What was your favorite year, or decade?

I mean, my kids were born in the 90’s & my teen years in the 80’s were cool.

Overall though, right now, today, I’m living my best life & bloody loving it.

I think this year is so far the best by a mile!

70s. I was a happy toddler without a care in the world.

1981 my mom took care of everything. 2000 I had unlimited access to free food and pop and milk at university. 1991, I had mastered grade nine and had a deal with my dad that If I needed anything that I have permission to use the change tray in his clothes drawer. This year is good too I have almost perfected how to make a food budget. I will break even and when inflation is over I would most likely be able to get ahead of my debt and maybe save some money for university .

70s. I was a hippie.

70s. I was in my teens and twenties, and it was an exciting time for youth. Ending a stupid war, bringing down a corrupt president – it was a great thing politically.

And it was the beginning of new and progressive thought. (Some of which is being taken away by the supreme court).

The 80s. I was one happy kid and teen. The music, the movies, my friends.

a comment to @RayaHope: I have a 14-year old grandson, who is a pretty smart kid and analytical for his age.

He made the comment a couple years ago (when he was 12), when we had the disputed election and two impeachments and all the other crap that was going on. And the assault on the Capitol. And then the pandemic.

Anyway – he said to me – “I guess I should try and remember 2020 and 2021 – these are going to be in the history books eventually and I want to remember what happened.”

SO – your grandfather is probably thinking much the same way about meaningful stuff that happened to him.

The 80’s party mode, great music, and chasing girls!

@elbanditoroso Your grandson is one smart guy and very astute for his age! Yeah I’m sure he had some fond memories of that time. He’s told me about a lot of stuff that don’t even exists now.

The 50’s were the time of having a good carefree life!!! (the Leave It To Beaver years) The 70’s were my liberation years!!! The 80’s were my “ME” years where I felt I had life by the tail!!! The 90’s were a tough set of years, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world!!! I met, married, & lost my husband in the 2000’s. 2010 to now has been interesting, but NOT bad!!! So, I don’t think that I can pick just one as I’ve ENJOYED each & every one of them for what they “added ” to my life!!!

70’s. Best music, care free days, fun colorful clothing including bell bottom pants. Most parents didn’t care where we spent our time as long as came home for dinner and to go to bed. Kidnapping and murders weren’t much of a thing then. Like @Dutchess_III I was pretty much a hippie.

^^ The 1970’s and 1980’s sound like they were pretty fun. No wonder they talk about it so much.

The 1960s for sure ! !

Woodstock Willie?

Yep went with my friend and co-worker Tim, came out with 7 (VW bug) Beryl and Betty (went to Junior college with them, Beryl had a badly twisted ankle) the others were on the back bumper and running boards) ! We went 20 miles from the pasture at the road to the venue, before I had all the outside passengers get off. Drove Beryl and Betty to Beryl’s house. Two hour to New York Turnpike and another three hours to Beryl’s house.

Remembering how awesome the movies released in 1981 alone can still make my head spin.

Truly precious that chance of seeing them on the big screen using film projectors and none of that crappy digital projection these days.

And no soul-sucking cellphones, streaming services and social media!

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Superman 2
Arthur
On Golden Pond
Chariots of Fire
For Your Eyes Only
Time Bandits

Well we had Star Wars!
And Bonnie and Clyde
And Planet of the Apes

They’ve all been great. But probably the 80s. That was the decade when I hit my stride financially but was loaded with obligations as a direct result. You really can’t win.

1970’s were great. I see a lot of people liked the 70’s. Loved the fashion and music.

The 80’s is actually my era, I was a teenager in the 80’s. There was great music in the 80’s also, and I’m not even talking about the pop music, which was good too, but I was out clubbing with hardcore eurobeat music like this orchestra. https://youtu.be/Dh23lJsbNy4 It takes a few seconds for the video to start. That music is the music I love most for dancing and I love to dance. That high energy music continued into the ‘90’s. I also love dancing to Spanish music but that’s a separate thing.

If I have to choose, probably I go with the 80’s, but it’s not easy, because the fashion in the 70’s was better. Oh, and the 70’s had ABBA. The 70’s was maybe too wild for me? It didn’t feel wild at the time, because I was a kid, but had I been a teenager I’m not sure it would have fit my personality.

Although, the 80’s had some horribleness like HIV coming to town and it sucked.

Hard to pick.

I’m definitely partial to pre-internet. The internet and personal computers are both a love hate situation for me.

Best movies and music? Probably the 40’s, but probably not overall, because of all the Hitler.

The 70’s had great movies, but Disco.

The 80’s had great music and movies. Reagan was shitty, but I guess you can’t be all fun.

As someone who has dabbled into history for years, I don’t have a favorite time anymore. I can see how things evolved with time and how each generation had something good and bad to offer. Here are a few example:

The 18th century is the century of reasoning. It was when people started to question the nature of things and fight for the betterment of society. It was also when people was really unhygienic and did things that could potentially harmed their health out of “beauty”.

The 19th century had the most concentration of classic music. The fashion was also top-notch and has been the inspiration for several generations. It was also the transit between the old world as we knew it and the modern world today. But it was also a very regressive time with weird rules and oppression.

The 1950s were one of the best era for movies. It was the time of my favorite movie genre: film noir. Jazz was also on the rise. But it was also a regressive time for women and a traumatic time for men who was still bearing the burden of WWII

The 1970s was the hippy age and the social movement age. It was cool seeing how people were so idealistic and progressive and actually put in the work to change society. But it was also the time period when some of the worst serial killers we know today existed, since people were much more trusting back then and gave monsters opportunity to strike.

The early 2000s was the time of the early Internet. People could connect to each other and have fun without as much worry as we do now. The Internet was for fun and not very political. But it was also the opportunity for trolls to mess with people, and trolling was much more damaging back then.

And our time… well you know the gist. We got Covid, Internet war, messy politics, but we also have the best technology of our time and ways to improve people’s life.

So yeah, the more I learn about history, the less I want to judge any period of time. I just move along and enjoy what I have now.

The 60’s. It was a time of great optimism. We ended the Vietnam War and passed the Civil Rights Act. There was a lot of great folk music.

Every decade of my life has been better than the last. Hard to call. By my reckoning I have about 4 more decades to go.

Disco Sucks.

DISCO RULES!!!

Disco will never die!
Theoretical physicists predict it is Disco that will cause proton decay!!! ;D

@Brian1946 https://www.redlist.com/playlist/63559

Disco is dead! Quack quack!.

And not a minute too soon. @Dutchess_III

Tail and of the 60s (1969 ) to the to late 70s. I was also a hippie, and it was a great time for slackers. Alas those days are gone forever. I got married in ‘81 and had to clean up my act and accept some responsibility. A wife and kids can cause a serious attitude adjustment.

@Dutchess_III WTH was that?? That was crazy!

In the year 3058, the warring factions of the Inner Sphere band together to execute the complete annihilation of Clan Smoke Jaguar. Within two years, the Smoke Jaguar have been routed. By 3060, the Smoke Jaguar homeworld of Huntress is officially declared neutralized, and the Star League Defense Forces immediately moved against the Clan-space capital world of Strana Mechty.

However, Galaxy Commander Brendon Corbett, the ranking Smoke Jaguar officer, is still at large. Corbett has been located on the world of Tranquil. He is fortifying his position and is calling for remaining Jaguar forces to rally to him. Intel has designed a commando operation, code-named DAMOCLES, to execute a quick strike, neutralizing resource centers and exiting before Corbett can coordinate a counterattack.

Our probes have uncovered a network of support facilities on this peninsula, which are DAMOCLES’ primary objectives. We predict only a modest opposition from garrison quality warriors. Insertion will be made via DropPods from low orbit. The DropShips Black Hammer and Eclipse will disperse six single-lance commando teams throughout the region, along with support vehicles for field repairs and modifications.

Damocles One will recon this operations area, destroying targets of opportunity, and then staging a raid against a ‘Mech production facility located here. Damocles Two and Three will be dropped into the second operations area, targeting a hydroelectric plant and an underground manufacturing facility. Damocles Four through Six will conduct search and destroy operations in this area against training facilities, military outposts, and this urban area.

All units will rendezvous here, at the spaceport. Extraction by DropShip will follow successful completion of all operations.

I stand corrected… @ragingloli WTH is this? WOW I’m don’t know what I just read?

@RayaHope
Only the intro to one of the best games ever made.

@ragingloli I have never heard of this. I am such a noob :(

The 1960’s were the best if you can forget the carpet bombing and remember the music.

Musically, I think the 60’s-70’s were pretty amazing (Jazz, Blues, Rock, Funk, and even Disco). It was before my time, but I love a lot of what came out of that era.

The 80’s were a hot mess (or this), though there were a few awesome exceptions.

I’m also a big fan of grunge music from the 90’s: Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana, etc. I have to confess, a recent guilty pleasure of mine is watching reaction videos by younger people on YouTube to some of the legendary grunge artists for the first time. It’s a neat experience to see young adults who grew up with autotune and cookie-cutter music experience some of the rawness and authenticity that comes from that era (itself a rebellion from the glitz/glam of the 80’s).

90’s also saw video games really start to hit that point of becoming a new art medium with storytelling and interactions and the beginnings of choices impacting how the game ends. The internet became a thing by the end of the 90’s along with portables. So it’s a tossup for me 90’s or 60’s.

@gorillapaws ”young adults who grew up with autotune and cookie-cutter music” Hey, I resemble that remark!! lol That group “Pearl Jam” was pretty intense and cute!

Regarding musical decades:

It’s not the standard numerical concept of a decade, but my favorite is probably 1967–1977, although I guess it could be said that rounds up to the 70’s. ;-)

1967 is when the Cream, the Doors; Jefferson Airplane with Grace Slick, and Jimi Hendrix released their first albums.
Their arrival signified the emergence of comparatively advanced musicianship, the most notable of which for me was the guitar work of Clapton and Hendrix.

In 1968, another English-bred guitar great, Alvin Lee of Ten Years After, arrived and Hendrix released his third excellent album, “Electric Ladyland”.
I think it was in that year two other legends, Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck, released their first album together: “Truth”.

In 1969, Led Zeppelin and Santana released their first albums, and Zep also released their second album.

In summation, I’d say the primary factor in the excellence of 60’s music was the massive influx of English artists.

It could be that in turn inspired the emergence of more intelligent, creatively advanced, and aspiring American music in the 70’s.

In the early 1970’s, America’s best rock guitarist, Johnny Winter, released my favorite rock album, “Johnny Winter And Live”.

IMO, it was in the 70’s that Santana released his best music.

It was also in the 70’s that I was introduced to the artistry of Steely Dan; the Eagles; Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young; and Fleetwood Mac.

@gorillapaws I’m still playing their music (Pearl Jam), I think I like it.

@Brian1946 Oh wow I would take years to look all those groups up. I’ll take your word for it, but put you down for the ‘70’s also :)

One of my favorites

And this

Oh! This

@RayaHope

Here are some samples:

Cream- NSU
Eric Clapton- guitar
Jack Bruce- bass guitar and lead vocal.
Ginger Baker- Drums

Doors- Break On Through
Vocals- Jumpin’ Jimminy Morrison
Organ- Ray Manzarek
Guitar- Roberto Krieger
Drums- Juan Densmore

Jefferson Airplane- Plastic Fantastic Lover The vocalist in that one is Marty Balin.
Here’s Grace providing the pipes: Somebody To Love.

Jimi Hendrix- All Along the Watchtower

Led Zeppelin- Heartbreaker
The guitarist is Jimmy Page.

Santana- Mirage

Fleetwood Mac- Rhiannon

@RayaHope Keep listening to the old fogies music & you might understand your grand dad’s comment a little bit better!!! Before autotune, singers had to have perfect pitch. Now, not so much!!!

@RayaHope “I’m still playing their music (Pearl Jam), I think I like it.”

Very cool, I’m glad you gave them a chance. They’re still touring and putting out new albums (though I suspect Eddie Vedder’s probably less attractive to you these days… haha). Maybe we should do a thread for sharing some best music by decade, that would be cool?

@gorillapaws ”Maybe we should do a thread for sharing some best music by decade, that would be cool?” I think I just did. lol!
@LadyMarissa I always thought autotune was a great thing but I don’t know what to think now.

My 30s were my favorites.

@Brian1946 You gave me so much to listen to..it’s gonna take me a while :)

I gave you songs for homework too, too @Rayahope. Know that all the songs were recorded in a studio. They played their own instruments and sang in their own voices.

Now get busy! Pop quiz tomorrow!

Oh @Dutchess_III I heard those three and I didn’t say anything because they seemed so old. Like a hundred years ago, sorry if I’m wrong :(

@RayaHope

”@Brian1946 You gave me so much to listen to..it’s gonna take me a while :)”

There’s no due date, so no hurry.
Aren’t you supposed to be doing school work anyway? :p

@Brian1946 Ugh, please don’t mention school work, it’s a holiday :) But yeah I do have stuff to do before tomorrow :(

@RayaHope “I always thought autotune was a great thing but I don’t know what to think now.”

IMO autotune is a tool. It can be used to enhance music, but it can also be a crutch that smooths over imperfections. In some cases those imperfections are really great and add a lot to the song/performance.

Ultimately music is about connecting. If a song moves you or resonates with you emotionally, or makes you want to dance or sing along, then it’s doing what it’s supposed to do. I find music is best when it’s about sharing the things you like rather than dissing the stuff you don’t. Just my opinion.

@gorillapaws I LOVE your opinion and agree 100%! I really don’t try to pick apart any song that I like, even if the lyrics are a little wonky. If I feel good and it moves me THAT is all that matters! Whether autotune was used or not really doesn’t matter to me :)

@RayaHope This is one of my favorite performances: John Lee Hooker – Tupelo. He’s singing about a flood that happened in Tupelo Mississippi in 1927. This was back before we had early warnings from the National Weather Service, FEMA, helicopters and 911 to rescue us. You were on your own and it was very much a life and death situation for you and your loved ones (floods still are, but back then you were kind of on your own). Imagine the fear and desperation those people felt as the rain keep coming over and over (just like John Lee’s rhythmic foot stomping). The song is pretty low-key chill until about 1:06 into it and then you hear the emotion come into his voice. It’s super subtle, and not perfectly in tune. There’s grit, musicality and a kind of haunting beauty in those lines:

“Save me lord. Save me, save me from the mighty flood.”

That really stand out next to the more rhythmic monotone that preceded it. You can FEEL the pain and anguish of those poor folk back then, precisely because of the imperfections that brings out the humanity in the song.

So when people dislike autotune, for me, it’s the idea that a song like this becomes WORSE with autotune, and also that in a world where autotune is ubiquitous, the ultimate fear is that the next John Lee Hooker never gets recorded because his musical aesthetic doesn’t fit with the music industry’s expectations.

If you love autotune music, that’s great. I say enjoy it, but it’s worth learning a bit more about other aesthetics and how they can also be awesome too. I’ve really admired your openness to exploring new ideas and art. I think that sense of adventure will serve you well in life.