What was the best year for music (within the last century)?

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I'm still deciding, but I'm hovering between 1968 and 1970.

― Steev (Steev), Thursday, 19 May 2005 02:58 (twenty-one years ago)

1993

― bahtology, Thursday, 19 May 2005 03:10 (twenty-one years ago)

May 1 '71 to April 30 '72

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Thursday, 19 May 2005 03:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Can't do a single year. But I'd put up '27, '67, '71, '79, '81 off the top of my head. Maybe '56 or '57, somewhere in there, for jazz. I'm not really great at remembering years, despite my email moniker.

― I.M. (I.M.), Thursday, 19 May 2005 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)

1967.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 19 May 2005 03:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Tied between 1981 and 1929. 1992's right up there too.

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 19 May 2005 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I will know this in a few weeks.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Thursday, 19 May 2005 03:45 (twenty-one years ago)

1971

― andyjack (andyjack), Thursday, 19 May 2005 09:58 (twenty-one years ago)

1968, 1982, 1992, 1997

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 19 May 2005 10:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Let me explain,

1968 for rock, 1982 for pop, 1992 for dance and let me change 1997 to 1994 because of all the great albums that came out then.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 19 May 2005 10:23 (twenty-one years ago)

1985 and 1993

― Siegbran (eofor), Thursday, 19 May 2005 10:23 (twenty-one years ago)

IM and Douglas ... what music makes 1927 and 1929 important (not criticising, just interested ?

― andyjack (andyjack), Thursday, 19 May 2005 10:30 (twenty-one years ago)

My Popular project has just got into '66 and that year's definitely a high point of some kind, with the rest of the 60s a slow decline. I'm listening to a lot of 70s stuff but don't really know which year anything came out. I'd second 1982 and I'm fond of 1991 and 2002 too.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 19 May 2005 10:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I second 1991.

― hmmm (hmmm), Thursday, 19 May 2005 11:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, I second 2002 also.

― hmmm (hmmm), Thursday, 19 May 2005 11:09 (twenty-one years ago)

My Popular project has just got into '66 and that year's definitely a high point of some kind, with the rest of the 60s a slow decline.

Interesting. This is almost exactly what Ian MacDonald says.

I enjoy Popular a lot btw.

― Masked Gazza, Thursday, 19 May 2005 11:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Very likely! I suspect that MacDonald would have pretty sharply disagreed with a lot of my post-60s opinions tho. (Unless he had a secret thing for Lieutenant Pigeon).

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 19 May 2005 11:31 (twenty-one years ago)

1983

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 19 May 2005 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

For pop music? 1984.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 19 May 2005 12:00 (twenty-one years ago)

1966 or '67.

― Simon Adams (foreignrifles), Thursday, 19 May 2005 12:11 (twenty-one years ago)

either 66 or 67

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 19 May 2005 12:21 (twenty-one years ago)

How about a little love for 1997? That was the best year for music in the last 25 years. Look at what came out:

Sleater-Kinney: Dig Me Out
Built To Spill: Perfect From Now On
Yo La Tengo: I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
Belle and Sebastian: If You're Feeling Sinister
Bob Dylan: Time Out Of Mind
Radiohead: OK Computer
Modest Mouse: Lonesome Crowded West
The Verve: Urban Hymns
Pavement: Brighten The Corners
Notorious B.I.G.: Life After Death
Spiritualized: Ladies And Gentlemen...
Daft Punk: Homework
Roni Size: New Forms
Cornershop: When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Portishead: Portishead
Whiskeytown: Strangers Almanac
Elliott Smith: Either/Or

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Thursday, 19 May 2005 12:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Any year which has the Verve's Urban Hymns should be automatically excluded. Picking between 67, 79, 82 and 94 I'm going for 94, one of those years when everything was up for grabs.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 19 May 2005 12:40 (twenty-one years ago)

"Lonely Woman" was recorded in 1959=the winnar

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Thursday, 19 May 2005 12:42 (twenty-one years ago)

'82

― brianiac (briania), Thursday, 19 May 2005 12:42 (twenty-one years ago)

What were the highlights from 1929?

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 19 May 2005 12:51 (twenty-one years ago)

1959 was a real good year for jazz, it is also the year of "Kind of Blue", "Giant Steps" and "Mingus Ah Um".

― earlnash, Thursday, 19 May 2005 12:57 (twenty-one years ago)

'94

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 19 May 2005 13:06 (twenty-one years ago)

The late twenties and early thirties were an incredibly rich period for blues, old time country, gospel, jazz bands etc. 1929 is often picked out as the year of choice by connoisseurs (I think Joe Bussard, Harry Smith and Robert Crumb, but I might be wrong) and while I don't have the knowledge to pick out a specific year from this period as my favourite, there certainly was a whole lot of awesome stuff going down in 1929. A quarter of the songs on The Anthology Of American Folk Music were recorded in 1929, if that's any indication.

― Ogmor Roundtrouser (Ogmor Roundtrouser), Thursday, 19 May 2005 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Guessing that had something to do with the bubble economy of '29, plenty of money for recording equipment to go around (+ lots of demand).

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 19 May 2005 14:18 (twenty-one years ago)

1982=thriller

― jichael mackson, Thursday, 19 May 2005 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Jazz: 58-59
Rock era Pop: 66-67
Hip-Hop: 88-89

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Thursday, 19 May 2005 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

1965-66

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Thursday, 19 May 2005 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Electro/Electro Pop: 82-83

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Thursday, 19 May 2005 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

1977

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Thursday, 19 May 2005 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

NINETEEN SEVENTY_SIX

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Thursday, 19 May 2005 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

or 1997

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Thursday, 19 May 2005 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

1966

― darin (darin), Thursday, 19 May 2005 15:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Redux

55 R&R
66 Rock era Pop
77 Punk & Computer Disco
88 Hip-Hop

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Thursday, 19 May 2005 15:24 (twenty-one years ago)

1929 = tons of good 78s, both folk/hillbilly/string band and hot jazz.

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 19 May 2005 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

For '27, ditto Douglas re: '29. I'm not an expert, it's just a year that seems to pop up often when I'm listening to pre-war stuff. Most especially, some of the most essential Carter sessions.

I'm surprised by all the '82 love. It didn't even poll as well as '79 when I asked which year I should do a "1981 box" on next between the two. A lot of fantastic new pop, but it didn't have the breadth or general intensity as '81, to my ears.

― I.M. (I.M.), Thursday, 19 May 2005 23:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Hits of 1929:

1. When You're Smiling - Louis Armstrong
2. Makin' Whoopee - Eddie Cantor
3. Singin' In The Rain - Cliff Edwards (Ukelele Ike)
4. Tip Toe Through The Tulips With Me - Nick Lucas
5. Pagan Love Song - Copley Palza Orchestra (Bob Haring)
6. Louise - Maurice Chevalier
7. Honey - Rudy Vallee
8. Am I Blue? - Ethel Waters
9. Sweethearts On Parade - Guy Lombardo
10. Great Day - Paul Whiteman
11. If I Had A Talking Picture of You - Johnny Hamp's Kentuckey Serenaders
12. Carolina Moon - Gene Austin
13. A Precious Little Thing Called Love - George Olson
14. The Wedding of the Painted Doll - Leo Reisman
15. Pin Top's Boogie Woogie - Clarence Smith
16. Little Pal - Al Jolson
17. Little Orphan Annie - Coon-Sanders Orchestra

― jcartledge (jcartledge), Friday, 20 May 2005 02:12 (twenty-one years ago)

A little more love for 1977 please?

Mostly godawful year for singles, though Thelma Houston's "Dont' Leave Me This Way" enjoyed one week at Number One in the US.

But albums?

Blondie - Blondie
Blondie - Plastic Letters
Bowie - Low
Bowie - "Heroes"
Chic - Chic
The Clash - The Clash
Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
The Damned - Damned, Damned, Damned
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Richard Hell/Voidoids - Blank Generation
Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express
Iggy Pop - Lust For Life
Ramones - Leave Home
Ramones - Rocket To Russia
Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks...
Talking Heads - Talking Heads: 77
Television - Marquee Moon
Wire - Pink Flag

But wait, there's more!

ABBA - The Album
Bob Marley - Exodus
Kiss - Love Gun
Kiss - Alive II
Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell

Oh, and the Star Wars and Saturday Night Fever soundtracks.

And the Cars, the Police, and Van Halen all got signed.

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Friday, 20 May 2005 03:34 (twenty-one years ago)

1967

― Cunga (Cunga), Friday, 20 May 2005 04:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Just out of curiosity, are you guys only factoring good music in your choices? Because if a bunch of good lesser known albums came out in a year but complete shit permeated the culture at large I think the pluses and minuses should be totalled together ('97 is a good example of what I'm talking about).

― Roadkill Bingo (Roadkill Bingo), Friday, 20 May 2005 05:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Not a single vote for '73, '74, or '75 yet.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 20 May 2005 05:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh ILM, you do like 1977, you do, you do...!

POX 1977 Non-Punk Albums

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Monday, 23 May 2005 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

bugger

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Monday, 23 May 2005 04:42 (twenty-one years ago)

POX 1977 Non-Punk Albums

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Monday, 23 May 2005 04:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, '77 is great. I also like 1979, 1968 and 2003.

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Monday, 23 May 2005 04:50 (twenty-one years ago)

1979

― zeus, Monday, 23 May 2005 10:07 (twenty-one years ago)

why 2003, mike?

offhand, 67, 68, and 77 seem like the best choices. also offhand, i would put 79, 82, 91, 74, 70, 71, and 72 in the top ten. this may betray my bias slightly.

― peter smith (plsmith), Monday, 23 May 2005 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

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