as this decade draws to a close, we've gotten the general feel for the 00's (barring a sudden barrage of outstanding albums by the end of the year), so rank 'em! 60's-00's (earlier decades too, if you want)
80s- far and away my favorite! The 80s have produced 8 of my 10 favorite songs and all of my top 7 albums.
70s- I know them far less than the 80s, but what I do know, I quite love.
00s- That's right- lots of the music of this decade is rightfully slated, but there's so much I've adored.
90s- This is where it falls off for me. I grew up as a teenager in the 90s, and hated it. I can appreciate some of the music, but neither the jaded negativity nor the absolute bubblegum boy band music appealed to me.
60s- I've got a block with most 60s music. I only really like about 8 artists who released music in the 60s.
00s - about half the music I love has been made on the past 10 years, I don't get why people diss it that much given how many great albums have been made. And most importantly, it is the decade with the most diversity of musical genres, sounds and themes.
90s - and most of the remaining on the past 20 years !
60s
80s - why oh why that sucky synth sound ? albums from this decade age awfully badly, but 80s poll proved me that they were some great isolated gems. +88 and 89 save the decade from a total wreck
70s
Before the 80s poll, 70s would have been above 80s, so my ranking might change at the end of the current decade poll.
70's : too much good stuff, especially 1970-73
60's : great acts
20's : I might be the only one to quote them, but the folk/blues/country/jazz production between 1925 and 1929 is absolutely awesome. I'm obsessed by these years, and now my blog River's invitation is almost entirely dedicated to the '20s
Then :
50's : when it started
80's : funny
90's : very close to the 80's
00's : not very well known (especially 2000-07)
30's-40's : because of the depression and the war, those years are less rich than the '20s, but there's good stuff (hank williams, bob wills, r&b...)
There are 2 bands which succeeded on making a few songs I like by using exactly what I hate about the 80s (too much synth, girl chorus etc...) : The The and The Human League. Almost anything else which can be listed as synth-pop just sounds awful to me !
'60s - The best. Can't see anything better than the 60s happening soon.
'70s
'90s
'00s - The one I "grew up" in (not quite done with that yet) I think there is good music being made today, but it gets overshadowed by a lot of crap.
'80s
'50s
Still compiling my own personal "Top 1000 Songs ever" but I'll use that as a baseline. Percentages are what amount (currently) that decade constitutes in my list in progress.
80s- 27%. I realized that in spite of what I thought the outcome would be, the largest group of tunes are from the 80s. I ain't scared of a little digi-drum and Casio synth. Top 3 are Petra, Randy Stonehill/The Choir (tied) and Prince/Servant/Mylon LeFevre and Broken Heart (tied).
60s- 22% The variety of sounds from folk to psych. Top 3 are Beatles, Beach Boys and Bob Dylan.
70s- 21%. Fondness for cheesy 70s pop gives this decade a big boost. Outside of that, I love most of what gets tagged "classic rock" and lately I've been adding some punk/new wave to my interests musically so this is a pretty solid decade. Top 3 are Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder/Led Zeppelin (tied) and Elton John/Paul McCartney (tied).
90s- 14% Belatedly learning to love grunge so that's redeeming the decade in my eyes. Also like a decent number of alt-rock bands from that era. Getting into some rap of that era as well. Top 3 are Garth Brooks, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Cake/Steven Curtis Chapman (tied).
50s- 8%. Mostly for the best early rockers. Starting to add some classic country, blues and jazz to that mix little by little. Top 3 are Johnny Cash, Elvis, and Chuck Berry.
00s- 6%. I'm not officially old yet because I haven't bailed totally but I've almost given up on truly loving the mainstream Top 40 ever again. Still like some alt-rock/indie stuff and there's the occasional freak Top 40 song that gets in there. (Quite liked Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" and Colbie Caillat's "Realize") This is also the area that will be in most "flux" as I catch up on what I missed last year. Top 3 right now appear to be Shelby Lynne, Little Willies, and Vince Gill. Lest you think I only listen to country these days, close behind are Weezer, The Kills, Kanye West and Coldplay.
40s- 2% Ranked low more because of ignorance than my feeling that it's "inferior" to those before it. I imagine as I get more familiar with vintage country, blues and jazz this will keep rising. Louis Jordan tops with Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby and Hank Williams next.
30s- 0% (14 songs on my 1000) Know almost none of this. Leadbelly, Bennie Goodman and Glenn Miller are top 3.
20s- 0 % Same problem with lack of knowledge. (8 songs on my 1000 currently) Carter Family dominates.
60s - Culturally, the 60s was the most important decade of the 20th century. Musically, how can anything ever come close? My 4 favorite artists best work is from the 60s, and my albums/songs lists are dominated by them. T3 Artists - The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix
70s - A close second to the 60s, as much good music released, it just doesn't have the peaks that the 60s does. T3 Artists - David Bowie, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder
90s - Nirvana! Radiohead! And electronica and gangster rap. I like a lot of the music in the 90s, particularly the guitar-driven rock/pop/grunge. T3 Artists - Radiohead, Nirvana, Beck
00s - This decade, my decade, has a lot of good music. Unforunately, the vast majority of it is Indie Rock or Alternative or Brit Pop or Noise Folk and a lot of it sounds the same. T3 Artists - Radiohead, The White Stripes, Arcade Fire
80s - No love. I really like U2 (but not as much as Radiohead) and I'm also a fan of Prince and The Smiths, but I actively detest a ton of the music made in the 80s. Synth-Pop and Hair Metal are imo the most atrocious forms of music imaginable. I may actually like Joy Divisions 1 80s album and LWTUA more than the rest of the decade. T3 Artists - U2, Prince, Joy Division
50s - Some great songs from the founders of rock and roll. No albums though :/. T3 Artists - Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard