Music: the greatest generation.

[lovetorun]

Just as in Tom Brokaw's vision of the greatest generation I believe there was a period...bascially the 1960's and 70's that produced the greatest music. Some of the artist of that time are still currently performing, or at least were performing for 30-35 years...evidence of their quality and appeal. For example: Neil Diamond, Elton John, Seals and Crofts, Carol King, John Denver, Bread/David Gates, Don McLean,The Eagles, James Taylor, Glen Campbell, the Carpenters, Chicago et al.

When I go to you tube to listen to music, I find myself going to these artists and the like...most of the music of today IMHO can't compare to these artists.

[lonewolf]

I agree, although my tastes run more to Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, George Jones .. The 80s did produce Ricky Van Shelton, probably the best voice of the lot.

[tandfman]

Bach, Handel and Scarlatti were all born in 1685. It doesn't get any better than that.

[Marlow]

Although I am a nominal Flower Child of the 60s, and my musical tastes were set then (and the early 70s), I have always been struck by the præternatural confluence of careers that happened in 1984. These acts were all reaching the pinnacle of their creativity and success:

Michael Jackson
Bruce Springsteen
Prince
Van Halen
Billy Idol
Police
Tina Turner
Madonnna

[Pego]

Bach, Handel and Scarlatti were all born in 1685. It doesn't get any better than that.

Yep, plus the next two hundred years not too shabby. After that... .

[Conor Dary]

Bach, Handel and Scarlatti were all born in 1685. It doesn't get any better than that.

I don't know about that. Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn were all contemporaries.

As for the 60's and 70's, they were fun days and great times to listen to AM radio. These days it seems like it is all music written for, and by, 11 year old girls. Dreadful stuff.

[Marlow]

Bach, Handel and Scarlatti were all born in 1685. It doesn't get any better than that.

Yep, plus the next two hundred years not too shabby. After that... .

I don't know about that. Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn were all contemporaries. As for the 60's and 70's, they were fun days and great times to listen to AM radio. These days it seems like it is all music written for, and by, 11 year old girls. Dreadful stuff.

Musical tastes are so funny. I know identical twins who disagree on what's good!
Classical Music is awesome - it puts me to sleep every night. Rock music wakes me up every day and sustains me through the day. Pandora rocks!

[KDFINE]

Give me a good fugue to get me going in the morning.

[dj]

Bach, Handel and Scarlatti were all born in 1685. It doesn't get any better than that.

I don't know about that. Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn were all contemporaries.

Mozart was a contemporary of the 1685 trio, but only as a very young child. Beethoven was not a contemporary, he was Haydn's pupil, and only after Haydn had already turned 60. And Haydn was only in his early years of composition by the time Bach, Handel and Scarlatti had died.

If you meant Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn were contemporaries only of each other, that would be true for Haydn with each of the other two. But Mozart died before Beethoven arrived in Vienna. Beethoven had planned to study with Mozart and wound up studying with Haydn and Antonio Salieri. This was before Beethoven had received any significant acclaim as a composer.

[SQUACKEE]

Beatles, Led Zepplin, Stevie Wonder, Beach Boys,Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Yes, Moody Blues, Procol Harem, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Lynard Skinner, Neil Young, Steve Miller, Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Cream,Joe Cocker, James Brown, Bee Gees are ALL better then whatever is the top act today and history will prove me right, said they old foggie

[Marlow]

Wanna nuther seminal year? In 1969

Beatles did their roof-top concert and released Abbey Road.
Rolling Stones released Let It Bleed.
The Who released Tommy.
Led Zepp released LZI and LZ II
Hendrix was getting arrested
Morrison was getting arrested
Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan released an album together
Chicago debuted
Elvis made his Las Vegas comeback
Simon & Garfunkle were big
Pink Floyd were big
Jackson 5 debuted
Credence Clearwater Revival released Bayou Country
Crosby, Stills & Nash released CSN
Blind Faith (Clapton, Baker & Winwood) formed

and lastly

Woodstock.

(and I graduated from HS and went to college and lost something I didn't necessarily want.)

[TN1965]

Although I am a nominal Flower Child of the 60s, and my musical tastes were set then (and the early 70s), I have always been struck by the præternatural confluence of careers that happened in 1984. These acts were all reaching the pinnacle of their creativity and success:

Michael Jackson
Bruce Springsteen
Prince
Van Halen
Billy Idol
Police
Tina Turner
Madonnna

You forgot to add...

Lionel Richie.
Phil Collins.
Sade.
Culture Club.

By the way, MJ, Prince and Madonna were all born in 1958, IIRC.

[Marlow]

Lionel Richie - no
Phil Collins - yes
Sade - no
Culture Club -no
(not that I'm a fan of Madonna)

[Blues]

Wanna nuther seminal year? In 1969

Beatles did their roof-top concert and released Abbey Road.
Rolling Stones released Let It Bleed.
The Who released Tommy.
Led Zepp released LZI and LZ II
Hendrix was getting arrested
Morrison was getting arrested
Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan released an album together
Chicago debuted
Elvis made his Las Vegas comeback
Simon & Garfunkle were big
Pink Floyd were big
Jackson 5 debuted
Credence Clearwater Revival released Bayou Country
Crosby, Stills & Nash released CSN
Blind Faith (Clapton, Baker & Winwood) formed

and lastly

Woodstock.

(and I graduated from HS and went to college and lost something I didn't necessarily want.)

Great era... That was a time when there were many instrumental virtuosos to admire, especially for a guitar player like myself... Today it seems like it's primarily the vocalists who are most popular...

Although I was just a kid and I'd never heard of him at the time, 1969 was also the year that one of my favorite electric Blues artists, "Magic Sam", died of a heart attack at the height of his career at age 32.. His "West Side Soul" album is one of my stranded on an island music choices.

[cullman]

Pick any year in the 1930s:
Jerome Kern
Irving Berlin
Cole Porter
Richard Rodgers
Lorenz Hart
Oscar Hammerstein
Robert Johnson...

[dukehjsteve]

All songs written before 1955 or after 1965 are no good.

(That's age 12-22 for me.)

[Marlow]

All songs written before 1955 or after 1965 are no good.
(That's age 12-22 for me.)

I can dig it.
Did you feel the Beatles' ushering in of the British Invasion and its profound effect on rock'n'roll (essentially turning it into 'Rock') RUINED pop music forever?

[TN1965]

Wanna nuther seminal year? In 1969...

And next year the Beatles and S&G broke up, Diana Ross left the Supremes, and Eddie Kendricks left Temptations...

[TN1965]

Lionel Richie - no
Phil Collins - yes
Sade - no
Culture Club -no
(not that I'm a fan of Madonna)

At least I had the decency not to include Duran Duran on that list...

[kuha]

Hmmm... My taste runs more to:

late 1960s: Yardbirds; Kinks; Cream; Jack Bruce; Miles Davis
1970s: Stooges; Ramones; Sex Pistols; Clash; Talking Heads; Elvis Costello; Jeff Beck; Allman Bros
1980s: Bad Brains; The Replacements; The Minutemen; X; Black Flag; Killing Joke; Mudhoney; New Order; Smiths; Suicidal Tendencies; Big Audio Dynamite; Phillip Glass
1990s: Fugazi; Helmet; Incubus; Luscious Jackson; Morphine; Melvins; Dinosaur Jr; and a long-sustained rediscovery of 1950s-60s jazz
2000s: Amy Winehouse; Martin, Medeski, & Wood; etc.

No Madonna here.

[Conor Dary]

Bach, Handel and Scarlatti were all born in 1685. It doesn't get any better than that.

I don't know about that. Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn were all contemporaries.

Mozart was a contemporary of the 1685 trio, but only as a very young child. Beethoven was not a contemporary, he was Haydn's pupil, and only after Haydn had already turned 60. And Haydn was only in his early years of composition by the time Bach, Handel and Scarlatti had died.

If you meant Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn were contemporaries only of each other, that would be true for Haydn with each of the other two. But Mozart died before Beethoven arrived in Vienna. Beethoven had planned to study with Mozart and wound up studying with Haydn and Antonio Salieri. This was before Beethoven had received any significant acclaim as a composer.

You are right dj. I was a little loose with the term contemporary.

[Conor Dary]

Wanna nuther seminal year? In 1969...

And next year the Beatles and S&G broke up, Diana Ross left the Supremes, and Eddie Kendricks left Temptations...

Hey, don't forget Altamont, Dec 6, 1969, when the decade came crashing down.

I also ran in my second marathon that day, the North Central Marathon.

[Bruce Kritzler]

[Hey, don't forget Altamont, Dec 6, 1969, when the decade came crashing down.I also ran in my second marathon that day, the North Central Marathon.

So did I (second marathon, same race!) around 2:52.

How did this get this far without mentioning Bob.

[marknhj]

There are great bands and there is great music to enjoy in every decade. Unless your ears are closed to new experiences or your habit so ingrained, and your imagination so inhibited, you cannot not listen to your personal favorite oldies.

[Cooter Brown]

All i get from this thread is that there's some old mofo's on this forum. Track is gonna be dead in 20 years.

[gm]

All i get from this thread is that there's some old mofo's on this forum. Track is gonna be dead in 20 years.

Guess it's a good thing I hadn't already posted my love for ancient chants and bagpipe music

[kuha]

There are great bands and there is great music to enjoy in every decade. Unless your ears are closed to new experiences or your habit so ingrained, and your imagination so inhibited, you cannot not listen to your personal favorite oldies.

It's totally true. All it takes is interest enough to do a little searching and then simply listening.

[bad hammy]

Beatles, Led Zepplin, Stevie Wonder, Beach Boys,Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Yes, Moody Blues, Procol Harem, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Lynard Skinner, Neil Young, Steve Miller, Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Cream,Joe Cocker, James Brown, Bee Gees are ALL better then whatever is the top act today and history will prove me right, said they old foggie

What he said, from another foggie. Speaking of foggies, add John Fogarty to any list of great 60s rockers . . .

[aaronk]

Beatles, Led Zepplin, Stevie Wonder, Beach Boys,Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Yes, Moody Blues, Procol Harem, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Lynard Skinner, Neil Young, Steve Miller, Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Cream,Joe Cocker, James Brown, Bee Gees are ALL better then whatever is the top act today and history will prove me right, said they old foggie

What he said, from another foggie. Speaking of foggies, add John Fogarty to any list of great 60s rockers . . .

Um.....anybody heard of a guy named Bob Dylan??

Just sayin'!!

[JayIsMe]

Hard to argue with anybody's list, although I'm partial to Marlow's 1969 list just because I graduated high school a few years after he did. The '30s list is great too, and that's without mentioning guys like Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, or any of the later big band stuff. Marknhj is right about every decade having great music up to a point, but there is a point. I've had this argument with my kids and I maintain that the biggest difference between popular music then and now is that most of those guys, even a lot of the rock guys, were classically trained MUSICIANS. I mean, Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson could really play. Sometime around the early 90s (maybe around the time of grunge rock?) just about any 3-chord garage band could get a record deal and air time, and a lot of them did. It's been mostly downhill for me since then. I've got no beef against rap- it's just a different form and a lot of the lyric is really clever- but there's no melody to the 'music' anymore.

[tandfman]

I've got no beef against rap- it's just a different form and a lot of the lyric is really clever- but there's no melody to the 'music' anymore.

To me, that means it's not music.

[Pego]

I've got no beef against rap- it's just a different form and a lot of the lyric is really clever- but there's no melody to the 'music' anymore.

To me, that means it's not music.

My concept of hell is being locked in a room painted by DeKooning, listening to rap, with a smell of Subway.

[Marlow]

My concept of hell is being locked in a room painted by DeKooning, listening to rap, with a smell of Subway.

Ooooh - fun game: my hell is being locked in a room with (painter), (music genre), (restaurant smell).

I go - Hell is being locked in a room painted by Thomas Kincade, listening to soft jazz, with the smell of Olive Garden.

[lovetorun]

There are great bands and there is great music to enjoy in every decade. Unless your ears are closed to new experiences or your habit so ingrained, and your imagination so inhibited, you cannot not listen to your personal favorite oldies.

It's totally true. All it takes is interest enough to do a little searching and then simply listening.

marknhj and kuha...this is a good point...and probably the best attitude if we really want to enjoy music, both past and present. But I still maintain that, for me, the 60's, 70's type music isn't prevalent today.

But this has been fun seeing all the responses...

[lonewolf]

Salvatore Dali, rap, curry.