What decade came out with the "best" Rock and Roll?

Question

There obviously is good rock and roll in each decade from its birth, but which decade of music do you think really outdoes the others?

Answer 1

VERY subjective question. Naturally, most would end up picking the decade they grew up in.

But I'll try to look at each objectively:

50s: Rock is born. The innovators like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, & Buddy Holly get the flames going. Elvis puts it on the pop culture map for good.

60s: Beatles, "British Invasion", socially & politically aware songs, peace, love, the upbeat Motown songs, etc.. The 60s are a HARD act to follow in terms of idealism & overall innovation.

70s: rock fragments into many diff' sub-genres. Disco, 60s idealism is dead. It's all about escapism w/ disco, soft rock (James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, et al) or hard rock (eg: Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath etc)

80s: MTV changes everything. For the worst to some. The scene more than ever before is all about image over substance. More & more producer-driven music. "hair metal" dominates airwaves. Hip hop gains mainstream popularity. By end of decade, making a video to get exposed is a must.

90s: After grunge, rock takes a back seat to hip hop, rap & pop. (Spice Girls, boy bands etc) Short shelf life pop tunes dominate.

Now: It's all about producer-driven music more than before. (w/ a HANDful of genuine singer songwriters) Just look at American Idol. Few are making groundbreaking music anymore, so we have to vote for our new music heros on tv. IMO, all the best, most refreshing new rock is indie rock. You sure won't hear it on MTV....Indie rock is really the only rock left now that's "un tainted"...


So which is best? Heh, well by MY standards, I'll take the 60s & 70s, w/ a HUGE deal of respect for the 50s, thank you...

Answer 2

The 60's. The main giants of the British Invasion: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, and The Doors are among my favorites. The 70's also has some of my favorite bands, but I'm stripping his question down to a question of influence over musical quality, although I'll include both.

The 60's essentially has some of the most important bands. The main five are among the most influential bands of all time, along with many other bands. Other very influential bands include the Stooges (though they only had one album in the 60's and two in the 70's), the band that was very influential to punk rock and heavy metal with its heaviness and speed, Bob Dylan, quite possibly the greatest lyricist to ever live, Jimi Hendrix, often called the greatest and most influential guitarist of all time, Bob Marley, the reggae genius, the Beach Boys, influential to pop and called America's band, the beginning of Led Zeppelin, quite possibly the most influential band to heavy metal, Cream, a heavy blues-influenced band, and several other people.

Since a couple of those bands also found success in the 70's, I think the 70's would be considered the second "best" decade. It was influential, the beginning of heavy metal took place, punk rock, funk, etc. Also, many bands from the 60's found much success in the 70's.

Then would come the 50's. The 50's had the blues, rockabilly, and produced great artists too, like Elvis, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, etc.

Afterwards would be the 80's. That was when pop was really sucking, and while heavy metal and alternative rock were great, both genres, along with punk rock, would create monsterous disasters in the music world. Punk became hardcore punk, which eventually became emo. Alternative rock would start becoming really bad after the grunge era, and heavy metal just began to fade away (though thrash lived on) and fused with other genres to create some pretty weird subgenres. Also, the development of hip hop took place, and bands were beginning to become corporate rock. Still, despite all the terrible things beginning to happen, it was a decent era for rock.

The 90's was okay. Grunge was nice, and Radiohead was a good alternative rock band, along with R.E.M., which lived on. But by the late 90's, almost everything died.

Answer 3

It's now not practically the devices used--it is the angle worried as good. And rock obviously is not what home windows media participant says. For illustration, the singer Mika plays with a reside band--drums, piano/keyboards, guitar, bass, typically rhythm guitar, however I do not do not forget him rock. He's a pop musician with a few rockish trends. And the angle. The frank, on the whole sexual angle. The partying all hours, the medicines, the destruction of inn rooms. Opulence now and then. And then the legend.

Answer 4

It depends on how old you are. Many older people think it was the 1950s or 1960s while those who grew up during the 1980s think that decade was the best. I tend to be partial to the 1970s because I was a teenager during those years.

Answer 5

Some of the 50's, more of the 60's much if not most of the 70's and a little of the 80's (very little).

Answer 6

Pop started taking over in the 80's and radio stations had turned to autopilot programming in the 90's and after. So it's either the 60's or the 70's.

Answer 7

It's got to be the 60s!
Every subsequent generation keeps going back to the music of that decade for music depth and enjoyment. It's becoming classic for a good reason. I love it!

Answer 8

i know this is not just 1 decade but the 3 decades that the original kiss was together

Answer 9

Rock'n'Roll was an era. Early 50' to early 60's it was about the dress.the music,the way of life.
After that,you can it what you want..Rock,Heavy rock.Metal But it's NOT R&R

Answer 10

The 90s.
The 80s sucked huge and the 00s haven't been as good as the 90s.