Definitive Decades and Defining Moments
Music trivia and useless thought-provoking musical “what-if” scenarios reign supreme in the Rizk family. Not too long ago, I embarked on a road trip from Atlanta to Charleston with my brother. Another futile musical debate was imminent.
This trip’s burning question? What is YOUR definitive artist for each decade?
Not THE definitive artist, although that’s debatable too…but YOURS!
Here’s mine:
1960′s – The Doors (I wrote a term paper in high school comparing the poetry and lives of Samuel Taylor Colleridge and Jim Morrison. I got an A) 
1970′s – Led Zeppelin followed closely by Pink Floyd (Although I love the Carpenters, these innovative rockers would steamroll over the rest)
1980′s - RUSH!!!!! (Nerd Rock forever!)
1990′s – Dave Matthews Band (I can barely stand their new music but when he first came on the scene circa my college career, there was NOTHING like it and it was music to my ears. Imagine all those jazz instruments hitting mainstream and being widely accepted! Groundbreaking)
2000′s – John Mayer (his doucheyness has hit epic proportions today, but what an amazing talent starting out! Plus, I’m a chick and my theory is that all women are hard-wired to love his music)
2010 – ????????? (could it be YOU?)
Please put your definitive decade picks in the comments section below…thanks for reading!
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Very interesting!! Did not realise you were a Mayer fan.
Here’s my list :
60′s : beatles
70′s Led Zepp & P. Floyd
80′s : Bon Jovi & Prince
90′s : Nirvana
00′s : Radiohead and Nini Inch Nails.
Love it! Any guesses for 2010 and beyond? Thx for reading-
Well let me see, I’m going to say I am kinda commercial when it comes to the 50′s and 60′s so I will say Johnny Cash.. He has my type of personality when I am in a screw the world kind of mood yet he has a poetic way of explaining everything in a way that makes you think hard about what is being discussed. Kind of like a mallet to your thinking dome, you just have to listen to him when you are pissed off and you will get it right away.
70′s, lets see, I will go with Talking Heads, Pink Floyd, Devo, R.E.M. and how about the group Yes…. All wonderful musicians of their time.
80′S Well I do not think you can think of the 80′s without thinking of my boys The Bestie Boys, Seven Seconds, Minor Threat, ! Ohhh, don’t forget about Wham! Uhhh Puke Puke Puke…
90′s I will go with Nervana, Foo Fighters, Radiohead, GoodieMob, OutKast, Ghetto Boys, 3rd Base, Beastie Boys again, Cypress Hill.
00′s Well not to much to be honest but TI, Jack Johnson, Dave Mathews, just to name a few.
10′s Who the hell knows? I mean that, Who the hell knows….
60′s The Doors also! Wish I could find my “Alive She Cried” cassette and my book “No one Gets Out of Here Alive”. Beach Boys a close second.
70′s ELO One my first Albums I ever bought. Remember I had to set the turn table to 78rpm. I’m old school. Really most top 40 was good excluding Disco. The Band and the Allman Bro’s were really good but didn’t really get into them until college.
80′s The Cars, Devo and the Clash then progressed to The Pretenders, REM, Elvis Costello and The Replacements. Anything on college radio I liked a lot.
90′s Nirvana later on in the decade it was Son Volt, Blue Mountain, the Tragically Hip and Whiskeytown.
00′s Ryan Adams, Susan Tedeschi, Drive by Truckers, Kings of Leon
Not Bad Allison!
Here’s how it really was…
60′s and Eternal Champions: The Beatles / James Marshall Hendrix
70′s summed up in one sentence: Led Zeppelin and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
80′s: (Thank God For ) SRV / Guns and Roses
90′s: ( Thank God For )The Black Crowes / Nirvana
00′s: The MP3
10′s: See Radiopotato.com to know before anyone else…
These are so fun! Thanks, Javi. You rock!
No One Here Gets Out Alive was my favorite book UNTIL Danny Sugarman published “Wonderland Avenue.” Danny was a teenage writer that used to follow and report on the Doors and got caught up in all the drugs. Amazing book!
Thanks for the response. I love your list!
Your list paints you as totally a guy’s guy. Love your mp3′s and your 10′s answer is bellisimo! Perfecto! Grazie!
Hi Allison,
Okay, so I do check out your blog and am most impressed. Nice choices! I would have to agree that Rush has the best drummer to ever walk to the earth!
Here is my list:
60′s – The Beatles are amazing in most of these decades, however, I will have to most definitely go with MOTOWN for this decade. You cannot deny OTIS REDDING and Marvin Gaye in the 60′s! They got more soul than fried chicken! I am trying to limit this but Smokey and Lionel aren’t too shabby.
70′s – the Osmonds…haha! Okay..now seriously…. I would go with Elton John, Billy Joel (this excludes 80′s Billy Joel), Queen, & Bowie
80′s – All the great wierdo’s: George Michael, Madonna, and Michael Jackson
90′s – R.E.M. & Tracy Chapman
00′s – John Mayor – TOTALLY AGREE, he is AMAZING!! Too bad his personality blows!
I know there are several per decade. I JUST COULDN’T DECIDE!
I am going to download a few more songs on I-Tunes now. (o;
PEACE OUT!
Hey! further to your post, I have written a post on my blog trying to explain why I think there will be no band of the decade in 2010. What do you think?
http://anurag-sharma.org/2010/02/26/most-popular-act-in-2010s/
Girl, you are such a sweetheart! Thank you for all your support and I love your list! I’m not sure how you can’t love Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” because it’s awesome but I’ll let it slide. George Michael for Prez!!!!!!!!!!
For me, it’s fun to remember what defined music, not necessarily the music I like
50s: Gotta be THE KING
60s: the Beatles shall endure forever
70s: It was the era of disco, so I gotta go with ABBA or the BeeGees. I can’t stand them, but they defined disco.
80s: Great piano rock: Elton John and Billy Joel. Great rock: Def Leppard. For style that makes us cringe today, Loverboy, Night Ranger, Poison and RATT. Whitney Houston burst on the scene with a voice that blew us away. But the ruler of the 80s: Michael Jackson – no argument can be made against it.
90s: Nirvana rocked. Madonna vogued her way through. Garth Brooks made country mainstream. Michael Bolton sold millions of albums – WHAT WERE YOU THINKING PEOPLE?
00s: Tim McGraw – a man’s man with a heart of gold (and a wife to match)