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What has been the greatest decade for music, movies? (and tv, sport etc.)

DC80

Juniors
Messages
215
Watching the series from CNN which goes through pop culture of each decade. Was thinking what has been the best decade and why?

For me it’s easily the 80s. Born in the early part of the decade and feel lucky to have lived through that growing up. Going to see Back to the Future as it’s just come out in cinema, A-Team on tv on a Saturday evening, and musically I still love hard rock/soft rock. The rock ballad period is now critically panned but there’s no better collection of songs in my view.

Few selections from the 80s

Movies
The Empire Strikes Back
Indiana Jones (Temple of Doom and Last Crusade, didn’t see Raiders for a long time after the 80s)
Back to the Future I and II (the future scenes in the second one was an incredible experience in the cinema..hover boards ffs)
ET
Goonies
Rocky III and IV
Top Gun
Ghostbusters
Gremlins
Beetlejuice
Batman
The Karate Kid I and II
Big
Neverending Story
Spaceballs
Police Academy
Scrooged
Labyrinth
Superman I and II (General Zod was particularly good)
Harry and the Hendersons

I would add The Shining, Terminator, Die Hard and any others I didn’t see until much later as they weren’t an eighties experience.

Music

Much of these I heard via two older brothers favourite artists

A-Ha (older brothers band)
Iron Maiden (as was this)
Guns N Roses (most of these hard rock bands eldest brother listened to)
The Police
Phil Collins
Def Leppard (Hysteria was the first album record I bought)
Bon Jovi
Heart
Poison
Queen
Whitesnake
U2
Cyndi Lauper
Michael Jackson (“Smooth criminal” was the first record single I bought)
Dire Straits

Slightly more embarrassing now I bought Jason Donovan’s Ten Good Reasons album. Can’t think of any reasons now why I did (he was great as Scott though).

Have vague recollections of Live Aid but not enough to stick it in. Only years later appreciated how great Freddie Mercury was. Certainly remember it’s offshoot Sport Aid which was in 1986.

TV

Saturday mornings BBC had a kids show called Going Live (was three hours of mayhem).
A-Team
Knight Rider
McGuyver
Airwolf
Family Ties
Disney’s Gummi Bears
Talespin
Chip n Dale Resue Rangers
The Smurfs
ThunderCats
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Different Stokes

You Aussies produced great stuff too.

Crocodile Dundee (both films, first film everyone knows “that’s not a knife”, but the second also produces a classic when the aboriginal fella shouts, “if Mick want his clothes back he can climb down there and get him bloody self”)
Neighbours, every bit as big as the two dominant soaps (EastEnders and Coronation Street) here in the UK...that Scott/Charlene storyline was everywhere, Daphne dying was probably the first time I saw death on tv.
Home and Away was also great back then. Bobby, Flathead
Henderson Kids. What a cracking show this was. A younger Kylie appeared in this if I remember right.

I’d add Mad Max 2 but didn’t see it the during the decade. Midnight Oil, Men and Work, loved their stuff later also

The sport side I missed out on as I didn’t start following Liverpool until the decade was over...which is a shame as we dominated the 80s, Aussie Craig Johnston was a major player for us during it too. Do recall Mike Tyson fighting Frank Bruno though, plus Ben Johnson cheating, Flo Jo cheating. In Rugby league I didn’t follow St Helens until later also.
 

Vic Mackey

Referee
Messages
24,557
90s was the most defining as it’s when technology came in to change everything. All entertainment become instantly accessible worldwide. Growing up in the 90s I’m biased and will say that’s when the music was the best, however it’s also likely the last time we’ll see true alternative music before everything became completely manufactured.
 

veggiepatch1959

First Grade
Messages
9,841
For me the 70s was the worst for music until the punk movement woke it from its torpor.

The way things are going, the current decade will probably take that mantle with its manufactured sterile dross.
 

Life's Good

Coach
Messages
13,971
The 80’s. Almost my entire school life took place in this decade so it’s easy to pinpoint why it was so influential to me.
 

DC80

Juniors
Messages
215
Everyone will say it's the decade they went through the majority of their teens in.

And unless that's the 90s, they're wrong.
Most probably would. I’m probably in a minority that went for earlier than that. First memories seem to carry greater weight (for me anyway). Only a small handful of films have blown me away in the cinema, and the first to do that was Back to the Future II (next one was Jurassic Park).

80's music and tv are f**king awful for the most part. Love 80's movies though
Critically the music especially was panned, I loved that synthesiser sound though. I’d find it hard to believe any decade could compete with the 80’s movies.
 

horrie hastings

First Grade
Messages
7,338
The 70's because its the era I grew up in.

Movies.
The Poseidon Adventure.
The Towering Inferno
Jaws
Star Wars
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Music- I actually like the era of music from 1975-1983 the best so 70's and 80's there

Electric Light Orchestra
ABBA
Olivia Newton John
Bee Gees
Queen.
 

LESStar58

Referee
Messages
25,496
For movies it was definitely the 1970s!

Jaws, Star Wars, The Godfather, Mean Streets, French Connection etc. etc.
 

Generalzod

Immortal
Messages
32,083
I got to say the 80's when I first listen to Number of the Beast from Iron maiden one of the best metal albums of all time saw them Live at Horden Pavilion in 1985 the Powerslave Tour (Powerslave was also another fantastic album), Also listened to the likes New Order Blue Monday one of my favourite songs, U2 Unforgettable Fire one of their best work. Loved Van Halen. Metallica
As for Movies the 80's for sure pure magic.I loved the 80's My favouritte Movies are Superman 1 and 2....
 

Danish

Referee
Messages
31,850
Let’s be fair dinkum here, everyone’s answer in this thread is just going to be the decade they spent the most of their teen years.


Having said that, the 90s is quite clearly the greatest decade in movie history. The Oscar award winners and nominees from 1990-1999 are unsurpassed in quality
 
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mongoose

Coach
Messages
11,324
90s had The Simpsons at it's peak and Seinfeld so that alones gives it the edge.

For movies every decade has had good and bad, same with music.
 

Wizardman

First Grade
Messages
8,593
My school years were pretty much mid 80s to mid 90s.

The vast majority of my favourite movies come from the 80s. You'll find that the vast majority of movies with sequels come from this era because the movies were so original and great. They didn't try to be too politically correct, they just told a great story. 70s is an extremely close second place.

Music...80s once again, even though Im aware that the songs were not well critically received in the majority.

TV, I honestly think we are in the golden decade for tv now. Production quality has never been better than it is now. "Game of Thrones" holds up to any movie in terms of quality.
 

Danish

Referee
Messages
31,850
TV, I honestly think we are in the golden decade for tv now. Production quality has never been better than it is now. "Game of Thrones" holds up to any movie in terms of quality.


The golden age of TV drama is certainly right now. As you say GOT is equivalent to any movie, as are shows like Westworld, Breaking Bad, and countlesss others.

TV comedy though has seen better days IMO. Everything has to have a political slant now, not to mention the amount of shows that think just making topical references and “quirkiness” can make up for a lack of actual humour and jokes.
 
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