Which decade had the best music?

[Mano]

I have my own opinions on this, thought I would get some of yours.

[Dynasty]

Most people are going to vote for the decade they grew up in. That's just natural. So, the '90s will probably win this poll.

However, I think the late '50s and early '60s would be the most exciting to hear for the first time. Rock 'n' roll was new and nobody could tell what direction it was going in. The bands of that time were exploring a new world. Today, bands are often forced to repaint the same canvas.

[istewart]

It's the 60s and it's not close.

[Fratony]

Late 60's early 70's had the best music by far. Beatles, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Allman's, Pink Floyd, the list goes on and on. I dont see how anyone can think that the 90's had the best music. The only revolutionary artist in the 90's was Kurt Cobain, almost all of the other 90's/2000's music is overly comercialized and uninventive. Hell most artists these days dont even write their own music. I didnt even grow up in this generation (i was born in the early 80's) and I find 60's/70's stuff much more musically appealing.

[edtost]

bad 80's music rocks.

[istewart]

[ QUOTE ]
Late 60's early 70's had the best music by far. Beatles, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Allman's, Pink Floyd, the list goes on and on. I dont see how anyone can think that the 90's had the best music. The only revolutionary artist in the 90's was Kurt Cobain, almost all of the other 90's/2000's music is overly comercialized and uninventive. Hell most artists these days dont even write their own music. I didnt even grow up in this generation (i was born in the early 80's) and I find 60's/70's stuff much more musically appealing.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are many more revolutionary artists in the 90s than Cobain, but overall the '65-'75 era blows away the 90s.

[Phoenix1010]

[ QUOTE ]
Late 60's early 70's had the best music by far. Beatles, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Allman's, Pink Floyd, the list goes on and on. I dont see how anyone can think that the 90's had the best music. The only revolutionary artist in the 90's was Kurt Cobain, almost all of the other 90's/2000's music is overly comercialized and uninventive. Hell most artists these days dont even write their own music. I didnt even grow up in this generation (i was born in the early 80's) and I find 60's/70's stuff much more musically appealing.

[/ QUOTE ]

My thoughts exactly. Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Radiohead, Rage... regardless of how much you like these bands, there's no comparing them to Zeppelin and Floyd.

[Hallett]

[ QUOTE ]
Late 60's early 70's had the best music by far. Beatles, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Allman's, Pink Floyd, the list goes on and on. I dont see how anyone can think that the 90's had the best music. The only revolutionary artist in the 90's was Kurt Cobain, almost all of the other 90's/2000's music is overly comercialized and uninventive. Hell most artists these days dont even write their own music. I didnt even grow up in this generation (i was born in the early 80's) and I find 60's/70's stuff much more musically appealing.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this completely. I was born in 1966, and was too young for all the good stuff of the late 60's and early 70's. The 80's covered most of my childhood/young adulthood, and unfotunately had crappy music, with of course exceptions such as U2.

[B Dids]

I'm a hip-hop fan, so from that perspective, it's easily the 90s.

[Michael Davis]

410-400 BCE

Plus the flute girls gave good head.

-Michael

[Chobohoya]

I was born in 1983... but I still said the 50's. Small combo jazz from that decade is just amazing... 'Kind of Blue' anyone? What was called Rhythm and Blues, but was really early rock and roll was awesome in that decade too.

Some of the greatest classical performers ever were in their prime in that decade as well. Callas debuted "Norma," her most famous role in '52, for instance.

[private joker]

For me it's very very close between '60s and '90s. The early '60s had Phil Spector, so obviously all that stuff is genius: Crystals, Ronettes, Darlene Love, Righteous Brothers, plus you got guys like Otis Redding and the Temptations, etc. The late '60s brought CCR and some solid classic rock, plus some of the best Stones work.

But the '90s -- wow. I can't imagine music without the best bands from that decade: Neutral Milk Hotel, Belle & Sebastian, Blur, Pulp, Suede, Built To Spill, Spiritualized, Pavement, Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, The Verve, Catherine Wheel, and of course Radiohead and 3 of R.E.M.'s best albums.

I'd take all of that over the Beatles. (Of course, a lot of it wouldn't exist without the Beatles, but I don't listen to stuff for historical purposes -- I listen because it rocks).

[James Boston]

[ QUOTE ]
Most people are going to vote for the decade they grew up in. That's just natural. So, the '90s will probably win this poll.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't see how. I know most people here will have spent their teens and early-mid twenties during this period, but how can they forget all the absolute crap that made it so difficult to find the occasional jewel in the rough.

[thatpfunk]

[ QUOTE ]
My thoughts exactly. Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Radiohead, Rage... regardless of how much you like these bands, there's no comparing them to Zeppelin and Floyd.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are forgetting about the evolution of rap/hip-hop. I didn't vote for the 90's but I think that is pretty significant, as well as a lot of good rock music.

[bholdr]

nuff said

[tolbiny]

Your not giving much credit to the rap/hip hop era that started in the late 80's early 90's. There is some excellent music out there, painted on a fresh canvas.

[Fratony]

[ QUOTE ]
Your not giving much credit to the rap/hip hop era that started in the late 80's early 90's. There is some excellent music out there, painted on a fresh canvas.

[/ QUOTE ]
I have to disagree, i dont find rap/hip-hop to be musically great in any sense. The beats are usually repetitive and next to no "artists" come up with there own. Rapping is a game of who can come up with the most creative "rhyme" and put it to a redundant beat. There are so many people that can do this that it's all about marketing, look at how many rappers there are. Who's the new flavor this week? The only thing rap is good for is grinding with chicks. Give me a rap song that has any sort of meaning other than banging girls, getting f-ed up or wearing bling bling and being rich and MAYBE I'll give it some credit. There is no feeling, its just a bunch of people being ignorant/arrogant. Sorry for the rant.

[Asufiji2004]

[ QUOTE ]
Give me a rap song that has any sort of meaning other than banging girls, getting f-ed up or wearing bling bling and being rich and MAYBE I'll give it some credit.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll give you two. Dear mama & Brenda's got a baby, both by Tupac. Both not about bling or being rich. I love hip hop, but I still think the 70's was the best decade.

[Jack of Arcades]

Why don't you get your head out of your ass and look for it your [censored] self?

[Fratony]

I'll agree that many of Tupac's songs actually had some sort of meaning, but only because you already agreed that rap doesnt make the 90's the best.

[Fratony]

[ QUOTE ]
Why don't you get your head out of your ass and look for it your [censored] self?

[/ QUOTE ]
I realize that my post will probably piss off a lot of people. It's my OPINION, which is why i appologized for my rant. I dont mind rap music, I just don't understand how people like ludacris, eminem, and 50 cent can be compared to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Beatles in terms of musical ability. They dont even use instruments.

[Jack of Arcades]

[ QUOTE ]
There is no feeling, its just a bunch of people being ignorant/arrogant.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh the [censored] irony of you calling someone ignorant.

[Fratony]

Dictionary.com's definition of music:
mu·sic Pronunciation Key (myzk)
n.

1. The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.
2. Vocal or instrumental sounds possessing a degree of melody, harmony, or rhythm.

According to 1. rap is musical for about 20 sec max until it repeats itself time after time. Have you ever listened to an instrumental rap song? The correct answer should be not for more than 30 seconds. According to 2. vocals are taken into account. Where is the singing in rap or instrumentals in rap, usually there arent any unless it features a cameo from an R&B artist or its something like Puff Daddy and Jimmy Paige murder Kashmir. Now i'm just trolling /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[tolbiny]

"I have to disagree, i dont find rap/hip-hop to be musically great in any sense. The beats are usually repetitive and next to no "artists" come up with there own"

if youturn on a hip/hop station nowadyas you will hear tons of crap, much like if you turn on any radio station. If you go back to early rap there is a lot of it about growing up poor in ghettos- about discrimination, and how there doesn't seem to be any way out of the life. I am not a bigrap fan myself, but it down't take much looking at stuff from the early 90's to really find some quality.

[David04]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a hip-hop fan, so from that perspective, it's easily the 90s.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Jack of Arcades]

So wait, you're saying rock doesn't repeat itself?

[Fratony]

Great rock songs don't (crica 1965-1975). There may be some repetition, but the beginning middle and end are usually different in some way. Maybe a guitar or sax solo. Listen to Floyd or zeppelin and you'll know what i mean.

[Duke]

I'm with you with late 50's early 60's. And I was born in '77.

~D

[Jack of Arcades]

I got it, so the only songs that are great are ones with no repetition.

[Fratony]

Actually, I'm saying that crappy songs are boring and repetative (see Milkshake by Kelis if you are still confused).

[Jack of Arcades]

So you're saying something completely different then your earlier posts. Got it.

[dr. klopek]

Fifties...Jazz.

[Fratony]

This is from my first post:
[ QUOTE ]
...I dont find rap/hip-hop to be musically great in any sense. The beats are usually repetitive and next to no "artists" come up with there own. Rapping is a game of who can come up with the most creative "rhyme" and put it to a redundant beat.

[/ QUOTE ]
And this is what i am assuming you are refering to:
[ QUOTE ]

Actually, I'm saying that crappy songs are boring and repetative (see Milkshake by Kelis if you are still confused).


[/ QUOTE ]

I dont understand how you could think that these two statements dont agree.

[dr. klopek]

You haven't heard the right hip-hop. The hip-hop artists you mention are all quite well-known and so even people who don't listen to hip-hop have heard them. I've heard matchbox 20, am I to deduce that rock is musically inferior?

[Jack of Arcades]

[ QUOTE ]
1. rap is musical for about 20 sec max until it repeats itself time after time. Have you ever listened to an instrumental rap song? The correct answer should be not for more than 30 seconds.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
So wait, you're saying rock doesn't repeat itself?

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Great rock songs don't

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
I got it, so the only songs that are great are ones with no repetition.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Actually, I'm saying that crappy songs are boring and repetative

[/ QUOTE ]

[Fratony]

I have actually listened to a lot of rap. Back around '97 i was really into it, and listened to the old and the new stuff. Then i realized that it wasnt very good music and now i basically only listen to it when i'm at parties and girls are dancing and being wild. I realize that the rappers i listed arent the BEST, but to me any rappers could be swapped with the ones i put down. Biggie, tupac, snoop and dre. Is that better?

[dr. klopek]

[ QUOTE ]
I have actually listened to a lot of rap. Back around '97 i was really into it, and listened to the old and the new stuff. Then i realized that it wasnt very good music and now i basically only listen to it when i'm at parties and girls are dancing and being wild. I realize that the rappers i listed arent the BEST, but to me any rappers could be swapped with the ones i put down. Biggie, tupac, snoop and dre. Is that better?

[/ QUOTE ]

The intersection of rapper and musician is slim, but it's there, and when a rapper takes his music seriously, it can hold a lot of musical value.

[Fratony]

How does that not make sense? Crappy songs are repetative and great songs are not.

[Jack of Arcades]

So you're saying that great songs can't use repetition?

[Fratony]

Stop dwelling on this repetition factor. A song is better musically if it minimizes the same exact instrumentals over and over again. Think classical music, its never the same from beginning to end, which is why it has been around for 100's of years. I'm not talking about repetition in words i am talking about repetition in instrumentals, maybe this wasnt clear.

[Jack of Arcades]

[ QUOTE ]
A song is better musically if it minimizes the same exact instrumentals over and over again.

[/ QUOTE ]

90% of all music from the decades listed are based on instrumental repetition.