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The greatest half decade for music ever!

1978 - Kate Bush ‘The Kick Inside’ & ‘Lionheart’

1979 - The Specials - ‘Specials’ & Gary Numan - ‘The Pleasure Principle’

1980 - The Human League - ‘Travelogue’ & Gary Numan ‘Telekon’

1981 - D.A.F. - ‘Alles Ist Gut’ & Kraftwerk - ‘Computerwelt’

1982 - Grace Jones - ‘Living My Life’ & Dead Kennedys - ‘Plastic Surgery Disasters’




Grace Jones ‘Living My Life’ sounds nothing like 1982 o_O
 
Here is a university of NewYork study from 2019 about ‘Collective Memory’ to determine the most popular decade of popular music based on Billboard singles from 1940 - 2015 (152 songs listed) carried out with 643 young American 18 - 25 olds mean 21.3). The results show that even with this group of ‘Millennials’ the most recognised music was from 1960 - 1990 concluding this to be ‘a special time for popular music’ with the 1960’s songs showing most recognition.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0210066
 
poco a poco said:
The results show that even with this group of ‘Millennials’ the most recognised music was from 1960 - 1990 concluding this to be ‘a special time for popular music’ with the 1960’s songs showing most recognition.
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‘Most recognition’ can also mean ‘least choice’. As time has moved forwards the less power the huge corporates have as taste-formers leading to the real diversity and democracy we have today. We have gone from being told today’s ‘in’ music is beat/psych/prog/glam/punk or whatever by record label A&R and marketing departments to everyone doing whatever the hell they like whenever the hell they want to do it.
 
Tony L said:
‘Most recognition’ can also mean ‘least choice’. As time has moved forwards the less power the huge corporates have as taste-formers leading to the real diversity and democracy we have today. We have gone from being told today’s ‘in’ music is beat/psych/prog/glam/punk or whatever by record label A&R and marketing departments to everyone doing whatever the hell they like whenever the hell they want to do it.
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I wouldn’t disagree with this. I should perhaps have said ‘Their Results’ rather than “The Results”. This was of course singles rather than albums that was one of the criteria for this thread, but looking at the posts here so far all are in the 1960 - 90 period with most giving “greatest half decade” as in the 60’s to early 70’s. I would have thought in general they are also close to highest album sales for that period? My memory is perhaps there was a bit less corporate dominance in that brief 60’s - 70’s period than any other until the last couple of decades (although streaming companies may become the ‘new corporates’ in what they finally choose to retain to host) with many new record labels starting up then and freer thinking individuals like John Peel getting enough exposure to promote greater individuality in music.

Personally my own individual greatest half decade would also be the same as @paulfromcamden in post 20 based on the Jazz that was recorded in that period.
 
poco a poco said:
I wouldn’t disagree with this. I should perhaps have said ‘Their Results’ rather than “The Results”. This was of course singles rather than albums that was one of the criteria for this thread, but looking at the posts here so far all are in the 1960 - 90 period with most giving “greatest half decade” as in the 60’s to early 70’s. I would have thought in general they are also close to highest album sales for that period? My memory is perhaps there was a bit less corporate dominance in that brief 60’s - 70’s period than any other until the last couple of decades (although streaming companies may become the ‘new corporates’ in with what they finally choose to host) with many new record labels starting up and freer thinking individuals like John Peel getting enough exposure to promote greater individuality in music.

Personally my own individual greatest half decade would also be the same as @paulfromcamden in post 20 based on the Jazz that was recorded in that period.
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I think the results here just reflect the demographics of the forum. If I were to bother to sit down and figure it out, mine would nevertheless be post-1990 because that's when I started paying attention to music as a pre-teen/teen.

I haven't read the paper you posted but do they consider the fact that their proclaimed golden period coincides with the period of mass marketing of music to a largely captive audience before to onset of music sharing on the internet? I recognize songs from the 60s and 70s because that's what my parents listened to on the radio. I have almost no idea about what was on the radio after about 1998 because I simply was never exposed to it anymore.
 
Difficult one, so I thought I'd start with the year I left school
Worked out quite well me thinks?
loads more I could add I'm sure

1983
The The - Soul mining
New order - PCL
Echo & The Bunnymen- Porcupine
Aztec Camera - High Land Hard Rain

1984

The Fall - Wonderful and frightening world of
Echo & The Bunnymen- Ocean Rain
The Stranglers - Aural Sculpture

1985

Sonic Youth - Bad Moon Rising
Killing Joke - Night Time
JAMC - Psychocandy

1986

Sonic Youth - Evol
The The - Infected
A Certain Ratio - Force
PIL - Album
Husker Du - Candy Apple Grey
The Fall - Bend Sinister

1987

Sonic Youth - Sister
The Gun Club - Mother Juno
Firehose- Ragin Full On
The Wedding Present - George Best
 
fegs said:
Difficult one, so I thought I'd start with the year I left school
Worked out quite well me thinks?
loads more I could add I'm sure

1983
The The - Soul mining
New order - PCL
Echo & The Bunnymen- Porcupine
Aztec Camera - High Land Hard Rain

1984

The Fall - Wonderful and frightening world of
Echo & The Bunnymen- Ocean Rain
The Stranglers - Aural Sculpture

1985

Sonic Youth - Bad Moon Rising
Killing Joke - Night Time
JAMC - Psychocandy

1986

Sonic Youth - Evol
The The - Infected
A Certain Ratio - Force
PIL - Album
Husker Du - Candy Apple Grey
The Fall - Bend Sinister

1987

Sonic Youth - Sister
The Gun Club - Mother Juno
Firehose- Ragin Full On
The Wedding Present - George Best
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I considered including multiple Sonic Youth albums but wasn't sure it was allowed. On balance I think you made the right decision.
 
paulfromcamden said:
I considered including multiple Sonic Youth albums but wasn't sure it was allowed. On balance I think you made the right decision.
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i wasn't sure of the rules, so decided to stay true to myself :)
I've got to say that run of four SY Blast First albums (Bad moon rising, Evol, Sister, Daydream ..) takes some beating
 
Difficult to pick 5 years really but I guess it started when I began to buy LP's (aged 14 in 1972) I had an elder sister who had boyfriends older than her and they turned me on to some great music. I also read every music paper going back then. Every week. Melody Maker on a Tuesday , Sounds on a Wednesday, the NME every Thursday. Was a bit like a religion in some ways. I bought these LP's with my hard earned paper round (and meagre pocket and baby sitting) money

1972 - Roxy Music - First , Steely Dan - Can’t Buy a Thrill, David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust , Alice Cooper - Schools Out. Lou Reed - Transformer

1973 - Pink Floyd - DSOTM , Steely Dan - Countdown to Ecstasy, The Mothers of Invention- Overnite Sensation , SAHB - Next. David Bowie - Alladin Sane

1974 - Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic, Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets, Supertramp - Crime of the Century, Cockney Rebel - The Psychomodo, Lou Reed - Rock n Roll Animal.

1975 - Patti Smith - Horses, Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run, John Cale - Slow Dazzle, Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti, Steely Dan - Katy Lied.

1976 - Ramones - Ramones, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Same, Graham Parker - Howlin Wind /Heat Treatment, Steely Dan - The Royal Scam
 
poco a poco said:
This is a list of the 20 best selling UK album sales of the 60’s. Fortunately no one here has posted number 20 or number one. :D

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_of_the_1960s_in_the_United_Kingdom
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Sometimes you really have to feel sorry for Let It Be.

I don’t understand that Wikipedia entry, though. Why does it state twice that Sgt. P was the best selling UK album, then immediately below say it was no. 2?

Anyway, some entries for the period during which I was aged between two and seven...

1959 - Mingus Ah Um, Kind of Blue, Time Out, Monk at the Town Hall
1960 - Giant Steps, Portrait in Jazz, Incredible Jazz Guitar
1961 - My Favourite Things, Free Jazz, Sunday at the Village Vanguard
1962 - Go, The Bridge, Ready For Freddie
1963 - Black Saint & the Sinner Lady, Midnight Blue, Money Jungle
 
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1967 - Velvet Underground; Forever Changes; I never loved a man the way I love you; Are you Experienced; Axis: Bold as Love.
1968 - Astral Weeks; Music from Big Pink; White Light/White Heat; At Folsom Prison; Electric Ladyland; The Beatles.
1969 - Five Leaves Left; The Band; The Velvet Underground; Everyone Knows This is Nowhere; Stand!; Dusty in Memphis; The Stooges; Happy Sad; Blue Afternoon; The Fabulous Charlie Rich.
1970 - Moondance; After the Gold Rush; Loaded; Bridge Over Troubled Water; Bitches Brew; Ladies of the Canyon; Curtis; Starsailor; Spirit in the Dark; Fire and Water; Sex Machine.
1971 - Bryter Later; Blue; Tapestry; Led Zeppelin IV; L.A. Woman; What's Going On; Maggot Brain; Al Green Gets Next to You; Pieces of a Man; There's a Riot Goin' On.
1972 - Pink Moon; Roxy Music; Ziggy; Exile on Main St; Harvest; Transformer; Talking Book; Still Bill; I'm Still in Love With You; Super Fly; Let's Stay Together; Music of my Mind.

My filter...loads more such as Trout Mask Replica that are highly rated but I never got my head round or MC5 which I didn't get into as well retrospectively.

I've just noticed that's six!
 
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