OT - What was the best "golden age" decade in music?

[dsop]

if we want to talk about what defined everything that's been going on for the past half-century, it's really all about the period from '45 to '55.

Maybe if you're talking about stuff based on the blues. What about Close To The Edge, or Supper's Ready, or Palladium? I don't see a straight line from the 40s and 50s.

 

[Demonslayer]

To me, the golden age started when you could record a performance.

This is worth discussing...

 

[Dumpy]

This is worth discussing...

Before that, we had no basis. Once recording techniques changed, multi-track recording was possible and things like slap back reverb came to the fore, it changed perceptions of performance.

 

[Matched Gripper]

Tough question. Different decades for different genres. I would like to say late 60’s to early 80’s. But, if I have to pick one decade, it’s 70’s for me.

 

[Demonslayer]

For popular music (not classical), the 1960s, without a doubt. For me the sweet spot for music is 1955 to 1975. The 60s are right in the middle of this. In terms of the cross section of styles, the transitions of genres, and the improved recording technology, it is hard to argue against:

- A summation of Bop (Giant Steps) in 1960
- Bill Evans's sublime Village Vanguard recordings
- Coltrane's exploratory Impulse years, including A Love Supreme
- Davis's second great quintet, and in the late 60s the development of jazz fusion with recordings like In a Silent Way
- Mingus's years with Eric Dolphy (and Dolphy's amazing output under his own leadership and playing with others from 1960-64)
- The development of the "free jazz" avant garde scene in both the USA and Europe
- The British Invasion, including the entire Beatles catalogue, from pop perfection to studio invention
- The Stones' early work, The Who including My Generation and Tommy, the best work of The Kinks and The Small Faces (and many others)
- The most famous and influential recordings by The Beach Boys (the early pop songs, Pet Sounds, and even the late 60s work that has gained in reputation of late)
- The folk revival, including Bob Dylan's most influential recordings
- The majority of the great Motown recordings
- Some of the greatest studio session work by The Wrecking Crew that made the West Coast Sound
- The entire psychedelic era, including garage Nuggets
- new, heavier music from 1967 onwards: the three Hendrix Experience albums, Cream's entire career, and Led Zeppelin's first album
- The start of the "back to roots" sound that would dominate the early 70s started in the 60s with recordings by The Band, The Allman Brothers, Croby Stills and Nash
- The birth of "prog rock" with In the Court of the Crimson King, and Canterbury underground bands such as Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, Caravan, and Gong.

In terms of drumming influence, Elvin, Tony, Ringo, Charlie, Ginger, Moon, Mitch, and Bonzo - a high proportion of the drummers that even non-drummers would recognize (evidenced by the fact that you can likely recognize them by single names), really had their start or high points in the 60s. Buddy was quite active in the 60s as well.

The list could go on and on. The sixties was a period of cultural transition, and you can hear the restlessness in the music, whether the sweetest ear candy of an early 60s pop song, or full on aural assaults such as Coltrane's Ascension, or anything in between.

I'll give you 20 names you're missing:

1. Joao Gilberto
2. Sergio Mendes
3. Antonio Carlos Jobim
4. Chano Pozo
5. Tito Puente
6. Celia Cruz
7. Los Panchos
8. Silvio Rodriguez
9. Pablo Milanés
10. Héctor Lavoe
11. Hugh Masakela
12. Rubén Blades
13. Johnny Pacheco
14. Chuck Berry
15. Little Richard
16. Aretha Franklin
17. Nina Simone
18. Ray Charles
19. Otis Redding
20. Rafael Cortijo & Ismael Rivera

 

[Matched Gripper]

I'll give you 20 names you're missing:

1. Joao Gilberto
2. Sergio Mendes
3. Antonio Carlos Jobim
4. Chano Pozo
5. Tito Puente
6. Celia Cruz
7. Los Panchos
8. Silvio Rodriguez
9. Pablo Milanés
10. Héctor Lavoe
11. Hugh Masakela
12. Rubén Blades
13. Johnny Pacheco
14. Chuck Berry
15. Little Richard
16. Aretha Franklin
17. Nina Simone
18. Ray Charles
19. Otis Redding
20. Ruben Blades

19. You wrote Ruben Blades twice!

 

[drawtheline55]

To me the decade is called the 20th century, from Vaudeville, to big band, to jazz and folk of the 50s and 60s
to this thing called rocknroll from the early 50s to the early 90s.

Historians are going to look back at the 20th century and go WOW.

There will never be another E Clapton, J Hendrix, R Stones, Beatles....the list goes on why ?
nobody knows, just like there will never be another Mozart, Beethoven, Stravinsky.

Nobody knows, never will.

 

[Demonslayer]

19. You wrote Ruben Blades twice!

He deserves it, but I'll fix it - thanks!

 

[Prufrock]

I'll give you 20 names you're missing:

1. Joao Gilberto
2. Sergio Mendes
3. Antonio Carlos Jobim
4. Chano Pozo
5. Tito Puente
6. Celia Cruz
7. Los Panchos
8. Silvio Rodriguez
9. Pablo Milanés
10. Héctor Lavoe
11. Hugh Masakela
12. Rubén Blades
13. Johnny Pacheco
14. Chuck Berry
15. Little Richard
16. Aretha Franklin
17. Nina Simone
18. Ray Charles
19. Otis Redding
20. Rafael Cortijo & Ismael Rivera

Exactly. I only scratched the surface in my post. Such an exciting decade for music in most genres.

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

62-72......

 

[RIDDIM]

Depends on the idiom.

 

[Dumpy]

I'll give you 20 names you're missing:

1. Joao Gilberto
2. Sergio Mendes
3. Antonio Carlos Jobim
4. Chano Pozo
5. Tito Puente
6. Celia Cruz
7. Los Panchos
8. Silvio Rodriguez
9. Pablo Milanés
10. Héctor Lavoe
11. Hugh Masakela
12. Rubén Blades
13. Johnny Pacheco
14. Chuck Berry
15. Little Richard
16. Aretha Franklin
17. Nina Simone
18. Ray Charles
19. Otis Redding
20. Rafael Cortijo & Ismael Rivera

You named a bunch of GREAT artists!

There are just too many great recording artists to name, IMO. Like I said earlier- it is the fact we could actually record these performances that puts us in the golden age.

 

[Squirrel Man]

Depends on the idiom.

Considering the question is very subjective it depends on a lot of things but I'm thinking more from a general appreciation standpoint, not so much personal appreciation. My personal likes vary wildly anymore but pushing those aside and trying to be objective and I'm not a trained musical ear, just a... maybe better than average schlep.

One thing about the art is it's constantly evolving and I consider at what point does it gel and become a powerhouse mainstay. Blues, jazz, funk, rock and all the genres all kind of evolved off of one another to a degree and after the 50's and 60's rock surge maybe through the 70's it really exploded and branched out and maybe became undefined through modern times - which isn't a bad thing but it is what it is.

So all of the stupid stuff I like, rock, metal, punk, "classic" stuff I tend to look at the big band era, 10's through the 40's mostly and think that was the golden age of music over the recent few generations.

JMO FWIW

 

[snappy]

70's

 

[FloydZKing]

1960s, with no competition.

 

[Tama CW]

For modern music?

1955-1965 if we can only pick a 10 yr decade.

1955-1969 if we can stretch it a bit. That overlaps, be bop, big band, jazz/blues, folk, soul/gospel, classic rock - British invasion - Monterey Pop to Woodstock......all flourishing at the same time.

 

[BennyK]

For the sheer diversity of successfully articulated musical ideas and styles in the pop genre , I'd have to say from about 62/3 - 71/2 or so .

 

[Vistalite Black]

1978 was the best year for music. Rock, punk, disco, metal, reggae, new wave... 1978 had it all. I was 14. We were introduce to Van Halen, the Cars, the Police, the Clash... C'mon now.

Just a quick look at what ruled the radio:

Grease/You're the One That I Want - Olivia Newton John Travolta

Lay Down Sally - Clapton

Miss You - Stones

Just the Way You Are - Swervin' Billy Joel

If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman

Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) - Chic

Feels So Good - Chuck Mangione

Hot Child in the City - Nick Guilder

Love Is Like Oxygen - Sweet

It's a Heartache - Bonnie Tyler

We Will Rock You - Queen

Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty

40 Years Later: Was 1978 The Greatest Year In Music? With a list of debut albums from Kate Bush, The Cars, Devo, Dire Straits, The Police, Buzzcocks, Van Halen and more, '78 has huge ground to stand on. www.npr.org

 

[Swissward Flamtacles]

4/29/64 8 pm until 4/30/64 6:00 am (Eastern Time)
Also today.

 

[pgm554]

1960s, with no competition.

Beatles and Miles have aged quite well and are still relevant.
Very few other decades have.