What is your favorite rock music decade?

cbo111

cbo111

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Approaching my 6th decade on this vacation paradise called Earth, I've started listening to music a lot more. So much available on the web (Spotify, Pandora, etc), it is truly wonderful and can really kill a serious chunk of you busy ER days.
It got me thinking about what time period stands out as my favorite decade for rock music. In my book, the 1970's wins easily. Groups in their heyday included The Who, Jethro Tull, Chicago, Led Jeppelin, Pink Floyd, Stones, Earth-Wind-and-Fire, CSNY, and soo many solo artists. There was a little dark period with those "disco years." But, still, a great decade for rock.
I kinda wonder how much age matters. I have kids half my age and they seem to have the same enjoyment of the 70's to early 80s rock, pop, country as I do. Which is cool.
Chuck
 
If I have to pick a decade, I agree with you on the 70's, with 1971 a landmark year. That year we saw the release of Led Zeppelin IV, Who's Next, Sticky Fingers and L.A. Woman.

If I could pick any ten year period, I would go with 66-75. Beatles at their peak creativity, the aforementioned groups in their prime, the psychedelic era, the emergence of Southern rock. So much enduring music in that short period of time....
 
I'm a similar age and found lots of stuff I really loved from the '60s through the early '00s. Then it seemed to just kinda... stop, and there are only a handful of songs from the last decade or so I really like and none that hit me with anything like the intensity of the best of the '60s through the '90s.

To your original question, though, I've always been partial to bands from the original "rock explosion" years from the early 60s to about '72, and equally so to the grunge/alternative years of the early '90s. I kinda sat out the whole disco era listening to some unholy mixture of punk and prog.

BTW, speaking of "the psychedelic era, the emergence of Southern rock" I've always loved the seemingly bizarre connections between different genres that show up in rock. No one embodies this more for me than Ed King. He wrote that most prototypical psychedelic anthem "Incense and Peppermints" while playing in the Strawberry Alarm Clock and then somehow found himself in Lynyrd Skynyrd a few years later where he co-wrote "Sweet Home Alabama". Had to be the best seat in the house for the '60s and the '70s.
 
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I really enjoy going to tribute band concerts - The Cars, Eagles, the Beatles, Pink Floyd - whatever era classic rock comes from.
 
Yep, 70's for me too. Add Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Alan Parsons, Yes, Rush, ACDC, Heart, and repeat on Pink Floyd.
 
It's the 1980s for me. I didn't start following Top-40 pop music until a few years into the 80s.
 
69 to 78

(decade, a period of 10 years)
 
I loved alot of 60s stuff but if I had to go with a decade it would be the 70s. If I could cherry pick I would go with Big_hitter but want to double check as to whether to dial it back to include 68 and possibly 67.
 
the only reason I dialed it back is that 69 was a big year for rock and some girls came out in 78
 
Definitely the 70's. Aerosmith, Kiss, Elton John, Journey, ABBA, Bee Gees, Carole King, Carly Simon, Carpenters, Beach Boys, Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Queen, Cheap Trick, Billy Joel, AC/DC, Styx, Foreigner, Eagles, ELO, Cars, Heart, Judas Priest...

Just too many to name, and while I like music from the last four decades, the 70's was just so much better.
 
I might have to go with the 90s--Smashing Pumpkins, Cranberries, Nirvana, Gin Blossoms to name a few. I can pick some good ones out of any decade, though the 2010s are running out of time! Then again, the Eagles, Pink Floyd, Springsteen, early Chicago, etc, did make the 70s great.
 
Ready said:
Definitely the 70's. Aerosmith, Kiss, Elton John, Journey, ABBA, Bee Gees, Carole King, Carly Simon, Carpenters, Beach Boys, Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Queen, Cheap Trick, Billy Joel, AC/DC, Styx, Foreigner, Eagles, ELO, Cars, Heart, Judas Priest...

Just too many to name, and while I like music from the last four decades, the 70's was just so much better.
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Oh, just reading your list is making my head spin thinking about other artists like Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, Ohio Players. So many!
 
It's hard to pick a decade. I was into bands like Triumph and Dio when I was younger. They don't really make rock music like that anymore. Well, maybe they do but the rock stations won't play it too much. My ears can't take that stuff anymore anyway. When I listen to rock music today it's classic rock from the 70's and 80's like the Rolling Stones or the Cars, or Journey. Also, not sure these qualify as rock music, but I have to throw in Billy Joel, Elton John, Eagles, and Simon and Garfunkel in there as well. They all made some good songs.
 
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The 70's.

The soundtrack to the movie "Dazed And Confused" is great! (the movie is excellent as well)
 
65-75, The Beatles, Zep, Stones, Eagles, ABB, Who, Skynard, Police, Pink Floyd, need I say more.
 
We've got tickets to see REO Speedwagon and Styx in concert coming up.
 
I was raised in Nashville, Tennessee--The Music City--and I was between decades.
My favorite single 10 years in music was when the Beatles hit the U.S. in 1964 until 1974.
I went to college in Memphis when STAX and the local soul music scene was absolutely incredible. Think Soul Man, The Midnight Hour and Shaft.
And now I live in Muscle Shoals, Alabama--another incredible music scene where The Osmonds to Paul Anka to Cher to The Rolling Stones recorded their biggest hits. And the same musicians still walk our city's streets. Our local young artists are Patterson Hood, John Paul White and Jason Isbell.
 
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Mostly modern rock for me. (60's and 70's :)) Elton John, Carole King, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, The Eagles and even the Beatles.

I also like country but even more modern (80's until now) Alan Jackson, Leann Rimes, George Strait, Tim McGraw and many others.
 
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I would have to say late 70's to mid 80's... probably because that's high school and college for me. Punk and Alternative were (are) my favorites.

FWIW - I'm going to see Elvis Costello tonight. Should be a great show.
 
I am definitely dating myself but the British revolution of the early sixties. Beatles, Stones. Dave Clark 5, Gerry & Pacemakers, Kinks, etc. First thing I did every morning was turn on the radio to hear any new songs. The only US competition were probably the Beach Boys. I will never forget the first Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan. To me the Kennedy/Nixon debate and the Beatles appearance made television.
 
Idnar7 said:
I am definitely dating myself but the British revolution of the early sixties. Beatles, Stones. Dave Clark 5, Gerry & Pacemakers, Kinks, etc. First thing I did every morning was turn on the radio to hear any new songs. The only US competition were probably the Beach Boys. I will never forget the first Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan. To me the Kennedy/Nixon debate and the Beatles appearance made television.
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+1

I remember all of that, as clearly as if it was yesterday! Great times, exciting times too. AMAZING music, and something new every day.
 
1965 to 1974

One of the great groups of that time has been forgotten, IMHO, - The Association.



Also, I also loved the British Invasion, especially since is spawned Paul Revere and the Raiders.

And don't forget Laura Nyro, a song writer.

She never attained a Top 40 single, gold album or Grammy Award. However, she did have a beloved cult following, and other performers found great success recording her songs, including Fifth Dimension (“Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Wedding Bell Blues”), Blood, Sweat and Tears (“And When I Die,” “He’s a Runner”), Three Dog Night (“Eli’s Comin’”) and Barbra Streisand (“Stoney End”). For back-to-back weeks in 1969, three of the Top 10 songs on Billboard’s singles chart were written by Nyro.
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