Worst Year For Music of the Rock Era

I'd say we are no longer in the Rock Era.

Anyway, does the question apply to "Rock" or to music in general?

first i thought of something from the 80's than i checked 1990 in rateyourmusic,pretty disgusting:
http://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1990

Rock, as a sister to "the best year in rock era " thread

ok, 1990 had Ride "nowhere" and other nice stuff here and there, but still, compared to other years..

^ That list it's pretty WTF. It's all metal then Angelo Badalamenti, more metal then the Pet Shop Boys.

check out results 100-200 for a better perspective...

rym is known for its metal fans users...

and geir

Why would the rock era begin in 1966? There was rock music before this.

Oh god, using rateyourmusic for help with this is so limiting..

Try http://www.acclaimedmusic.net

because after reading the "best year im rock" thread answers, no one, i think, chose something before 1966 i guess because for most of us, it's mostly an obscure period

xpost

I guess so.. I think 64/65 was pretty rockin imo.

rock music gets worse every year.

I would have chosen 1965; therefore, I must abstain.

rock era=post-Coltrane (I guess)

1990 sounds about right

1990

Let's see..what year was Sgt Pepper released?

I already voted, but just curious, does "rock era" mean we're only looking at "rock music?" Or is all music included in this? Because I refuse to believe that the year of "Humpty Dance" and "Poison" was the worst year for music. 1990 may have been the weakest year for 90's music, but many outstanding singles were released that year, and also Goo, Pod, Bossanova, AmeriKKKas Most Wanted, Fear Of A Black Planet, etc.

1990. Awful.

And first and foremost as the worst year ever for pop music, which takes everything from rock through hip-hop into consideration.
There was way too much of the latter then.

The correct answer is: whatever year we're in now.

No 1964, no credibility.

1990 was the year i took any notice of music at all. sure i had a penchant for Bombalurina, Beats International, MC Hammer, Snap and errr... Partners In KRYME, but you can't take this precious era of my life away from me.

1989 however... Or maybe 1999.

Easy answer: 1992 - in terms of quantity of quality

top rated albums of 1992
http://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1992

1999 was fucking good

Also, everyone says how great 1996 was, but I want to point out that for every great Orbital or Belle and Sebastian record, there was also some awful shit by horrible Britrock troupes whose main influences were Terrorvision (Symposium, 3 Colours Red, Skunk Anansie), johnnycomelately Britfop twerps (Menswear), dull as dishwater Northern anoraks (Cast, Shed Seven), toilet-fixated electronica (Bentley Rhythm Ace), "Kurt-Ain't-Dead" post-grunge (Stone Temple Pilots), the beginning of Nu-Metal (Korn), retarded Jock-Punk (Presidents Of the USA, Offspring), and androgynous mumblings heaped in eyeliner (Placebo) - just heaps and heaps of tragic bollocks really.

you're a macy gray fan, louis?

The best criteria to judge a year is the quantity of quality NOT the quantity of tripe

A lot of genuinely canonical stuff in the JGO taste came out in 1999. Too bad nobody's heard of, say, The Monsoon Bassoon.

The best criteria to judge a year is the quantity of quality NOT the quantity of tripe

-- djmartian, Tuesday, 17 June 2008 11:36 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

hmmm... only if you're saying how good the year was really. we're talking about the worst year here.

next grozart has convinced me. Bentley Rhythm Ace the killer blow for '96, god what a crock they were.

the case for 1999
http://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1999

however it must be pointed out that LJ / JGO was only 12 at the time.

The worst year would have the lowest "quantity of quality" - which is why i always cite 1992 as the worst year for albums in the past 3 decades that i have experienced.

Has 13 by Blur got something to do with it Louis? I like that record.

I started uni in 1999 and was appalled by the music I was being exposed to - a pallette of Superclub Ibiza Trance, UK Garage-Lite, the full brunt of Nu-Metal and errr... Californication by the Chilis.

The worst year would have the lowest "quantity of quality" - which is why i always cite 1992 as the worst year for albums in the past 3 decades that i have experienced.

I'm going by my amount of mis/forgivings in a particular year. I remember 1992 as a good year for singles (but then I was only 12 and more interested in novelty-rave records than anything else).

On the upside, there was some great electronica and post-rock going on in 1999 all newish and bubbling under, like yes Sigur Ros (before they went boring) and GYBE! were still counted as a new and shiny thing. IDM was still far from hitting the glass ceiling too, even though 2000-2001 were better for that before it all went to cack.

using the new Custom Charts on rateyourmusic.com for 1992 for my friends & favourites. still 1992 lacks in terms of quantity of quality

using the web application iterasi to save dynamically generated webpages:

for the top 100 albums of 1992: [only the first page is saved 1-100]
http://www.iterasi.net/embedded/?sqrlitid=w3zZbc37kUm7m4nbI4TXXA
- click on the image to view

Not only have I heard of the Monsoon Bassoon, I still have their first album.

Good record, that.

(first and I suspect only album)

No 1964, no credibility.

-- Dingbod Kesterson

Does this mean you consider 1964 the worst; or merely that it's part of the rock era & therefore belongs up top?

Yeah, their only record (xpost). Fucking awesome it is too. I voted 1999 in that other poll; it really was a super, super year.

The worst year would have the lowest "quantity of quality" - which is why i always cite 1992 as the worst year for albums in the past 3 decades that i have experienced.

I won't argue your opinion but for me '92 was always one of my favorites. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

1996

Okay... '91 was on par with '90, if not worse. Every dummyhead here is going to vote for a 90's year anyway when the true answer is clearly 2007. (It's too soon to vote for 2008, and so far it seems to be a step up.) I love every year a Pixies album was released, so it hurts me to hear of people ripping on 87-91.

Also I would guess nobody is going to use rateyourmusic to look at the highest ranked singles or EP's of these respective years, which is also limiting perception.

90 vs. 91?

Faith No More's Epic vs. Red Hot Chili Peppers' Give It Away?

INXS's Suicide Blonde vs. EMF's Unbelievable?

Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence vs. Seal's Crazy?

Jane's Addiction's Been Caught Stealing vs. R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion?

I think the 87-91 era was labels convincing "classic rock" stations to give the newly created "modern rock" billboard chart a chance for addition of rotation via "independent promotion" (aka payloa)[lessening the "get the Led out" setlists of classic rock stations).

But for all the alternative/indie praising/bashing of today, it seems often forgotten that the modern rock campaign initially included songs such as:

(1986) Timbuk 3 - The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
(1987) Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning
(1988) Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians - What I Am
(1988) Tracy Chapman - Fast Car
(1989) Lenny Kravitz - Let Love Rule
(1989) Living Colour - Glamour Boys
(1990) Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares To You
(1991) Big Audio Dynamite II - Rush

But every year since modern rock radio's inception has included more than a handful of shitty alt-rock singles. Should a few bad bananas ruin the whole bunch? Also my favorite Neil Young album was released in 1990. And OMFG I fucking hate that Edie Brickell song.

i use http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/ as well, more well rounded epically when it comes to metal.

1990 looks about right but won't vote yet.

*especially

Whatever year it was that gave us chunky over processed guitar riffs against that huge, almost housey drum sound.

20 great ROCK songs all from 1990: "Fuckin' Up" (Neil Young), "The Wagon" (Dinosaur Jr), "Soon" (MBV), "Sliver" b/w "Dive" (Nirvana), "Pain In My Heart" (Babes In Toyland), "You Fucked Up" (Ween), "Everything Flows" (Teenage Fanclub), "Merry Go Round" (Replacements), "Slack Motherfucker" (Superchunk), "She's So High" (Blur), "Repeater" (Fugazi), "Thunderstruck" (AC/DC), "Show Me Your Soul" (RHCP), "When I Was A Painter" (Breeders), "Killer McHann" (Jesus Lizard), "Civil War" (Guns 'N Roses), "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (Butthole Surfers), "Never Enough" (The Cure), "I Am One" (Smashing Pumpkins)

1996 had way too much great Britpop to be a bad year. Probably the best year of the 90s for me. Some great underground neoprog by then too (although The Flower Kings wouldn't get really good until way later).

Are we going simply on albums here? 90-92 had some great one-hit rave tunes - very interesting singles charts years, but not so much album charts.

1990-91 also gave us the following pop gems -
Groove Is In The Heart, Love Shack, My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style, 3AM Eternal, Step On, There She Goes, Fascinating Rhythm, Tom's Diner, Englishman In New York, Enjoy The Silence, Nothing Compares 2 U, Lily Was Here, Unbelievable, LFO, Close To Me, Birdhouse In Your Soul, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Dub Be Good To Me, The Power etc...

it goes on

I see very few as those as "pop gems". 90-91 were really bad, while 92 did at least see the singles list improving. 87-91, to me, remains the worst period for music since before The Beatles though.

Come on Geir, even you mhave to admit the world would be a different place without "Groove..." and "Love Shack"

also i think 1990 was the first year that "dance" music really started taking over the charts in the way we know. The KLF were the world's biggest selling singles act of 1991 - that, imho is classic.

Come on Geir, even you mhave to admit the world would be a different place without "Groove..." and "Love Shack"

It wasn't essential, but "Groove Is In The Heart" was nice enough. Even though some of the tracks on the album were better.

also i think 1990 was the first year that "dance" music really started taking over the charts in the way we know.

That is my main problem with 1990. Although the hair metal that had dominated the end of the 80s wasn't too good either.

only a good thing for me at the time. i was 9-10 years old and stuff like Tricky Disco, the Prodigy, LFO, the KLF was amazing to my ears - completely new and nothing like anything else I'[d ever heard before.

Then, you hadn't heard much before either :)

And, basically, that was the negative thing about them for me. I liked what I'd heard in the early 80s, and I didn't feel the need to hear anything that didn't sound like what I was already used to and liked.

in a nutshell.

Hah!

I'm really fond of that time in music, as I say - got bought a radio for Christmas and started taping the chart show religiously, reading Smash Hits etc. I got obsessed, and I think it was largely down to there suddenly being a lot of colourful, quirky, kidd-friendly music about at the time. It could be argued that this was the last era when pop hits could be enjoyed for their novelty value without necessarily being counted as a novelty record or tying into a product or tv show. Something like "Charly" by the Prodigy or "LFO" were huge in my class because the kids could identify with them.

Before 1990 (before "my" time) it had seemed all a bit drab on the music front - churning, adult, bleakness from bands like the Smiths and the Bunnymen; bland insipid SAW Kylie and Jason stuff. There was a real cartoonishness about the charts in the early 90s that I really liked.

Rave and HipHop were finally becoming a real presence in the charts and this was very colourful stuff. Weird too - imagine something like "It's Grim Up North" getting in the top ten (it's practically a noise record). "Groove Is In The HEart" and "Love Shack" - they're two of the most memorable and colourful party anthems in the history of music and they're totally bonkers deep down.

Before 1990 (before "my" time) it had seemed all a bit drab on the music front - churning, adult, bleakness from bands like the Smiths and the Bunnymen; bland insipid SAW Kylie and Jason stuff. There was a real cartoonishness about the charts in the early 90s that I really liked.

Adam & The Ants and Thompson Twins were obviously way before your time though ;)

And I guess you were a bit too old to fully appreciate "Sesame's Treat" in 1992 ;)

Adam & The Ants and Thompson Twins were obviously way before your time though ;)

this was early-mid 80s. i was completely indifferent to any pop music before Jan 1990. "Sesame's Treat" rocked many a school disco, although in retrospect it really was mining the same barrel created by Trip To Trumpton and Charly.

1967

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

1985 - easily.

it's obviously 66, without 66 we wouldn't have blowhards insisting that everything went crappy the second people stopped rigidly conforming to a single model

'85 on the other hand was awesome

1990 had TONS of excellent rock...

Thinking Fellers Union Local 292 - Tangle
Nomeansno - Wrong
..or just tons of punk rock that year
..or tons of just about anything on Sub Pop or Amphetamine Reptile or Touch & Go that year
Bailter Space - Thermos
Tall Dwarfs - Weeville
oh this could go on

1990 was also a great year for dance pop hits too. 1990 was a great year for music, period.

So, the answer is obviously 1991. lol.

"282" sorry

JOhn D - the thread starter said "Rock", not pop. And yes, sacred cows are bad - we get it.

The thread starter said "Music", stfu.

nobody noticed that there's two 2001s and no 2002?

2008 easily. If that doesn't count, then 2007.

Let's just say that I won't be all that interested in reading any "Top 100 Albums of the '00s" lists when they come out next year.

yeah, late 80s early 90s has some solid stuff. I'd say like ... 1995 or 1996. That's right after the innovative surge of hip-hop, dance, "electronica" (remember that word?), pop, indie, and grunge, and it's like people had no idea where to go from there.

there was a whole hell of a lot of great dance music around in '95 & '95, burt_s

1995-96 was a nice time when music suddenly started to have tunes again after years of way too much hip-hop and dance. 1994-97 was the best part of the 90s.

1998-00 wasn't particularly good though. Way too much boy/girl bands, and not enough proper music in the charts. And so many great mid 90s bands broke up or lost their recording contracts that the amount of good material released wasn't too big either.

But the way too hip-hop/dance dominated 1987-91 period was even worse anyway.

Ah, forgot that the mid 90s had all those brick wall cafe beatnik hat wearing bands like Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Soul Coughing, etc. and then the Stereolabs, Boredoms, etc.

nobody noticed that there's two 2001s and no 2002?

-- El Tomboto, Friday, 20 June 2008 02:01 (12 hours ago) Link

2002 is actually worth considering here too

Geir Hongro writes:

I. AM. YOUR AUTOMATIC LOVER. AUTOMATIC LOVER.
I. AM. YOUR AUTOMATIC LOVER. AUTOMATIC LOVER.
I. AM. YOUR AUTOMATIC LOVER. AUTOMATIC LOVER.
I. AM. YOUR AUTOMATIC LOVER. AUTOMATIC LOVER.

OF THE MELODIC MUSIC MADE BEFORE THE YEAR OF 1974...

Here Gier:

On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, and died six days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest at the University Medical Center.

November 24, 1996, Crowded House plays its final concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, in front of an audience of almost 100,000. Proceeds from this concert support the Sydney Children's Hospital.

Hootie & the Blowfish won the "Best New Artist" award at the 1996 Grammy Awards. Hootie & the Blowfish appeared on MTV Unplugged on the eve of the release of their second album, 1996's Fairweather Johnson.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

1987 - ok thats make make sense
1990 - '"'
1975 - no fucking way!

those damn punks still voting 1975

Why everyone who voted 1975 is an idiot.

FOUR PEOPLE VOTED FOR 2007!?!!!?!

haha 1 vote for 2008

Another reason for the idiocy:

CDR700MB Go! 1975 - It's Not That The Colors Are There, It's Just Imagination They Lack
Part II

/Mr. Snrub

Never got the 1975 hate myself tbh

But we confirmed it... 1987, one of two worst years of music

Prince's Sign O The Times
a whole lotta Chicago house and Detroit Techno
Boogie Down Productions' Criminal Minded
the first Stetsasonic
Butthole Surfers' Locust Abortion Technician
Negativland's Escape From Noise
The Swans' Children of God
Voivod's Killing Technology
the first wave of the post-Reign In Blood era
Stacey Muthafuckin' Q!!!
hell, the height of freestyle
Debbie Gibson's Out Of The Blue
Jesus And Mary Chain's Kill Surf City
New Order's "true faith", "touched by the hand of god"
Depeche Mode's Music For The Masses
The Cure's Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
Big Black's Song About Fucking
Love & Rockets' Earth Sun Moon
REM's Document

confirmed worst music ever

Music RIP

(lo, ok about the second item above, i spent more time on this than the five people who voted 1987 combined)

For 1987 you also forgot

Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me
Sonic Youth - Sister

and a shit load of other classics. 1987 is like that decades 1977. You people are crrrazy

I blame Stock Aitken and Waterman

People.

"Never Gonna Give You Up"

From 1987.

ILM RIP

Maybe other people did what I did and just clicked on a year that they knew would wind somebody up.

ILX : What is The Genre Of Music You Dislike/Hate Most?

On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, and died six days later of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest at the University Medical Center.

Which was sad for him, and a bit sad considering his last (pre-death) album was probably the most listenable rap album ever. Biggie was a lesser loss for music.

November 24, 1996, Crowded House plays its final concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, in front of an audience of almost 100,000. Proceeds from this concert support the Sydney Children's Hospital.

Crowded House exist today and released the best album of 2007. :)

Hootie & the Blowfish won the "Best New Artist" award at the 1996 Grammy Awards. Hootie & the Blowfish appeared on MTV Unplugged on the eve of the release of their second album, 1996's Fairweather Johnson.

And nobody in Europe cared.

Justic has been served. The two "winning" years here are probably the two worst ever. At least since 1966.

1975 was excellent though and you have to be a punk to think otherwise.

1987 also one of the great years for hair-metal (from Appetite For Destuction and Hysteria and Faster Pussycat on down.) Plus, yeah: Debbie Gibson, Expose', Tiffany, Cover Girls, The History of the House Sound Of Chicago, Sonic Youth's best album Sister, Leather Nun Force of Habit, Les Rita Mitsouko Presentent The No Comprendo, Magazine 60 Costa Del Sol, Madonna You Can Dance, Michael Jackson Bad...So a completely ridiculous choice. (Correct answer would clearly be some year in the early/mid '90s.)

...And Redd Kross Neurotica, and Sonny Sharrock Guitar (or Seize the Rainbow if you consider Guitar 1986 -- both great), and Schooly D Saturday Night, and John Cougar Mellencamp The Lonesome Jubilee, and Public Enemy's first and possibly best album (plus "Bring The Noise"), and Alexander O'Neal Hearsay, and Pet Shop Boys Actually, and Rosanne Cash King's Record Shop, and Necros Tangled Up... 1987 was a great year, for Crissakes.

xhuxk listst the exact reasons why 1987 was so bad. Well, besides hip-hop, that is.

(Some of those albums are good, but Pet Shop Boys have released better albums than "Actually" after the discovered that analog synths sound better than digital samplers)

1987 is part of the Golden Age of hip-hop, + the Golden Age of American underground/college rock, + the Golden Age of house, etc. What music do you even like? Hip-hop is out, rock is out, and dance/electronic is out.

fwiw I voted 1996. Hootie and the Blowfish the top artist of that year? That says it all.

1987 is part of the Golden Age of hip-hop, + the Golden Age of American underground/college rock, + the Golden Age of house, etc. What music do you even like?

Whatever dominated the English first half of the 80s, for instance. And analog synths, not sample based.

And btw I HATE hip-hop, I HATE hardrock, and I am no big fan of dance/house or American underground rock either. British underground rock is better although its prime wasn't until the Britpop movement 10 years later (and by then it wasn't underground anymore).

What I like is ENGLISH synthpop, ENGLISH psychedelia, ENGLISH melodic 60s pop, ENGLISH symphonic rock, ENGLISH new wave, ENGLISH Britpop etc. etc.

And ENGLISH music in 1987 was Stock/Aitken/Waterman. Which is part of why I hate 1987.

I voted 1990 though, but 1990 (and 1988-89) was about roughly the same genres as 1987.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_cUyxaV3I5aI/R0x-p8k7ysI/AAAAAAAAAAM/5p5Sww-6vTg/s1600-h/hooliganR300506_228x370.jpg

http://www.simonjobling.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/st_george.jpg Does this bring tears to your eyes?

1997-2003 was the worst era in rock music

best geir baiting thread in a while

and btw I HATE hip-hop

no you don't, we all remember the thread where somebody found yr Soulseek shares

1998-2000 was a pretty sad era for popular music all over. But I wouldn't stretch it as far as 1997-2003 as 1997 still had lots of great Britpop (and "OK Computer") while 2002-03 even saw mainstream pop getting more rock-influenced, song-oriented and generally better than it had been in a while. Even if it would take Linda Perry to write the songs as the artists hadn't talent to do it themselves.

you secretly hate all the music you claim to like and are actually a huge fan of Peter Brotzmann

fess up

Come On Pilgram was released in 1987.

I've been thinking that this poll does not so much have anything to do with what years were bad vs what years were good, but rather it has more to do with what genres of music people are into vs what they're not into and the years in which those genres were at their peak in popularity.

1990 may not have been an outstanding year for Top 40 radio, but the rock music of that year had some truly brilliant (and apparently overlooked) moments.

Also Peel's Festive 50 from 1987 has been revered as one of the most diverse and high quality of them all. And also Come On Pilgram came out that year.

I've been thinking that this poll does not so much have anything to do with what years were bad vs what years were good, but rather it has more to do with what genres of music people are into vs what they're not into and the years in which those genres were at their peak in popularity.

That is obvious anyway. Basically, that is what shapes a music year.

I find late 70s rock music (particularly from the UK, at least apart from the overrated Sex Pistols) catchier and much more fun than the sad alternative American rock of 87-90 btw.

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/05/hooliganR300506_228x370.jpg

English football. Now there's a completely different story. :)