What's the best decade in music?

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Best decade in music?

1950s
1
2%
1960s
10
20%
1970s
18
37%
1980s
5
10%
1990s
9
18%
2000s
3
6%
2010s
3
6%
 
Total votes: 49

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PlasticRam
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What's the best decade in music?

Post by PlasticRam »

IMO it's the 60s. 70s is a bit deeper, but the 60s has more of my absolute favorites.
I feel like that
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Nick »

PlasticRam wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 12:26 pm IMO it's the 60s. 70s is a bit deeper, but the 60s has more of my absolute favorites.
I agree with your assessment of the decades (that the 70s is deeper while the 60s has higher highs), but I ultimately chose the 70s because the depth of the decade is more impressive to me than the highs of the 60s. There’s also the fact that the first half of the 60s really can’t compare to the second half, while the 70s are a bit more balanced.
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Nick »

Ultimately I’d rank the decades like...

1. 70s
2. 60s
3. 00s
4. 90s
5. 80s
6. 10s
7. 50s
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Listyguy
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Listyguy »

1965-1969 is better than any part of the 70s, but the 70s also doesn't have any years as barren as some of the early 60s years, which is ultimately why I went with the 70s.
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Romain
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Romain »

For me :
1. 60s
2. 80s
3. 70s
4. 00s
5. 10s
6. 50s
7. 90s
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Arsalan
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Arsalan »

I have to go with the 90s,The rise of alternative music.
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Nassim »

If I rank my favorite :

1. 00s
2. 90s
3. 80s
4. 60s
5. 10s
6. 70s
7. 50s

But I’d say really my favorite decade in the purest meaning of the word is 97-2006 and the best is 64-73
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Holden
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Holden »

70s is like the “correct” answer, but I love the indie rock in the 00’s so much that it takes the top spot
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mileswide
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by mileswide »

1. 70s- my top decade for albums
2. 60s- marginally my top decade for songs
3. 00s- was in my teens + early 20s then, QED
4. 10s- it's been said elsewhere on the forum but a lot of depth and variety with the standards of an average song (as in the mean) seeming higher than previous decades
5. 90s- consistent, could still hear guitars on mainstream radio
6. 80s- more highs than the 90s but the archetypal 80s Sound (cheap synths, foghorn vocals, frequent sanctimoniousness/soppiness) too pervasive
[20s- already so much awesome music]
7. 50s- though the gap's been narrowing since I've been getting more into older jazz
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Live in Phoenix
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Live in Phoenix »

The '80s (subjective af).
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andyd1010
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by andyd1010 »

I think the last two decades have even better depth than the 1970s. The 1960s were the best at the peak, but there wasn't as much depth especially at the beginning.

1. 2010s
2. 2000s
3. 1960s
4. 1970s
5. 1990s
6. 1980s
7. 1950s
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Edre Depeche Head
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Edre Depeche Head »

1. 90s (73/100)
2. 10s (68/100)
3. 80s (67/100)
4. 00s (63/100)
5. 70s (60/100)
6. 60s (57/100)
7. 50s (47/100)

Highlight Eras Though

1969-1971
1976-1980
1987-1997
2004-2007
2010-2013
2016-Now
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by phil »

I suggest the only objective answer is that - It is likely that the 10s are the best decade of music, given that there were higher volumes of music released in that decade than any other. To go any further than that necessarily brings in subjective measures of ‘best’.

That said, my favourite is probably 90s.
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Arsalan
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Arsalan »

WHAT THE HECK?There is no way that the 2010s is as good as the 90s.I have no idea how you guys vote for the 10s.
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andyd1010
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by andyd1010 »

To me, the biggest thing that sets the 2010s apart is that it’s by far the best decade ever for women in music, which is enough to make up for rock being less pervasive recently.
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prosecutorgodot
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by prosecutorgodot »

1. 10s
2. 70s
3. Other decades
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Arsalan
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Arsalan »

andyd1010 wrote: Fri Jul 03, 2020 3:40 pm which is enough to make up for rock being less pervasive recently.
That is exactly why i kinda hate the 10s,This was probably the worst decade for rock music.
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Myself »

My personal rankings:

1. 60s
2. 70s
3. 80s
4. 50s
5. 00s
6. 90s
7. 10s

This is entirely subjective (obviously). The fact the 90s-10s are doing so well is probably a testament to how many younger people are participating in the forum, since our favorite decades of music are typically dependent upon when we were young. I suspect anyone who's lived through all the decades would either have the 50s or 60s as #1.
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Edre Depeche Head
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Edre Depeche Head »

Arsalan wrote: Fri Jul 03, 2020 7:42 pm
andyd1010 wrote: Fri Jul 03, 2020 3:40 pm which is enough to make up for rock being less pervasive recently.
That is exactly why i kinda hate the 10s,This was probably the worst decade for rock music.
That is exactly why I love the 10s. Rock needed to die in the mainstream and in the major artists. The genre dominated multiple decades and it is time for new genres. Also rock being out of the top music is not unique to the 10s. Rock was by far dominant in the 60s and 70s but by the time the 80s took hold new forms of electronic music and synthpop were becoming more and more popular and well crafted. By the 90s, even though I think that is when rock peaked, hip hop was in full swing, electronic and ambient music had taken newer forms and even rock music started incorporating sooo much more outside influence. In the 21st century it is safe to say the Hip Hop has been rising as the dominant genre but a lot of great indie rock groups have popped up as well.

No genre should dominate for too long and that shows with rock, it was run dry.
Myself wrote: Fri Jul 03, 2020 7:55 pm I suspect anyone who's lived through all the decades would either have the 50s or 60s as #1.
It depends more on what aspects of music you appreciate the most. I have always had a soft spot for music that has been assisted by machines such as synthesisers or computers and also have a soft spot for simple yet passionate and emotional music in the forms of punk and indie.
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Nick »

Here's some of my favorite "eras" of music:

1965 - 1973: The "classic rock" era. This is the height of psychedelic and progressive rock, and the era when the biggest classic rock acts, such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Who, released the bulk of their most accomplished work.

1975 - 1980: The era of punk, disco, and early new wave. Major releases from artists as diverse as The Clash, Michael Jackson, Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, The Cars, Television, Kraftwerk, and Joy Division can be found in this short time period. Not to mention more traditional "classic rock" albums from Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, and Fleetwood Mac.

1991 - 1995: In America this was the era of grunge, in the UK it was the era of Britpop. Regardless, these 5 years were the pinnacle of alternative rock, with major releases from Nirvana, Oasis, Blur, Weezer, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Pavement, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Rage Against the Machine, My Bloody Valentine, and many, many more.

2007 - 2013: The last great (or merely "most recent") era for indie rock/pop. In the mid to late 2000s indie music transitioned from the garage rock revival of the early 2000s into a sound that was more influenced by electronic music and synthpop, as evidenced by bands like LCD Soundsystem, MGMT, and Hot Chip. Other indie rock/pop acts from this era of note include Vampire Weekend, Animal Collective, Beach House, Phoenix, The xx, Grizzly Bear, Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, Tame Impala, and Bon Iver. In the world of R&B there were incredible releases from artists like Janelle Monáe, The Weeknd, and Frank Ocean. And in the world of hip-hop rappers like Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar released some of their most accomplished projects.
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Arsalan
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Arsalan »

Edre Peraza wrote: Fri Jul 03, 2020 7:56 pm
Arsalan wrote: Fri Jul 03, 2020 7:42 pm
andyd1010 wrote: Fri Jul 03, 2020 3:40 pm which is enough to make up for rock being less pervasive recently.
That is exactly why i kinda hate the 10s,This was probably the worst decade for rock music.
That is exactly why I love the 10s. Rock needed to die in the mainstream and in the major artists. The genre dominated multiple decades and it is time for new genres. Also rock being out of the top music is not unique to the 10s. Rock was by far dominant in the 60s and 70s but by the time the 80s took hold new forms of electronic music and synthpop were becoming more and more popular and well crafted. By the 90s, even though I think that is when rock peaked, hip hop was in full swing, electronic and ambient music had taken newer forms and even rock music started incorporating sooo much more outside influence. In the 21st century it is safe to say the Hip Hop has been rising as the dominant genre but a lot of great indie rock groups have popped up as well.

No genre should dominate for too long and that shows with rock, it was run dry.
What i think is that each decade should have enough good music for each genre,Like the 90s.
Rock(Radiohead,Nirvana,Pearl Jam,Green Day,...)
Rap(Eminem,Dr.Dre,2Pac,Massive Attack,...)
Pop(Madonna,Mariah Carey,Michael Jackson,Spice Girls,...)

You know what i mean,the 2010s had so many great Rap and Pop albums/songs but a few good rock albums.AND ROCK WILL NEVER DIE.
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Rob
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Rob »

Apparently I find myself unable to vote. I know my answer is "absolutely, most definitely not the eighties" and I guess also not the nineties, but otherwise I don't care and seem to get enough out of every other decade.

As to the question of rock, there was a lot, and I mean a lot, of great stuff in the 2010's and a lot of development too. It just didn't happen in the mainstream or reflect on the charts. But who cares about the mainstream?

But what is this bias in favor of post-Second-World-War music? The 1380's that's when music was really happening!
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Moonbeam »

Based on a point system for my albums and songs list, my ranking of the included decades (as of mid-2019) was:

1980s: 45.42%
2000s: 17.69%
1970s: 15.01%
1990s: 11.66%
2010s: 8.01%
1960s: 2.12%
1950s: 0.08%

The order feels correct, though the 2000s and 1970s might be swapped and so might the 1990s and 2010s.
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by styrofoamboots »

1. 90s
2. 80s
3. 70s
4. 00s
5. 60s
6. 10s
7. 50s
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ordinaryperson
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by ordinaryperson »

From my post on the Spotify thread, though I switched the 10s and 60s
1. 1990s
2. 1980s
3. 2000s
4. 1970s
5. 1960s
6. 2010s
7. 1950s
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Andre
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Andre »

1. 1970s
2. 1980s
3. 2010s
4. 1990s
5. 2000s
6. 1960s
7. 1950s

A year ago, the 80s would have still be in the lead, but the 70s polls make me choose the 70s now.
The period 73-75 I always assumed to be weak compared to the rest of the decade, but realize now it is pretty good as well.
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Madzong »

1. 1970s
2. 1980s
3. 1990s
4. 1960s
5. 2000s
6. 2010s
7. 1950s
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Akhenaten »

I really couldn't decide this in my head. I was going to write 60s, 70s, 80s & 90s are all about equal, followed by 00s, then 10s, then 50s.

So thought I'd check my AT list to see what it says.

If I take my top 1000 then it goes (number of entries in brackets):
1. 1990s (228)
2. 1970s (182)
3. 2000s (148)
4. 1960s (145)
5. 1980s (144)
6. 2010s (73)
7. 1950s (70)

If I take my top 5000, I get this:

1. 1980s (996)
2. 1990s (985)
3. 1970s (798)
4. 2000s (653)
5. 1960s (599)
6. 2010s (528)
7. 1950s (251)

The 80s leap from 5th to 1st!!
(I'm thinking this is because I'm a child of the 80s, and so have a fondness for alot of 80s songs)
Shows why I couldn't work the answer out in my head.
And that I like the 2000s more than I thought!
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Gillingham »

In order:
1. 00s
2. 90s
3. 10s
4. 70s
5. 60s
6. 80s
7. 50s
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by antonius »

In order:
1970s
1990s
1960s
1980s
2000s
2010s
1950s
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Jirin »

It's hard to compare because all of them have produced great music, just with differing levels of popularity for the great music.

If I had to pick I'd say:
70s
60s
00s
10s
90s
80s
50s

Even though Tom Waits best albums are in the 80s.

00s and 10s have people like The National, St Vincent, LCD Soundsystem, Kendrick Lamar, Sleater-Kinney, Wilco, Flaming Lips, Outkast, White Stripes, Joanna Newsom, Sufjan Stevens. Every bit as good as the classic rock Gods.
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by Elder »

70s
60s
10s
90s
80s
00s
50s
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Re: What's the best decade in music?

Post by NR Hugo Sanders »

70s
60s
90s
80s
10s
00s
50s
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