The Top Acts from each Decade?

[kmart]

Yes, trumped:

 

The old saw I've seen referred to time & time again goes something like...

Beatles & Dylan had impact on society as a whole, sure, but just about every person who went out and bought a VU album then went out and started a band.

[Vito Corleone]

Yes, trumped: The old saw I've seen referred to time & time again goes something like... Beatles & Dylan had impact on society as a whole, sure, but just about every person who went out and bought a VU album then went out and started a band .

A lot bands were formed from people trying to be the Beatles as well. And the influence of Dylan's singing style and songwriting style STILL reverberates BIG time even today. As does the Beatles. How many bands in the last 40 years have been referred to as being "Beatle-esque"? A gazzlion.

I'm not going to challenge your call that VU was a huge influence on MANY bands. No doubt. Without question. But BIGGER than the other two?

Let's call it a 3-way tie?

[TIMKEYS]

Still surprised that only Ward and I mentioned Garth Brooks. He pretty much created the prototype for the "modern country" genre, which you could make a strong case is still going today....

 

 

garth is huge.....he was the act that took the really big show to country music. As for the 70s .. ya gotta put the eagles in the short list.

[tlbonehead]

Nugent? Really??? Maybe a regional thing again, but I can think of probably at least 100 acts during the 70s that were bigger than Ted Nugent and I don't see him as particularly influential or defining-of-the-decade in any way. Skynyrd was big in setting the tone for modern country and Cooper certainly influenced a thousand showy rock bands to follow. I love me some ZZ and Doobies but, honestly, if neither band ever existed I doubt the history of music would be any different. Acts like Fleetwood Mac, Boston and Elton John were far more defining of the 70s, I would argue.

Boston????????

[Vito Corleone]

Boston????????

 

 

Yeah, I think they are emblematic of the Over-Produced-Corporate 70s rock that brought on the punk/new wave backlash. There were a lot of big, overblown bands in the 70s and they were probably the biggest. Not to mention that debut album is STILL one of the most popular, overplayed albums of the decade. I think every track on it is still in regular rotation on every classic rock radio station in the country, isn't it? What other non-greatest hits album can make the same claim?

[tlbonehead]

garth is huge.....he was the act that took the really big show to country music. As for the 70s .. ya gotta put the eagles in the short list.

yeah, keep forgetting about them. Huge!

[tlbonehead]

Yeah, I think they are emblematic of the Over-Produced-Corporate 70s rock that brought on the punk/new wave backlash. There were a lot of big, overblown bands in the 70s and they were probably the biggest. Not to mention that debut album is STILL one of the most popular, overplayed albums of the decade. I think every track on it is still in regular rotation on every classic rock radio station in the country, isn't it? What other non-greatest hits album can make the same claim?

 

 

fortunately, the classic stations don't play much Boston around here.

[Vito Corleone]

fortunately, the classic stations don't play much Boston around here.

 

 

Well, what with "Stranglehold" being 8+ minutes long...where would they find the time?

[astone923]

For '00 why not the Foo Fighters or the Dave Mathews band? I don't know that they "defined" the decade, but their songs sure do have some staying power.

[Blackbird 13]

 

For '00 why not the Foo Fighters or the Dave Mathews band? I don't know that they "defined" the decade, but their songs sure do have some staying power.

 

 

As much as I don't like Dave Matthews.. there is some merit to the idea of putting him on that list...

[niceguy]

This is fascinating: there appears to be no real consensus on the 2000s and 2010s when it comes to rock music. It really IS a nebulous time for rock.

 

Except---holy {censored}, I'm terrified of Nickelback. Admittedly, I'm WAY out of the loop when it comes to modern music, but I had no idea things had become so dismal with rock.

[Vito Corleone]

This is fascinating: there appears to be no real consensus on the 2000s and 2010s when it comes to rock music. It really IS a nebulous time for rock.

 

 

Part of the that is probably just there's not yet enough distance from the last decade to really have consensus on what yet "defines" it musically. But yeah, it seems that rock is dead for the time being. At least in terms of being a big "defining" feature of the time. As long as rock continues to define itself as a genre so rooted in "classic" sounds anyway.

[niceguy]

 

Part of the that is probably just there's not yet enough distance from the last decade to really have consensus on what yet "defines" it musically. But yeah, it seems that rock is dead for the time being. At least in terms of being a big "defining" feature of the time. As long as rock continues to define itself as a genre so rooted in "classic" sounds anyway.

 

 

Very good points. I think, though, even with distance, rock will look dead in the 2010s. And the bands which have snatched up the scraps can now be as pretentious as they want, leading to the current hipster/indie scene. Living in Brooklyn, this is a point of aggravation for me.

[troyguitar]

What do you guys have against Boston? Too hard for you to sing?

[Vito Corleone]

Very good points. I think, though, even with distance, rock will look dead in the 2010s. And the bands which have snatched up the scraps can now be as pretentious as they want, leading to the current hipster/indie scene. Living in Brooklyn, this is a point of aggravation for me.

 

 

The good news is that new, interesting music often rises from the ashes of the most infertile periods. There may have been no worse period for popular music than in the post WWII years. The result? Rock n roll. Punk and new wave came out of the excesses of corporate rock and disco. Grunge comes after the excesses of 80s hair bands.

 

the hipster/indie scene you speak of might be somewhat pretentious (I'm not that familar with the scene) but I thought the anti big-hair metal and grunge bands of the late 80s/early 90s were rather pretentious as well with all of their "WE'RE the real deal/WE'RE not that fake corporate {censored}" attitude. It may be that somewhere within this hipster scene lies the seeds for a new resurgance of rock?

[niceguy]

 

The good news is that new, interesting music often rises from the ashes of the most infertile periods. There may have been no worse period for popular music than in the post WWII years. The result? Rock n roll. Punk and new wave came out of the excesses of corporate rock and disco. Grunge comes after the excesses of 80s hair bands. the hipster/indie scene you speak of might be somewhat pretentious (I'm not that familar with the scene) but I thought the anti big-hair metal and grunge bands of the late 80s/early 90s were rather pretentious as well with all of their "WE'RE the real deal/WE'RE not that fake corporate {censored}" attitude. It may be that somewhere within this hipster scene lies the seeds for a new resurgance of rock?

 

 

That gives me hope, both as a music lover AND as a musician. The 90s scene was already becoming Nickelback by the time I was a teen; your view of the 80s is very enlightening for me. I LOVE a lot of 80s rock, so it's fascinating to learn that much of it was viewed as pretentious at the time.

 

The indie scene today could very well be a lot like the 80s pretentiousness... today, to be a trendy band, you need a beard, an ironic band name (preferably with an animal name included), mixed gender, and complete lack of guitar prowess. Like in the 80s, you'd be ignored if you didn't have a whammy-induced guitar solo---now, you'll be ignored if you have ANY guitar leads at all, or if you don't have a girl in the band, or if you don't have a beard.

 

But your views do give me a lot of hope!

[Vito Corleone]

"pretentious" is a loaded word, and one man's pretentiousness is another man's authenticity.

I liked a lot of the music from the grunge scene and thought it refreshing in many ways. But as a former "big hair rocker", I certainly saw a big degree of pretentiousness to the whole "anti" fashion of both the music and the look. Although certainly the bands IN the scene didn't see themselves as such. They, like every other new "scene" that emerges, saw themselves as unique and rebelious. But when an entire generation moves in lockstep toward goatees and flannel-shirts-with-shorts, it's hard to objectively see them as any less pretentious or victimized-by-fashion than the previous generation of corporate-fashion-rockers they sought to rebel against.

[3shiftgtr]

 

That gives me hope, both as a music lover AND as a musician.

 

 

Sorry niceguy, all hope is gone. Freemium and the rest of the new music business model has thrown the idea that you can be a forward thinking MUSICIAN and successful under the bus. Unless it's rapper of the moment (Lil Wayne) or a GaGa style act, you are gonna have to search for the non "attention shoppers" acts.

[yanktar]

1910-1920 Scott Joplin
1920-1930 Louis Armstrong
1930-1940 Tossup: Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington
1940-1950 Frank Sinatra
1950-1960 Miles Davis
1960-1970 The Beatles
1970-1980 Fusion Jazz (forget "Prog Rock"!)
1980-1990 Bruce Springsteen
1990-2000 Eric Clapton
2000-2010 (in an era that worships Kanye West and Lady Gaga, it's hard to see any act that's BIG but not retro as positive) I dunno...indie bands?

[TrickyBoy]

Why Prince is the winner for the 80's

 

1980 - Dirty Mind - Uptown #5 on Billboard's R&B Charts - Album peaks at #45

1981 - Controversy - Peaks at #21 on Billboards top 100

1982 - 1999 Peaks at #9

1984 - Purple Rain - Peaks at #1 - When Doves Cry #1 song of the year (in an amazing year for music I might add) - two #1 songs

1985 - Around The World In A Day -Peaks at #1 - two top 10 singles

1986 - Parade - Peaks at #2 - Kiss #1 Single

1987 - Sign O The Times - Peaks at #6 - Three top ten hits

1988 - Lovesexy - Peaks at #11 - One top 10 hit

1989 - Batman - Peaks at #1 - Two top ten hits

[Vito Corleone]

Why Prince is the winner for the 80's 1980 - Dirty Mind - Uptown #5 on Billboard's R&B Charts - Album peaks at #45 1981 - Controversy - Peaks at #21 on Billboards top 100 1982 - 1999 Peaks at #9 1984 - Purple Rain - Peaks at #1 - When Doves Cry #1 song of the year (in an amazing year for music I might add) - two #1 songs 1985 - Around The World In A Day -Peaks at #1 - two top 10 singles 1986 - Parade - Peaks at #2 - Kiss #1 Single 1987 - Sign O The Times - Peaks at #6 - Three top ten hits 1988 - Lovesexy - Peaks at #11 - One top 10 hit 1989 - Batman - Peaks at #1 - Two top ten hits

 

 

With the exception of "Batman", those are 8 of my favorite albums, period. He had an amazing run there. And you can throw in "The Black Album" while you're at it.

[niceguy]

 

"pretentious" is a loaded word, and one man's pretentiousness is another man's authenticity. I liked a lot of the music from the grunge scene and thought it refreshing in many ways. But as a former "big hair rocker", I certainly saw a big degree of pretentiousness to the whole "anti" fashion of both the music and the look. Although certainly the bands IN the scene didn't see themselves as such. They, like every other new "scene" that emerges, saw themselves as unique and rebelious. But when an entire generation moves in lockstep toward goatees and flannel-shirts-with-shorts, it's hard to objectively see them as any less pretentious or victimized-by-fashion than the previous generation of corporate-fashion-rockers they sought to rebel against.

 

 

Your views are spot-on! You summed it all up very succinctly.

 

The current indie-hipster scene has reached the point of total homogenization--everyone IS moving in lockstep, as you so deftly put it. Their rebellion is over; it's just a fashion statement now, something to buy at JC Penny in every suburban mall.

[BlueStrat]

Preview
I guess it would depend on how you define "top acts": Sales figures? concert gross?

40s: Frank Sinatra
50s: Elvis
60s: Beatles
70s: Stones
80s: Michael Jackson
90s: U2
00s: Eminem
2010- Gaga

[Hegmatronicon]

 

Preview I guess it would depend on how you define "top acts": Sales figures? concert gross? 40s: Frank Sinatra 50s: Elvis 60s: Beatles 70s: Stones 80s: Michael Jackson 90s: U2 00s: Eminem 2010- Gaga

 

 

Funny - i opened this thread to throw out Emininem for the 00's. I Had thought of Marilyn Manson for the 90's too except i dont think he influenced BANDS so much as people.

[Surrealistic]

Interesting thread, even though clearly there isn't going to be absolute agreement on any decade.

I'm surprised no-one's mentioned David Bowie. If we're talking a) influence and b) defining the decade he has to be a contender for the 70's. Every time he redefined himself it seemed to influence a good deal of what happened next in the rock/pop world - at least here in England anyway. Oh and that reminds me, as an aside, Garth Brooks has had almost zero impact over on this side of the pond.