When Music Was Best

I'd have to say 1995 was the best year for me. I was 14. 1995 brought Smashing Pumpkins (Mellon Collie), Hum (You'd Prefer An Astrounaut), Sonic Youth (Washing Machine), Versus (Dead Leaves), and so many other amazing albums that I still listen to all the time. At the time, only a few of my friends seemed interested in this stuff. Everyone else was listening to Coolio or still crying over Kurt Cobain. People thought the music I loved was weird. They probably still do...

Sent by Joe | 1:57 PM | 8-8-2008

i've always found this topic reaaaally interesting. there's something about adolescence and music that is just forever linked. maybe people really need music to get through adolescence so they hold onto it forever.

Sent by margottobed | 3:43 PM | 8-8-2008

I voted for 1993, but I'm still not too sure on this. I feel this way because pretty much every single year had an album that really stood out in my heart. The album from 1993 was "Siamese Dreams" by Smashing Pumpkins. "2000" was also excellent because it held "Kid A" my personal favorite Radiohead album. For a future blog I would defiantly suggest doing a "Which Decade Was Best For Music" for me if this was asked it would hands down be 2000's because of all the amazing indie rock bands that have came out this decade. I also find that the best indie bands are Canadian, does anybody else find this? Whops, sorry I got a little off topic there.

On Pavement, I have only heard two of there albums being "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain" and "Slanted and Enchanted" both were awesome. When ever I hear the song "Summer Babe" it always gets stuck in my head. I would suggest playing it on the show if you have the rights and all just so everybody can hear how great it is.

Sent by Jacob | 7:07 PM | 8-8-2008

I voted "1969", for Neil Young and Crazy Horse's "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" and The Beatles' "Abbey Road," both of which have stuck with me through my adolescence into my twenties (though it did seem slightly unfair that I was only allowed ONE vote). Something about Neil Young's voice and style has attracted me since my earliest memories of listening to my dad's record collection, and Abbey Road might be the first Beatles album I ever heard.

Still, I can't discount 1979 (Tom Waits' "Small Change") or 2005 (My Morning Jacket's "Z").

Sent by Tim | 10:00 PM | 8-8-2008

Coming of music age in the late '70s, this is a difficult question if only because of the way the music industry operated. At that time groups could release a few albums to build a following, before a break out hit would make hits out of their back catalog. Likewise, there were albums that could hang around for a year or more slowly building its following so that a 1980 release might not really pick up steam until '81.

I'm not sure if picking out a year is applicable for the way radio and the music operated at that time.

Sent by Ed | 10:27 PM | 8-8-2008

85 was also great because of Tom Waits masterpiece "Rain Dogs". Hands down his best work.

Sent by Jacob | 10:51 AM | 8-9-2008

It is really difficult for us young folks to gauge the "golden age of music" (i.e. 70s) accurately because we are mostly only aware of the heavy-hitter names of the generation. Just imagine if you could only judge this generation of music solely on bands that could fill Madison Square Garden. You couldn't even come CLOSE to appreciating the music scene that way! I mean, I could probably name 30 times more bands from the 2000s as I could from the 60s/70s just because I wasn't alive then.

With that being said, I picked 2005 only because I sorted my iTunes music library by and chose which one had the most CDs I hold in such high esteem. Here were some of my personal highlights from that year: Bright Eyes - Wide Awake... ; Decemberists - Picaresque; Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine ; Kanye West - Late Registration ; M.I.A. - Arular ; My Morning Jacket - Z ; Sigur Ros - Takk ; Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (really it's been THAT long!?) ; Wolf Parade - Apologies to Queen Mary.

This is an interesting poll because I wonder what the older generation selects. I am curious how I will feel about music when I am in my 40s, 50s, etc... Will I still think that the 2000s were really THAT good?

my guess is that you will
bob

Sent by Bryant | 11:43 AM | 8-9-2008

An almost impossible question for a music lover but for the fun of picking one year I'd have to say 1976....reasons:
- A great underground movement was underway(new wave/punk) which would influence pop music to this day (perhaps too long!!)
- There was still some great "Prog" as the music press had not gotten around to punishing the "big ideas" "skilled musicians" crowd yet...Genesis...Rush...YES etc.
- A typical day of AM radio consisted of Steve Miller(Fly like an Eagle Singles), Eagles(Hotel California Singles), Queen(A night at the Opera Singles),Boston, Heart, Kansas etc...not too shabby for top 40..I don't care what you "Hipsters" say.
- Jethro Tull had their peak lineup.
- Neil Young was at a creative peak.
- The best Pink Floyd Album (Animals) was at least underway.
- Avant Guarde was making bold statements...(Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass)
- The Electronic scene was coming into it's own (Tangerine Dream..Jean Michel Jarre)
- Tom Waits was on Saturday Night Live.
- "Freebird" evolved into it's final form and entered the nations consciousness forever
- disco...R&B...take your pick...so much innovation during that period.

Sent by Den | 10:03 PM | 8-9-2008

You guys really need to take a listen to June Rochelle. I mean this girl is a diamond in the ruff. Check her out at sonicbids.com/junerochelle or www.myspace.com/junerochelle or cdbaby.com/junerochelle
You guys her song "A Better Place" is soooooo vintage Motown

Sent by Sarah Neilson | 12:48 AM | 8-10-2008

Music we like when we're 12-16 certainly seems to inform our adult taste. For me, that meant the late '60s & early '70s. I picked 1972 for its wealth of music that still resonates -- Randy Newman's Sail Away, Stevie Wonder's Talking Book, Joni Mitchell's For the Roses, Neil Young's Harvest, The Stone's Exile on Main Street, etc.

Sent by Betsy | 9:27 AM | 8-10-2008

i know for me, most of my favorite bands and songs come from the late 70s and early 80s when i was in my late teens and early 20s.

and i find that most of the people i know like the music that came out that time. some music fans and geeks might like music from before they were born - i like big band/swing and oldies, but your average joes and joseys seem to like music from their teens and early 20s.

Sent by OlderMusicGeek | 1:06 PM | 8-10-2008

Like another poster, I'm tempted to name a recent year as the best simply because it's so fresh in our memories. 2003-2005 were pretty great years. The music itself started making me pay attention again. I couldn't ignore the onslaught of Interpol, Sufjan, Wolf Parade, Clap Hands, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, and so on. But I had to go back to 1983, because so many of both the arena-ready and left-of-center albums were just damn good. They still get heavy rotation on my ipod, 25 years later.
The Blue Nile - A Walk Across the Rooftops
Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
The Police - Synchronicity
U2 - War

Sent by Steven | 5:22 PM | 8-10-2008

'91 was amazing. It was the year that grunge and progressive music really started to have a foundation for me. Obviously Nirvana was huge, but also Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pixies, the Shoe Gazer movement in the UK, REM was still great.

Sent by yokel | 8:45 PM | 8-10-2008

I chose 1997, only because it felt too cliche to pick 1969...and that was the year that OK Computer came out (and that's probably in my top 3 albums ever)!

Sent by Ryan | 11:05 AM | 8-11-2008

I tend to think the answer is biological. The music during each person's puberty seems to be the music they like the most.

Sent by Tom Hendricks | 11:08 AM | 8-11-2008

LOL at "Siamese DreamS." It's called Siamese Dream. That album is my favorite album of all time. Smashing Pumpkins are my favorite band. I voted for 1993.

Sent by Blake | 12:27 PM | 8-11-2008

I voted 1991 and I think you can throw in 1992 also. I was just getting ready to start college. It was when I heard My Bloody Valentine's Loveless that music changed for me. Also, throw in U2's Achtung Baby...those two album set the pace for the rest of the '90's and still have signifacantly impacted my musical tastes today.

Nirvana came out at that time too, but I really didn't care for them or grunge after listening to MBV's Loveless. I'll take shoegazer/dreampop over grunge any day.

Sent by Sam | 12:37 PM | 8-11-2008

1991

pearl jam's "ten" & nirvana's "nevermind". i was nine years old. eddie and kurt were the coolest guys around. they were my first definition of "cool".

now i like kings of leon and my morning jacket. a different sound, but the same soul.

Sent by nate | 12:40 PM | 8-11-2008

For me, it's between 1964 and 1965. '64 was the year of the Beatles and the British Invasion. '65 was an extension of that, with more developed tracks and the Beatles starting to really gain complexity. '66 started to get more psychedelic, so '65 probably would get my vote. Here's the top 20: 1. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
2. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), Four Tops
3. Wooly Bully, Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs
4. My Girl, Temptations
5. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', Righteous Brothers
6. Downtown, Petula Clark
7. Help!, The Beatles
8. Can't You Hear My Heartbeat, Herman's Hermits
9. Crying In The Chapel, Elvis Presley
10. You Were On My Mind, We Five
11. I Got You Babe, Sonny and Cher
12. Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter, Herman's Hermits
13. The Birds And The Bees, Jewel Aikens
14. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Mel Carter
15. Shotgun, Jr. Walker and The All Stars
16. Help Me, Rhonda, Beach Boys
17. This Diamond Ring, Gary Lewis and The Playboys
18. The "In" Crowd, Ramsey Lewis Trio
19. King Of The Road, Roger Miller
20. Stop! In The Name Of Love, Supremes

Sent by Steve Marinucci | 12:49 PM | 8-11-2008

I say '97-98. I was 14-15.
Radiohead, Bjork, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pavement, and a little genre called Trip-Hop. Most of this I wouldn't fall in love with till a year or two later because I was for some reason into Christian Pop-punk at the time.

Sent by Tommy | 12:51 PM | 8-11-2008

I voted for 1996 because it was the year two of the best, and arguably most influential, emo (ugh, I hate that phrase) albums came out: Weezer's "Pinkerton" and Texas Is The Reason's "Do You Know Who You Are?" Classics that honestly NEVER get old.

Although I didn't vote for the year, 1959 was a fantastic year for music as four of the greatest jazz albums of all time saw their release that year: Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue", Dave Brubeck's "Time Out", John Coltrane's "Giant Steps", and Ornette Coleman's "The Shape of Jazz to Come". All fantastic.

Sent by Jason | 3:22 PM | 8-11-2008

1995 for me. I was 14. Just getting knee deep into ambient and it was by far the best year for it.

Oval
aphex twin
Orb
etc

All had their best releases in 94-95. Also the "new" techno sound was brewing and soon I'd be raving and getting my mind blown away by the likes of Jeff Mills.

Sent by daniel | 3:44 PM | 8-11-2008

I voted 1980 as the best year in music: New wave hadn't yet gone pop, and for a short, sweet time brought revolutionary new light to pop radio.

New bands included Depeche Mode, Flock of Seagulls, Bow Wow Wow, Missing Persons, The Church, The Fixx, The Smithereens, etc. And to top it all off, it was the birth year of R.E.M. Top that!

Sent by Paul I | 4:19 PM | 8-11-2008

1991 - great year for me personally and the music then was the soundtrack for my life. Three amazing albums came out that year - U2's Achtung Baby (still unmatched by them), Nirvana's Nevermind and R.E.M.'s Out Of Time. Although technically Automatic for the People was a better album, Out of Time ruled for me that entire decade since it moved me so much when I first heard it. Early 90's in general were a great time for music, but '91 was the peak.

Sent by Jeff P | 4:38 PM | 8-11-2008

1969!!! I was 2 but you just can't top a year that saw:
Debut albums from Zeppelin (I and II), Marley, Stooges
Defining Albums from King Crimson, Stones, David Bowie, Caetano Veloso & the Stones
Altamonte
Woodstock
...that's already hard to beat!!!

Sent by yup | 4:50 PM | 8-11-2008

Hmmm, why no years before 1963? There WAS music before the British Invasion . I think I'll skip this survey that seems to be era-biased. BTW, I'm not THAT old, just 50.

there is an "other" choice ...that way the list wouldn't take too long to load"

Sent by dadosam | 4:59 PM | 8-11-2008

I was a teenager in the late 80s and early 90s but for me and my friends it was the music of the early 70s that meant most to us. We weren't hip enough to know about the good underground bands at the time like The Replacements, Sonic Youth, Husker Du... etc. But at the same time we hated top 40 and the hair metal bands that were popular. So for us, bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and people like Hendrix, David Bowie and Neil Young were the sound of our adolescence even though they were at their peak around the time we were born.

Sent by John McAteer | 5:11 PM | 8-11-2008

I'm with Steve M who suggested 64-64, but he left off perhaps the greatest albums to come out during that time: Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde. Not to mention Newport in 1965 and the Ford Mustang, not music, but related to musical culture, first model year 1964 1/2.

Sent by Dan Gjelten | 6:09 PM | 8-11-2008

What's the idea of a survey like this starting with the year 1963?

In the mid to late '50s, the Stax & Chess labels were in their prime, Elvis was going appeared on NMC and CBS, and Berry Gordy had discovered Jackie Wilson & Smokey Robinson. Jazz was undergoing its single most dynamic period, with Miles, Monk & Coltrane reinventing the genre every night.

The great music of the 60's & 70s was built on the shoulders of the giants who laid the foundation in the late 50's.

that's why we put the "other"
The list was taking too long to load with a longer list. we will hand tally the "other"

Sent by jarratt | 1:17 AM | 8-12-2008

1965 or 1966 was for me the best because The Beatles reached their zenith with their "Rubber Soul" album followed by "Revolver". These two albums inspired so many other artists of the time to produce great works as well that spanned the late 60's; too numerous to name here. But The Beatles set the Gold Standard in 65-66 with the two albums named above. A standard that remains unmatched to this day. I feel so lucky to have come of age musically in the mid/late 60's, the greatest time for Rock music!!

Sent by Kevin Langan | 8:29 AM | 8-12-2008

I meant 1964-1965.

Sent by Dan Gjelten | 10:25 AM | 8-12-2008

I meant 1964-1965.

Sent by Dan Gjelten | 10:25 AM | 8-12-2008

1967 - The Velvet Underground and Nico

Sent by klf | 12:04 PM | 8-12-2008

I've always voted for 1971; albums include: Live at the Fillmore East (Allman Bros), Master of Reality, Super Bad, Hunky Dorey/The Man Who Sold the World, Live-Evil, What's Going On, Aqualung, Tapestry, Tupelo Honey, Led Zeppelin 4, Sticky Fingers, Who's Next, and the Yes Album, not to mention the concert for Bangladesh....

Sent by John | 12:40 PM | 8-12-2008

It's hard to answer this question. Like many people, my formative years for music listening were high school and college (roughly 1978-85), but much of the music I listened to then had come out years earlier. I associate records with the year I heard them, which is often not the year they were released.

In high school I remember sneaking my new Sony Walkman into the library during study hall so I could listen to Who's Next and Ziggy Stardust on a 90-minute cassette. That Walkman was probably four times the size of my 80G iPod, which holds most of my music collection now, but that's beside the point. Anyway, both of those records had come out earlier in the 70s, but high school was when I discovered them and that's the time I associate them with. Layla is another one of my favorite records, but I was seven when it came out, and I didn't hear it until much later. I've gotten more current over the years, but there's not necessarily a correlation between the year a great record was released and the year I (or anyone else) heard it first.

Sent by Gary | 3:13 PM | 8-12-2008

Does anyone else find the curve of NPR listener ages fascinating? I'm 19, and I'm fascinated with how many 56 and older people are listening to ASC. Not that there is anything wrong or uncool about older people, its just all the people I know 56 or older think NPR is a liberal conspiracy.

Sent by Jeff C. | 11:55 PM | 8-12-2008

I don't think it's possible for me to pick just one year, but reading these comments has given me an even greater appreciation for the diversity of music and how it is important to everyone, no matter what they are in to.

Sent by Steve | 10:08 AM | 8-13-2008

If anyone's stuck, this a semi-good resource for what was released in what year (it IS wikipedia, however, so some entries are wrong): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_years_in_music

I kinda half-assedly picked 1970. Even though I was born in 1983, I feel like most of my musical spirit belongs in the late '60s/early '70s. A lot of the current music I love definitely takes that period as a jumping off point as well.

In 1970, there was...
Neil Young- After the Gold Rush
Miles Davis- Tribute to Jack Johnson
The Stooges- Fun House (probably the main reason I picked '70 over '69)
Pharoah Sanders- Deaf Dumb & Blind and Thembi
George Harrison- All Things Must Pass
Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath
James Brown- Sex Machine
Hawkwind- Hawkwind

Sent by Lars Gotrich | 11:21 AM | 8-14-2008

Oh, and The Beatles broke up in 1970. I don't know, I think that was one of the best things that could have happened for that year/decade. Sure, only George Harrison would REALLY write consistently good music for the rest of his life (can't say the same of the others, to be honest), but man, Let It Be? Yeah, let's be glad we didn't get more of that.

Sent by Lars Gotrich | 11:26 AM | 8-14-2008

I voted 87, roughly. I was one, (hey, I'm young) but my early childhood introductions to music and my formative years were spent listening to the music that came out during this time. The Cure, The Smiths, etc. Watching a video of a Cure concert when I was five probably profoundly influenced how I view music today. Also when I brought in a Tears for Fears cassette to show and tell in first grade. I was really cool.

Sent by kayleigh | 1:48 PM | 8-14-2008

1978. Warren Zevon's Excitable Boy, Bruce's Darkness,Elvis Costello, and Little Feat's Waiting for Columbus. I was 22 and I saw each of these artists that same year. Bruce's show in Charlotte turned me around. Good times.

Sent by tommy the s | 9:37 PM | 8-14-2008

1979!

Because: The Clash - London Calling, Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures, Devo - Duty Now For The Future, Pink Floyd - The Wall, Elvis Costello - Armed Forces, the B-52's - the B-52's, the Cars - Candy-O, Talking Heads - Fear of Music, AC/DC - Highway to Hell, The Fall - Live at the Witch Trials, Joe Jackson - Look Sharp, The Police - Regatta de Blanc, The Specials - The Specials, Madness - Madness.

All still in my collection.

Sent by Jorge Alvarez | 10:25 PM | 8-14-2008

I chose 1967. I think that was about the time I realized it took more than two guitars, drum kit and bass just churning out the same stuff we'd been hearing since about 63-64. We wanted more, and the Beatles, Beach Boys, Stones, The Who, and the San Francisco sound delivered in spades.

Sent by D. Workman | 7:02 PM | 8-16-2008

In the summer of 1966, I'd be skimboarding or just laying out on the hot sand at Shell Oil beach north of Seattle every nice day. I was listening to KJR Seattle channel 95 would be playing the hits, and a set came on of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer In The City", "Sunshine Superman" by Donovan, "Paperback Writer" by The Beatles, and "Sunny Afternoon" by the Kinks and I thought "How can rock get any better?" Rock music has changed and evolved, but it's never gotten any better than 1966(even though the #1 song of '66 was "The Ballad Of The Green Berets", IMHO a novelty song only). In the summer of 66 I had my first date, to see the Mamas & The Papas and Vanilla Fudge. In September I entered high school. On Halloween, for my 15th birthday, I bought my first album, "Smiley Smile" by the Beach Boys, and shaved for the first time. In 1966, rock had evolved away from Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound, Motown girl groups, and was yet to be Psychedelicized. Even Frank Sinatra had a cool tune, "Summer Wind". 65, 66, 67, all three were great years for music, and cars. Cruising in a '66 Tiger, with a soundtrack by the Kinks, Donovan, The Beatles, the Spoonful, and the Rascals were still Young, as were we.

Sent by Marty Corey | 11:55 AM | 8-18-2008

I used to believe that music hit its creative peak during my adolescent years of 1985-1988, and that all innovation was quashed during the post-grunge era. It wasn't until Napster and other file-sharing networks arrived that I discovered music that had not been played on the radio during the 90s.

I believe that technology has allowed more good music to be produced now than at any other time in music history. It's just not being fed to us in the way it used to be. It takes a deliberate effort to track it down.

Sent by Justin | 1:10 PM | 8-18-2008

It's hard to pick just one year that is best. I'd say overall the best era for music was 1966 - 1972, but I chose 1971. This is the year that a lot of groundbreaking albums came out. Here are a few.

Led Zeppelin - IV
Pink Floyd - Meddle
Kraftwerk - K4 Bremen Radio
Flower Travellin' Band - Satori
Black Sabbath - Paranoid (US Release)
The Doors - L.A. Woman
Can - Tago Mago

Sent by Andrew Bouc | 8:44 PM | 8-18-2008

I chose the year 2007 after some debate between 06-08. 2007 came out with some fantastic indie and alternative albums. Some of my favorites that really introduced me into a whole new world of music:

Neon Bible-Arcade Fire, Favourite Worst Nightmare-Arctic Monkeys, Flying Club Cup-Beirut, Once (Music from the Motion Picture), Super Taranta!-Gogol Bordello, Yours Truly, Angry Mob-Kaiser Cheifs, Kala-M.I.A, Oracular Spectacular-MGMT, Challengers-The New Pornographers, In Rainbows-Radiohead, Wincing the Night Away-The Shins, and of course Hissing Fauna are you the destroyer.

I was 14 In 2007 so I guess age may have had something to do with it, but I pride myself on my lack of Jonas Brothers or sappy punk rock bands that generally characterize the youth of my generation.

Sent by Lauren M | 11:20 AM | 8-19-2008

I have to agree with John (8-12),
1971 rocks !

It is interesting that this was the year I was born, but that's not why I love it. To me, it simultaneously represents the apex of Classic Rock (Led Zeppelin IV, Who's Next, Hunky Dory, Sticky Fingers), the begging of Prog Rock (Meddle, Fragile, the ELP debut), the best of my Parent's music (Tapestry, Imagine, Blue) and just to top it off, Electric Warrior.

Sent by Seth | 12:31 PM | 8-19-2008

Very tough question - I had to choose 97. I was 17 and it was when I really got into music. Until then I didn't have a preference and would listen to whatever my friends were listening to at the time, even though I always knew just following their lead didn't "do it" for me musically. I don't remember what turned me around and started me forming my own opinions, but I do remember that was the year I went to my first real concerts, so maybe that was it.

Sent by Mike V | 12:51 PM | 8-19-2008

I have to commend 1965-1975 as the full blossom of the rock n roll evening. So many giants of the industry (who make current acts look like pygmies)were strutting their stuff in that decade. Dylan, Beatles,Stones, Doors, Velvets,Floyd, Zep, Genesis, Bowie,Alice Cooper,Todd Rundgren,Srteve Miller, Eagles, Jackson Browne,Little Feat,Steely Dan, Faces, Slade T-Rex, Elton, Young, Mitchell, Queen, etc.It was common - and still is- for these acts to put a string of classic albums out in a row. For some reason many of these artists chose 1973 to bless us with their finest moment on 33RPM.Bowie's Aladin Sane, Floyds Dark Side, Coopers Billion Dollar Babies, Faces Ooh La La, Roxy's For Your Pleasure,Genesis Selling England, Elton s Yellow Brick Road,Led Zeps Houses of the Holy,Todds Something Anything,Steve Millers The Joker. Then there were other iconic issues like Oldfields Tubular Bells and the debut New York Dolls album - produced ofcourse by the Hand of Todd. Yes my vote goes firmly toward 1973. within a couple of years the seam all but dried up (excepting the new wave-a largely singles based seam). By the 1980s we were in the desert living off the scraps of artists who had survived the 60s/70s.
Thankfully by the 1990s a renaissence was under way.. but the great artists who emerged then were still far behind the consitency shown by the earlier described generations.

Sent by Bobby Parker | 1:16 PM | 8-19-2008

My vote was 1966 - How can anything top Revolver (Beatles), Pet Sounds (Brian Wilson/Beach Boys) or Blonde on Blonde (Bob Dylan)? Also Aretha Franklin released "Respect." What I would have given to have been alive during that year...

Sent by Trevor | 1:30 PM | 8-19-2008

I said 1966 for two reasons:

Blonde on Blonde
Revolver

Sent by Kim | 4:45 PM | 8-19-2008

1966. For all the musical reasons everyone else has cited. I was 14 years old then and was really starting to tune in.

However, I'm chiming in to include the Rolling Stones "Aftermath" album, released in June 1966. It's one of their best, and I started my album collection with it the following year. I recall my local AM station playing "Under My Thumb" from the album in the daytime (i.e., when lots of people were listening), even though it was never released as a single!

Sent by Steve | 7:57 PM | 8-19-2008

1977 is THE year. Your choices for best album from 1977: Clash's debut album, Rocket to Russia, Never Mind the Bollocks, Lust for Life, Changes in Attitudes-Changes in Latitudes, Marque Moon, the Jam's In the City, Chic, the Damned, Dead Boys, Pink Flag, My Aim is True, Cat Scratch Fever, Blank Generation, Talking Heads 77, Foreigner's debut, JT, Motorhead's debut, Aja, Animals by Pick Floyd, Book of Dreams, Street Survivors, Running on Empty, Heroes, Night Moves, Rumours, Slowhand, The Stranger, Tejas, Abba's "the Album," Trans Europe Express. Songs? Hotel California, Rich Girl, Dancing Queen, Sir Duke, Alison, American Girl, Barracuda, Exodus, I Want You to Want Me, White Riot. What a Year.

Sent by Jeff | 3:44 AM | 8-20-2008

I picked 1969. Not only was it smack dab in the middle of the 1965 to 1975 era of rock which is so quintessential for listening. It was also when many bands were starting to release debut albums that would mesmerize thousands and thousands of people and influence so many others to delve into the music world. I don't believe it is cliche to pick '69 because it's just so important. Many important albums were released, for example, Abbey Road and Tommy. Debut albums sprang up like dandelions that would establish bands as some of the greatest to have played on this earth. For example, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Genesis, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Neil Young, Nick Drake, King Crimson, David Bowie (yes, first solo album released 1968 but "Space oddity" came out a year later which pretty much erased the fact that Bowie's career started then), Alice Cooper, Santana, Can, Bob Marley, Jethro Tull, The Allman Brothers Band, Janis Joplin, The Stooges, etc. Just all round outstanding music that resonates until today.

Sent by Paulie | 4:17 AM | 8-20-2008

1969 was a great year for music. However, for me it was 1976 ...BLONDIE!

Sent by angie | 11:04 AM | 8-20-2008

What an interesting thought. I guess I may be the exception in that I've never even considered there being a best year for music. Or even a decade. There's just so much great music out there, past, present, and I would assume future!

I admit having lamented the seeming stagnation of my friends' tastes as we've passed into our 30's. I keep finding all this great new stuff, and all they seem to want to do is listen to the same old set of music we were excited about when we were younger. I find myself having to talk with younger and younger people to share new discoveries.

Sent by Aaron | 4:33 PM | 8-20-2008

So much fun to read the comments! I chose 1969 primarily for Abbey Road. I was not yet 10 but have still listened to that album for all these years. Neil Young, Grateful Dead, Airplane also have a large imprint for me. Otherwise, I have tried but cannot get Radiohead. Not pretentious, just not good. Sorry. Ditto on the pre 1963 comments. Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy!!

Sent by march | 12:02 AM | 8-21-2008

No disrepect to the great years of '69, '72, and '77, but I have to vote for 1997. It contains some of my all time favorites:
OK Computer - Radiohead
Perfect From Now On - Built To Spill
Either/Or - Elliott Smith
Portishead - Portishead
Homogenic - Bjork
Dots and Loops - Sterelab

Sent by Frank | 3:34 PM | 8-21-2008

I'll have to say 1971 (not sure, though). The North Star Grassman and the Ravens (Sandy Denny), Fragile (Yes), Nursery Crime (Genesis), Pawn Hearts (VDG Generator), Every Good Boy Deserves Favor (M. Blues), Acquiring the Taste (G. Giant), Meddle (P. Floyd), Aqualung (Jethro Tull), Hunky Dory (D. Bowie), Sticky Fingers (R. Stones), Led Zeppelin IV (L. Z.),... and more!!!

Sent by Paulo | 11:25 PM | 8-21-2008

That's funny...I was going to say 1935, but it wasn't allowed as a choice.

I say this to prove a point. It's a dumb question. We will always love the music, the movies, the TV, the magazines, the books, the comics, the everything that came with the first growth spurt of our worldly awareness.

I adore music from all eras and all genres--even from the 1600s and ancient Gregorian chants. The medium tends to SPAN all eras and genres, if its good. On my playlist.com, I have Listz's Hungarian Rhapsody, "Look Through Any Window" by The Hollies, "By The Time I Get to Phoenix" by Isaac Hayes, "Wildfire" by Michael Martin Murphy, "Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta" by the Geto Boys, "Candy-O" by the Cars, "Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead, "Sun's Gonna Rise" by Citizen Cope and "Umbrella" by Rhianna (and I'd have a much more diverse list if I could find anything pre-1960 on the site).

Look, I love lists and stuff. But picking a best year for music is much more difficult than picking a best year for movies or TV, for instance, because music has been around since sticks made sounds on rocks (favorite year for music: 6000 b.c.). The question's offensive short-sightedness implies that music was invented in 1963, and everything that came before that year is now essentially crap. (There must be typically myopic twentysomethings running this show because their crop think nothing on Earth was good until they kindly graced its surface. They love to dump on a past they were never a part of.)

So the question should be: favorite year of the rock era that excludes the 40s and the 50s, right? I know it's a question that's meant to spark conversation and nostalgia, so I apologize if I'm busting up the party, but, again, it's a fundamentally silly query. And in case you're wondering when I was born, 1966 was the year, and I thusly grew up with the music of the 1970s, so it's closest to my heart. But this fact alone means nothing. I like music, not years.

the survey allowed you to put any year you cared to. there was a choice for "other" .... to make a list include every possible year would have made a list that would have taken too long to load.

I have always thought that the music we love best comes at a certain point in our lives...you say that well at the top of your post. I just wanted to see how true that was. I think we all like music not years, it isn't an either or question.

bob

Sent by Dean Treadway | 3:40 AM | 8-22-2008

In my 56 years, there is great music today as there was years ago.... Its timeless.. But "Rubber Soul" followed by "Revolver", in my opinion, set a turning point in the music spectrum that I measure todays music by.

Sent by Joe Hammer | 10:55 PM | 8-22-2008

For me it was probably 1968. (Actually I may be off +- a year or so.) Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby Stills, Nash & Young. Mammas & Papas. It was also the year that I went to my first concert and heard Albert King live- Born Under a Bad Sign.

Back then we had radio that was real. KSAN in San Francisco had DJ's that actually knew about music. There was also top 40 and soul with great things happening there too.

Actually things are getting good again, no thanks to radio. I like a lot of the groups I hear on All Songs Considered and Second Stage.

Sent by Hank Cohen | 1:15 PM | 8-25-2008

I'll have to go with 1965, the "Last Picture Show" generation was freshly "minted" with those sounds, my last spring in high school, first fall in college.

Sent by Quill | 1:29 PM | 8-26-2008

I am reading all of these posts and I noticed there is no mention of r&b.
Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, James Brown, Supremes, Otis Redding, Al Green....am I missing something????

Sent by Lee Toth | 3:47 PM | 8-26-2008

I like 1977:
Bowie/Eno- Low, Heroes
Bowie/Iggy Pop- The Idiot, Lust for Life
Beach Boys -Love You
Leonard Cohen/Phil Spector- Death of a Ladies Man
Wire- Pink Flag
Sex Pistols
Ramones- Rocket to Russia
Television -Marquee Moon
Talking Heads 77
The Clash debut
Suicide debut
Elvis croaked

Sent by Ryan | 9:31 PM | 9-1-2008

I picked 1986, for one reason; Paul Simon's Graceland. I was 11. The SNL performance and subsequent album release hit me like the proverbial bolt of lightning and completely changed my view of what music could be. I wanted to choose a year that was the best overall. However, I couldn't decide so I went with the biggest singular (musical) impact on my life.

Sent by Mike P | 4:08 PM | 9-2-2008

1986:
Yeah yeah yeah the 60s. C'mon people. With the exception of 1977 (see the list above) '86 has gotta be the year. It has everything to disprove that the 80s sucked:

High water marks from some of the greatest bands of all time:
Smiths: The Queen is Dead
REM: Lifes Rich Pageant -- IMHO, their best
Sonic Youth: EVOL
New Order: Brotherhood
The Go-Betweens: Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express
Metallica: Master of Puppets

Landmarks from major solo artists:
Paul Simon: Graceland
Peter Gabriel: So

Two of the greatest female solo artist (and dance pop) records of all time:
Janet Jackson's "Control"
Madonna: True Blue

The explosion Rap as epitomized by two of the most seminal genre-defining (and genre defying) rap albums of all time:
RUN DMC: Raising Hell
Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill

At least half a dozen unbeatable pop confections:
Crowded House (debut)
XTC: Skylarking
Pet Shop Boys: Please
The Smithereens: Especially for You
Talk Talk: Colour of Spring
Game Theory: Big Shot Chronicles

And one of the greatest soul/funk singles ever:
Prince: "Kiss"

I'm not even counting lesser works like Billy Bragg's "Talking with the Taxman" and Elvis Costello's "Blood and Chocolate", nor guilty pleasures like Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet" and Van Halen's "5150"

Oh, and the two best John Hughes movie soundtracks: "Pretty in Pink" and "Some Kind of Wonderful", which introduced countless misfits to bands like the Smiths, Psychedelic Furs, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo & The Bunnymen, and New Order.

I rest my case. Take that, 1960s!

Sent by Paul | 5:07 PM | 9-2-2008

1976--the year that New York punks seemed to emerge from CBGB and hit the national air waves. Talking Heads, Tom Verlaine, Patti Smith, Ramones. And their Brit counterparts (at least for me at the time)--Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and to a lesser extent, Nick Lowe. Of course, this is also the same year I had emerged from grad school and gotten back in touch with pop music, just in time to catch the rebellion against classic rock that tried to recapture the rock-and-roll excitement we knew before the Beatles and Stones--actually, before the payola scandal in Cleveland. I could be a kid again for a while. Until alternative and grunge musics rolled in, buried the music of that Renaissance period, and ultimately sank the radio station that taught me everything I needed to know about 1980s music, WHFS. It all now seems so long ago....

Sent by Frank Camm | 5:11 PM | 9-2-2008

1979 London Calling was released but really was on the charts in 1980. That alone makes either one of those years my favorite as it opened my eyes to music beyond the typical pop / rock of the time and made me realize there was some pretty great music out there. I listened to that record over and over again. Also the first LP I ever bought.

Sent by K Scott | 5:20 PM | 9-2-2008

Are you kidding me? 1973 hands down was the best year- for me, for music. My final year of middle school before moving on to a the big scary catholic High school in East Los Angeles. Check out the hit makers of 1973: Billy Preston, Marvin Gaye, isley Brothers, David Bowie, Steal Wheels(one hit wonder but what a hit), The Ojays, Wings,The Spinners, Stevie Wonder, War, Chicago,Curtis Mayfield, The Allman Brothers,Steely Dan, Al Green, Temptations Pink Floyd , Eltons John, Billy Paul(another great one hit), Carly, Simon Diana Ross...,etc etc. It was a great time to ride around the hood in my folks new 1973 Impala with an after Market 8 track player installed in the front. It was also a great time when FM radio was coming on and you could get away from the tinny sound of AM and move to the richness of FM. Ah the good old days. I still love Radiohead, the Kooks, DMB, Springsteen, Beck, David Byrne, Oasis, Led Zep etc etc but that year tha summer was so influential to me. When I googled the hits for that year I got goosebumps thinking how cool some of those tracks were. Even the cheesy ones have a sentimental value. Oh yeah, with the exception of U2 and "the Joshua Tree" the 1980s did blow chunks musically. Thanks for reading,
Radiohedonist

Sent by Radiohedonist | 6:03 PM | 9-2-2008

I am a huge fan of the 80's, so I went in today's show prepared to take everything with a grain of salt. However, I was completely shocked after hearing the name Don Johnson brought up while great artists such as Depeche Mode and The Cure were left out. No offense, but really? I was not surprised that Micheal Jackson was left off (this is NPR) even though he revolutionized pop and should always be brought up when determining if the 80's where a respectable music decade. Other notables that should not have been left off, but were include Madonna, Prince, Duran Duran, George Michael, Van Halen and a personal favorite The Pixies. I would expect a better (or at least more unbiased)selection when having a hearing on whether the 80's were a good music decade or a bad music decade. I still cannot believe Don Johnson's name was brought up.

Sent by bmh200 | 8:39 PM | 9-2-2008

The farther back in time you go, the less you remember (or you simply were not born).
1980s - Level 42, Talk Talk.

Sent by Geof | 8:53 PM | 9-2-2008

the 80's had judas priest, iron maiden, van halen, scorpions, metallica, megadeth, dokken, great white, guns n roses, aerosmith, really great bands

Sent by jeff mendenhall | 8:59 PM | 9-2-2008

I think the fact that the 80s scored so low on your poll has more to do with your show's, ahem, mature demographic than it has to do with the actual music of the 80s. The Footloose soundtrack...you're kidding, right? That was music for preteens or maybe their suburban moms--it was considered a joke at the time. Would you have done a show on "The music of the 60s!" featuring the songs of Petula Clark? That would have made just as much sense.

To your credit you did include The Bats. New Zealand's Flying Nun records produced some great acts, including The Chills and The Verlaines. I'd love to hear more of those bands.

As Paul rightly points out, 1986 gave us 2 of the greatest rock albums of all time--Lifes Rich Pageant and The Queen is Dead. A decade that began with Joy Division's Closer and ended with the Pixies' Doolittle is infinitely more musically interesting than the 60s.

Sent by rachel | 9:38 PM | 9-2-2008

Petulah Clark was great! I can't pick a "best year" for music, though. 1965-1975 was certainly my personal heyday as a music listener, but late seventies/early eighties were pretty stellar, too (Clash, Graham Parker, Elvis C., Talking Heads, Television). But then REM and U2 are two huge favorites of mine that got their start in the 1980s. And I listen to tons of country blues and jazz from long before 1963.

Sent by Jim | 9:02 AM | 9-3-2008

I'm 39 and I think the music of the 80s stands up! The Specials, Elvis Costello, The Cure, The Replacements, Madness, etc, is the music of my generation. Even Duran Duran. I think I would really rather listen to them than Nirvana (!!)even though I was in my 20s during the 90s music.

Sent by Karen | 10:07 AM | 9-3-2008

Mid to late '80's, as a rebuttal to the argument that they were a musical disaster. They were, in fact, the best of times and the worst of times musically, but in this time of rap, hip-hop, and nice, but similar sounding ballad rock, the breadth of variation in 80's music is what gave it it's distinction and wide range of appeal. The mid to late 80's are when The Cure, New Order, Depeche Mode, Erazure, and many other modern and each distinctive sounding groups were at their peak and thus I'll cast my vote for most years in that time period.

Sent by Warren | 10:22 AM | 9-3-2008

I wasn't born yet but 1976 - 1977 was the best year in music (from July to July). For mainstrem rock there were some significant moments. U2 became a band during this year, yet under a different name. Tom Petty released its debut album. And even though "I hate the f-ing Eagles man," their Hotel California was released.

More importantly for music though, Songs in the Key of Life and Marley's Exodus were released as was Steely Dan's Aja and Talking Head's :77. The importance of these albums is still felt today. Some other influential albums were Bowie's Low, Pink Floyd's Animals and the Dead's Terrapin Station.

It essentially was the end of the first great rock era with its finale being The Last Waltz, the concert that said goodbye to The Band. Also, Led Zeppelin recorded The Song Remains and Framton releases Framton Comes Alive! giving this year three significant concert recordings.

This year was an incredible transitional year with Joy Division, Black Flag, The Clash, and The Cure all forming and then remaking the music world with entirely new sounds. Blondie released her debut album. Hall & Oates, ABBA and The Bee Gees all have hit singles pushing popular music into the disco, smooth era (not a bad thing).

Sent by andrew | 10:52 AM | 9-3-2008

I picked 1981 because that's when Air Supply had some really great hits. They are still recording and performing today!!!

Sent by Devoted2as | 12:06 PM | 9-3-2008

The 1980's were indeed a breeding ground for horrific music, but on the upside it became easy to determine an individual's coolness or intellect by their musical taste. Most of the music sucked out loud, but the counter culture preferred music from the likes of: Elvis Costello, U2, the Smiths, Depeche Mode, DK, Burning Sensations, Tragically Hip, etc...

Sent by RL | 12:38 PM | 9-3-2008

1986: The Moon and The Melodies by Cocteau Twins and Harold Budd.
The Serpents Egg by Dead Can Dance
Filigree and Shadow by This Mortal Coil
The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths..

need I go on?

Sent by Eric | 2:21 PM | 9-3-2008

I noted that, for me, 1982-3 were the best years for music based on two things: U2's 1983 release of War and the Police's 1983 release of Synchronicity. These two albums defined my teen years!

Sent by Jen | 2:25 PM | 9-3-2008

I can't pick a specific year. There's so much great music put out every year and to leave any of it out does an injustice.

Something I realized thinking about this too: The best year for music is NOW considering the fact that we have all the greatest music that was ever written available to us on demand. At the same time, all kinds of new music that's equally great is being written today. And if that's not enough, without a doubt, there's an unlimited amount of great music just waiting to be born.

So forget about the silly contest that can only serve to divide per annum and think about what a great time it is to be alive and the great times to come!!!

Sent by Gus | 3:17 PM | 9-3-2008

Being at the age of 40, I find all given decades to have their ups and downs.

The 70s produced plenty of great tracks and artists and I was beyond grateful for the downfall of disco in the very early 80s. Yeah, I remember disco ... perhaps all too well. Village who? At least Air Supply can still make all the stadiums rock.

Ah, the birth of MTV and when they use to play music videos. Plenty of one and two hit wonders. Enjoyed the material until about '87 or '88 when I got sick of synthesizers or Def Leppard knock-offs.

90s, one word: Radiohead. Thank goodness. From the moment I heard their material was piped in via BBC Radio 1 at the workplace I thought this was THE band and have bought every one of their CDs ever since. After some decent bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, to name a few, I pretty much do not listen to radio anymore though I enjoy Foo Fighters.

Does MTV show music videos at all anymore?

Sent by Craig | 4:38 PM | 9-3-2008

I agree somewhat with Craig. For me (almost 40 now!) Two periods stand out: 1968-1980 and 1991-1994. The first period for me was very influential for two reasons. First, my three uncles, who are 9-12 years older than me were heavily influenced by the span from 1969-1977. I loved listening to their albums (e.g., Frank Zappa, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead) with those crazy large headphones with the long, curly cord on their "quadraphonic sound system". So they were a huge influence.
For the period from '77~80 I started listening to stuff my uncles did not have--the Clash, the Police, Sex Pistols. In the '80s and into my college years, I really stuck with the late '60's stuff, but also had a stint with Van Halen (with David Lee) and REM. By my college years I started to diversify, including the bluegrass fusion of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Dead Can Dance. After college I moved to Seattle (1993-1997)--what a great time to live in Seattle--Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, etc.

In short, my music life keeps evolving. I'd have to say there is still some really good stuff coming out of Seattle.

Sent by Jason | 6:11 PM | 9-3-2008

When I was in high school in the early 70s my friends bought me a copy of Threshold of a Dream by the Moody Blues because they liked the cover. That began a series of purchases based on covers--Yes Songs, It's a Beautiful Day, For Your Pleasure and the ultimate Dark Side of the Moon. Just based on covers I became a progressive rock fan which seems to have evolved into an appreciation for "trance" music, New Age, world music and "Hearts of Space." I have a little pug who hates most of it and barks in warning. He doesn't like trippy music. But he's acquiring the taste.

Sent by Cathy | 7:51 PM | 9-3-2008

Wow. Reading all these comments makes me even more grateful for MUSIC!! Whether you're 19, 59 or some age younger or older--great choices. I remember when I was 14 in 1974 and I discovered through older friends Crosby, Still, Young and Nash...and then being beyond shocked that the songs I loved from their live album were recorded in 1969!! Can't pick a best single year..have to be early 70's for me. Anyone out there remember in the early 70's when the best FM radio stations played not just the hits, but ANY song on an album?? I'll never forget how cool that was...otherwise not as many would have known such a heartbreakingly beautiful song, Thorntree in the Garden, was the next song right after Derek and The Dominoes, Layla? It was always such a thrill when the DJ would let that blazing classic play right on into such a plaintive ballad.

Sent by Cindy | 12:21 AM | 9-4-2008

i am a dec. baby & was goin on 5 in 68 i luved that yr cause i know that there was alot of music 4 me & was followed by 69 which then led n2 the 70's. there are alot of artist out there 2day that we know that began back then & have made names 4 themself. so 4 me its a cross between 68 & 69. i prefer 68 cause it led n2 69.

Sent by PhDrSeuss | 3:07 AM | 9-4-2008

Arguing about music is silly yet delicious since it's such a deeply planted and shared national consciousness. Thanks to digital, we can now replay the better stuff of the 60's (even the 30's for that matter) so that in the future the better tune will just be the better tune regardless of what decade it came from.
Dovid

Sent by Dovid | 11:20 AM | 9-4-2008

What the heck?
The 80's are freaking awesome, and I didn't even come of age during that time!

Cindy Lauper
Shakspear Sister
Eurasure
The Cure
Madonna
Depech Mode
B52's
Bangles
A-ha
ELO
Billy Idol
REM

I LOVE the 80's.

Sent by Karl | 1:07 PM | 9-4-2008

Also the 80's were gave birth to the greatness that is punk and goth.

Sent by Karl | 1:25 PM | 9-4-2008

The eighties = Italo Disco, Post-Punk, No-Wave, Electro-pop, College-Rock ... sadly, most people missed the wonderful and inventive music created in this decade. Even after I lived it in full, I keep discovering new music from the 80's ... your 80's are definetly not my 80's.

Sent by ejival | 1:58 PM | 9-4-2008

Best year for music? Better to phrase the question "best music you like." I've found great stuff every year. Every decade had polar opposites -- Beatles vs. bubble gum, Grateful Dead vs. disco (why aren't you DEAD!), REM vs. rap, Metallica vs. Madonna.

You might have listened to AM Top-40 radio in the '60s and '70s; I listened to album-oriented rock on FM. You might have focused on MTV in the '80s; I was listening to campus radio stations that sparked an new, fresh face or rock.

I've yet to find much music this decade that creates spark and excitement. But there are still a couple years left.

Best year for music? Only your ears know for sure.

Sent by Ray Slove | 2:30 PM | 9-4-2008

There is no best when it comes to music. ever time line has its pros and cons just like people. Music is music.It is an art form. there is no right or wrong.Its all in way one sees things. Its always changing. 900 years from now people mite look back and say how bad the music was in this time.

Sent by Zucifer loudcorn | 8:05 PM | 9-4-2008

You are exactly right that almost no one picked the 1980s because commercial radio became more driven by profit in the 1980s than any other time. Bands and artists who remained true to their art were alternatives then, available only to those of us fortunate enough to find a college radio station over which many artists from the UK were played who otherwise never received American commercial radio airplay.

Please download nearly any Echo & the Bunnymen or Japan or Dead Can Dance song to hear unique music the industry denied young people listening to only commercial radio in the '80s.

Sent by Vicky | 12:36 AM | 9-5-2008

How can the 80s be discounted so? There was a lot of great music. I think most folks are just put off a bit by the hair metal bands(Poison was the worst). Iron Maiden put out some of the best music of their career in the 80s and they are still going strong, Rush also did the same. The cure was spawned from the 80s, Metallica was born and how can we forget Duran Duran. Most importantly it was a time of musical experimentation that seems lacking today.

Sent by Jon B | 12:12 PM | 9-5-2008

The entire decade of the '80s had the best music! As I type I'm listening to The J. Geils Band, a band that reached it's peak in the '80s. Michael Jackson's Thriller is still the number selling album of all time. That says enough about the popularity of the music produced during the '80s.

Sent by Glenn | 12:26 PM | 9-5-2008

I assume that all of the people out there who voted for 1991 are thinking about Nirvana, Pearl Jam, the Smashing Pumpkins, et al. who released amazing albums and revolutionized music. What these people forget is almost all of these bands actually broke onto the scene in 1989. In fact, many of the prominent 1991 albums were re-releases of 1989 albums (Gish, Pretty Hate Machine). When you add into the equation that in 1989 the Pixies were rocking with "Doolittle" then I think you have a strong case that 1989 was actually a better year than 1991.

Sent by Nate | 1:51 PM | 9-5-2008

I love all kinds of music, but I think because I grew up during the hippy days and to the start of "classic rock" I'd say, Jim Morrison was where it was, "the doors", so '68 is my choice!

Sent by Casey | 6:48 PM | 9-5-2008

What's great is that the music is always there to revisit. Still, can you hear Gen X screaming "no" to '69? Some more demographics on the survey results would be soothing.

Sent by Amy | 12:46 AM | 9-6-2008

Not to seem uncool here... I think that the period from 1978 to 1981 deserves to be mentioned since the first 4 Van Halen albums were released during this time (including one of their arguably finest - "Fair Warning") and ZZ Top's "Deguello" which was one of their best albums before delving into synth-pop which they unfortunately became known for.

I think the 80's were characterized by a lot of great SONGS and a lot of cheesy, dated PRODUCTION. Just my 2 cents. Also, Michael Jackson should have been mentioned. "Thriller" is one of the best R&B/pop records ever and the top-selling album of the eighties. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) And what about "Purple Rain"? And Rat? (Kidding.)

Sent by Chris Young | 6:40 AM | 9-6-2008

You guys have the most mainstream pop and rock songs of the 80's on the list. Depeche Mode and Aha were pretty good. And not the stuff overplayed on the radio either, the stuff that didn't make the radio was really good. The late 90's had some good things in music. The Red House Painters are an amazing band. Although I didn't discover them until they disbanded. Okay I am looking through my list of 80's music and you failed to mention 'Til Tuesday, The Clash, Cheap Trick, David Bowie!!! And what about 2008? My sister has a theory that everyone eventually goes back to listening to the music that was popular when we were coming of age. I am glad you have proved her wrong.

Sent by Renee Lauzon | 9:40 AM | 9-6-2008

Obviously, the demographics in this poll are skewed, perhaps too much. To label the '80s the way NPR does, however, shows a serious lack of music knowledge on the part of both NPR and many of its listeneres. Or, perhaps, the comment was meant to ignite controversy. The '80s produced the most diverse decade in modern music: artists as disparate as China Crisis and Run DMC, Prince and the Pet Shop Boys, The Smiths and Christopher Cross, U2 and Madonna, Everything but the Girl and Van Halen, Talk Talk and Journey, and many more. These names are, within their genres and beyond, synonymous with quality music.

Sent by Simone | 12:25 AM | 9-7-2008

1991
Janes - Ritual
Nirvana - never Mind
RHCP - Blood Sugar
Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
Tribe called quest - low end theory
Buffalo tom - let me come over
Lemonheads - shame about ray
Pearl Jam - ten
Beasties - check your head
Feelies - time for a witness
R.E.M. - Out of time
Pixies - troupe
U2 - auchtung baby
My bloody valentine - loveless
Slint - spiderland
Soundgarden - badmotorfinger
Pharcyde - bizarre ride
Ice T- OG
Follow for now

Sent by chauncey jordan | 11:42 AM | 9-7-2008

what about the blues people? what about the blues? blues is the father of rock and if it wasnt for these soulfull musicians rock wouldnt exist. rock derived from the blues, they both have the same chord progressions. allthough it is hard for me to pick the best year in music, id have to say it was when american music first started sounding like nothing else in the world. that sound was the deep soulfull blues. allthough i love the beatles, the chili peppers, neil young, pearl jam, blues influenced jimi hendix, dave matthews, the allman brothers, the white stripes etc., these artist wouldnt be what they are without the influence of the blues.

Sent by Ben Scooneas | 6:42 PM | 9-7-2008

Come on! The biggest thing that happend in the mid to late 1980s was the Compact Disk. The first CD I heard was Paul Simmon's "Grace Land". It was amazing to listen to this Album in digital. I was blown away by it's claridy and it is still etched into my brain. Then Sting's "Dream of blue Turtles"

Sent by Benjamin | 8:17 PM | 9-7-2008

The whole idea of "what year WAS best for music" seems to disregard music that is being created now to be listened to in the future.
You allude to this in your article and I have to agree. When I listen to music from the past I think of what was taking place when I first heard that song. When I listen to new music or something I haven't heard before I am forced to pay attention and really think about what music can do or what it means.

Sent by Chris | 9:43 PM | 9-7-2008

The people who took this poll seem to have lost their sense of time. The 80's wasn't only about big hair metal bands or synth pop.

I greatly admire the hosts of this program (I enjoy Bob Boilen et al's music choices) and the songs chosen for this particular show, however they forgot to include many other great bands from the 80's. Some of the bands include: the Pixies, the Cure, the Smiths, New Order, The Jesus and Marychain, and more... the list is endless...

Sent by TL | 10:31 PM | 9-7-2008

i think the present time is the best time in music. modern music is a product of all the other great stuff that came before it. therefore music has evolved into something better. the lines between genres are constantly being blured and sometimes completely destroyed. its a great time to listen to music, always finding new bands and discovering old ones.

Sent by mario moser | 1:43 AM | 9-8-2008

Holy Mackreal, you mean we got people here posting that were born before 1970?

Sent by Billy Bob | 3:38 AM | 9-8-2008

Having grown up on British music of the 70's (rock, glam and "punk/new wave") this is still the music that I listen to most often today. As for the question about the 80's being the worst for music, that really is up to debate. With the death of FM radio in the late 70's, there was a lot of worthless music starting to exist at that point. MTV did help with the death nail by making style more important than substance. Yet, there is still a lot of overlooked music from the 80's that got lost in MTV and has been either forgotten or rendered "one hit wonders" when they were far from it. ABC's "Lexicon of Love" still ranks as one of the greatest pop albums of all times. WHAM's first album it a great dance album that is totally different from the pop of the later releases. After breaking up the Jam, Paul Weller's The Style Council was the match that started the entire English pop-jazz movement(Everything But the Girl, Sade) of the mid 80's. Dexy's Midnight Runners were a great white soul band who's "Come on Eileen" barely scratches the surface of what they were capable of. Yes, even Culture Club, who Richard Branson shamlessly pushed so the he could finance Virgin Atlantic Airlines, had a hand full of great songs. On this side of the pond, there is The Replacements, REM and Prince (the most underrated musician of the last 25 years). Get past the hair, get past MTV, there is a lot of great 80's music out there to be found

Sent by Gordon Shirk | 11:04 AM | 9-8-2008

I was surprised when I heard the podcast related to this poll that none of the guests mentioned any of the bands on the 4AD label from the early 80's: Cocteau twins, Birthday Party, Throwing Muses, Bauhaus, Modern English, Colin Newman, Dead Can Dance, Wolfgang Press, This Mortal Coil. Of course no one on the panel except Bob is over 40, but c'mon people. Didn't anyone else make out to The Cocteau Twins?

Sent by Molly | 9:16 PM | 9-9-2008

Who did better stuff in the 80s than they did in the seventies? Peter Gabriel....Kate Bush
Thanks Molly for mentioning 4AD...but I think they were were focused on more mainstream and Americana "College" radio. Another interesting point on the "80"s...."The Blue Nile" defined their sound around early 80s production and they STILL stick with it and few question thier brilliance. In terms of the synth sound being too over the top?...Listen to "Eyeless in Gaza"...vintage synth used in a raw and direct way could lead to great art....and don't forget about grunge ripping off from the "80"s Pixies.

Sent by Den | 9:55 PM | 9-14-2008

I think it's hilarious that the majority of respondents picked 1969 as the best year for music, proving that the majority of NPR listeners are leftover hippies, aging into obscurity. No wonder NPR's politics are so far left!

Sent by Jim Madison | 7:22 AM | 9-17-2008

All post 1970 music lovers should seriously rediscover musicians from the 60's and 70's. The groups from this time frame laid the foundation for all music genre's and sounds. Roxy Music, David Bowie, Lou Reed, The Beatles, Temptations, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Beach Boys (Pet Sounds) all experimented with sounds you hear today. Music would not have formed without these groundbreaking sounds. Anything today pales in comparison to these innovators.

Sent by Jim C | 4:35 PM | 9-17-2008

By decade:
'69 (The Velvet Underground - s/t), '77 (David Bowie - Low), '81(Glenn Branca - The Ascension), '91(Talk Talk - Laughing Stock), '06(Natural Snow Buildings - The Dance of the Moon and the Sun)

Best Decade: 80's

Overall: '77

Sent by Matthew | 10:48 PM | 9-17-2008

In 1969 I had the joy of seeing Sly and the family Stone three times - the Fillmore East, Central Park and Woodstock. They were incredible each concert - at Woodstock they had hundreds of thousands of people up and dancing at 3 o'clock in the morning. What a shame they flamed out.

Sent by Bernie M | 8:31 AM | 9-18-2008

In the end I picked what I thought was the shoe-in winner of the poll (not so, it turns out): 1966. I just couldn't argue with the fantastic metamorphosis that happened at that time: Pet Sounds, the composition and recording of most of Brian Wilson's SMiLE, Blonde on Blonde, the Byrds' Younger Than Yesterday... great, great stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, The Mopheads too.

I REALLY wanted to pick 1991 because of shoegaze. I still listen to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless about once a week, and it never gets old for me. 1991 was right smack in the middle of my first year of college so the music of that time stuck with me. All of it, that is, except grunge. I was never a fan, and never will be. For that reason, I could not choose 1991 and thereby involuntarily put my stamp on a movement sanctified by the music press that I couldn't care less about.

Sent by Peter Beyer | 9:15 PM | 9-22-2008

Why has no one picked the 80s for some of the best music? Thats what the 80s were all about mostly.
More radical and interesting changes were made in the mid 80s than ever before. All the while retaining true musical dynamics that have recently been lost in today's music. I was born in the 1980s and I love the music i heard around me. I grew up on the great music from the 50s and 60s also.
I'm sad to hear the way music is produced and marketed these days and besides the fact that it sounds like crap, I hold hope for the future. Someday the music from the future will be more like the music of the old days.(I hope!)

Sent by Dan Spain | 3:03 PM | 9-26-2008