Discussion-Best/Worst periods of Rock-n-Roll!!

[SAT-I need more room!!]

H2 and I were discussing the "up" and "down" periods of rock-n-roll. How would you personally rank the different periods of music? You don't have to do any specific lengths of time, they can be 10 year chunks, 5 years, 1, 2, whatever.

Here is mine-

1955-59
The first period of rock and very strong. Although it doesn't get as much play in my CD players, I totally respect, and DO listen to Elvis and Buddy Holly. Throw in the Everlys, Chuck, Jerry Lee, Little Richard and Carl and you have the first great period of rock.

1960-63
Overall, not a strong period. Too many Elvis-type wannabes and teenage love songs. On the other hand, you had the Beach Boys, Four Seasons and the beginning of the girl groups. Still, a notch below the first period.

1964-1966
The initial burst of British Invasion. Not only did we get the Beatles, Stones, Who, Yardbirds, Animals, DC5, etc, but it inspired COUNTLESS 16-18 American boys to buy a guitar and go in their garage with their buddies. They would show up in the next period. A pretty "up" period.

1967-1970
A time of much change. The first year or so was psychedelia and without a question, the most inventive music created so far in rock history to that point. The Americans answered the Brits call, with the CCR, Doors, Jimi, the Airplane, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Grass Roots, Turtles and countless garage bands having success. Many British artists went back and reinvented themselves and we got Cream, Traffic, a new Moody Blues lineup, and new heavier acts like Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Quite possibly the single most "up" period.

1971-1976
Much change again. Gone was the psychedelia of the 60s, in were singer-songwriters and music was becoming more dancable. More hard rock music was popping up. Some of the best one hits wonders were popping around then too. Probably the second best period.

1977-1980
Disco was in full swing, some good, some bad. This was the beginning of the arena rocker area. During this time, we heard from Foreigner, Triumph, Pat Benatar, and although they'd been around awhile, this was the peak period for Journey, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick and Boston. Another excellent period, although not as good as the previous two.

1981-1986
This was an average period. Most of the aforementioned arena rockers were starting to burn out and relying WAY too much on power ballads. They were all in a state of decline. With the advent of MTV, seemed like countless bands were popping up. There was a lot of New Wave style music, some of it was good, overall, most didn't do much for me. The initial burst of the Invasion was much better than this.

1987-1991
Without question, the worst period in rock. Why? Rick Astley, Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston, Debbie Gibson, Expose, the Jets, DeBarge, Winger, White Lion....do I need to go on? It's what made me give up top 40 radio and go to oldies.

1992-Present
I really didn't know when to end this time period. I guess I feel this period is better because I am liking so much country music. But since I specified Rock, I guess I should leave it out. But even WITHOUT that, I still feel it's better than 87-91. Artists like Collective Soul, Foo Fighters, latter day Chili Peppers, Lenny Kravitz and the Black Crowes brought back basic rock. Sure, there is plenty of Britneys and N'Syncs out there, but I am able to avoid them. Throw in country then, and I prefer this era to the early 80s as well!


So how about you guys?

[Dawn]

Cool topic!

1955-59
I don't own a lot of music from this period, but like you I have a lot of respect for the early pioneers of rock, and enjoy many of the hits from these years.

1960-64
For me, an average era. I'm not as fond of the 60-63 top 40 material as most other periods overall, but 64 was a great year musically.

1965-69
Excellent, with a wide variety of musical styles represented on the charts, and some of rock's most legendary performers at their peak. This would be tied for third as my favorite.

1970-74
Another great period, especially for soft rock and soul. This is my second favorite era overall, but 74 was an outstanding year for music, and would rank as my single favorite year in music.

1975-79
This is my favorite period, just edging out 70-74, mainly because I have more memories of hearing these songs at the time they were current. Honestly, I like pretty much everything that was in the top 40 during these years.

1980-84
Another good period, especially the first three years. I'm finding that the more straightforward rock and soft rock hits from this period are aging better with me than the New Wave songs. This would be tied for third with the 65-69 years.

1985-89
For me, this period starts off as average and goes downhill from there. This era is probably the one that has aged the least well with me - many songs I kinda liked back in the day are losing their appeal. Still, it's not quite as bad as...

1990-94
This is by far the worst era for me musically. I wasn't listening to much top 40 during these years, but I wasn't impressed at all with very much of what I did hear.

1995-present
Musically, 1995-97 weren't bad years, although they weren't nearly as good as the late 60s-early 80s. I had even started listening to a bit of top 40 again during that period, along with oldies. But music took another downturn around '98, and for me it's never recovered.

[Ken]

Great topic

'55 - '59 - That first "burst" of rock- n- roll - so much talent and so much energy in the music. An amazing period - Elvis ,Little Richard, Fats Domino, Eddie Cochran , Chuck Berry , Bill Haley, Buddy Holly , The Everly's, Jerry Lee etc. But as we all know by '59 however rock would suffer it's first major setback with the deaths of Buddy , The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. Little Richard would turn to religion and Jerry Lee's career took quite a dip.


'60 - '63 - This period wasn't all bad - very good at times - with the emergence of Motown and The Beach Boys. However many teen idol's were beginning to dominate the airwaves.


'64 - '66 - A very strong creative period and one of my all time faves. With The Beatles leading the way , Motown was at it's peak and Brian Wilson was really driven at this time and was producing some very fine music.


'67 - '70 - A fantastic period. Recording technology was improving by leaps and bounds . So many musicians were experimenting in the studio to try to achieve different sounds. Alot of the music became heavier with artists like Hendrix , Deep Purple , Blue Cheer and Vanilla Fudge BUT there was also the lighter side with the 1910 Fruitgum Company and other bubblegum artists providing catchy songs.


'71 - '76 - There was the tragic loss of artists like Janis , Hendrix , Croce , Duane Allman and Jim Morrison. But there continued to be so much great music - AM radio (top 40) played a real mixture of different styles . And you were starting to see many country artists crossing over and having hits on the pop charts as well.


'77 - '80 - Still a very good period I thought , this era produced some great pop music .

'81 -' 86 - It started off well enough - but by '86 things started to go horribly wrong.

'87 - '91 - Top 40 was on life support as far as I was concerned. By '89 it just totally fell apart. I was listening to more oldies and classic rock than ever before. Rap was rearing it's ugly head and I was not happy. Although artists like Marshall Crenshaw , The Black Crowes and The Smithereens saved the day for me producing some incredibly great music.


'92 - present - Top 40 was and still is in a terrible awful mess and I don't believe it it will ever recover. However there is still some great music being made you just have to really search for it and keep your ears open.

[H2IZCOOL]

1955-59 A major period in music. This is where it all started (yeah, sure, there were several pseudo-rock blues and doo wop songs previous to that time period, but they were few and far between. It was here where rock music became the dominant force in pop music, much to the chagrin of the older generation. With Elvis, The Everlys, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, etc., the genre was really taking off. It surprises me today somewhat, that "oldies" stations now play the music of the '60s and '70s, totally ignoring the very important five previous years that gave birth to the entire movement.

1960-63. maligned by many people as being an unattractive bridge period between Elvis and The Beatles, but I totally disagree. Granted, it wasn't as strong a period as those two adjacent to it, but it was the period that saw many new births and moldings of rock music. It was in this period where folk music became one of the dominant influences of rock. Dylan, Peter Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, The Limelighters, Joan Baez, and other folk singers and writers were adding their stylings to the mix. Motown was beginning to take off and the R&B 'girl groups' like The Shirelles, Ronettes, Chiffons, Crystals, and Marvelettes were becoming a staple. Smokey and Stevie Wonder were being heard as well. Country rock was also continuing to show its influence with Elvis, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Johnny Cash, and Brenda Lee. -- And how could you knock the falsetto vocals and harmonies of the Four Seasons, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Del Shannon and Lou Christie. Sure you had your Paul and Paulas, your Singing Nuns, your Diane Renees, and your dance craze of the month, but what era didn't? 1960-63 is among my favorite musical periods, and if you read the list of names I just mentioned, why wouldn't it be?

1964-1970. There's not much to say that hasn't been said. It's probably the greatest period of music of the last 50 years. Two major influences: The British Invasion and the birth of rock sub-genres. The Beatles produced a sound that was unheard of previously, and for the first time, rock music was no longer kids' music or teens' music. Their sound was mimicked and built on by artists from both sides of the Atlantic. As the decade wore on, the 'hippie' movement gave birth to psychadelic rock which somewhat segued into metal. Rock was no longer the child of musical genres. It had become the parent.


1970-74. Not the best of all, but still a very good period. Several great artists emerged from this period: Elton John, John Denver, Chicago, Bread, The Jackson Five, The Carpenters, Rod Stewart, Alice Cooper, Three Dog Night, and Harry Nilsson to name a few. The Beatles were gone, but they led to a new emergence of Paul McCartney and George Harrison. The Bee Gees also moved from a Beatles-influenced late '60s sound (which was very good, BTW) to new music all their own. Country Rock was also evolving with groups like the Eagles and Poco.

1975-80 Not one of my favorite periods at all. It was dominated by disco, and there's not much of disco that I really like. Even my "buddies" the Bee Gees had deserted me. My favorite new artist from this time period was probably Meat Loaf, and he really only had one album. The non-disco artists had some bright spots like Billy Joel and Barry Manilow. But it was definitely starting to fade.

1981-85 I really wasn't as involved with music during that time period, and it was only a little later that I started buing some of the music from this period and started to try and "catch up". Don't really care for much of the dance music from this period - it's still disco as far as I'm concerned. I do like a lot of the heavier music and the power ballads.

1986 -the present. Still learning, but not very impressed.

[SAT-I need more room!!]

H2IZCOOL said:

1960-63. maligned by many people as being an unattractive bridge period between Elvis and The Beatles, but I totally disagree. Granted, it wasn't as strong a period as those two adjacent to it, but it was the period that saw many new births and moldings of rock music. It was in this period where folk music became one of the dominant influences of rock. Dylan, Peter Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, The Limelighters, Joan Baez, and other folk singers and writers were adding their stylings to the mix. Motown was beginning to take off and the R&B 'girl groups' like The Shirelles, Ronettes, Chiffons, Crystals, and Marvelettes were becoming a staple. Smokey and Stevie Wonder were being heard as well. Country rock was also continuing to show its influence with Elvis, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Johnny Cash, and Brenda Lee. -- And how could you knock the falsetto vocals and harmonies of the Four Seasons, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Del Shannon and Lou Christie. Sure you had your Paul and Paulas, your Singing Nuns, your Diane Renees, and your dance craze of the month, but what era didn't? 1960-63 is among my favorite musical periods, and if you read the list of names I just mentioned, why wouldn't it be?

1975-80 Not one of my favorite periods at all. It was dominated by disco, and there's not much of disco that I really like. Even my "buddies" the Bee Gees had deserted me. My favorite new artist from this time period was probably Meat Loaf, and he really only had one album. The non-disco artists had some bright spots like Billy Joel and Barry Manilow. But it was definitely starting to fade.

1986 -the present. Still learning, but not very impressed.

You bring up some good points and excellent examples of that "between Elvis and Beatles" period (besides the Seasons and Beach Boys that I mentioned, Jan & Dean, Del and Lou-all strong!). I think the reason I prefer the late 70s stuff better because in that time you had the arena rockers all at their peak, plus some great lighter pop/rock from artists like Ambrosia, Little River Band, England Dan & John Ford Coley, etc. Whereas that "between" period, while it had Hall of Famers, the songs from them at the time have been overplayed (Sherry, Walk Like a Man, Little Deuce Coupe, Surfin' Sufari) and overall aren't as strong and creative as their later stuff (Tell it to the Rain, I've Got You Under My Skin, I Can Hear Music, Darlin'). I think that's why I poo-poo the one era more than the other. Just my opinion.

1986-present-Except for Martina, right?

[H2IZCOOL]

SAT-Sissy's said:

You bring up some good points and excellent examples of that "between Elvis and Beatles" period (besides the Seasons and Beach Boys that I mentioned, Jan & Dean, Del and Lou-all strong!). I think the reason I prefer the late 70s stuff better because in that time you had the arena rockers all at their peak, plus some great lighter pop/rock from artists like Ambrosia, Little River Band, England Dan & John Ford Coley, etc. Whereas that "between" period, while it had Hall of Famers, the songs from them at the time have been overplayed (Sherry, Walk Like a Man, Little Deuce Coupe, Surfin' Sufari) and overall aren't as strong and creative as their later stuff (Tell it to the Rain, I've Got You Under My Skin, I Can Hear Music, Darlin'). I think that's why I poo-poo the one era more than the other. Just my opinion.

1986-present-Except for Martina, right?

Huh? Oh, yeah, sure, Adam. Martina Navratalova was one hell of a tennis player.
;D ;D ;D ;D

[lora]

Talking about "rock" here may be a little difficult for me. Right now, I listen to mostly top 40 and country. Well, as far as new stuff goes. A lot of former rockers are going acoustic now, which I think is great, but it's taking away from the quality of rock songs that are out there. I'll do my best with these time periods, but just keep in mind what my normal listening habits are...

1955-1959 - This is the period that started rock as we know it. I don't listen to much from this era, but I do respect many of the artists who had influence during this time: Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, etc.

1960-1963 - This period was kind of weak. Artists were trying to fit in, and did so a little too much by sounding like copies of already-existing groups.

1964-1966 - The British Invasion made this a really strong period. Also, this is when Motown was thriving, making stars of out groups like the Supremes and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

1967-1970 - Some good music came from this era as well, most notably the psychedelic rock of the Doors, Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Other lighter artists, such as the Carpenters, got off to a start here.

1971-1976 - This was one of the biggest periods in rock, with dozens of new bands and solo artists emerging, each bringing in their own unique sound to probably the most diverse era.

1977-1980 - Generally, not a very good period for rock. There was disco, which overall was not that great, but this is also when the Bee Gees hit their peak. They produced some really great music during this period.

1981-1986 - I see this period as being somewhat like '71-'76, only with a more New Wave sound. Many new bands emerged, very few actually leaving a lasting mark.

1987-1991 - I wouldn't consider this the WORST period in rock. It was just more of a pop-influenced era. Rock was at a bit of a stand-still. Some good music did come out of the period, though.

1992-1994 - Nirvana hit their stride here, going from an unknown Seattle grunge band to grunge gods in an extremely short period of time. Fame affected each of the band members differently, and Kurt Cobain ended up "committing suicide" (still not sure if I believe this). Many would say grunge rock died along with him. So these years were filled with grunge wannabes. There were a few bands that had their come-uppance during this period that are still around. Pearl Jam, for example.

1994-1998 - Other than a few reunions by great rock groups of the 1970s, like Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles, there was very little good rock during this time.

1999-present - Rock? What's that? Now the airwaves are dominated by teeny-boppers and bands that scream instead of sing and consider that music. There has been a little good rock here though, namely from the White Stripes and newer bands like Jet and Evanescence.

[djdave]

Love this topic!

After the big band sound from 1938-1945, there was almost exclusively solo pop singers on the pop market. And a lot of it was great! But things were changing in the early 50's in the R & B market. In time, stuff like "Sh-boom" by the Chords and "Gee" by the Crows were crossing over to the pop chart in 1954. Sure, I LOVE Doris Day's "Secret love", but seriously, the music scene needed a jolt of REAL excitement. So much, that average parents couldn't feel more turned off. And "straight" pop music continued well into the 70's, but from 1955 on, there was always something exciting in the music scene from what we call rock 'n roll.

1955-1958: The pioneer rock 'n roll sound. Even my mom prefers this music to the more straight pop tunes of the time, save Doris Day, the Four Lads, and others. And things were getting "crazy" and "corny" in 1958, with no fewer than 3 novelties topping the chart.
Rating: 9.7

1959-1963: This was a guilty pleasure of time for me, and a fave of my mom's as well. "Dance" music peaked, teen idols were the scream of many a teenage girl, and folk music (without much rock influence) peaked. Country songs seemed quite successful. And novelties continued big time...
Rating: 9.6

1964-1966: Rock music would never be the same. It was someplace over the big pond. But hearing it today, the music sounds EXCITING. Motown was at a peak as well, and California music seemed to be really happening. Some California groups (and others) were starting to sound quite "groovy"...
Rating: 9.8

1967-1970: The original psychedelic era. Also the opposite (in some ways) bubblegum at its peak. Also soul was blending more with rock, as jazz and rock were combining as well. Post-Brit invasion classic rock sounded great (CCR, early Zep), and straight-pop and folk seemed to blend in more with rock (Simon & Garfunkel especially). Oh, and lotsa good one-hit wonders and the like proliferated.
Rating: 9.7

1971-1974: The singer-songwriter era, dominated by Carole King, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Seals & Crofts, the list is endless. Less harder edged sounds (on the average), and there were still OHW's and the like coming in. Bubblegum was sounding more of a "Family" market with the Partridges, the Osmonds, the Jacksons, etc. And it was a great time for soul of all types--especially smoothness of the Stylistics and the grittiness of the Honey Cone and King Floyd.
Rating: 9.9

1975-1979: Disco peaked these 5 years, and to combat this, arena rock was at its quality best. Pop was also on a roll with Barry and Barbra, but the era also produced GREAT soft rock like Pablo Cruise, Firefall, England Dan, and so many others. And the short-lived Brit punk molded into new wave, which was to steal disco's fire towards the end of the decade.
Rating: 10.0

1980-1982: Some early M-TV stuff, but this was quite a comedown in pop music's history. The best tunes were of those pop-rock artists like Christopher Cross, Sheena Easton, and others, but arena rock became more mainstream, especially with Journey and REO. And country-crossover seemed at an all-time high, with Kenny Rogers, Eddie Rabbitt, Juice Newton, and many others.
Rating: 9.7

1983-1986: The peak of MTV's golden era. New wave and rock became the mainstream, dance tunes were somewhat underground until Madonna arrived, and some rock artists like Howard Jones and Phil Collins leaned toward the pop side. Soundtrack songs like "Footloose" "Ghostbusters" and "St. Elmo's Fire" also seemed to be at a peak as well. Towards the end of 1986, rap was coming on strong.
Rating: 9.5

1987-1991: I must admit this was a period of pure, innocent cheese for me that will make everyone wonder why do you still like "THAT"??!!?? Simply put, I was still listening to top 40 music, and I was actually just STARTING to enter a "teenage" phase of music. Some rock stuff I played in college was good, but I was never ashamed to listen to Debbie Gibson, Rick Astley, MC Hammer, Fine Young Cannibals, etc. And throw in ZZ Top's synth period for good measure...
Rating: 9.5

1992-1997: Loved the novelties like "I'm too sexy" and "bubblegum" like the Spice Girls, tried to like harder rap. The period also included some GREAT rock like Hootie/Blowfish and the Gin Blossoms. The last of my top 40 phase; there wasn't actually I disliked much back then.
Rating TODAY: 9.1

1998-present: Although there is SOME good music (I oddly like some pop-techno), I just don't get it. Seems like some artists in nearly every pop-styled genre are selling more than ever before to 6-25 year-olds and they'd be thrilled to boom it to 11 in their cars. I'll just stop right there.
Rating: 4.5 (what a dip!)

[Pete70s]

Wow, I'm actually gonna post something.......

1955-59
Judging by what was popular with white middle-class America in the 50's (Pat Boone, Mitch Miller, etc...) it's no wonder teenagers needed to blow off some steam! I would have been right there with them if I'd been a teenager in the 50's! Unfortunately, I wasn't, and hearing classic songs like "Rock Around The Clock" and "Great Balls Of Fire" played today at weddings has kind of ruined the "rebellious edge" of a lot of those songs for me. Not much from this era I listen to, but I do have a few records and play them from time to time..

1960-63
A very teen-dominated era. Too much teen-pop (kinda like today, only better). Too many "Bobbys".. Great folk music and the beginning of Motown. Something was definitely brewing underground. The Beach Boys and Four Seasons had a string of early hits, but would make MUCH better music in a few years.

1964-66
The changing of the guard! No more Bobbys and Frankies! Rock got a shot in the arm from the Beatles and other British groups, pop culture was changed forever, and American artists like The Beach Boys retaliated by producing some of their best records.

1967-70
A crucial time in pop history. As psychedelic drugs entered the mainstream, pop music started to sound a little, well, strange.. yet beautiful and exciting.. The psychedelic era lasted a short time, after which heavily amplified blues paved the way for Heavy Metal. Top 40 was at it's most diverse ever, with middle-of-the-road artists like The Vogues and The Lettermen competing on the charts with Stepenwolf and Blue Cheer.

1970-76
Mainstream music got mellow after the end of the turbulent 60's, as heavy rock went underground for awhile.. Album-oriented bands like Grand Funk, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath brought FM radio to new heights as AM Top 40 radio embraced bubblegum and singer-songwriter pop. R&B music continued to be popular with white teenagers and paved the way for the disco explosion.

1977-79
The success of "Saturday Night Fever" brought disco music to heights not reached since the British Invasion. Some rock bands broke up, unable to compete with disco, other recorded "disco" songs, hoping to cash-in on the craze. Some were successful, some were not...
Punk was an underground thing, already dead in England by the time most Americans were aware of it. The demise of the Sex Pistols lead to the "Postpunk" movement, with bands like Joy Division and Public Image Ltd. This scene would give birth to the New Wave explosion of the 80's. For hard rock, there was Cheap Trick, AC/DC, Van Halen, and Kiss.

1980-82
Disco was declared "out" in 1980, and there was a slight decline in "dance-oriented" songs on the radio, at least compared to the previous three years. Very light pop and urban country dominated the charts, as well as an occasional New Wave hit by Blondie, Gary Numan, or Devo. A New Wave of British Heavy Metal gave angst-ridden teenagers an outlet for their frustrations, with bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and a newly revitalized Black Sabbath (with new singer Ronnie James Dio) leading the way. The birth of MTV was important in that it made the "visual" aspect more important than ever before. Eventually, more emphasis would be placed on the bands looks, rather than the quality of the music.

1983-86
The New Wave explosion. Up until mid '82, New Wave was mostly a big city club phenomonen, with an occasional hit single. The success of "Don't You Want Me' by Human League and "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell in '82 took New Wave to the heartland of America. In 1983, a large percentage of the Top 40 was New Wave. Duran Duran and Culture Club became superstars of the genre, bridging the gap between New Wave and pop. Heavy Metal continued to be popular with (mostly) males, as Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue created controversy, but Van Halen's "Jump" helped make the genre more Top 40-friendly and accessible to the mainstream.

1987-91
Top 40 was starting to decline rapidly, with a few good songs here and there.. But overall, "too much neon!" as I like to say.. Metal was slowly losing it's integrity as bands like Bon Jovi and Poison made the genre "chick friendly". New Wave was mostly gone from the charts, it became known as "Post-Modern", "Modern Rock", and (eventually) "Alternative Music". This music is what SAVED this period for me, with groups like New Order, The Cure, and Depeche Mode making a chart impact

1992-95
My first impression of Nirvana was "well, it's a nice change of pace".. I had no idea at the time they'd become as big as they were. Looking back, I really don't like them. Pearl Jam I was never big on, but Soundgarden and Alice In Chains I like. But, to this day, I still believe that the Seattle Explosion was a media conspiracy to kill off the hair bands (and the book I recently read on the history of Heavy Metal gives me reasons to back this theory up!). Not only did they take all the fun out of Rock 'N Roll, they also paved the way for some of the crappiest bands ever (I still can't understand the appeal of bands like Sonic Youth). Life seemed very dismal during the 90's, but listening to the radio explains why. Also, rap became bigger than ever, which I avoided completely.

1996-present
The late 90's saw a lot of angry female rockers, nu-Metal (YAK!!) and the same rap records made over and over and over and over... Oh, yeah, and crappy teen pop loaded with technology, and Pearl Jam/Green Day clones.
Was there any music MADE during this time? It seemed like anything good that came along got SQUASHED by the record companies and MTV. No redeeming qualities whatsoever about the mainstream music of this period.