"...I can't stop thinking about how useful a time machine to 1979 would be. Can we agree that '79 was the best year on record for pop music?"
As I fastidiously worked on a response, I realized that this was far too important of a debate to be relegated to the comments section. So let the games begin...
1967 is the conventional choice, and it's certainly hard to argue against: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour, (The Beatles), Velvet Underground and Nico (Velvet Underground), Smiley Smile and Wild Honey (Beach Boys), Surrealistic Pillow (Jefferson Airplane), Are You Experienced? (Jimi Hendrix), John Wesley Harding (Bob Dylan), Forever Changes (Love), The Who Sell Out (The Who), Something Else By The Kinks (The Kinks), The Doors (The Doors), I Never Loved a Man The Way I Loved You (Aretha Franklin), Moby Grape (Moby Grape), The Piper at The Gates of Dawn (Pink Floyd) and a ton of other outrageously influential albums. Then you have to consider the singles charts: I'm a Believer (The Monkees-written by Neil Diamond), Happy Together (The Turtles), Alice's Restaurant (Arlo Guthrie), San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers in Your Hair) (Scott McKenzie-written by John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas), Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison), Soul Man (Sam and Dave), Heard It Through The Grapevine (Gladys Knight & The Pips), and the list goes on.
In '79 on the other hand, you have 154 (Wire), Armed Forces (Elvis Costello), The B-52s (The B-52s), Drums and Wires (XTC), Entertainment! (Gang of Four), Fear of Music (Talking Heads), Inflammable Material (Stiff Little Fingers), London Calling (The Clash), Setting Sons (The Jam), Singles Going Steady (The Buzzcocks), The Specials (The Specials), Unknown Pleasures (Joy Division), The Wall (Pink Floyd), etc. Singles charts were still mostly dominated by disco, but Heart of Glass (Blondie), My Sharona (The Knack), and Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles) still crept in there.
When you look at the head to head matchup, it's a tough call. In terms of depth, '79 obviously has the advantage with regards to albums, mostly because the industry had undergone some radical changes, and consequently more albums could see the light of day. Singles I think lean towards '67. Though there were some great underground singles being released in'79, when taking with the mainstream charts it's a weaker lot. The remarkable thing about the charts in '67 is that so much of the mainstream stuff (especially Motown and British invasion) was truly great. On the issue of depth then, score 1 point for '67 (for singles) and 1 point for '79 (for albums).
Another possible approach would be to compare the top 5 albums from each year. In that case, my list would look something like this.
1967 (in alphabetical order)
Forever Changes
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Smiley Smile
Something Else By The Kinks
Velvet Underground & Nico
Forever Changes
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Smiley Smile
Something Else By The Kinks
Velvet Underground & Nico
1979
Armed Forces
Entertainment!
London Calling
Singles Going Steady
Unknown Pleasures
Armed Forces
Entertainment!
London Calling
Singles Going Steady
Unknown Pleasures
Well, that doesn't really get us any closer to a conclusive decision. Every one of those albums is an undisputed classic. London Calling and Velvet Underground and Nico are arguably my two favorite albums of all-time. Beyond being nearly perfect works on their own terms, all 10 albums went on to influence legions of imitators. In fact, virtually every worthwhile movement in rock music from the last 40 years can be directly traced back to one of those albums, so I'm still at a loss.
What do you guys think? What's your favorite year in the pop music history?
What do you guys think? What's your favorite year in the pop music history?
6 comments:
As much as i'd like to 'make my mother proud' (insert shudder here) i'm going to have to side with the fabuteck 'on the verge of guitar fueled public service announcements' 1979. But Matt, you forgot to mention ELO's epic album Discovery. That's what really sweetened the pot.
For 1979 singles: The Police- Message In A Bottle (I'm sure many would consider this full album Reggatta De Blanc)
For 1967 albums- The Rolling Stones- Flowers
oh and 1975-
Albums-
A Night at the Opera - Queen
Born To Run- Bruce Springsteen
The Basement Tapes- Bob Dylan
Blood On The Tracks- Bob Dylan
Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy- Elton John
Horses- Patti Smith
Natty Dread- Bob Marley
Tonight's The Night- Neil Young
Wish You Were Here- Pink Floyd
Singles-
I'm Not In Love- 10cc (LOVE THIS SONG)
Mandy- Barry Manilow
Get Down Tonight and That's The Way ( I Like It- K.C. and The Sunshine Band
Ballroom Blitz- Sweet
The Boys Are Back In Town- Thin Lizzy
Evil Woman- ELO
Magic- Pilot (This song rules)
Ok, it might be a logical fallacy, but I'm gonna argue for '79 from consequences.
Yes, '67 produced some glorious albums and basically saw the birth of pop-as-art. BUT, the immediate consequences of that development were pretty shitty. '67 basically laid the groundwork for all the soul-draining corporate rock of the 70's (the birth of Led Zepplin, for instance). Maybe I'm too prejudiced, but I detest a whole mess of those '67 albums - Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, The fucking Doors. The two great single mines in 1967 - Motown and The British Invasion - were on the brink of running out of steam.
Meanwhile, '79 saw the full flowering of the possibilities of Punk. And while many bands peaked in '79 (The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Specials, Gang of Four, XTC), new underground scenes were just beginning to flower. In England the New Pop was beginning to inject new life into singles charts. In America, some of the best Indie bands we associate with the 80's (Husker Du, Black Flag, Mission of Burma) were getting of the ground.
On the whole, '67 for me is the beginning of pop's great decadent period, whereas '79 is where the renaissance hit its stride.
I'd like to say a few words for 1984 while I'm at it.
1984 was one of the first times since the late sixties when what was popular and what was truly good converged, with the success of Born In The USA and Purple Rain. Madonna emerged from the depths of pop culture's id, to make people reconsider their values.
The Talking Heads reached their zenith with the Stop Making Sense tour, film, and record.
England was doing interesting stuff as well, as the Smiths appeared, and The Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen continued to update psychedelia.
Meanwhile the underground was getting damn productive. Zen Arcade by Husker Du, Double Nickels on the Dime by The Minutemen, and Let It Be by the Replacements signaled that the American underground was capable of producing something far more interesting than adolescent screaming and primitive thrash. Meanwhile Minor Threat perfected adolescent screaming and primitive thrash with Out Of Step.
Rob makes a compelling case for 84, but there are two irrefutable arguments against it.
Exhibit A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RssIN3ustUw
Exhibit B:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jEnTSQStGE
The state rests.
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