What's your favorite musical era?

[Kodos]

No shocker, it's the 80's for me.

[JonInMiddleGA]

80's.

[Celeval]

80's

[corbes]

2000s. Right now.

[McSweeny]

i can't pick one of these eras... my musical tastes span many years.

so therefore this poll is asinine! and the trout for me!

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by McSweeny

i can't pick one of these eras... my musical tastes span many years.

so therefore this poll is asinine! and the trout for me!

It's been so long since somebody said one of my polls was asinine. It's good to be back!

[Draft Dodger]

80s

[corbes]

Y'all are living in the past.

That's a reference for MikeVic.

[cwilloughby]

2000-present here.

[Fritz]

it is completely uncool to block both the "asinine" and "trout"

[VPI97]

Given the choices, I'll take the 80's...but my favorite period/genre of music was the "Manchester Scene" sounds that lasted from the late 80's to the early 90's. Bands like The Charlatans UK, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, etc...

[Ksyrup]

I'd say I prefer the here and now, since the traces of other decades in my CD collection are not enough to recommend any one decade as a "favorite." There's an awful lot of great stuff out there now, you just have to know where to find it, since very few record companies are willing to promote (or even sign) the good stuff.

I suspect that I'll feel the same way in 2014 about the 2000s - at least I hope so. If I can't enjoy music that is currently being made, listening to the old stuff over and over is going to ruin the fondness I have for it now.

[Schmidty]

70's

[cthomer5000]

I chose 80's... although late 80's to mid-90's is much more accuarte

[vex]

90's, woo!

[Gallifrey]

I like alot of music from the 60's, 70's and the 80's. It was in the 80's that my older brother first signed a recording deal, and then me, so I guess I have fond memories of the early to mid 80's. When MTV was new and played rock bands. We were on it then. In the 'good old days'.

[dawgfan]

All of them. I'm somewhat amused by people that like to bash certain decades by pointing out some ridiculous band or act that had big hits, when the reality is that there are always interesting musical trends and acts happening at all times, sometimes under the radar a bit (the mid-'80's, now), sometimes at the forefront (the early '90's).

I can find interesting music in virtually every decade listed...

[Groundhog]

I'd say half of my CD collection is 70s, the other half is 90s-now. 80s music sounds incredibly dated to my ears, largely due to the recording and production techniques that thankfully aren't used any more.

I also feel that there was just a big drop in creative music from about 1979ish to the late 80s. There was, obviously, good music published in these years, but most of what charted was synth pop and cock rock.

[Bubba Wheels]

Like the 60s and the 80s, good upbeat melodic rock, hate the 70s and 90s, lots of folk-based stuff and disco.

[MJ4H]

Late Romantic to early Contemporary. The Bartok, Mahler, Shostakovic, Prokofiev club

[Fritz]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

There was, obviously, good music published in these years, but most of what charted was synth pop and cock rock.

There was plenty of music outside the charts.

[Sun Tzu]

80's.

Appetite for Destruction baby.

[Bubba Wheels]

Love being in a different city, listening to an oldies station and hearing stuff I either have never heard (because the oldie's stations around where I live play the same 20 songs over and over again) or have not heard in years. One song came on that I remember being played incessently during the 70's and then I never heard it again. Really puts you back in time when that happens.

[dawgfan]

As an aside, here in the Seattle area a couple of radio stations recently switched to a new format that can best be described as "classic alternative", i.e. lots of early '90's stuff like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins along with some older alternative "classics" like the Clash, Depeche Mode, the Cure, etc. Is this a phenomenon anyone else has noted in their areas? It makes me feel old, as it is basically an "oldies" station for my generation...

[Desnudo]

It's not oldies, it's now classic rock. The original classic rock is now oldies.

[duckman]

Gotta go with the 1990's!

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

As an aside, here in the Seattle area a couple of radio stations recently switched to a new format that can best be described as "classic alternative", i.e. lots of early '90's stuff like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins along with some older alternative "classics" like the Clash, Depeche Mode, the Cure, etc. Is this a phenomenon anyone else has noted in their areas? It makes me feel old, as it is basically an "oldies" station for my generation...

I wish we had a station like that down here. It is kind of sad being just 22 years old and already the music you grew up with is now classic rock. Thankfully I'm not that jaded that I hate all new music, though I must admit that most of the new music I like is being put out by bands that have been around for some time (Radiohead, The Flaming Lips etc.).

Another odd thing I'm noticing is that some music I have listened to for a long time is sounding 'dated'. Like for example I put on Tool's Undertow CD the other day and just thought to myself "Wow, this sounds sooo 1995...".

[Bubba Wheels]

Today's music is either all Hip-Hop or from still-existing Dinosaur bands (Aerosmith) my generation!

[corbes]

Originally Posted by Bubba Wheels

Today's music is either all Hip-Hop or from still-existing Dinosaur bands (Aerosmith) my generation!

Except for the thousands of bands that fit neither category.

[Draft Dodger]

Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is on my iPod right now, in case there was any doubt to my 80's addiction.

One thing I think is funny is how songs become more tolerable as they become nostalgic - there are tons of songs from the 80's I wouldn't have been caught dead listening to, but now I love to hear them.

[Bubba Wheels]

Originally Posted by corbes

Except for the thousands of bands that fit neither category.

Problem with most of those bands is that by losing any sense of melodic underpinnings they think they are being inventive and unique, when in fact they are just being in that particular class of thought as a group and not being particularly listenable (my opinion.) Creeds monosylabic endless droning and White Stripes incessant banging come to mind, but I'm willing to be contradicted.

[tucker342]

'90s rap

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Bubba Wheels

Problem with most of those bands is that by losing any sense of melodic underpinnings they think they are being inventive and unique, when in fact they are just being in that particular class of thought as a group and not being particularly listenable (my opinion.) Creeds monosylabic endless droning and White Stripes incessant banging come to mind, but I'm willing to be contradicted.

I can point you to a number of pop/rock bands (not just assembled groups, but actual music-writing and playing bands) that have so much melody it would make your head spin. In fact, if you heard their music, you'd swear it's exactly the kind of stuff you'd expect to hear on the radio...but you never do. I guess Fountains of Wayne or Weezer are probably the best-known examples (although I don't love either of them), and they've started to make an impression on the general public, but aside from them, there are a bunch of bands that write terrific, melodic music. You've just never had a chance to hear them.

[Bubba Wheels]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I can point you to a number of pop/rock bands (not just assembled groups, but actual music-writing and playing bands) that have so much melody it would make your head spin. In fact, if you heard their music, you'd swear it's exactly the kind of stuff you'd expect to hear on the radio...but you never do. I guess Fountains of Wayne or Weezer are probably the best-known examples (although I don't love either of them), and they've started to make an impression on the general public, but aside from them, there are a bunch of bands that write terrific, melodic music. You've just never had a chance to hear them.

Yes! Good Call! I DO like Weezer quite alot!

[Craptacular]

80's, although the 70's is closing in. When I listen to the radio, it's usually a station that plays the likes of Clapton, Petty, Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, Beatles, old Elton John and Rod Stewart, Byrds, ELO, Yes, Allman Brothers, etc.

[Scarecrow]

Gimme my F & F, babby.

F&F: Folk and Funk. The music of the '70s before that disco crap ruined it.

Elton John
John Denver
Parliment
Fleetwood Mac
Sly and the Family Stone
Earth, Wind and Fire

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

As an aside, here in the Seattle area a couple of radio stations recently switched to a new format that can best be described as "classic alternative", i.e. lots of early '90's stuff like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins along with some older alternative "classics" like the Clash, Depeche Mode, the Cure, etc. Is this a phenomenon anyone else has noted in their areas? It makes me feel old, as it is basically an "oldies" station for my generation...

99X here in the big A is doing that now. They don't play enough of the last three you listed for my taste, though.

It is the 80's for me, though the 90's weren't bad.

[corbes]

Originally Posted by Bubba Wheels

Problem with most of those bands is that by losing any sense of melodic underpinnings they think they are being inventive and unique, when in fact they are just being in that particular class of thought as a group and not being particularly listenable (my opinion.) Creeds monosylabic endless droning and White Stripes incessant banging come to mind, but I'm willing to be contradicted.

Yeah, you're just not listening in the right places. There are so many bands out there right now that write good melodic songs, with a sense of harmony, it makes my head spin trying to keep up with them.

Here's a recommended sampling:

The Jayhawks, Rainy Day Music
Michael Franti & Spearhead, Everyone Deserves Music
Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Unclassified
Ziggy Marley, Dragonfly
Lucinda Williams, World Without Tears
Sound Tribe Sector 9, Offered Schematics Suggesting Peace
Damien Rice, O!
Habib Koite, Ma Ya
Baaba Maal, Firin' in Fouta

(None of these bands sound anything like Creed, or White Stripes, or even each other.)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

As an aside, here in the Seattle area a couple of radio stations recently switched to a new format that can best be described as "classic alternative", Is this a phenomenon anyone else has noted in their areas?

Yeah, that's becoming a bit of a mini-trend over the past 6 months or so. Several stations have officially become "classic alternative" as the format, while a larger number are starting to steer their playlists in that direction while avoiding (or in at least one case, flatly denying) using that particular phrase.

But I believe you'll see this become one of the more common sub-formats over the next couple of years. The Alt crowd has gotten older & more affluent with time, so it seems they'll be a popular target for stations (and advertisers) for the next 20 years or so.

[Axxon]

70's and older. The 80's made me give up on newer music. There's a lot of stuff out there to like right now and when I hear it I think 'good stuff' but my heart just isn't into it.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by Bubba Wheels

Problem with most of those bands is that by losing any sense of melodic underpinnings they think they are being inventive and unique, when in fact they are just being in that particular class of thought as a group and not being particularly listenable (my opinion.) Creeds monosylabic endless droning and White Stripes incessant banging come to mind, but I'm willing to be contradicted.

You're so clearly speaking out of your ass here it's painful to read.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

You're so clearly speaking out of your ass here it's painful to read.

hxxp://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_394


Oh I don't know about that. This guy only farted and people paid money to see it. I'm sure he'd be a superstar if he actually got words out of the thing.

[cthomer5000]

There's just soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many bands not on your local commerical stations it's ridiculous. To condemn all current (or 80's) music based on what you hear on your FM stations is a big mistake.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

There's just soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many bands not on your local commerical stations it's ridiculous. To condemn all current (or 80's) music based on what you hear on your FM stations is a big mistake.

Stupid question then, how does one go about finding these bands and/or determining before buying if they're any good? I like about less than 2% of what I hear for today's radio music and am starved to find some good artists (I may try some people's already-mentioned suggestions, thanks), but I honestly don't know the best way to go about it.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

There's just soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many bands not on your local commerical stations it's ridiculous. To condemn all current (or 80's) music based on what you hear on your FM stations is a big mistake.

I'm not sure if this was meant for me but my post on the 80's means it could be. Note I really didn't condemn 80's music. It just wasn't for me for the most part. There was some stuff I liked.

I just never found much reason to listen to the radio because I didn't like most of what I was hearing and in the early 80's most of the bands I listened to from the 70's were still touring and still cutting albums. Yes, they still had albums in the 80's.

I don't consider bands who were "70's" bands that released albums in the 80's as 80's music. I saw Pink Floyd in the 80's but I consider them a 70s band. When you're classifying music it's pretty subjective anyway.

I'm really saying that I wouldn't condemn anybodies musical tastes just because I don't get into it. I'm not that narrowminded. I didn't like what I was hearing on the radio in the 80's and seeing as I was just entering the workforce I was finally acquiring a collection of music that I did like and I gave up on the radio.

Once I had done that, I really saw no need to listen to current music. I'm easy to please that way. I have said that during the time I had Rhapsody I did some catching up and realize that there was a lot of stuff I missed since the 70's that I like. It just doesn't drive me to buy the music or listen to the radio. That's all.

[corbes]

Originally Posted by JAG

Stupid question then, how does one go about finding these bands and/or determining before buying if they're any good? I like about less than 2% of what I hear for today's radio music and am starved to find some good artists (I may try some people's already-mentioned suggestions, thanks), but I honestly don't know the best way to go about it.

I've found a lot of new music listening to college or independent radio. College radio has a stigma of being awful to listen to, but that, like any stigma, is not always true.

Fortunately, in the internet age, you're no longer limited to only the stations in your listening area. You can listen to live, streaming radio from virtually anywhere in the country.

http://www.xpn.org is the website for WXPN (88.5), the University of Pennsylvania radio station. I learned about most of the stuff I listed above from listening to this station. It tends towards Damien Rice, The Jayhawks, Lucinda Williams, Warren Zevon, etc...

You could also try http://www.wxyc.org, for WXYC (89.3), the University of North Carolina radio station. They tend more towards bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor. They also have an *excellent* Sunday bluegrass show.

It takes some bravery to dive into the unknown, and listen to music you've never heard before. There's no familiarity there, at first. But, the more you listen, and start to hear the repeats, the more enjoyable it becomes.

[corbes]

dola-

Also, many bands now have *lots* of music available for sampling on their websites. Also also, Barnes & Noble's Music section has these new computers where you can listen to samples of any CD from their catalogue, which is really pretty extensive (far more than what they actually carry in stock).

*You don't have to buy it at Barnes & Noble, either. Go down to your local independent record store to buy it.

[corbes]

(interrupted) double dola-

But nothing beats finding a good radio station in your own area. I'm willing to bet that there's some good stations between 88.1 and 91.9 FM in Virginia. That's the place to look, anyhow (frequencies in that range are limited to independent or public radio).

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by corbes

I've found a lot of new music listening to college or independent radio. College radio has a stigma of being awful to listen to, but that, like any stigma, is not always true.

Fortunately, in the internet age, you're no longer limited to only the stations in your listening area. You can listen to live, streaming radio from virtually anywhere in the country.

http://www.xpn.org is the website for WXPN (88.5), the University of Pennsylvania radio station. I learned about most of the stuff I listed above from listening to this station. It tends towards Damien Rice, The Jayhawks, Lucinda Williams, Warren Zevon, etc...

You could also try http://www.wxyc.org, for WXYC (89.3), the University of North Carolina radio station. They tend more towards bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor. They also have an *excellent* Sunday bluegrass show.

It takes some bravery to dive into the unknown, and listen to music you've never heard before. There's no familiarity there, at first. But, the more you listen, and start to hear the repeats, the more enjoyable it becomes.

I also heavily recommend http://www.woxy.com WOXY 97X Cincinnati (although soon to be entirely a webcast station, and not an FM one)

and

http://www.kexp.org KEXP 90.3 in Washington (state), they also have a TON of archived in-studio performances. So you can fire up an older performance and hear a band play 4-5 songs in-studio.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by corbes

*You don't have to buy it at Barnes & Noble, either. Go down to your local independent record store to buy it.

also, half.com is a great place to buy music. I buy an album a week and do about 90% of my total music purchasing through them.