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Post by DAS (formerly BushAdmirer) on Mar 16, 2010 20:00:59 GMT
Which Era Had the Best Music? - 1950's and 60's
- 1970's and 80's
- 1990's and 00's
My view would be that the 50's and 60's had by far the better format and truly outstanding entertainers ranging from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles. Rock and Roll was invented. There is a treasure trove of music that we love from that era. The worst era is whichever one it was that gave birth to Heavy Metal and alleged entertainers known as rappers with names like Pimp Daddy.
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Post by mouse on Mar 16, 2010 22:39:31 GMT
deffo 50-60,s the divine ella...sinatra...the beatles and the rest....
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Post by chefmate on Mar 17, 2010 0:48:28 GMT
The forties were no slouch either when it came to good music
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Post by mikemarshall on Mar 17, 2010 1:01:02 GMT
Well, the seventies and eighties gave us:
Abba, 10cc, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Suzi Quatro, the Sex Pistols, Squeeze, the Clash, the Jam, Elvis Costello, Don Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Linda Hargrove, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Vice Squad, the Stranglers, the UK Subs, the Straps, Culture Club, the Human League, Altered Images, the Tourists, Annie Lennox, X-Ray Spex, PolyStyrene, Eddy Grant, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Toots and the Maytals - I could go on but I think that's a pretty impressive list of talent.
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Post by DAS (formerly BushAdmirer) on Mar 17, 2010 1:36:44 GMT
Yes I think there have been many truly great songs and groups in every era. I love listening to Fleetwood Mac, Tracy Chapman, Bill Withers, Foreigner, Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto, etc.
But the list of Beatles hits is longer than your arm. It seems like so many of the modern groups have had one, two, three, or four big hits and that's it. Think about it. U2, The Who, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, The Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eagles, ELO, Abba, etc, etc. They've all left their mark on music but have any of them had even ten percent of the impact of the Beatles? Maybe the Rolling Stones hit that ten percent mark but who else?
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Post by beth on Mar 17, 2010 3:09:20 GMT
It's hard to judge "better" music when, so often, it's mostly a matter of personal taste. The 50s had good music, but IMO the American Bandstand pop rock was not particularly "good". Lots of good blues in the '50s and some great song stylists like Harry Belafonte, Elvis Presley, Sarah Vaughn, Peggy Lee, Ray Charles etc.. Also all kinds of wonderful music from Broadway and the movies - most notably, MGM musicals. AND, Leonard Bernstein was still very active - also Glenn Gould and others in the classical genre. The '60s had Mo-Town = huge influence, plus The Beatles (none better) and the English Invasion - first wave. All kinds of great rock and pop rock. Then, all the folk and protest music - the drug music and some good alternative rock already cropping up here and there. My choice for the BEST is the '70s/80s, but, there again, very much a matter of personal taste. The '90 - no-no (with a few notable exceptions) The '00 - ditto I have fairly eclectic taste but hip-hop and (c)rap are where I step off the bus. Nice thread, das. Always fun to compare notes.
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Post by DAS (formerly BushAdmirer) on Mar 17, 2010 15:16:12 GMT
Those are good points Beth. Mo-Town's impact was collectively in the same league with the Beatles. Huge impact.
Another way to think about 'best' would be to remember songs from the past that you were completely captivated by at the time. Can you remember some tunes like that? Songs that you would silently sing to yourself or humm?? I can remember several like that from long ago. For instance: Tom Dooley (Kingston Trio), Broken Hearted Melody (Sarah Vaughn), Dreams (Fleetwood Mac), Proud Mary (CCR), (Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Rolling Stones), Heard it Through the Grapevine (Marvin Gaye), Send in the Clowns (Frank Sinatra), Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone (Bill Withers), The Thrill is Gone (duet Tracy Chapman & BB King).
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Post by beth on Mar 17, 2010 15:51:53 GMT
I can't really do that for the 50s because I was just a kid and kiddy-ditties don't count. Davy Crockett, maybe, and I *think* I remember Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White and Mack the Knife from a very young age. I have a sister 6 years older, though, and there's no doubt she had a huge influence on my tastes and choices. We had albums of Broadway shows and a programmer at the local AM radio station who was into blues - so lots of interest there that has continued all my life. I had piano lessons for years, but did not have my sister's talent. I had a good ear though. The first two albums I bought for myself (and I was abt. 8) were show tunes by Ella Fitzgerald, and the sound track for The Student Prince. The people I grew up around were fairly disdainful toward bubblegum and pop rock, so as my taste matured, I leaned toward good musicians and artists who were also writers - not exclusively, of course, but to a large degree. To me, many of the rock bands have more gifted musicians than anything else except classical. There was always lots of music in my parents house and mine as well. p. s. If you want to hear something REALLY good - to up to my Happy St. Patrick's Day thread on Muzak.
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Post by mikemarshall on Mar 29, 2010 14:36:10 GMT
The Beatles are the most vastly over-rated group of all time. They wrote what for the most part were little more than glorified 'pub songs.' I look on them as the Spice Girls of their era.
I was in my late teens when punk exploded on to the scene. I remember well how liberating it was and how totally dismissive of people like the Beatles it was.
OK, sometimes revolutions destroy the good as well as the bad but one of the most extraordinary aspects of popular mythology has always seemed to me the totally uncritical adulation in which the Beatles are held.
John Lennon could barely play an instrument; Ringo Starr was hardly Ginger Baker on the drums; George Harrison was a competent guitarist but hardly at the top of his profession; and Paul McCartney was not much better than Lennon.
Nor were the majority of their songs particularly good.
It is sad to see the triumph of style over substance and publicity over talent.
From the 60s, there were numerous better singers and groups. Ray Davies of the Kinks was far better both as a musician and singer and as a songwriter.
So was Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, John Phillips and so too were Holland, Dozier and Holland, Tim Hardin - well, I could go on but I think I've made my point.
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Post by beth on Mar 29, 2010 19:28:45 GMT
I don't agree, Mike. They were good performers and wrote good - occasionally, great - songs, with wide appeal.
They had a huge influence on the redirection of pop music world wide. That's pretty amazing for 4 kids from Liverpool in the early 60s.
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Post by DAS (formerly BushAdmirer) on Mar 30, 2010 0:33:50 GMT
The Beatles are the most vastly over-rated group of all time. They wrote what for the most part were little more than glorified 'pub songs.' I look on them as the Spice Girls of their era. Mike - I agree the Beatles did have some mediocre songs. But the percentage of good ones far exceeded almost every other group. They shouldn't be judged on execution. We should applaud the writing of the song that becomes a standard. My musical heroes (in addition to the Beatles) would include Bob Dylan (a terrible singer but a great song writer) and Burt Bacharach (an amazing song writing talent).
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 30, 2010 14:27:24 GMT
Which Era Had the Best Music? - 1950's and 60's
- 1970's and 80's
- 1990's and 00's
My view would be that the 50's and 60's had by far the better format and truly outstanding entertainers ranging from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles. Rock and Roll was invented. There is a treasure trove of music that we love from that era. The worst era is whichever one it was that gave birth to Heavy Metal and alleged entertainers known as rappers with names like Pimp Daddy. you're a million percent correct on that. of course, there is no such thing as "rap music". by definition, it's a contradiction of terms
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 30, 2010 14:29:12 GMT
Well, the seventies and eighties gave us: Abba, 10cc, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Suzi Quatro, the Sex Pistols, Squeeze, the Clash, the Jam, Elvis Costello, Don Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Linda Hargrove, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Vice Squad, the Stranglers, the UK Subs, the Straps, Culture Club, the Human League, Altered Images, the Tourists, Annie Lennox, X-Ray Spex, PolyStyrene, Eddy Grant, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Toots and the Maytals - I could go on but I think that's a pretty impressive list of talent. except that there was nothing talented about the sex pistols or boy george, for starters
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 30, 2010 14:31:18 GMT
Yes I think there have been many truly great songs and groups in every era. I love listening to Fleetwood Mac, Tracy Chapman, Bill Withers, Foreigner, Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto, etc. But the list of Beatles hits is longer than your arm. It seems like so many of the modern groups have had one, two, three, or four big hits and that's it. Think about it. U2, The Who, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, The Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eagles, ELO, Abba, etc, etc. They've all left their mark on music but have any of them had even ten percent of the impact of the Beatles? Maybe the Rolling Stones hit that ten percent mark but who else? the stones definitely top the beatles any way you look at it, both in quantity and quality. otherwise, with the exception of credence and the eagles, you are correct
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Post by iamjumbo on Mar 30, 2010 14:36:42 GMT
harlan howard was one of the greatest, and most prolific, songwriters of all time
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Post by mouse on Mar 30, 2010 17:48:18 GMT
for pop groups give me QUEEN every time
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Post by beth on Mar 30, 2010 22:45:19 GMT
for pop groups give me QUEEN every time Yes, indeed! Mouse, I like the way you think.
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