Next Best Decade

Posted by torc (A) on July 8, 2012 at 12:03:15

I have a boyhood friend, Norm, with whom I have shared music since we were old enough to know what we were hearing. I'm 55, and he is a couple of years older. A little while ago, I asked him what was his favorite decade of music, and then, what was his next favorite decade.

We both agreed that 1965 to 1975 was our favorite decade. We were young, but the culture started to light us on fire for music right around '65. Once we started, we kept going after everything--Stones, Beatles, Dylan, Jimi, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Joni Mihchell, etc, etc. I graduated from high school in '75, and as I went out on my own, I kinda withdrew from music for awhile, relying on that previous decade and not really investing myself in the newer music of the time. I came back as a dedicated member of the audience in the early 80's. Norm never rested.

Surprisingly, when we asked each other about our second favorite 10-year span, we both agreed that it was 2000 to 2009. I loved music in that decade!! Iron and Wine, Eels, Beck, The Decemberists, Bright Eyes, Wilco, The Shins, Drive-by-Truckers, Kathleen Edwards were all new names I found and loved during that span.

And old-timers like Steve Earle, Richard Thompson, Lucinda Williams, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler and the like continued to make meaningful music. My tastes kept expanding and I still feel very excited about what is being done in popular music.

All this is quite aside from my love of hard-and-post bop jazz, and my excursions into classical music, both of which has been fulfilling.

My brother is 8 years older than me, and I will be forever grateful to him for accelerating my love of music at a critical time in my childhood. But I've noticed he shows no interest in current music, saying that it is all crap now, etc. He has entered what I call the "Museum Period" of his life. Everything he needed from music was met when he was young, or so he thinks, so he just keeps going back to those classic pieces of popular music, and the present just doesn't work for him at all.

I want to avoid that, so I keep trying out new things. Of course, like all eras, much crap is made now in all genres, but that has always been true, and will always be true. Again, I think this is a great time to be a popular music lover.

So, if you had to rate your favorite decades of popular music (as in 10-year spans), what would they be?

David

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Topic - Next Best Decade - torc 12:03:15 07/08/12 (43)

1960 to 1970 - lokie 15:21:39 07/11/12 (0)

Just in case you are interested in my favorites of 2000-2009 - torc 19:59:24 07/10/12 (0)

RE: Next Best Decade - Tom B. 15:00:33 07/10/12 (0)

RE: Next Best Decade - byegolly 13:20:07 07/10/12 (0)

RE: Next Best Decade - Inmate51 15:40:30 07/09/12 (1)

When referring to the 'crap', which there is always plenty of, . . . . - nsgarch 11:19:09 07/10/12 (0)

RE: I Salute Yer Brother - amioutaline? 14:20:22 07/09/12 (1)

Hmm... - FenderLover 14:38:18 07/09/12 (0)

No Black Keys? - FenderLover 13:25:31 07/09/12 (0)

Has your brother heard Nirvana Nevermind and Primus Sailing the Seas of Cheese? - reuben 05:02:58 07/09/12 (0)

My two top decades: - jult52 04:23:59 07/09/12 (2)

Mozart's last ten yearsm and Haydn's last twenty! - Timbo in Oz 13:56:36 07/09/12 (0)

I agree nt - blues4ever 11:38:03 07/09/12 (0)

1965 to 1975 was also my favorite decade - Teresa 20:10:19 07/08/12 (8)

You had to say it, didn't you Teresa !! - AbeCollins 22:37:42 07/09/12 (3)

Thing about the Angels Flight disco pants... - mwhitmore 12:14:07 07/11/12 (1)

LOL.... and I get your drift ;-) - AbeCollins 22:04:59 07/11/12 (0)

70s Photos - Inmate51 13:34:04 07/10/12 (0)

RE: 1965 to 1975 was also my favorite decade - rick_m 18:07:41 07/09/12 (2)

I would gladly go back to - Teresa 19:13:13 07/09/12 (1)

RE: I would gladly go back to - rick_m 23:27:21 07/09/12 (0)

Ditto on both counts - Ozzie 12:34:29 07/09/12 (0)

Start of New Wave was the rebirth of Rock IMO. - Elizabeth 18:01:22 07/08/12 (8)

Punk, not New Wave - Rob Doorack 11:32:11 07/10/12 (7)

Yeah, but punk, as dynamic as it was, was not really much about music..was it? - Elizabeth 17:40:21 07/10/12 (6)

Of course it was about music - Rob Doorack 20:11:53 07/10/12 (5)

Yoou music, trouble was it was unlistenable. LOL - Elizabeth 22:45:28 07/10/12 (4)

The first sign of turning into an old fart is ... - Rob Doorack 03:02:55 07/11/12 (3)

Hey, I dismissed punk as c***p when I was in my 20s! - jult52 03:41:48 07/12/12 (1)

RThe positive side of Punk was it's connection to actual feeling of artist. otherwise it was crap as music . - Elizabeth 06:32:47 07/12/12 (0)

True. They HATED my playing opera at realistic levels.. nt - Elizabeth 04:49:59 07/11/12 (0)

For me, 65' to '75 was so ... - reelsmith. 17:51:03 07/08/12 (0)

RE: Next Best Decade - mojofoto 17:00:35 07/08/12 (0)

RE: Next Best Decade - Todd Krieger 16:20:54 07/08/12 (2)

One word about 1975 to 1985... - mkuller 19:55:27 07/08/12 (1)

RE: One word about 1975 to 1985... - Todd Krieger 23:23:00 07/08/12 (0)

RE: Next Best Decade - Justlisten2 15:26:28 07/08/12 (0)

Agreed... - mkuller 14:41:51 07/08/12 (0)

'59-'69... - musetap 12:57:30 07/08/12 (2)

RE: '59-'69... - genungo 15:01:13 07/08/12 (1)

RE: '59-'69... - musetap 15:41:04 07/08/12 (0)

RE: Next Best Decade - omegaman 12:30:28 07/08/12 (1)

RE: Next Best Decade - shutterbob 20:22:16 07/08/12 (0)

Next Best Decade

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