05-31-2022, 06:08 PM
The best popular music was unquestionably during the Awakening, except for the last 5 years or so of it. The screaming and loss of melody occured during the rise of heavy metal styles, new wave and punk rock, rap, grunge and so on, which started with boomer artists to be sure, but was supported mostly by Generation X music fans. That is when the decline starts, which coincides with the ruination of our politics and culture (especially in the USA and UK) as well, around the time of 1979-1981: the rise to power of neoliberalism, the moral majority, etc., leading soon to the consolidation of media markets and producers and relegating real artists to indie or foreign status.
The peak year of pop music was 1966, and in general 1963 to 1973. Gradual decline sets in after that, and full scale ruination in the 1980s, and in particular with the start of the 3T after 1984. Now, all this is a generalization, and some fairly good artists and music can be found during this "decline," which was mainly in the USA commercial pop markets and the main alternatives genres, but even here arguably there are some good songs here and there, although especially beyond these genres. But the real excellent popular music was during the early Awakening years, and was created by the Silent "artist" generation and early Boomers-- mostly those born near the cusp of the Silents. But the quantity of interesting and inspiring pop-culture music of this era is so vast that it seems inexhaustible.
The previous excellent pop era was in the previous 4T era, and to some extent the earlier years of the preceeding saeculum: the big band, jazz and American songbook era, with Hollywood, Broadway and Tin Pan Alley producing some landmark music too. GeekyCynic mentions a few of the singers from this era, and the musical/film and other song composers and band leaders were also notable. This music is quite different from the latter sixties era; more emphasis on melody and fine singing, and expert performances like in the jazz genre, and less on sound innovation and subtle, inspiring, ambitious arrangements and guitar/organ riffs or socially-conscious lyrics and authentic intimacy or sensuality that we hear in the latter era.
However, neither era of excellence should be exaggerated to the point of holding that all of the popular music of these eras was great. That is as inaccurate as saying all the pop music since 1980 is bad. There was a lot of mediocre pop music in all these eras.
My selection of the best music of the early to mid-Awakening era and the late 1T era of this still-current saeculum I list here: http://philosopherswheel.com/ericrock.html I also list some favorite selections from other eras at the end of the article.
The peak year of pop music was 1966, and in general 1963 to 1973. Gradual decline sets in after that, and full scale ruination in the 1980s, and in particular with the start of the 3T after 1984. Now, all this is a generalization, and some fairly good artists and music can be found during this "decline," which was mainly in the USA commercial pop markets and the main alternatives genres, but even here arguably there are some good songs here and there, although especially beyond these genres. But the real excellent popular music was during the early Awakening years, and was created by the Silent "artist" generation and early Boomers-- mostly those born near the cusp of the Silents. But the quantity of interesting and inspiring pop-culture music of this era is so vast that it seems inexhaustible.
The previous excellent pop era was in the previous 4T era, and to some extent the earlier years of the preceeding saeculum: the big band, jazz and American songbook era, with Hollywood, Broadway and Tin Pan Alley producing some landmark music too. GeekyCynic mentions a few of the singers from this era, and the musical/film and other song composers and band leaders were also notable. This music is quite different from the latter sixties era; more emphasis on melody and fine singing, and expert performances like in the jazz genre, and less on sound innovation and subtle, inspiring, ambitious arrangements and guitar/organ riffs or socially-conscious lyrics and authentic intimacy or sensuality that we hear in the latter era.
However, neither era of excellence should be exaggerated to the point of holding that all of the popular music of these eras was great. That is as inaccurate as saying all the pop music since 1980 is bad. There was a lot of mediocre pop music in all these eras.
My selection of the best music of the early to mid-Awakening era and the late 1T era of this still-current saeculum I list here: http://philosopherswheel.com/ericrock.html I also list some favorite selections from other eras at the end of the article.