Earlier this week, a friend and I were having a conversation about music, and I remembered an article or interview that I had read somewhere. It lamented the state of music today (somewhere, Terry's {audiosavant's} ears are burning). Well, maybe lament is not exactly the right word. It was more of an observation/reflection on the fact that there are no musical giants any more, or at least not on the scale of years past. No bands repeatedly dominate on that top level of critical and commercial success.
To illustrate, let's consider who would be the "Artist of the Decade" for the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
My personal picks:
1960s: The Beatles. Consideration given to the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Bob Dylan.
1970s: Pink Floyd. Much closer call, with the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Billy Joel all up there.
1980s: Michael Jackson over U2, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and Prince. The Police had the unfortunate timing of splitting decades, and they broke up less than halfway into the '80s. R.E.M. were critical darlings but didn't break through commercially until the early 1990s.
1990s: If you could lump Nirvana and the Foo Fighters into one band, I'd vote for that. Otherwise, ??? Grunge acts of note include Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Green Day. Mariah Carey sold a buttload of albums. U2 kept on going, and R.E.M. got big, but I don't think of them as 90s bands.
2000s: I admit it. I'm totally lost. Uh, I don't know, Coldplay?
