What was the best music decade, 60's, 70', or 80's?

Music History ^ | 6/14/23 | Dallasbiff

[DallasBiff]

Official Music Video for It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) performed by R.E.M.

[DallasBiff]

The 60's had The Beatles, Stones and the Who, the 70's Aerosmith, and the 80's The Cars and REM.

Personally I think the 80's were best, ever since music has gone downhill.

Mods pull if you wish

[Dilbert San Diego]

Music is such a subjective subject, there may be endless discussion here. Musical styles and popularity have changed over the decades.

[xp38]

The 70s had a lot more than Aerosmith.

[Old Retired Army Guy]

The 60’s by a wide margin.

[Red Badger]

Every generation thinks their music is the best.

Even the Millennials think that RAP/Hip-Hop is best.....................

[gundog]

You could listen to it in the 70s and 80s, as well.

[cnsmom]

I agree the 70’s were great with the introduction of Southern Rock with Skynard and CCR.

[discostu]

70s. Prog rock, and heavy metal, pushing the boundaries and definitions of rock and roll. Plus of course you have 1973. Quadrophenia, Dark Side, Aqualung, Houses...

[mware]

Of the choices offered I eould agree the 60’s, but it was the 50’s that lead to 60’s. I’m most comfortable with a mix of 50’s and 60’s, because it was the time of my youth. Never mess with someone’s music or books of their youth.

[BBQToadRibs2]

I’d add there was some decent alternative rock in the early-mid 90’s. But anything since then is uninspired.

[dfwgator]

Early 60s, meh, but 64 onwards, absolutely. Music styles literally changed by the month.

[gov_bean_ counter]

I prefer 1721. Bach was rocking the charts. :)

[Trumpet 1]

‘60s Beatles, Stones, Who, James Brown, Motown, Beach Music, Folk Music, Joplin, Hendrix, Paul Revere and the Raiders. ‘70s had Almond Bros and Southern Rock, and Frank Zappa, and then Disco. Disco was not rock.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

The best music to anyone was what was being played while that person was young and having fun. That’s why I vote for the ‘70s. Plenty of good music before and since (and plenty of crap music in the ‘70s, you bet), but that decade spans the time from age 15 through 25 for me.

[SamAdams76]

The sweet spot for me is the 1975-1985 period.

Latter part of the 70s, early part of the 80s.

1979 probably the best year of all. Everytime I walked into a record store that year, there was something I wanted to buy in the new release section. Just to name a few, you had:

"The Wall" by Pink Floyd.
"In Through The Out Door" by Led Zeppelin
"Damn The Torpedos" by Tom Petty & Heartbreakers
"Breakfast In America" by Supertramp
"Candy-O" by The Cars
"Regatta de Blanc" by The Police
"London Calling" by The Clash
"Armed Forces" by Elvis Costello
"Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac
"Lodger" by David Bowie
"In The Heat Of The Night" by Pat Benatar
"The Pleasure Principle" by Gary Numan

Many others...

[Alberta's Child]

It's so hard to tell. I can pick at least half a dozen great hits from every decade you've listed -- and even into the 1990s and early 2000s.

If I had to pick one ten-year period (not necessarily a specific decade) that would be the heyday of rock & roll music, I would go with the time period defined by this iconic album:

[dfwgator]

[Bonemaker]

The goodness overlapped but 50’s started it all.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Too funny. LOL.

[Alberta's Child]

And I don't think it's a coincidence that the Allman Brothers album overlaps heavily with this classic one, too (1966-1976):