Which decade of the 20th Century do you feel was the most musically diverse?

I think it very much *does* have to do with people's preferences. While the quesiton as posed does not specify a particular kind of music, this board is heavily tilted towards pop/rock. Someone who simply isn't interested in rock music might pick another decade, when *their* type of music was popular or undergoing lots of change. For example, if your thing was mainly 'classical', you might pick the 10's or 20's when there was a flowering of bold and influential new styles and concepts.

And the sample of respondents here is pretty small to make a convincing case for anything beyond sh.tv.

Ask yourself this: how many people so far are arguing for decades that *aren't also* the decades in which their favorite pop/rock appeared?

 

When I saw the thread question, my immediate response was the 70s. I see the point about the 60s, and a lot of the music of the early 70s is an extension of the music of the late 70s. I think whether the poster chooses the 60s or 70s may hinge in part on when he grew up, with the boomers leaning towards the 60s, and us Gen Xers choosing the 70s. There is no question that the 60s experienced a boom in variety of musical styles from the big band 40s and doo wop/Happy Days music of the 50s. The success of the LP as a recording format (as opposed to the 45 single) probably deserves a lot of credit for the diversity of music that started in the 60s and continued through the 70s. I think it was a great 20 year period, and will probably not be matched again in our lifetime. I may also have to give the 70s the nod because the first quarter of the 60s, before the Beatles hit it big, were still hit single 45 oriented, whereas the 70s went strong from the start to finish (albeit with disco at the end...).

 

OK, here comes trouble. but I chose the eighties for sheer diversity.

Early 80s had disco. Country was coming to the mainstream. Death Metal, Black Metal and Speed Metal all made their debuts. (Slayer, Iron Maiden) Punk was a driving force both in England and the US cities. (Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Exploited) Then came Goth. (Cure, Sisters of Mercy etc..) Dance and Techno took shape. (Depeche Mode etc) Classic Rock was still around with Clapton and Boston etc... Christian rock was also hitting the mainstream with Petra and Stryper etc.. Rap emerged and became a household word. Pop music took a large intrusive step forward with MTV and Madonna and even "power pop" acts such as Toto, Hall & Oates, Survivor etc..

I could go on and on...

Actually, the more I think of it, I feel my choice was correct.

Mark P.