Which has been the best decade for music? (1 Viewer)

[Ockeghem]

[COLOR= black]Several of my children are classically-trained as well (clarinet, flute, guitar, piano, etc.). And I too have a fifteen-year old daughter, and she listens to a lot of the music of today (Lady Ga Ga, Pink, FM Static, TFK, Lacuna Coil, Nevertheless, to name just a few). She has been trained to know that there is often much to appreciate in the music of today, even if it is not on the same level as (e.g.) a Bach, Beethoven, or Scriabin. Although that doesn’t guarantee that she will like the music I grew up with (classical as well as pop-rock), she has as a result of her training gained a greater appreciation for many of the differing styles and genres of music across all historical periods.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= black]For my own part, much of the music of today (and of all historical periods, actually) includes harmonic progressions, melodic patterns, and rhythmic intricacies and figures that are very intriguing, if one is willing to listen for them and take the time to dissect what is occurring in the music. With some pop-rock stars of today, the key relationships, harmonic variety, and instrumentation alone are often times compelling enough to warrant serious analysis and study.[/COLOR]

 

[Jeff F.]

I have over 4,000 songs on my iPod, and since half of them are from the '70s, I'm going to guess that this is my favorite music decade.

On the other hand, my wife listens to nothing but '80s music, which I never really embraced.
Edited by Jeff F. - 7/17/2009 at 09:07 pm GMT
Edited by Jeff F. - 7/18/2009 at 11:31 pm GMT

 

[Henry Gale]

There are about 15,000 songs on my ZUNE.
A few from the 19th Century, the new Dead Weather album, EVERYthing from many people, Tom Waits, the Doors, Stones, John Prine, Hendrix, Jimmie Rogers, Bob Wills, The Donnas (really), Jerry Lee Lewis...I could go on.

It's the 30s and 40s for me, the beginnings of what we call Western Swing, Django, the classic jazz, all that stuff is just endless fun.

 

[PaulDA]

Originally Posted by Jeff F.

I have over 4,000 songs on my iPod, and since half of them are from the '70s, I'm going to guess that this is my favorite music decade.

On the other hand, my wife listens to nothing but '80s music, which I never really embraced.
Edited by Jeff F. - 7/17/2009 at 09:07 pm GMT
Edited by Jeff F. - 7/18/2009 at 11:31 pm GMT

While I don't own an iPod, I'd say half my non-classical music is from the 70s and it is my favourite decade. My wife, as yours, heavily favours the 80s and I too never really embraced that era (there is music I like from the 80s, but most of it comes from artists who hooked me with their 70s work).

 

[bemombu]

i'll go for the 80's...a lot of good music to listened to..still up to this day, im still listening to those kind of musics...

 

[Steve Christou]

We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
But the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale

[SIZE= smaller]Procol Harum[/SIZE]

The 60's for me, the Beatles especially, though I'll always have a soft spot for 80's pop, girlfriends and going clubbing. By the late 90's I all but lost interest in pop music and have no idea who or whats popular today. Sadly I must be getting old, when my Sandra plays her music I tell her to 'turn down the friggin' noise', just like my parents did 30 years ago.

 

[Greg.G]

Originally Posted by TommyJD

The 70s all the way.As my wife and daughter tell me:I'm stuck in the 70s music wise.Era of some of the greatest music of all time by some of the all time greatest rock bands-Led Zeppelin,Neil Young,Deep Purple,The Clash,The Ramones,Pink Floyd,Genesis,Queen,Jethro Tull,The Who,Eric Clapton,Cheap Trick,ELP,Mott The Hoople,The Cars,Elvis Costello,The Rolling Stones,The Faces,Springsteen,Elton John,Aerosmith,The Eagles,Lynryd Skynrd,Black Sabbath,Bob Marley,Alice Cooper,The Allmann Bros etc...

I agree and would add Roxy Music, Brian Eno, CCR, Split Enz, King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator, Cockney Rebel/Steve Harley, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Kinks (yes some of it was pretty good), Dylan (some of his was more than pretty good), Captain Beefheart, Hawkwind, The Jam, John Cale, John Lennon, Procol Harum, Stevie Wonder, T. Rex, Sparks and the Krautrock scene (Amon Duul, Neu, and Can).

Call me weird but the 3 bands I don't listen to from the 70s happen to be the decades most popular - Queen, Eagles, and Fleetwood Mac.

 

[LeoA]

Despite not even being 30 yet, without a doubt for me it would be the 1960s. Or more exactly, about 1958-1968. So many great songs and artist from the period, such as the Everly Brothers, The Righteous Brothers, The Ronettes, Lulu, Petula Clark, Diana Ross & The Supremes, etc. Pretty much still like what I thought sounded good to me as a young kid whenever I'd hear something being played in the car by my parents.

Nothing before or since can compare to songs like Unchained Melody.

Oddly enough, I don't care for the music from the three artist/groups being most mentioned in this thread for 60s music. Highly overrated, give me stuff like Downtown by Petula Clark or California Girls by The Beach Boys anyday of the week over something like a Rolling Stones or Beatles song.

About the only thing I can stand about the Beatles is it made for a several cute tv episodes back then when they tried to cash in on the craze, such as on Petticoat Junction (When the Bradley sisters are transformed into the "Ladybugs" in a get rich scheme of Uncle Joe's), and a Dick Van Dyke episode.

 

[Hicks]

Gotta go 70s myself, even though the 60s produced a wealth of amazing bands many of them, like Pink Floyd, Led Zep, the Stones, etc., produced their best work in the 70s.

Similarly a lot of the R&B artists such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder that started in the 60s really developed in a major way by the middle of the decade.

Then you've got the whole funk movement with greats like George Clinton, Ohio Players and Earth, Wind and Fire.

Not to mention artists like Miles Davis, Weather Report, Mahavishu Orchestra and Return to Forever taking jazz in some exciting new directions.

After that I'd rank the other decades that I'm familiar with like this:

90s
60s
00s
80s

 

[Brian GT]

The ten years from 1968 to 1977.
The era of "classic" rock music. After that came disco and the over-commercialization of the music.

 

[Paul D G]

I will agree with the statement about the music from your teenage years being the music you embrace. I hated the music of the 70s when I was living it, and still do. During the 80s, when I was a teen, I didn't care for much of the music on the radio either and found solace in the oldies channel. While every one I knew was listening to Culture Club I was listening to Gary US Bonds, Freddie Boom Boom Canon, and the Penguins. As I got older I rediscovered the 80s - the british side. I found the UK 80s chart hits far more appealing than what I was hearing on American radio. Much of this music never made it over to the US.

So, for me, the best eras of music are 1983-1993 (most of the bands i hold dear today were formed during this period), and 1957-1967.

There was a long period where I didn't care much for today's music - mostly when hip hop ruled the airwaves. That's starting to change now that pop music seems to be coming back. I watched the MTV Video Music Awards this past weekend and while my wife was completely lost, I found a number of the songs nominated I was actually familiar with and enjoy. Even the performances were enjoyable. I still prefer the BRIT Awards to the Grammies, tho.

 

[Will_B]

Any decade that is not the nineties. It seemed like my favorite artists all hit a creative lull for that decade.

I believe the early 1980s had some of the best pop music, thanks to MTV, but it didn't last the entire decade. So I'd give it to the 2000-2010 decade, just for the diversity of music that arose with the demise of the major labels control.

 

[PODER]

Thank Heavens for Henry Gale (Post #12) and Tim Tucker (Post #20) for recognizing that there actually was popular music before 1950, strange as that concept might be. Mr. Tucker makes an excellent case for the 1920s, but I'd have to go along with Mr. Gale and vote for the 1930s.
Gershwin, Berlin, Rodgers and Hart and all their brethren on Tin Pan Alley were turning out classic after classic ... rich, romantic, sophisticated songs that have stood the test of time and continue to move me ... to tears, to laughter, to sheer bliss. Go ahead, folks ... try listening to something that was written before you were born. You might find yourself surprised!

 

[Dan Szwarc]

What does "best" mean in this context?

 

[keithling]

Many folks picks on this will depend on their age. Chris Rock once said that your favorite music is what you heard the first time you got laid. Yeah, I know that's crude, but the general rule of thumb that many mobile DJs use for parties is to play the music that was popular during your audience's teen years.

My fave decade was the 70s, primarily because it was the golden age of Progressive Rock.
If you're asking about Pop music, it would be the 60s.