The Greatest Musical Decade: A Comparison

[TENYEARS]

What is the greatest decade for music. This is overall music in terms of depth, quality, sound, talent, etc..

 

[Polly]

Hi Tenyears, nice to see you again .

Now regarding your question...arg...70's? because it's danceable? I really have tin ears... :shy:

 

[Clausius2]

I would say 80s and afterwards. My answer is not only referred to the ever greatest group of music I've heard:


U2


Bono and the guitar of The Edge are the best delghting music I've ever heard. Their music brings me a lot of reminds to my mind. . Proud, UltraViolet, With or Without You, Where the Streets Have no Name, All I want is You, Lemon, and Until the End of The World have left a track on my reminds.

But I also refer to Boston, Asia, Genesis, Tears for Fears, Police...

 

[humanino]

Greatest decade is the one to come.

All decades have geniuses for themselves anyway. Zappa had several decades.

 

[Chrono]

I'd say the '70's. The Platters, The Drifters, and other old school R&B groups were at the top then. They had some great love songs.

 

[cragwolf]

There are three candidates for me:

1720's: Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and St Matthew Passion.

1790's: Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's Pathétique and Moonlight Piano Sonatas.

1870's: Wagner's Ring Cycle completed, Brahms' First Symphony and Violin Concerto.

 

[Chi Meson]

70s? Drifters & Platters notwithstanding, that was the decade of Abba! And Disco! That's negative ten points right there! And ELO! And, and, the Bee Gees post-jive-talking stuff.

I had to choose between 60s and 80s based on the emergence of the underground scenes in both decades. Velvet Underground to be specific, and everything from the independent lables of the 80s (Discord, SST, Homestead, Factory, Mute, Sub Pop, Rough Trade,these indies were revolutionary to music)

70s had Iggy, MC5, and the second half of Motown, but I had to go with the 60s for overall influence and development of modern music. (A nod to Cragwolf, here, you do have a point).

I just realized, we need a smiley that ironically says "Well that's that; I have spoken and I am always right!"

 

[Moses]

Listening to Cat Stevens is amazing...but some techno from nowadays is raelly great as well..but i go for 1970's..[even i was not born yet in that decade...]

 

[check]

Who the heck voted this decade for the greatest "overall music in terms of depth, quality, sound, talent, etc.." ?!?
This decade sucks!

Anyway, fitting those catagories, I'd say very late 60s to mid 70s...so I just voted 70s.
My favourite decade for music is either the 80s or 90s. Not the late 90s though, they sucked too.

 

[quantumdude]

No question for me: 1960's.

That's the decade with my favorite rock (Hendrix, Beatles, Stones, Cream, early Zeppelin, Spencer Davis, and the rest of the British Invasion) and my favorite soul (JB, Temps, Tops, Marvin, Otis, Aretha, Gladys, Sly, etc.).

Most (all?) of the music I like from the 70's is from those people, who were just getting better with age.

 

[quantumdude]

I would say 80s and afterwards. My answer is not only referred to the ever greatest group of music I've heard:


U2


Bono and the guitar of The Edge are the best delghting music I've ever heard.

Hear Hear!

My favorite decade may be the 60's, but my favorite album bar none is The Joshua Tree. I can't wait for their next one (13 days!)

 

[dekoi]

Beatles era. Over the years, music has been created into mere beat.

 

[Les Sleeth]

Music is one area of human potential where America is recognized worldwide as tops (or near there anyway). Why? IMO, it’s because our melting pot society was where rhythmic Negro interpretations first were joined to the more melodious bent derived from European cultures. As the 20th century got going, the influence of Black gospel and bluesy songs started showing up in ragtime and jazz, with the 1940’s being an amazing time for this. Duke and Ella were making music right along with the White orchestras and artists they were affecting.

Although Black and White music in isolation still were specializing, the blend of the two moved more into the mainstream, with the ‘50’s a most interesting time. Rock and roll was born of that merger; inner city music blossomed in the form of Do Wop, and groups like the Impressions, the Platters, etc.; normally ballad-like cowboy music took on a beat to become country and western; the blues got more punch; and even mainstream White music showed more rhythm. The British invasion in the sixties was very much influenced by Black musicians and 50’s rock and roll, as artists like the Beatles and Stones talked about in interviews many times. Jump to today and it is easy to see American music is still very much a Black plus White thing.

So is my vote the 1940’s? The 1950’s? The 1960's? Well, I think they are probably the most influential eras, but if I am to vote for “overall music in terms of depth, quality, sound, talent, etc.” then I am going to vote for the 2000’s. This era might not seem like it is because of so many mediocre “star” groups who learn a few chords and pound out simplistic songs to dominate the pop charts. But the best musicians probably won’t be found on the pop charts, or there for long.

This is just one man's meaningless opinion, but where the Black-White musical progeny seems to have most evolved is with “jazzy” sorts of music, from pure jazz, jazzy rock (Steely Dan, Everything But the Girl), jazzy blues (Patti Austin, Bonnie Raitt), jazzy Latin (Basia) and jazzy soul (Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross) . . . to jazzy country-western (I just know I've heard some somewhere!) and even jazzy fluff instrumentals. That’s where a high percentage of the most trained musicians are, and the direction some the best former rockers seem to be leaning like Clapton, Windwood, Sting, Ronstadt, James Taylor somewhat (I know, JT wasn’t exactly a rocker).

 

[Moses]

ohhh ... being "illitrate" about the 50's music, could some body give me examples...abd why it is "assumed" that some people will get attracted to it, and still be till now?

Wodering why there is no 1940's mentioned "is it too old? but Beethoven thingy's are older.."

 

[TENYEARS]

Cragwolf, good wiseXXX Zen. From my own perspective the music which one can fast dance to in some aspects seems to get better as the years go on. The music of soul, which had beat, meaning, depth and that which came from the greatest human expression was without doubt in the 70's. JT, Carol King, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, Chicago, Eagles, America, Moody Blues, Silver Bullet Band, Areosmith, Ledzeplin, Etc... American Pie. The list goes on.

The question would be because we are human and you like what you see and what you are accustomed to. If you took humans with a clean slate of mind and soul. Minimal pathways which would give them a predisposition towards a particular sound. What would the average human choose?

 

[Chrono]

70s? Drifters & Platters notwithstanding, that was the decade of Abba!

Was it the 60s, then?

 

[Les Sleeth]

Was it the 60s, then?

They were singing groups of the 1950's.

 

[Gokul43201]

I picked the 70s for all the same groups that Tom listed, but put in the 60s. Most of these classic rock bands really primed in the 70s except for a few : the joplin, hendrix and morrison died; the yardbirds broke up; cream peaked in the late 60s and then clapton and baker couldn't stand each other any more; the stones made just the odd good album in the 70s (they were too busy getting laid); the kinks folded when eric burdon was the last man standing; and Beatles recorded Abbey road in 69.

But the Who, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Clapton, Floyd, Queen, Dire Straits, Scorpions, the Boss, CSNY, Skynyrd, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Bowie, ELO, Grateful Dead, Rush (and others) give the edge to the 70s. So much so, that all that disco nonsense () didn't do a whole lotta harm.

 

[Chi Meson]

Was it the 60s, then?

My mention of Drifters and Platters was deference to Chronos' (good) opinion of these bands that were still going strong in the 70s.

I dunno. 1979 was a Great year, but I keep thinking of that year as the first true year of the 80s.

 

[Chrono]

My mention of Drifters and Platters was deference to Chronos' (good) opinion of these bands that were still going strong in the 70s.

I wasn't sure what decare they were the most popular in. I'd say that they are still popular even now.

 

[Les Sleeth]

I wasn't sure what decare they were the most popular in.

Both were Black all men groups, who did swinging, laid-back R&B multi-harmony tunes. The Platters were the most mellow, famous for songs like "Twilight Time" "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and "Only You," while the Drifter's swung a little more with songs like "Save the Last Dance for Me," "This Magic Moment," and "Under the Boardwalk." Great stuff if you can relax for it.

I'd say that they are still popular even now.

Just with us old guys.

 

[BoulderHead]

I do not rate music by the month, decade, or century, but by the degree to which it moves me. Eclectic in nature, I presently prefer mood music.

It’s very nearly all good.

 

[Chrono]

Just with us old guys.

Who are you calling old?

 

[franznietzsche]

There are three candidates for me:

1720's: Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and St Matthew Passion.

1790's: Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's Pathétique and Moonlight Piano Sonatas.

1870's: Wagner's Ring Cycle completed, Brahms' First Symphony and Violin Concerto.

The two best samples of baroque music, the Brandenburg Concertos, and St Matthew's Passion. Absolute genius.

 

[Dagenais]

What is the greatest decade for music. This is overall music in terms of depth, quality, sound, talent, etc.

I need a l'il bassline Kick it up.

The 90's were the best
The times of rap
Screw the rest, they failed to impress.
Rock was crap, give rap a clap.
The best rhymes found mainstream success.
Now Hip Hop...
Has become pop!
What's up with that?
We've got to take a look back
at the 90's!

Not bad, eh?

 

[Les Sleeth]

Who are you calling old?

True, sorry about the age discrimination. Like Boulderhead implies, real music lovers want to appreciate every bit of music with quality no matter what age or category it's found.

 

[Les Sleeth]

I need a l'il bassline Kick it up.

The 90's were the best
The times of rap
Screw the rest, they failed to impress.
Rock was crap, give rap a clap.
The best rhymes found mainstream success.
Now Hip Hop...
Has become pop!
What's up with that?
We've got to take a look back
at the 90's!

Not bad, eh?

Don't bite my head off but . . . some people wonder if rap is music (not to suggest it isn't good stuff!); to me at least it seems more like rhythmic poetry than music.

 

[Chaotic42]

I'd say the 1970s

 

[franznietzsche]

Don't bite my head off but . . . some people wonder if rap is music (not to suggest it isn't good stuff!); to me at least it seems more like rhythmic poetry than music.

Its not music. As the other person who voted 90s i will say i ahd in mind mid 90s rock, 94-97 or so. Grew up with that stuff.

 

[Gokul43201]

Don't bite my head off but . . . some people wonder if rap is music (not to suggest it isn't good stuff!); to me at least it seems more like rhythmic poetry than music.

Don't bite my head off either, but... if rap is poetry, then crap is a delicacy.