NationStates Jolt Archive

Question is the title

*poll coming*

Music is a matter of taste and style, time really has nothing to do with it

Giacomo Puccini lived into the 20s, so that's the only viable choice.

Music is a matter of taste and style, time really has nothing to do with it

Don't be silly. You're not denying that each decade had different music trends are you?

Giacomo Puccini lived into the 20s, so that's the only viable choice.

By contemporary I meant non classical/operatic music.

By contemporary I meant non classical/operatic music.

Then your poll and thread are suckitude incarnate.

There is no objective best here. Every one of those decades has ample servings of both brilliance and crud.

Too much variety to choose one. About nine months ago, I would have said the 80's, because I used to be a fanatic about hair bands and post-punk and all that. But I've recently discovered that, if you ignore all the Top 40 crap, there are alot of fantastic bands producing music now. And I can look at every decade and find people with great skill and integrity. It all depends on what genres are your favourites. For me, it would be from 1980-Today, but for others, it could be way back in the 40's. Music is so subjective.

Personally, I'd go for the 80's, however, it is rather subjective no?

Don't be silly. You're not denying that each decade had different music trends are you?

No...I just don't think any decade had the better music because its a matter of a person's style and taste in music

Then your poll and thread are suckitude incarnate.

In england at least, contemporary music usually refers to modern music that is not classical.

No...I just don't think any decade had the better music because its a matter of a person's style and taste in music

Personally, I'd go for the 80's, however, it is rather subjective no?

There is no objective best here.

No shit it's a matter of opinion. Thats what I want, your opinion!

I'd cut two in half, actually. I'd say 1965 - 1975.:D

im thinking the 50s

there was the rise of rock and roll

the beginning of elvis

great country music

lots of good jazz

crooners like frank sinatra, nat king cole and perry como

the remnants of the big band era

I don't like much music before Crossroad Blues (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson_(musician)) or after Bon Scott's death.

Question is the title

*poll coming*

70s-80s.

In england at least, contemporary music usually refers to modern music that is not classical.

um, "contemporary" is commonly used to mean art music after the romantic era, especially that which can't easily be categorised as something else; i.e. 20th C art music excluding aleatory, serialsim, 12 tone etc.

Ho hum, might as well justify my selection;

*dons anti-emo attack armour*

The Smiths and Morrissey. Considering the amount of contemporary bands I like who claim to be influenced by the above, and their independant quality, that seals it for me. However, for the oddly unconvinced, Van Morrisson, New Order, Blondie and the like should be a further guarantor of the ubercoolness of the 80's.

um, "contemporary" is commonly used to mean art music after the romantic era, especially that which can't easily be categorised as something else; i.e. 20th C art music excluding aleatory, serialsim, 12 tone etc.

No, Hydesland's correct. In the UK, contemporary is used more to refer to music of a style more "modern" than "classical" music.

Hm. It's a tough one. It would be '85-'95, but that's not an option. I'll lean toward the '90s though, as the early '90s were the best.

No shit it's a matter of opinion. Thats what I want, your opinion!

You got mine:

Every one of those decades has ample servings of both brilliance and crud.

The era in which something was produced doesn't factor into my enjoyment of something. But ok...I use another site to catalogue/rate my albums...in terms of average ratings out of 5 by decade...

4.00 1950s
4.00 1960s
3.83 1970s
3.95 1980s
3.89 1990s
3.73 2000s

So, um...50s/60s? But that's also skewed, because i'm generally only exposed to the stuff from those decades that has stood the test of time or distinguished itself within a niche somehow. By contrast I have a lot more music being made today available to me to check out, but it isn't necessarily all of stellar quality. (music from the 90s and 00s comprise the vast majority of my collection, but i'm limited to a few classics from earlier decades.) Also, these are albums i've considered worth buying (edit- hence the positive skew, obviously), and there is much more that I simply skip over. So there you go; my subjective answer.

No, Hydesland's correct. In the UK, contemporary is used more to refer to music of a style more "modern" than "classical" music.

nope, sorry. In the UK where I live, "Classical" is only one small portion of western art music, and that which was composed during the 20th Century is referred to as Contemporary. It's not important though - Hydesland has now clarified his area of interest.

The 50's because I was born in 1958 :D

nope, sorry. In the UK where I live, "Classical" is only one small portion of western art music, and that which was composed during the 20th Century is referred to as Contemporary. It's not important though - Hydesland has now clarified his area of interest.

It depends on location and who you are talking to. The word 'contemporary' just means 'of the same time' so can refer to any genre/style.

I'd be inclined to answer the OP by saying there are no 'best' decades, just 'great' and 'awful' pieces of music which litter all of them.

really though, musically speaking, the 80's was the happiest decade in recent history. even sad, sappy songs were so overly synth-pop that they sounded upbeat.

So much different music existed in the sixties. You still had crooners like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin going strong, but on the same radio station, you could hear the Beatles and Rolling Stones.

Plus, no one really knew what rock and roll was supposed to sound like. The formulas and focus groups that shape todays music didn't exist, so you had all the one-hit wonder bands. It seemed like almost anyone could get at least one record made. Recording companies came and went just as fast. What a dynamic time for music.

im thinking the 50s

there was the rise of rock and roll

the beginning of elvis

great country music

lots of good jazz

crooners like frank sinatra, nat king cole and perry como

the remnants of the big band era
I agree. Adjust the decades in the poll so we can vote for 1955 to 1965.

If you don't mind, how old were you in 1965?

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/smiley-rastaman.gifThe 60ies - no doubt!http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/smiley_hippie.gif

I don't like most mainstream music from around 1970 forward.

I'd have to say the period with the best music all around was probably the 30's.

I agree. Adjust the decades in the poll so we can vote for 1955 to 1965.

If you don't mind, how old were you in 1965?

i was 8 but my sisters were teenagers so it was a formative time for my musical tastes.

1810-1820.

I don't like most mainstream music from around 1970 forward.

I'd have to say the period with the best music all around was probably the 30's.

i stopped listening to it when disco came in.

its quite liberating to not have to be bothered with the crap that is mainstream music.

but i did miss the 10% that was worth hearing.

i was 8 but my sisters were teenagers so it was a formative time for my musical tastes.
Same age. We had a couple of babysitters that brought 45's whenever my parents went out. I think that was the year I discovered the transistor radio, as well.

The 60's, hands down. The Golden age of MOTOWN, the Golden Age of SOUL/R&B. Nothing can compare.... :D

thiiiingssss can oonly get betttaaarrrrr. as they say.

I like artists from all decades, but I like a higher number from the 60's than any other, so I voted for that.

I'd cut two in half, actually. I'd say 1965 - 1975.:D

Seconded

im thinking the 50s

there was the rise of rock and roll

the beginning of elvis

great country music

lots of good jazz

crooners like frank sinatra, nat king cole and perry como

the remnants of the big band era
I could go with that, or with the 60s, which had country, jazz and rock all coming into their own as legitimate art forms. Jazz fractured into a ton of directions in the 60s and had some virtuosos at the height of their powers while other new, young, exciting people were experimenting in new and interesting ways. Same goes for rock for that matter. I think you can make an argument for either decade.

I could go with that, or with the 60s, which had country, jazz and rock all coming into their own as legitimate art forms. Jazz fractured into a ton of directions in the 60s and had some virtuosos at the height of their powers while other new, young, exciting people were experimenting in new and interesting ways. Same goes for rock for that matter. I think you can make an argument for either decade.

The 60's, hands down. The Golden age of MOTOWN, the Golden Age of SOUL/R&B. Nothing can compare.... :D

yeah but that motown thing really might tip it over to the 60s.

The 60's through the early 90's.

Eighties. Hardcore Punk FTW!

The Creative Commons scene is the biggest meta-invention to music so I say 2k+. Instead of some good bands, you have a LOT of GREAT bands.

Eighties. Hardcore Punk FTW!
Indeed!

Plus, New Wave, the origin of techno, the start of electropop and.... Kate Bush!!

Indeed!

Plus, New Wave, the origin of techno, the start of electropop and.... Kate Bush!!

Also, Iron Maiden, Slayer, and Metallica.

Also, Iron Maiden, Slayer, and Metallica.
I’ll take that, and raise you Orbital, Beastie Boys and Talking Heads.

I’ll take that, and raise you Orbital, Beastie Boys and Talking Heads.

Death metal and Husker Du.

Agh!

This is one of those infuriating things that makes me think, correct myself, think some more, and never settle on a conclusion in what is, of course, a totally unimportant matter! [Continues to look thoughtful]

Damn it!

I dunno, it's not just time, either. I immediately thought of Brazil's '60s, but not quite so much everyone else's. The careers of Os Mutantes, Tom Zé, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and so forth all originating then and there has to count for something. But then the '80s in the UK kicked-off the Manic Street Preachers (and didn't last long enough to see them turn to shite), McCarthy, Wolfhounds, and in the US Nirvana, the Jesus Lizard, and other suchness, then the '90s in Canada turned-up Godspeed You! Black Emperor, A Silver Mt.Zion, and related types, and I'm not sure whether to credit the US, Italy, or Japan for starting Blonde Redhead in that decade.

In conclusion, I don't know, and this has turned my brain back on at nearly five in the morning. Sigh.

Death metal and Husker Du.

Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Trouble, St. Vitus, Pentagram, Bathory, Godflesh, Queensryche, Sonic Youth, the Melvins (and some of the best grunge records by other bands that only hit it big in the 90s), The Pixies, Suicidal Tendencies, Bad Brains ...

To name but a few. Yeah, the 80s (especially the later half) had some cool shit going for it.

2000's, just listen to Sigur Ros for proof. After that, the '60s, for the psychedilic music, then the '90s for the electronica. It's not that I don't like older music, there is a lot of jazz that I really like, but I don't really have a particular decade of jazz music that I like more than the rest. Cool jazz flourished and "Kind of Blue" came out in the '50s so I guess that would be next.

I don't know, this is very hard. As a fan of black metal and viking metal, I'd say 80s onward.

Screw your decades. No matter what the time period is, most of the music sucks. You really have to look to find some good stuff.

yeah but that motown thing really might tip it over to the 60s.

I certainly won't argue. That's not to demean individual artists from any of those decades, but the 50s and 60s certainly seemed to be a period of successful experimentation musically speaking.

1930's
Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Adelaide Hall, Annette Hanshaw, Connee Boswell, Ella Fitzgerald, Ethel Waters, Helen Humes, Helen Ward, Ivie Anderson, Josephine Baker, Lee Wiley, Mabel Mercer, Martha Tilton, Mildred Bailey, Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, Little Brother Mongomery, Leon Carr and Scrapper Blackwell, Lonnie Johnson, Memphis Minnie, Little David, Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Boy Fuller, and Robert Johnson

I could go on but you get the idea.

No matter what the time period is, most of the music sucks.

True.

You really have to look to find some good stuff

Not so true! There are lots of taps at a decent pub, and though the likes of Fosters and Carling comes out of most, the decent ale can be found without a Holmesian investigation. Hm. Too many booze-analogies this week. All right, but an obviously pretty person in a room full of every other ugly mug from the neighbourhood is like the Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-la-la Band in a world jammed with David fecking Grays and, erm, oh, who the devil do the kids like, these days? Green Day, they've been annoying me for years.

2000's, just listen to Sigur Ros for proof. After that, the '60s, for the psychedilic music, then the '90s for the electronica. It's not that I don't like older music, there is a lot of jazz that I really like, but I don't really have a particular decade of jazz music that I like more than the rest. Cool jazz flourished and "Kind of Blue" came out in the '50s so I guess that would be next.
One band does not a decade make.

Besides, Von and Agaetis Byrjun (apologies for incorrect syntax on the latter) were released in the 1990s, and are at least as good as Takk, if not better (though neither are as good as ()).

There was a lot of good metal released in the 1980s, as well as some awesome hardcore punk. On the other hand, there is a metric fuckload of good metal from the 1990s (and some decent stuff in the current decade). Post rock (almost certainly my favourite genre) really got going from the early 90s onwards, and it can only be said to have blossomed since the turn of the millennium.

So I'm torn between the 80s, the 90s and the 00s.