When did popular music hit its peak?

[Delano]

When did popular music hit its peak?

As hard as it is, try to be objective. I came of age in the 80s, and a lot of 80s music is very nostalgic for me, but I DON'T think the music of my teen years was as good as it was at other times.

I was just listening to Steely Dan's "Peg" , then ELO's "A Living Thing", thinking how much better it is than any of the music I hear nowadays...

[Melodybe]

1. Come on Nivana, Sonic Youth, Pulic Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, NWA

The 90's rocked!

[NightTrain]

2. Due to my intense love of classic soul music...

...I voted for the late '60s.

[mr_hat]

3. Popular music has never been more popular.

[Delano]

5. Actually, CD sales have been dropping like a stone

And it's not just the P2P downloading phenomenon. What's out there is so mediocre. Or, there may be some good stuff out there, but I never hear it on my radio, so I have to scrounge for older obscure stuff.

Here in SF, we had a station that played all dance music - it was nice at times, but then they switched its format to ALL TUPAC, ALL THE TIME. Now, I think Tupac was all right as far as gangster rap goes, but 24 hour Tupac? WTF?!?

I hate the radio nowadays. Everything is either corporate fake rap crap, noisy grunge clones, or weak, boring easy listening. (sigh)

[arcane1]

4. 70's, baby, before computers started replacing musicians

as Paris says:

So I fiend for the days when the funk was king
before these pop sluts shitted on my video screen


amen bro

[bif]

6. When the Beatles broke up

[DBoon]

7. Late 1970's new wave/power pop/punk/Ska

Talking Heads, Pretenders, Devo, Blondie, Elvis Costello, B-52s, Patti Smith, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash, X, GoGo's, Police, Germs, Dead Kennedies, Black Flag, Minor Threat, Madness, The Specials

Most of the Rock Music played now owes a debt to these folks from 1976-1980.

1964 to 1968 is a tie:
Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Who, Yardbirds, Beach Boys, Cream, Hendrix, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Doors, Mothers of Invention

I would also nominate possibly 1954 to 1958, the formative years of Rock and Roll:

Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis, Buddy Holly, ...