Best year in rock/pop music history?

cosmos · Post by **cosmos** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 1:58 pm

I would vote for 1966.....Beach Boys (Pet Sounds), Beatles (Revolver), Rolling Stones (Aftermath), Dylan (Blonde on Blonde) all at the tops of their respective games.

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 2:36 pm

That's a good argument. I'm not sure I could pick a better year.

pip_52 · Post by **pip_52** » Wed Nov 26, 2003 2:49 pm

1977

Elvis Costello: My Aim Is True
The Clash: The Clash
Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks

Im not sure its better than '66 (what is?) but it comes close for me.

girl out of time · Post by **girl out of time** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 12:10 pm

1969
-tommy/ the who
-nashville skyline/ bob dylan
-the band/ the band
-let it bleed/ the rolling stones
-soul ´69/ aretha franklin

1973
-quadrophenia/ the who
-closing time/ tom waits
-the wild the innocent & the e street shuffle
-hard nose the highway/ van morrison
-mind games/ john lennon
-in the right place/ dr. john

1978
-this year´s model/ elvis costello
-darkness on the edge of town/bruce springsteen
-bloody valentine/ tom waits
-some girls/ the rolling stones

DrJ · Post by **DrJ** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 12:22 pm

To be difficult:

1994
Brutal Youth
Parklife
Defininely Maybe
Vauxhall and I
Dog Man Star
Mellow Gold
Monster
Beatles at The BBC

...well, I enjoyed them. There was a stretch from 93-95 when I bought a lot of good new records. Maybe I'm just old now.

DrJ

(Yeah, probably 1966)

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 12:41 pm

To be even more difficult
2003
Great albums by The Jayhawks, Cosmic Rough Riders, Elvis Costello, Future Kings Of Spain, Radiohead, Joe Jackson, amongst others. Yes, it's been a great year.

DrJ · Post by **DrJ** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 1:05 pm

Also in 2003, records from: Bowie, Neil Young, The Dandy Warhols, The Minus Five, Eels, Fleetwood Mac and Steely Dan.

DrJ

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 1:21 pm

I think 2002 was a better year than 2003.

Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me
Elvis - When I was Cruel
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Tom Waits - Blood Money
Tom Waits - Alice
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
Badly Drawn Boy - About A Boy, Have You Fed The Fish
Johnny Cash - American IV
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
George Harrison - Brainwashed

DrJ · Post by **DrJ** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 1:28 pm

Hmmm, but 2003 had The Darkness! Everyone loves The Darkness.

But 2002 had Cobblestone Runway. I need to think this through...

DrJ

Richard · Post by **Richard** » Fri Nov 28, 2003 2:19 pm

For me it has to be;

1979

Gang Of Four - Entertainment!
Elvis Costello - Armed Forces
Talking Heads - Fear Of Music
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
The Specials - The Specials
The Jam - Setting Sons
The Clash - London Calling
PiL - Metal Box/Second Edition

1980

Elvis Costello - Get Happy!!
Elvis Costello - Talking Liberties/Ten Bloody Mary's
Joy Division - Closer
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
Talking Heads - Remain In Light
The Jam - Sound Affects
The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms

Also 1979/80 also saw great singles by The Beat/Madness/Orange Juice/Josef K/Robert Wyatt/The Slits/The Associates/The Ramones/David Bowie/Gregory Issacs/Bob Marley/Echo & The Bunnymen/Teardrop Explodes/Fire Engines/Blondie/The Undertones/Buzzcocks/Magazine/U2/Paul Simon/The Fall etc.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Fri Nov 28, 2003 5:03 pm

Hey Richard, you took the words right out of my keyboard. I was going to choose 1980 above all else, with the holy trinity of my three favourites, two of which you have (Get Happy!!, Closer) one of which you don't (Scary Monsters, though you do have Bowie down under singles).

I'm with you on almost all of these, except The Feelies is just a name to me. American, I guess. Apart from the Heads, I was very Brit-focussed at that time. And the singles list is remarkably close to mine. My American twin! And you've got the Fire Engines in there, wow! Never bought any of theirs, though a friend did. Candyskin! Excellent. Kind of post-Josef K.

I was so excited - 15-16, discovering all this music and much else besides, and starting to play drums with friends.

OK, a question. Did you ever hear a Scottish band from probably '81 with a great, energetic poppy single called, I think All About You? The somethings, probably. Bit like The Skids, but not them. Pretty obscure, I guess, but a friend had it, and I've been wondering for a while who they were.

Richard · Post by **Richard** » Fri Nov 28, 2003 5:46 pm

Hey Otis,

Glad to find someone in agreement! In fact I have seen enough of your musical comment on this board to know you would like a couple of the names listed.

I did consider Scary Monsters. It was in fact one of the first albums I ever owned. My preference for Berlin era Bowie & my awareness of where Bowie went after Scary Monsters kept it off. But it is more akin to 70s Bowie than 80s. And being the gadfly that he is contains elements of Joy Division etc. So it surely deserves being in your trinity of 1980 masterworks.

If you can throw a hook or line about that obscure Scottish single I might have a chance with it. The title rings a bell but doesn't trigger anything specific.

Misha · Post by **Misha** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 4:22 am

Richard...or...Pip?

Richard...or...Pip?

Hmm, Richard....or ....Pip?

Both excellent lists dear to my heart...Ok, I'm off to get a quarter, the only fair way to decide this....

Heads it's Pip...Tails it's Richard.....

3 out of 3.........

Richard

pip_52 · Post by **pip_52** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 12:29 pm

Well, he does make a compelling argument . . .

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 7:16 pm

What about 1974...

Bob Dylan - Planet Waves
Bob Dylan & The Band - Before The Flood
Rolling Stones - It's Only Rock N' Roll
Wings - Band On The Run
Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic
The Doobie Brothers - The Captain And Me
Aerosmith - Get Your Wings
Queen - Queen 2
New York Dolls - In Too Much Too Soon
Tom Waits - The Heart Of Saturday Night
Joni Mitchell - Court And Spark

And I haven't heard these, but I hear they're pretty good:
Randy Newman - Good Old Boys
Van Morrison - It's Too Late To Stop Now
Neil Young - On The Beach

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 8:37 pm

Yeah, those last two are better than anything further up, but you left out Diamond Dogs.