I don't know if you're just misinformed or as Roger Clemens would say, "I think you must have mis-remembered" the early 90s. An experiment that brought alternative rock to the mainstream, defined the generation, widespread critical success, and oh yeah, not to mention 50 millions albums sold worldwide (way way more than Foo Fighters by the way). Other than that I agree the experiment went "awry."
I didn't appreciate the 80's when it was taking place because I guess I was too young (born in 79). But now without a doubt it's my favorite decade of music. More for the new wave/synth-pop sound that is so easily identified with that time.
Voted 60s. Because it was still okay for artists to be ugly & fat but talented then. I like 70's music more but I go back a decade to honor the "originators". Pretty much what meggoleggo said actually...just that I lean the scale more over on the '65 side. Ironic that the network providers that enabled such explosive music growth also enabled it to get dumbed down so much. MTV removing Headbangers Ball and Yo MTV Raps, THE STRAIGHT SOURCES of the genres they represented. Then rebranding them as shows that are kinda the same but not really, but kinda in a way are... Not even sure people who consider themselves critics of music educate themselves that much. Which spoils it for the kids. There's just SO much music though I guess its hard to keep up.
Grunge music era was overrated and underrated at the same time. Overrated in that as much as it redefined the rock sound at the time, only a handful of bands that came out from that era have any kind of legacies. At the time it felt like a period of awakening and restoration of meaningful music. Though in retrospect it was just as much a period where girls could wear those little barrette thingys in their hair and look cute. And guys could grow out their goatees, brood around and look like they're really not trying that hard to get laid. But the style as a whole influenced so many bands after that its made way for the current sound in rock. Which I dont think is all that bad.
What? No love for the groundbreaking original ragtime jams of the 1890's? Go buy the sheet music, you lazy bastards....
This was tough for me to decide. I do agree for the most part that the period of '65 through '75 was the best because as others have already said, there were so many great artists that were either in their prime or just getting started. The '80s also held a special place in my heart mainly because of all the great post-punk bands that came out like The Cure, The Smiths, REM, U2, etc. Plus you had all the great new wave groups like The Police, Blondie, The Cars, Talking Heads (yes I know all of them got started in the late '70s but they were at their peaks in the '80s). But I voted for the '60s, mainly because of these great artists that were either at their peak or starting out: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The First Jeff Beck Group, Cream, Traffic, Blind Faith, The Doors, Love, Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Byrds, The Band, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Yes, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, King Crimson, The Who, The Velvet Underground, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, David Bowie, The Beach Boys, Genesis, Kraftwerk, Can, Leonard Cohen, Funkadelic, etc - the list could keep going. The '70s were stacked as well as you could include pretty much everyone I had named above (with a couple of exceptions) and include Bruce Springsteen, Roxy Music, The Clash, Queen, Rush, and all the great jazz fusion groups (especially the Mahavishnu Orchestra). But I am going to give it to the '60s mainly because the '60s didn't have disco like the '70s (although I enjoy disco music from time to time as a somewhat "guilty" pleasure).
80's- two words: New Order <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/og1HAkjOuL0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/og1HAkjOuL0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
That's the stuff. De La Soul, Black Sheep, Nice & Smooth, Jeru, etc... But you guys are making a good argument w/ the 80's - new wave, punk/post-punk, precursors to alternative bands, and also the roots of hip-hop. I'll also throw in the booming acid house scene and Detroit techno. I'd still side w/ the 90's just because those were my high school years.
