Albums That Define Their Decade
 

I'm talking albums that that embodies the spirit their decade, the ones that are the embodiment of the musical styles that reigned throughout their time. What albums embody the spirit of their decade? Like, whichj 70's albums embodied funk, rock, and pop for example as they were some of the leading genres? Which ones do you think they are and why?
I'm gonna have to think about this for a while.

80s - Purple Rain
00s - Original Pirate Material/BIDC - it's difficult to choose between the two

Nirvana - smells like teen spirit

Oasis - Whats the story morning glory

At The Drive-In - Relationship of Command basically defined early 00's post-hardcore so yeah, that.

70s - Ziggy Stardust

Can't think of any decent Led Zep albums from the 70s or I'd have said them.

60's, I think The White Album. It took the psychedelic and blues influences of the 60's and implemented it into 90 minutes of the most "60's" music I can think of. I admit Sgt. Pepper is by far the better album, I think The White Album is more "essential" in that sense.

As far as the 90's goes, I have to day Nevermind. I think it's extremely overrated, but it was a massive influence on 90's punk, alternative, grunge, and indie rock.

As far as 00's, indie rock seems to be one of the more dominant genres. Alternative and indie still reigned on and off radio, especially considering how the post-punk revival takes after a major influence on early and modern alternative. Turn On ther Birhgt Lights. I suppose that would be my choice, even though I'm not into Interpol.

EDIT: LZ4 and Houses are more than decent.

I think the essential 70's album would have to incorporate elements of funk and disco as well as pop and rock.

I would agree with the Nirvana album for the 90s.

I will never choose Justin Beiber for 00's or 10's.

As far as MJ goes, he did do pop rock. Butr metal was just as big as pop during the 80's. Why not choose something that incorporates a little of borth, like Pyromania? I may not choose that personally, but it's an example.

Not much of a Zeppelin connoisseur huh?

Revolver
London Calling
Straight Outta Compton
Ready to Die
Kid A

inb4 frownland mentions albums nobody knows of and considers them to define the genre.

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

I'm willing to bet it's been done before. Trying to find an album that incorporates the major elements of its decade seems more engaging.

But it's also genuinely impossible. There's no one artist/album/song that carries an entire decade under its hood.

So far this thread seems to mostly be "which rock artist was big during each decade".

That's what I thought this thread was about, and I was ready to make a post, but apparently that's not what it's about so I decided against it.

Albums that define the spirit of their decade.

I don't understand the question, I guess. Are we supposed to choose albums we feel defined the decade in our own opinion, or based on popular opinion? Or albums that actually defined the decade based on sales?

OK, let me give an example. Nevermind was high quality in the realm of alternative and took a little bit from punk and pop, and it was a huge influence on alternative and indie in the future. Obviosuly, it's essential to the 90's in so many ways. Not to mention, the music itself was very much like something from the 90's, mostly because it influenced it. That's why I believe Nevermind is the embodiment of the 90's.

So its not based on our opinion then? you can just look up album sales and see which one defines the decade.

That's nice I guess, but my point was that there was a lot more going on in 90s music than just grunge rock (or whatever "alternative" and "indie" mean).

I don't understand how do you get from a combination of influence, quality, and diversity to sales.

The key is to find an album that embodies their decade for different reasons. Here's another example. I chose the White Album for the 60's because, even though it came out in 69, it took the blues and psychedelic pop and rock of the 60's and many other major 60's influences and made them as top notch as one could get. The 60's were all about psychedelia, blues, pop and rock. The Beatles' White Album was all about them. Sales can play a part, but I would hardly say Pink Floyd's DSOTM was the defining album of the 70's because it bare;ly brushes upon anything the 70's as a wehole was about.

The 70's was ABOUT disco, funk, pop rock, and some prog. The idea is to find an album that's more ABOUT what the decade was about than most albums. The cultural impoertance and overall quality as one, but not necessarily sales. I mean, if we're only talking sales, hpow many artists are influenced by Shania Twain or Celine Dion?

In that case, we're talking more about importance beside defining. When you mention defining, I'm more thinking of the album that made the decade what it's known for, not an album that is influenced based on the genre the decade is known for.

For example, you chose the white album, but I was thinking we were supposed to choose an album that made it easy to choose the white album in the first place.

Exactly. That's what I'm talking about. Attempting to find the "spirit of the 90's" or whatever decade in the form of an album.

Alright, well i'll see what I can come up with.

Being the "Grungeman" and the self-proclaimed purveyor of all things Grungy, I naturally assume you would think Nirvana's second album, Nevermind, which is considered by most their first album as the defining moment of the 90s. ... but what about 311 aka "The Blue Album" by 311 in '95? It went triple platinum! ... or "Third Eye Blind" in '97? The eponymous debut studio album by the band, Third Eye Blind. I am sure they define the 90s too for a lot of people.

To be honest, Nevermind doesn't even reach my top fifteen grunge albums. I think it's excessively overrated. But at the same time, I don't deny it's diversity, and how much of an influence on modern music it has had. I can't stand some of Cobain's lyrics, notably on reed and Territorial Pissings.

Two undeniable records which were the future of music for their time:

Donna Summer - "I Feel Love" (1977) 12" single - the first pop song to feature an entirely synthesized backing track. David Bowie famously said:

And a few years later in 1981 Manuel Göttsching recorded E2-E4. Released in 1984 it set the stage for the entire techno genre that followed.

I would say Portishead's Dummy for the 90s