Favorite Decade?

[AmateisGal]

I'm listening to a big band station on the internet (GotRadio for those who are interested) and it features music from the 30's to the 50's. It got me to thinking about which decade of music I prefer the most.

I'm discovering that I'm not a fan of late 20's or early 30's music, but I do like the big bands of the mid-30's through the late 40's. I'm not a music expert, so I couldn't really tell you why I prefer one sound over another - just that the earlier stuff, well, to be blunt, hurts my ears. It's too "tinny." Does that make sense?

As far as singing goes, love the 40's singers - and I also love the 50's stuff from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day (and her earlier stuff, too).

How about you?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Great topic!

For me, I think popular music reached its peak between 1933 and 1937 -- with '37 an especially wonderful year. Just about any record made that year is a gem, to my ears. Nothing wrong with the forties, either, as far as the music goes, but I think the songs available to record reached a higher standard in the thirties.

I also enjoy the late twenties/early thirties, but many of those recordings do suffer from poor quality in the versions that you generally hear nowadays -- a lot of those bands used a lot of strings in their arrangements, and modern transfers of those records often end up with way too much treble, making the strings sound screechy.

I've also got a sneaking fondness for '30s novelty bands -- Horace Heidt, Shep Fields, Kay Kyser, and others of that sort. Kyser, especially, is a favorite -- fun gimmicks, a great collection of vocalists, solid musicianship, and a sense of humor about it all.

We run the X-M satellite network's "The 40s'" channel on our pre-show music at work, and I'm very impressed with their mix of selections: whoever programs their stuff is on the ball!

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I would say my generally favorite period for American popular music is 1925-1935, essentially the era from around the introduction of electrical recording to the early swing era. By roughly 1939 I find most American popular music starting to be totally uninteresting.

Oddly enough this period of disappointing American music is my favorite period for European music. I would say the period 1935-1945 is my favorite period for European popular music, especially tangos.

 

[Paisley]

If there were a radio station that played all 50s, I'd love it. But the only 50s music that gets played on the radio (in general) is pop. I do like that, but there was also Basie, Sinatra, Ella, Sarah Vaughan, R&B musicians, and a bunch of others that I love, but perhaps don't appeal to listeners trying to recapture their lost youth.

 

[AmateisGal]

Great topic!

I also enjoy the late twenties/early thirties, but many of those recordings do suffer from poor quality in the versions that you generally hear nowadays -- a lot of those bands used a lot of strings in their arrangements, and modern transfers of those records often end up with way too much treble, making the strings sound screechy.

This makes perfect sense, Lizzie - now I understand why the recordings I hear sound the way they do. I bet if I heard the music live, I'd have a different reaction!

 

[AmateisGal]

I would say the period 1935-1945 is my favorite period for European popular music, especially tangos.

This intrigues me because I don't think I have ever really listened to European music from this era. I think I'd like to give it a try.

 

[AmateisGal]

If there were a radio station that played all 50s, I'd love it. But the only 50s music that gets played on the radio (in general) is pop. I do like that, but there was also Basie, Sinatra, Ella, Sarah Vaughan, R&B musicians, and a bunch of others that I love, but perhaps don't appeal to listeners trying to recapture their lost youth.

Paisley, I am a diehard Sinatra fan - one of my absolute favorite albums of all time is In the Wee Small Hours.

I know Sirius has a 'Siriusly' Sinatra channel that I've listened to before, but it doesn't just stick with the 50's. Have you tried looking at Internet radio channels for just 50's swing?

 

[Paisley]

Well, I can't listen to Internet radio at work and I don't have the Internet at home. But there is a local station that plays a program called "Sounds of Sinatra" (formerly Franka and Friends, I think) and there's R&B Jukebox on another station on Saturday night. But I'm usually not home then.

 

[dhermann1]

Tho I enjoy music as early as the teens, and a lot of 20's and early 30's stuff, I'd have to say that music starting about 1936 and going thru 1942 is really the peak period for me. That's really the very height of Swing. After 43, when they started recording again after the big recording strike, the music had started going in two different directions. There was the very early beginnings of Bop (which I also enjoy), but at the same time Swing started cooling off, getting too tidy and civilized.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

This intrigues me because I don't think I have ever really listened to European music from this era. I think I'd like to give it a try.

You might enjoy this internet radio station, it's one of my favorites. My own station linked in my signature plays Russian music of the 1930s and 1940s.

http://www.weimarrundfunk.com/index2.html

 

[Burnsie]

The 30's - the birth of Western Swing and it's early incarnations brings me particular joy. My favorites, Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies are an almost magical blend of popular, hot jazz and "string band" music from which all Western Swing was derived. After 1938 I find the style becoming a little more slick, a little more commercial. The raw loose wildness of the 30's is incredibly exciting!

 

[Flivver]

I like almost all popular music from the teens through the early sixties. But my favorite era is roughly from about 1923-1935, with particular emphasis on the period 1925-1929.

Electrical recording began in 1925, and when played on the right equipment, using the correct equalization, these early electrical recordings can sound quite fine indeed. I tend to prefer the lively recordings that would have been listened to and danced to by the high school and college crowd of the day, from such artists as Irving Aaronson and His Commanders, or the University Six.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

Depends on the "Genre"

I guess the 30's and 40's were the golden age of the Weekly radio show such as Burns and Allen and Jack Benny, but the 60's in Britain were amazing for cutting edge comedy such as Round the Horne, Jimmy Clitheroe


http://www.originaloldradio.com/round_the_horne.html

http://www.jimmyclitheroe.co.uk/

 

[vitanola]

Great topic!

I also enjoy the late twenties/early thirties, but many of those recordings do suffer from poor quality in the versions that you generally hear nowadays -- a lot of those bands used a lot of strings in their arrangements, and modern transfers of those records often end up with way too much treble, making the strings sound screechy.

You make a good point.

Many of the available modern transfers suffer from poor equalisation, perhaps in a misguided attempt to add an artificial brilliance to the recording. Many reissues are of material with considerable jazz interest which were originally recorded with unsatisfactory equipment, or were poorly pressed (think of the output of Marsh Autograph, Paramount, Gennett, and many Pathe/Perfect/Cameo and Banner/Oriole/Regal sides).

Victor Orthophonic recods were generally very well recorded, but some suffer form grainy pressings.

Columbia (Viva-Tonal), OkeH (Electric) and Edison (both the 52,000+ Diamond Discs and the scarce Needle Cut shellac pressings) were pressed on splendid, silent surfaces, and were exceedingly well recorded. In the case of these latter discs, it is a pity that so many re-issues have been taken from imperfect, worn copies.

A good, clean copy of a late 1920's record, played upon an Orthophonic Victrola, Columbia Viva-Tonal, or Edisonic machine can offer a striking realism, and a satisfactory musical experience.

The large Orthophonic machines, such as the Credenza

have been rather expensive for some years, now, but the prices have dropped considerably of late, and the smaller machines have always been modestly priced, as they were made in large quantities, and have never been too popular with the collectors.

These machines play most pre-war records very well. They are trouble-free, and well within the budget of almost everyone.

 

[52Styleline]

The 40's for me. The Big Bands were at their full power in that decade and there was an energy to the music that reflects what was going on in the world. Most of the 40's swing was clearly designed for dancing and it is hard to listen to an up tempo recording from that period without moving your feet or swaying your hips..even just a little. Especially fro 1940 through 45, the music was fun because not a lot of the rest of life was.

 

[Mike1939]

I like the dance/swing bands of the 1925-1945 period. So if I had to pick a decade it would be th 1930's. All my favorites recordings from Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Jack Hylton, Ray Noble and Duke Ellington fall within that decade. It makes me smile just to think of them.

 

[miles_archer]

Provacative Question!

I hope not to offend anyone but I have to go with the 1950’s. Jazz was at its post-war zenith culminating in the Miles Davis Quintet with Coltrane and Adderly. Also very note-worthy Up-town jazz like Stan Getz and Dave Brubeck. The 50’s also gave us Hank Williams, golden-era Opry, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash and of course pre-army Elvis.