# Best era for musc **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088 "2016-04-13T17:14:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![escaped](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@escaped](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/escaped)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/1 "2016-04-13T17:14:09Z")
Wat decadhad the best music? ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/2 "2016-04-13T17:16:49Z")
> [@escaped](#): > > Wat decadhad the best music? Are you okay? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/3 "2016-04-13T17:28:01Z")
The latest one, because we have access to music made in all the decades up to and including this one. Or, the 1960’s, because it was so revolutionary, produced much great music and paved the way for more. Although you might be interested in [this breakdown of the 1800’s by decade](http://music.cbc.ca/#!/blogs/2015/4/The-19th-century-breaking-down-classical-music-by-the-decade). ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/4 "2016-04-13T17:34:29Z")
I suspect the best decade for music for anyone is the decade they were 15-25 years old in. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/5 "2016-04-13T17:41:00Z")
That’s probably true for most people but for me, if I could choose any 10 year span to listen to the rest of my life it would be 1998, when I turned 25, through 2007. But that’s partly because I have literally memorized a lot of the music I like from 1966-1975 and don’t need to listen to it to enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/6 "2016-04-13T21:24:25Z")
A.d. 1680. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/7 "2016-04-13T22:51:56Z")
The 1890s. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/8 "2016-04-14T00:04:15Z")
The late 80’s was good. At least, it is the last time music was at all tolerable. It was also starting to get good in the early 60’s, just before the Beatles hijacked it. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/9 "2016-04-14T00:33:25Z")
The 1970s. Rock really became awesome in that decade. I have no idea about other genres, but for rock the 70s were the best. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/10 "2016-04-14T01:18:59Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The 1890s. Definitely a great era! The 1860s also brought out a lot of great music, much of it militaria. Henry Clay Work rivals Stephen Foster as a genius. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/11 "2016-04-14T02:48:57Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > A.d. 1680. Pretentious pop garbage. The 1640s was \*real \*music. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/12 "2016-04-14T03:10:24Z")
If I had to pick a 10-year period, for me it would be about 1975-1984, give or take a year or two on either side. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/13 "2016-04-14T04:57:56Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Pretentious pop garbage. The 1640s was \*real \*music. Grin! I’m not gonna disagree! FWIW, I’ll go back to the 1590s, and John Dowland’s “First Book of Songs.” But then there’s the 1610s, and the bulk of Michael Praetorius’ publications. A single decade is so damn limiting! ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/14 "2016-04-14T05:09:41Z")
The second millenium was the best. The first was good. We aren’t looking so hot in the third. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/15 "2016-04-14T05:16:11Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I suspect the best decade for music for anyone is the decade they were 15-25 years old in. Going by this, for me, my favorite ten years would span when I was 0 - 9. Fifteen to 25 would be 1990-2000. That decade definitely had its moments, but I preferred the decade previous and the decade after. In terms of decades, I personally would rank them (from the 50s onwards) as 70s, 80s, 60s, 00s, 50s, 90s. (Not including the 10s, as we’re only halfway through. And as for the 90s, while I did come of age in that era, overall, I think it was a terrible decade, despite some fantastic high points, and most of them were in the hip-hop realm, honestly.) ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/16 "2016-04-14T09:22:16Z")
I’d pick 1971-1981: from _Led Zeppelin IV_ to **The Cure** ’s _Faith_ with **Bowie** and **Elton John** ’s creative heydays, **Kate Bush** ’s first albums, punk rock, early electronic music and the beginning of New Wave in between. Oh and **ABBA**. The absence of **The Beatles** and to a lesser extent some early-to-mid 80s pop, would be a problem, though ---
**Author:** ![EBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@EBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EBird)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/17 "2016-04-14T14:18:16Z")
1965-75 - Great Jazz, Bluegrass, Country, Blues, Rock borrowed elements from them all and peaked. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/18 "2016-04-14T14:50:59Z")
Every decade from the 60s on had many examples of really awful and pretentious musicians being bruited for stardom and even the most gullible fans wouldn’t go for them. Aside from Fabian, I really can’t think of anyone like that in the 50s or earlier (Possibly, television was a very bad influence on the music industry). Maybe crap has been a staple of music since the beginning of recorded sound, and the worst examples have been mercifully forgotten, but every musical idiom kind of peaked in the late 40s-early 50s as far as I can see. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/19 "2016-04-14T18:07:29Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Every decade from the 60s on had many examples of really awful and pretentious musicians being bruited for stardom and even the most gullible fans wouldn’t go for them. Aside from Fabian, I really can’t think of anyone like that in the 50s or earlier (Possibly, television was a very bad influence on the music industry). Maybe crap has been a staple of music since the beginning of recorded sound, and the worst examples have been mercifully forgotten, but every musical idiom kind of peaked in the late 40s-early 50s as far as I can see. How could Rock and Roll, R &B, Soul, Rockabilly, surf, psych, folk-rock and Neil Young all peak before they happened? ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088/20 "2016-04-14T21:28:17Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The 1970s. Rock really became awesome in that decade. > > I have no idea about other genres, but for rock the 70s were the best. yes [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-era-for-musc/752088.md?page=2)