1980s vs. 1990s - Which decade had the better music?

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

@Pliny Pete @Travis Alexander @helax @Strychnine

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

The 90’s no question. The 80’s was cheesy nonsense for the most part outside of some solid movements like the punk stuff or some pioneering rap.. the 90’s trimmed all the fat off and brought out an explosion of creativity for so many genres it’s ridiculous to even compare them imo.. the garage bands of the 80’s grew up and came into their own in the 90’s


Mid 60’s to mid 70’s is the only other era that competes with the 90’s.. and oddly enough many of the musicians from the earlier era admit that as well.


Smoking weed became popular again in the 90’s and classic rock albums started charting again as well.. the 90’s was a terrific era to be part of. The last gasp of living in real time without being plugged in..

 

[GearSolidMetal]

1980's had the best music of any decade ever.

 

[SummerStriker]

If you compare top charting hits like in these YouTube compilation videos, the 80's is gonna wipe the floor with the 90's.

If you look at albums, and the broader work of the most acclaimed artists, not necessarily the top charting singles, the 90's trounces the 80's.

I think that's correct

 

[Streeter]

If choosing 1 decade for using as best overall it's either 90s or 70s . Gun to head I say 90s is best decade ever for music.

Hip Hop - isn't just better than its been it was several levels better

Grunge - that finally killed pop glam rock

Alternative - started with the Smiths in 80s but flourished in the 90s

Metal- sone like Metallica was better in 80s but there was many in the 90s as well.

Country - was levels better than now .

Rock - was still going strong then it merged into grunge and Alt in late 90s.

 

[Rob Rain]

You had the rave scene splinter off into sub genres and create a huge underground scene

 

[Strychnine]

Come on man!





Cleanest bass you'll ever hear.




The SUPERNOVA.

If you were on the planet and conscious during the 80's?

There was nowhere to run from this. It was an onslaught of perfection.

@Kowboy On Sherdog

 

[Travis Alexander]

@Pliny Pete @Travis Alexander @helax @Strychnine

This is literally the music that raised me.

Also as for the thread, 90’s West Coast Hip Hop over everything.

 

[Possum Jenkins]

80s had a little better rock and pop.

But 90s had way better R&B and hip hop.

90s by split decision

 

[Lycandroid]

The 80s was the peak of music. It was the last Era where we didn't yet have the technology to fake an entire record.

 

[Two Crows]

I voted 90's for breadth and my favorites, but the 80's ruled pop hits with mass appeal, and nobody is close.

 

[Grassshoppa]

The 80's. It's not even close, bud.

 

[Adamant]

80s is the GOAT decade in pretty much every category.

90s was great too. Especially early-to-mid 90s.

 

[nonoob]

1980's !
​

 

[Wrath of Foamy]

80s in general.

Early 90s was great, but fell off closer to 00s. Also became quite gimmicky, and grunge did a lot of the heavy lifting.

 

[Fox by the Sea]

for me it's the 1985-1995 decade.
birth of black metal. Nirvana.

 

[HHJ]

Depends. The 70s rock and metal bands that conformed to 80s style got less good, but contemporary bands and overall 80s heavy metal was amazing. 90s saw a sharp decline in heavy metal as bands starting going through the stripped down commercial nu metal route, and a lot of bands broke up or tried to change their style but going from 80s style to 90s style was worse than 70s to 80s imo. But 90s also had the emergence of extreme metal and alot of the alt rock/metal produced some of the weirdest bands ever and that's def one of the things I loved about the 90s. Bands like TOOL and White Zombie and Green Jello could have only come from the 90s

 

[Darkavius]

But 90s had way better R&B and hip hop.

People say this quite a bit and I don't think people realize the type of hip hop and R&B the 80's had. The 80's had Kool and The Gang, Earth, Wind and Fire, Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Sade, Luther Vandross, Eric B and Rakim, Public Enemy and Big Daddy Kane among others. 90's R&B is good but the 80's arguably has 3 GOAT's on the list above (Anita Baker, Whitney Houston and Rakim). In fact, I don't think there should be debate about Whitney imo.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Also! Idk wtf was happening in recording studios in the 80s, but god damn the production in that decade was just atrocious. Even incredible bands, that I love deeply, like Fleetwood Mac, sounded like ass on their 80s records.

I think Tango in the Night (1987) was their best album.

 

[Tone C]

I agree with both of these posts.

Plus Juan.