GreenTeaHarbor1297
Capri
Specifically, the oldest decade for music in terms of audio recordings - So not counting classical music, as much as I do love a good Vivaldi or Beethoven symphony, since even though the sheet music for these classical masterpieces were written in the 17th-19th Centuries, the audio recordings of those pieces that we listen to are from the 20th and 21st Centuries. Same goes for all other forms of music written before audio recordings.
For me;
Music from the 1890s-1920s I can listen to for the novelty factor, but really can't enjoy in a contemporary sense, since the audio recordings from that era are largely very scratchy, which does take away from the experience. I do really like the 1928 song "Big Rock Candy Mountain" by Harry McClintock (largely because of the movie O Brother Where Art Thou?), but even that one is a novelty song for me.
1930s, and to a greater extent the 1940s, for me is really hit or miss, and I tend to enjoy the more instrumental swing, bebop, and noir jazz from those eras over the more vocal stuff. The audio quality from those decades is certainly better than that of the previous decades, but is still very dated.
For me, the first decade for music I can consistently enjoy in a contemporary sense is the 1950s. The advent of the 12-inch LP record in 1948 greatly improved the sound quality from previous decades, and the sound quality of even the jazz-pop of the '50s from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Eartha Kitt is much higher quality than the jazz-pop of the '30s and '40s from the likes of Bing Crosby, Glen Miller, and the Andrews Sisters. The rise of honky-tonk country and Chicago blues in the late 1940s also culminated in a golden age for both sub genres in the early to mid 1950s, and the music of both sub genres in the '50s from the likes of Lefty Frizzell and especially Muddy Waters I find very enjoyable to listen to today. Both country and blues would also culminate in the advent of rockabilly and rock & roll, the most revolutionary music genre of the 20th Century. The impact of the likes of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley of course needs no introduction. But while rock and roll was definitely revolutionary, doo-wop I would say was just as revolutionary, and honestly, I would even argue that doo-wop shares more DNA with modern rock and pop songs than '50s rock and roll does. Also, '50s doo-wop is just so charming to listen to as well, with the harmonies of many of these doo-wop hits being beautiful to listen to, my favorite being The Platters "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", which I consider a masterpiece.
From an ultra-contemporary sense, my sweet spot when it comes to the music I listen to is with the 1960s-2000s.
The '60s in particular are actually my favorite decade for music. I enjoy the '50s-sounding stuff from the early part of the decade, and I especially love surf rock - Both the instrumental stuff from the likes of Dick Dale and The Lively Ones, as well as the vocal stuff from the likes of Jan & Dean and especially The Beach Boys. I also really enjoy the funk, soul, and R&B of Motown from that era, I enjoy some blues from that era like from the aforementioned Muddy Waters, I enjoy a lot of country songs from this era that told a story, as well as the rise of outlaw country with the likes of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Waylon Jennings. But my sweet spot when it comes to '60s music is with the post-British Invasion rock, especially from the experimental and psychedelic eras from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Cream, Jefferson Airplane, Velvet Underground, The Zombies, Tommy James and the Shondells, Grateful Dead, and of course, The Beatles - Just to name a few - Plus the sunshine pop of the era from The Mamas & the Papas and The 5th Dimension. Another sweet spot though when it comes to '60s music is with bossa nova - especially that of Astrud Gilberto, who is one of my favorite music artists of all time.
The '70s and '80s also have a lot of great stuff, I was brought up heavily on music from those decades because both of my parents were children of the '70s and teens of the '80s. Music from the '90s and '00s is nostalgic for me - even though I was born at the tail end of the '90s and am too young to remember the decade properly, '90s music was still contemporary on mainstream radio well into the '00s as I grew up, and '00s music is especially nostalgic for me since I was a child in the decade. By the 2010s, I was an edgy teenager, so I tuned out of the popular music of that era, and I never tuned back in even after I outgrew the phase. For the 2010s and 2020s, I do like a lot of underground and less mainstream stuff, but am not really into the more mainstream stuff.
But anyways, for me, the earliest decade for music I enjoy listening to in a contemporary sense are the '50s, though the '30s-'40s can be hit or miss.
But what about you? What's the earliest decade for music you listen to? Make sure to vote in the poll, and let me know in the comments below.
For me;
Music from the 1890s-1920s I can listen to for the novelty factor, but really can't enjoy in a contemporary sense, since the audio recordings from that era are largely very scratchy, which does take away from the experience. I do really like the 1928 song "Big Rock Candy Mountain" by Harry McClintock (largely because of the movie O Brother Where Art Thou?), but even that one is a novelty song for me.
1930s, and to a greater extent the 1940s, for me is really hit or miss, and I tend to enjoy the more instrumental swing, bebop, and noir jazz from those eras over the more vocal stuff. The audio quality from those decades is certainly better than that of the previous decades, but is still very dated.
For me, the first decade for music I can consistently enjoy in a contemporary sense is the 1950s. The advent of the 12-inch LP record in 1948 greatly improved the sound quality from previous decades, and the sound quality of even the jazz-pop of the '50s from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Eartha Kitt is much higher quality than the jazz-pop of the '30s and '40s from the likes of Bing Crosby, Glen Miller, and the Andrews Sisters. The rise of honky-tonk country and Chicago blues in the late 1940s also culminated in a golden age for both sub genres in the early to mid 1950s, and the music of both sub genres in the '50s from the likes of Lefty Frizzell and especially Muddy Waters I find very enjoyable to listen to today. Both country and blues would also culminate in the advent of rockabilly and rock & roll, the most revolutionary music genre of the 20th Century. The impact of the likes of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley of course needs no introduction. But while rock and roll was definitely revolutionary, doo-wop I would say was just as revolutionary, and honestly, I would even argue that doo-wop shares more DNA with modern rock and pop songs than '50s rock and roll does. Also, '50s doo-wop is just so charming to listen to as well, with the harmonies of many of these doo-wop hits being beautiful to listen to, my favorite being The Platters "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", which I consider a masterpiece.
From an ultra-contemporary sense, my sweet spot when it comes to the music I listen to is with the 1960s-2000s.
The '60s in particular are actually my favorite decade for music. I enjoy the '50s-sounding stuff from the early part of the decade, and I especially love surf rock - Both the instrumental stuff from the likes of Dick Dale and The Lively Ones, as well as the vocal stuff from the likes of Jan & Dean and especially The Beach Boys. I also really enjoy the funk, soul, and R&B of Motown from that era, I enjoy some blues from that era like from the aforementioned Muddy Waters, I enjoy a lot of country songs from this era that told a story, as well as the rise of outlaw country with the likes of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Waylon Jennings. But my sweet spot when it comes to '60s music is with the post-British Invasion rock, especially from the experimental and psychedelic eras from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Cream, Jefferson Airplane, Velvet Underground, The Zombies, Tommy James and the Shondells, Grateful Dead, and of course, The Beatles - Just to name a few - Plus the sunshine pop of the era from The Mamas & the Papas and The 5th Dimension. Another sweet spot though when it comes to '60s music is with bossa nova - especially that of Astrud Gilberto, who is one of my favorite music artists of all time.
The '70s and '80s also have a lot of great stuff, I was brought up heavily on music from those decades because both of my parents were children of the '70s and teens of the '80s. Music from the '90s and '00s is nostalgic for me - even though I was born at the tail end of the '90s and am too young to remember the decade properly, '90s music was still contemporary on mainstream radio well into the '00s as I grew up, and '00s music is especially nostalgic for me since I was a child in the decade. By the 2010s, I was an edgy teenager, so I tuned out of the popular music of that era, and I never tuned back in even after I outgrew the phase. For the 2010s and 2020s, I do like a lot of underground and less mainstream stuff, but am not really into the more mainstream stuff.
But anyways, for me, the earliest decade for music I enjoy listening to in a contemporary sense are the '50s, though the '30s-'40s can be hit or miss.
But what about you? What's the earliest decade for music you listen to? Make sure to vote in the poll, and let me know in the comments below.
