

Led Zep hit before 1970.

Sure they hit before 1970. It's right there in my post, that you would lose Led Zep 1&2, by choosing the 70's.

But I'd rather lose those 2, than Led Zep III, Led Zep IV, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti, and a bunch of later works from other bands. It sucks to lose any of the great Zeppelin albums.

The Beatles best was in the 60's. Rolling Stones too. Doors, definitely 60's.

Beatles sure, but the others are debatable.

For Stones, the consensus is that Exile on Main Street and Sticky fingers are the two best albums (the arguments tend to be about which is #1 and which is #2). Both from the 70's. The Doors is more contentious. But LA Woman, and Morrison Hotel are both have a shot at being the best Doors Album (as well as a few of the 60's Albums).

60's spawned what followed. 50's (really the late 50's) presaged the 60's, set the stage.

This is really isn't about what spawned what. It's about which actual works you would be limited to.

It's your desert island decade of music.

 

[lxskllr]

You're going to have to map that one for me. Disco was happy dance music. Country isn't even music.

 

[Thump553]

View attachment 93087

This. Plus disco drove people away from pop music radio in droves. Candy country jumped in to fill the gap and bring that audience back-and to add injury to insult left the real giants of country music (Willie, Merle, Johnny Cash, etc) with next to no radio play.

While I'm in my rant mode, the Kinks did punk better a decade earlier.

 

[Muse]

I answered the '70s but really meant 1967-76.

And no disco was NOT okay. It was an abomination which led directly to the nearly equal abomination of big hat "country."

Check this super awesome single:

(I Wish it Could be) 1965 again

 

[nOOky]

I'm a child of the 80's and I graduated in 1986 form High School. But I always liked the 90's alternative the best. I can easily listen to 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and up to new as long as it's not country music.

 

[highland145]

Boss and I just had this convo on the way home from dinner. How many songs over our 60 years resonate? I threw out 10K. Got spotify a few years back and I spent a day going year by year from 1950 to current...I'm at 1400 liked. Songs that I won't immediately change the station. 60s through 80s, primary but a ton since then. John Newman for ex.

 

[Muse]

Sure they hit before 1970. It's right there in my post, that you would lose Led Zep 1&2, by choosing the 70's.

But I'd rather lose those 2, than Led Zep III, Led Zep IV, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti, and a bunch of later works from other bands. It sucks to lose any of the great Zeppelin albums.



Beatles sure, but the others are debatable.

For Stones, the consensus is that Exile on Main Street and Sticky fingers are the two best albums (the arguments tend to be about which is #1 and which is #2). Both from the 70's. The Doors is more contentious. But LA Woman, and Morrison Hotel are both have a shot at being the best Doors Album (as well as a few of the 60's Albums).



This is really isn't about what spawned what. It's about which actual works you would be limited to.

It's your desert island decade of music.

If I could listen to only one decade of pop music it would be the 60's. That could be a mistake, but I'd choose the 60's without hesitation. Compared to the 50's, the 60's was a revolution in development. The 60's created a new world. The other decades were merely minor evolution in comparison, with a lot of relative crap thrown in to boot.