1960s with 1940s a close second.
I’d say the mid-'90s up through the present.
I’m a Classic Rock head, so '70s of course.
I guess all in all I will say the 40s. I like some things from the 50s. I really like music that makes me daydream about a whole different world from any that I’ve actually lived in. I’ve always liked plenty of things when they seemed current and new but once I’m sick of it I’m sick of it for good. If I have to be transported to the past I’d rather be transported to someone else’s past, I guess.
Well I would have to say the 70s. But I suspect it was because that is when I was young and hearing that music again reminds me of my youth.
Although I wasn’t born until 1982, the ten year period of 1966-1975 saw the release of the highest percentage of my favorite songs and albums. This includes: The Beatles (post-Rubber Soul; I have an irrational love for ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’), Cream (especially ‘White Room’ and ‘Crossroads’, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd (Dark Side is my favorite), Queen’s early stuff (I’m so obsessed with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ that I spent several months learning and practicing it on piano until I could play it flawlessly - BTW, I’m a guitarist), Ravi Shankar’s 60s albums, The United States of America (underrated one album wonder of 1968), **Led Zeppelin **(except for the last 2 albums), Al Di Meola, early Black Sabbath, Frank Zappa (especially Overnite Sensation and Apostrophe), early Santana, early King Crimson, early Jethro Tull, Allman Brothers, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Bob Marley, and War among many others.
I’m more sentimental with 90s music since I grew up with it, but I can’t deny that I like the music of the late 60s and early 70s better as a whole. Some of the 90s stuff I like include: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, Radiohead, Tool, Incubus, Sublime, 311, Dream Theater, Flaming Lips, Primus, Collective Soul, and Blink 182 among others.
Well, I’m glad that, today, I can listen to music from the current decade or from any of the previous decades. And even if you limit the discussion to new music, there are people today who are making music that borrows heavily from the 60s, and music that sounds like the 70s, and etc.
I do think the 60s were something special in popular music. You had lots of great acts at the top of their game, competing and inspiring one another to new heights of innovation and creativity and musical wonderfulness.
But my personal vote goes to the 80s, maybe just because that was when I musically came of age. There was an element of fun and playfulness to the music scene then that I think went missing in later years. Popular music wasn’t as fragmented and subdivided as it has become: I could just turn on MTV or Night Tracks or the local rock radio station without worrying about which niche they were marketing to. Weird Al never parodied a song I wasn’t already familiar with. Popular music hadn’t yet been infected with rap/hip-hop (not that I want to bash rap here, just saying its not my thing).
And many of the great acts of earlier decades were still around and, if past their peak, still making music good enough to make me want to go back and check out their older stuff from the 60s and 70s (e.g. The Kinks, The Moody Blues, Stevie Wonder, The Beach Boys, Queen, David Bowie, and the individual Beatles). Almost all of my favorite bands/artists (i.e. the ones I would list if I were listing my top 10 or 25 or whatever) were active during the 80s.
I think some of the best music came out of the 70s. But in terms of music I personally like, probably the 90s.
Music from the 00s is ok, but it sounds more or less like the 90s to me. You still have rap and hip hop. You still have post-punk. The 90s seem more about experimentation. Grunge, alt-rock, jam bands, ska, post-punk, retro swing, all sorts of techno and electronic music.
Didn’t really like most 80s music growing up.
I would go with the alternative and experimental music of the 70s/80s, encompassing bands like Wire, Soft Boys, the Pixies, Can, Neu!, The Jam, Television, Sonic Youth, Kraftwerk, Pere Ubu, X Ray Spex, Velvet Underground, Modern Lovers, XTC, etc…
I’d have to say 1900s (the last uh-ohs). Great operas, operettas, and the best of Rachmaninoff. Basically, anything pre-Titanic. That ship wasn’t the only thing that permanently sank.
For those nostalgic for the music of the 1900s decade, tinfoil.com has a lot of recordings from that era.
Well, to split hairs, that was 11 years, so I’m gonna have to go with 1966-1975.
The 60’s!
1964-73. Gotta get all the Beatles music in there, not to mention the early Stones, Who, Byrds, and more of the early Dylan.
1979-1989
The heyday of good Goth, 4AD and postpunk.