5 Greatest Artists/Bands/Performers/Singers/Guitarists (Etc) from Each Decade?

[Avaitor]

While we're still here.



There are just too many awesome things in this pic to not appreciate.

[Foggle]

I thought all three of RHCP's 90's albums were pretty damn strong, personally.

[Avaitor]

Oh yeah, I forgot about RHCP. If I went up to 10, they'd definitely make it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I thought all three of RHCP's 90's albums were pretty damn strong, personally.

Sorry, I just didn't dig OHM all too much. That doesn't mean there weren't great songs on it, but as a whole I just don't enjoy listening to it.

[Avaitor]

Well this would totally fit in with the 90's.

[Foggle]

I thought all three of RHCP's 90's albums were pretty damn strong, personally.

Sorry, I just didn't dig OHM all too much. That doesn't mean there weren't great songs on it, but as a whole I just don't enjoy listening to it.

I used to feel that way, but now it's one of my favorites.

[Spark Of Spirit]

As for the last decade, this was probably my favorite:



It leans more on Rockabilly and Jazz than Big Band, but it works for the noir atmosphere and every song is excellent. I can't bring myself to skip any of the tracks either, as a whole this is one of his best works.

[Avaitor]

This is gonna be tough

00's/10's:

1- The Mountain Goats
2- The Kills
3- Agalloch
4- Opeth
5- Silversun Pickups

Each act here have displayed a wide variety and extreme virtuosity and merit over their frequent contributions in the past 13 years. This can change at any time, but I think this is fine.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Going off what I said before, Brian Setzer was probably my favorite act of the previous decade to now. He had a fantastic solo album that was his best since his second solo album in the 80s (and it was better than that one), a Classical meets Big Band album, an incredible instrumental album, a lovely tribute to Sun Records, and the one I posted about one post before. He also had a fantastic live album with the Stray Cats and an excellent double live album with the Orchestra.

As far as old school acts go, I think he's doing the best by far.

[Avaitor]

Let me try the 80's barring Maiden

1- Prince
2- Tom Petty
3- INXS
4- The Cult
5- Dead Kennedys
6- Queensryche

What a great decade. I always think that Damn the Torpedos is an 80's album for some reason. If it was, that might edge him up to the top.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Tom Petty had a great output in the 80s, I think he'd be my #6.

[Avaitor]

I'm bored enough to try a top 5 songs per decade. Singles AND album cuts. And just for fun, I'll leave out which artist is which to make it more of a guessing game.

50's:

1- Roll Over Beethoven
2- Flamenco Sketches
3- Think It Over
4- Blue Moon
5- Alligator Wine

60's:

1- Sound of Silence
2- God Only Knows
3- Willie the Pimp
4- A Day in the Life
5- Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
6- Ain't No Way
7- In a Sentimental Mood
8- White Rabbit
9- Via the Spectrum Road
10- Epitaph

70's:

1- Doctor Doctor
2- What's Going On
3- Emerald
4- Stargazer
5- Over the Hills and Far Away
6- Love, Reign O'er Me
7- Marquee Moon
8- You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks
9- Never Going Back Again
10- Lost in the Supermarket

80's:

1- Hallowed Be Thy Name
2- This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
3- She Sells Sanctuary
4- Need You Tonight
5- The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
6- The Perfect Kiss
7- Rainbow in the Dark
8- King of Rock
9- Brothers in Arms
10- Tightrope

90's:

1- How Could I?
2- Black
3- To Bid You Farewell
4- Tears of the Dragon
5- Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)

00's:

1- Sour Cherry
2- Old College Try
3- Hey Ya!
4- Birch White
5- While You Were Gone

10's (as of now):

1- Skyscraper
2- Year Zero
3- Somebody That I Used to Know
4- Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)
5- Fuck You

[No-Personality]

I'm bored enough to try a top 5 songs per decade. Singles AND album cuts.

00's:

Got bored? I've finally started working on my Top 100 Singles of the Aughts. As in...about a month ago. Whenever I do this, I usually rush over to MUBI and post it as a list but... right now, I think I've realized that my heart isn't in this decade. I mean, I never really go into why I think some of these songs are so great. Not only that but I really didn't pay attention to the past 13 years in popular music. I can't name even one song by - though nobody ever cared or really paid much attention to them except to mock 'em, still - My Chemical Romance. Even though they were one of the biggest bands for about 18 months. I did somehow pick up on The White Stripes, enough to at least have heard "Seven Nation Army," "Hardest Button," and "Fell in Love with a Girl" and of course since my last year in high school was 2002 (I didn't graduate but I stayed 4 years nonetheless), I caught a few of the Gorillaz tracks. Even though I've been on the internet all ten years of the last decade and was still a teenager for 3 years out of the 00's... I really did tune out of popular culture entirely when Dubya was elected- even though, ironically, I didn't know shit about politics it seemed that was almost really spooky timing like it was fated. What I did instead was practically live on message boards which broadcast articles and news about new DVD releases. My attention turned entirely to, ya know, when were Friday the 13th fans finally gonna get those uncut DVD's? And why we never did. Which was actually something that translated into MONTHS worth of speculation before the 2004 boxset came out. Just so you get an idea that it was possible for me to not be paying attention to Mtv or wherever people were getting their information about what was going on in music. Every now and then, I tuned in to find out Gwen Stefani was going solo. And I got the album. That year.

Anyway, I've made my Top 100 now. But to do so, I had to actually go snooping around other lists online. Which required me to download a lot of songs I'd never heard before. (If I don't download them, I can't organize them into an easy list on my music player- right now, I'm using J River Media Jukebox 14.) And until I get to the 30's or so, I don't feel passionate about the order. I feel it's pretty much what I'd do if I'd had months of my life to get used to the songs individually but... here it is (as usual, it's ARTIST and THEN the song title in "quotes") (no YouTube links...I'm too lazy, it really takes forever to do that):

100. Imogen Heap - "Hide and Seek"
99. Cazwell - "I Seen Beyonce..."
98. The Knife - "Heartbeats" *
97. Beck - "Think I'm in Love"
96. Jimmy Eat World - "The Middle" *
95. Goldfrapp - "Black Cherry"
94. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps"
93. Mariah Carey - "We Belong Together"
92. Tiga - "Shoes"
91. Rihanna - "Pon de Replay"
90. The Hives - "Hate to Say I Told You So"
89. Bjork - "Hidden Place"
88. New Young Pony Club - "The Bomb"
87. Portishead - "Machine Gun" *
86. The White Stripes - "Fell in Love with a Girl"
85. Lady Gaga - "Paparazzi"
84. Queens of the Stone Age - "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret"
83. Three 6 Mafia - "Stay Fly" *
82. The Killers - "Mr. Brightside" *
81. Nine Inch Nails - "Starfuckers, Inc."
80. Rihanna - "SOS"
79. Air - "Surfing On a Rocket"
78. Lady Gaga - "Poker Face"
77. Bjork - "Earth Intruders"
76. Radiohead - "Idioteque" *
75. Jay-Z - "99 Problems" *
74. Ladytron - "Destroy Everything You Touch"
73. D12 - "Purple Pills"
72. D'Angelo - "Untitled (How Does it Feel)" *
71. Robyn - "With Every Heartbeat"
70. Lady Gaga - "LoveGame"
69. LCD Soundsystem - "Someone Great" *
68. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - "Murder On the Dancefloor"
67. !!! - "Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard" *
66. Bjork - "Where Is the Line"
65. Goldfrapp - "Happiness"
64. Coldplay - "Clocks" *
63. Pink - "Get the Party Started"
62. Pet Shop Boys - "I'm with Stupid"
61. Beck - "Girl"
60. Aaliyah - "We Need a Resolution"
59. No Doubt - "Hella Good"
58. Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold"
57. Beck - "Mixed Bizness"
56. Madonna - "Hung Up"
55. Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy" *
54. Sara Bareilles - "Love Song"
53. Gorillaz - "Clint Eastwood"
52. Goldfrapp - "Number 1"
51. Missy Elliot - "Work It"
50. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Zero" *
49. Jamie Lidell - "Multiply" *
48. M.I.A. - "Paper Planes" *
47. Beyonce - "Crazy in Love"
46. Animal Collective - "My Girls"
45. Mariah Carey - "Say Something"
44. Vitalic - "My Friend Dario" *
43. Stone Temple Pilots - "Sour Girl"
42. Lil' Wayne - "A Milli" *
41. Goldfrapp - "Ride a White Horse"
40. OK Go - "Here It Goes Again"
39. Missy Elliot - "Lose Control"
38. Bjork - "Cocoon"
37. Destiny's Child - "Jumpin', Jumpin'"
36. Missy Elliot - "Get Ur Freak On"
35. Goldfrapp - "Pilots"
34. Cut Copy - "Hearts On Fire" *
33. Bat for Lashes - "What's a Girl to Do"
32. Britney Spears - "Toxic"
31. The Ting Tings - "That's Not My Name"
30. Snoop Dogg - "Sexual Eruption"
29. The Knife - "Silent Shout" *
28. St. Vincent - "All My Stars Aligned"
27. Ciara - "Oh" *
26. Amy Winehouse - "Rehab"
25. Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out" *
24. Rihanna - "Wait Your Turn"
23. Goldfrapp - "Utopia"
22. The White Stripes - "Seven Nation Army"
21. Gwen Stefani - "What You Waiting For"
20. Kanye West - "Gold Digger"
19. Goldfrapp - "Strict Machine"
18. Gorillaz - "Feel Good, Inc."
17. Lily Allen - "The Fear"
16. OutKast - "B.O.B." *
15. The Chemical Brothers - "Star Guitar" *
14. Air - "Playground Love"
13. Roisin Murphy - "You Know Me Better"
12. Kelis - "Milkshake"
11. Beck - "Cellphone's Dead"
10. OutKast - "Hey Ya!"
9. Madonna - "Music"
8. Dizzee Rascal - "I Luv U" *
7. Broadcast - "Come On, Let's Go"
6. Rihanna - "Umbrella"
5. Goldfrapp - "Lovely Head"
4. Jay-Z - "Big Pimpin'"
3. Bjork - "Pagan Poetry"
2. Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"
1. The Avalanches - "Frontier Psychiatrist"

As you can probably see, I changed my previous Top 10. After hearing "Frontier Psychiatrist" again, I realize I think it's the best song of the decade. I think most people wouldn't list it because it's kind-of a joke if you try and take it seriously. But then... that's shockingy the Aughts in a nutshell. A big joke. And most of what came out makes you want to rush to the retro stuff.

Also, there's no question Goldfrapp were the best thing in music of the decade. In my - anything but - humble opinion.

* means I've never heard the song in full before putting the list together.

[Avaitor]

That Gwen Stefani song at 21 is her only solo song that I dig.

Not a bad list! There's some stuff here that I really like, but I feel like I was on another wavelength during the decade.

[No-Personality]

(Thanks.) I assume that anyone else was paying more attention than I was.

Although, out of curiosity, what wavelength were you on? I'd love some suggestions / recommendations. My list is anything but set-in-stone yet.