What's your favorite decade for music?

Cafe Society
1

My tastes have changed quite a bit through the years; when I grew up in the 80s, my favorite music was from the 80s. In the early 90s I preferred the 60s, in the late 90s it was the 90s. Now I’d say I prefer music from the 00s by far.

I’ll admit that most of the music on the radio nowadays is crap, but there’s plenty of amazing music out there even if I have to scour the internet to find it. I suppose there’s plenty of great music from past decades I’ve never heard, but because I didn’t have internet access then, I had to rely on radio and MTV. Plus, maybe I’m old, but I think radio and MTV actually played decent music in the 90s and before.

So what decade do you think has the best music?

2

Well, this week I’ve been listening to a fair amount of George Cohan and Enrico Caruso.

So the 1900’s.

(But really, probably the 1990’s. (Other than U2’s stuff… I much prefer their 80’s sound.))

3

I’ll go with 1950’s.

4

does it have to be a real decade, or will any ten-year span do? If the latter, I’d go with 1966-1975.

5

70’s with the 60’s a close second.

6

70’s for me. That was the decade I was coming of age and so many of the songs from that era remind me of good times and bad, true love and heartache, good friends and loss. I get really sappy when I hear a song that I attribute to a certain moment of my teenhood.

7

Mostly the eighties right now - post-punk, the beginning of the american underground like Husker Du, early Butthole Surfers, the twee and c86 scene from the UK, SST, the birth of hardcore, the beginning of detroit techno and chicago house music, the final throes of italo-disco, synth-pop, the beginning of the american lo-fi movement like K records, the heyday of the new zealand noise-pop bands like the Clean, and then mainstream greats like the Smiths.

8

Depends on my mood. Either 1970s or 1980s. (keep in mind my favorite bands are Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull…)

9

Depending on mood:

1780s, 1810s, or 1945-1955

10

The 1920’s: Blind Blake, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charlie Patton, Jimmy Rodgers and the Carter Family all started then. A close second would be the 1930’s – it would have been better, but the Depression hit the recording industry pretty hard.

11

My tastes range around, similar to the OP. In the 70s, I listened along with my parents (Beatles, Herb Alpert, Carpenters, Bee Gees). In the 80s, I listened to 80s pop/rock (Michael Jackson, Peter Cetera, etc). In the 90s, I was totally into the 70s (Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, the Doors, etc). Now in the 00s, I’m listening to everything from Palestrina (mid-15th Century) to Brahms (mid-late 1800s), to Satchmo and Ella Fitzgerald (early 1900s), to contemporary “classical” (Arvo Part, Benjamin Britten) back to New Wave 80s (Aha, Flock of Seagulls), grungy 90s (Alice in Chains, STP), Euro metal (Nightwish, Within Temptation), and hardcore 00s (Killswitch Engage).

If I had to pick a favorite decade, though… this week, I would choose mid-80s to mid-90s rap. Wu-Tang Clan, Arrested Development, Public Enemy, Above the Law, NWA, Run DMC, The Pharcyde – all these fellas are floating my boat this week. Couldn’t tell you why :wink:

Though I do throw in Killswitch Engage first thing every morning. Wakes me up while I claw at my first cup of coffee.

12

I’ve found that the vast majority of people gravitate toward the music of their high school and college years. There is something about that age in a person’s life that connects to music in a visceral way.

13

Count me with Kilvert’s Pagan on this one, with a little overlap forwards and backwards. But the 60’s are where I reside, musically, when I feel the need.

14

The 1990s. I listen to XM radio’s 90s station quite often. Oddly enough, my second favorite would be the 1940s channel

15

40’s for Jazz, Swing & Big Bands.
80’s for Pop.

16

Late 60s/early seventies and the 00s. Music is very exciting again in a way it hasn’t been for me in more than ten years. I’m liking what the internet is doing to music.

17

Pop music was great in the 80s.

R&B and rock music was great in the 60s and 70s.

Hip hop music was great in the 80s and 90s.

Classical was great in the mid-to-late 1700s.

But if I had to pick a decade, I’d say the 90s. Not because the music was all that great, but because I came of age during this time. Many of my favorite songs come from the 90s. Give me a random song during this period and I can tell you what I was doing when it came out.

18

The best music of all time was from the 70’s (IMHO). Unfortunately, I don’t think the quantity of ok-to-good from the 70’s matches the 80’s, and some of those 70’s groups produced into the 80’s, so I’d have to go with the 80’s.
Aqualung was released in 1972 and Hair of the Dog in '75. Nazareth didn’t make it much past '82 (Fool Circle being their best in '81), but Tull released some damn strong music in the 80’s. Then there’s Ozzy, Dio, U2, DK, Seger, Guns N Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden…

19

The 70’s, although my DH’s favorite decade is the 60’s and I’ve learned to enjoy a lot of his music also.

I don’t listen to current music much at all, unless you count AdoptaTeens blaring their stereos and me hollering at them “turn that crap down” :slight_smile: (One likes rap and the other emo - god, what a combination to hear at 5:00 in the morning so loud that it vibrates the walls!)

20

1966-1976