The Greatest Year In Rock/Pop Music!

[cyberdad]

Definitely 1965, as that was when I got a transistor radio for my 10th birthday (I still have it!).

Well sure!  And also because I was living in Honolulu at the time as a high school kid, and leading up to New Year's Eve, KORL kept promoting "ring in 1965 on channel 65".  So I did....and there was never a doubt that it would be a great year!  (And KORL's heavy rotation of PAMS series 18 jingles was just so much frosting on the cake).

[BobSmolarek]

I love this subject. For me it would be 1964, followed by 1966, then 65. That period from 1964 to 1975 was phenomenal. All my favorite years for music were in that period. Also loved 1971, something about being 13 years old makes you really love music, I've noticed that time after time. What I'd like to know, if you were born in 1980 are your favorite years say 1992 to 1994?

[oldies76]

It is interesting, and telling, that no one has picked anything later than 1980 as the "best" year.

1983 gets a great honor! New wave, mixed with contemporaries, dance hits.

Songs like:

Jeopardy
Billie Jean
Let's Dance
Major Tom
Union of the Snake
Promises Promises
Mad World
Overkill
Mr. Roboto
You Are
Islands in the Stream
Freak a Zoid

And many, many more!! This music went well in the arcades, playing those "nostalgic" video games!

[willdav713]

It is interesting, and telling, that no one has picked anything later than 1980 as the "best" year.

1983 gets a great honor! New wave, mixed with contemporaries, dance hits.

Songs like:

Jeopardy
Billie Jean
Let's Dance
Major Tom
Union of the Snake
Promises Promises
Mad World
Overkill
Mr. Roboto
You Are
Islands in the Stream
Freak a Zoid

And many, many more!! This music went well in the arcades, playing those "nostalgic" video games!

Add Flashdance
Dancing on the Ceiling
Let's Hear it for the Boy
Holding out for a Hero from 1985 and most of the stuff from the Footloose soundtrack.

Do wa ditty
Dance Floor and the many hits from Zapp.
Hill Street Blues theme from Mike Post

[Corky Marlowe]

I have to go with 1968. What a wild year that was!

And very much "all over the place", too. While you had stuff like "Hush" by Deep Purple, "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Cream, and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones in the top 5, and "Journey To The Center Of The Mind" by the Amboy Dukes in the top 20, not to mention Steppenwolf hitting their stride, the number 1 spot was often occupied by middle of the road-ers like Bobby Goldsboro, Herb Alpert, and Paul Mauriat. (Yes, "Hey Jude" was number 1 for almost 2 months, but 1968 was also the first year since '64 that the Stones didn't have a number 1 single in the US.) Likewise, in 1974, a year that a lot of hard rocking stuff was on the charts (BTO's hits "Let It Ride", "Takin' Care Of Business", and "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", Golden Earring's "Radar Love", "Rock & Roll Hootchie Koo" by Rick Derringer, "Jet" by Paul McCartney), the number one song of the year was Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were".   

[oldies76]

I have to go with 1968. What a wild year that was!

And very much "all over the place", too. While you had stuff like "Hush" by Deep Purple, "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Cream, and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones in the top 5, and "Journey To The Center Of The Mind" by the Amboy Dukes in the top 20, not to mention Steppenwolf hitting their stride, the number 1 spot was often occupied by middle of the road-ers like Bobby Goldsboro, Herb Alpert, and Paul Mauriat. (Yes, "Hey Jude" was number 1 for almost 2 months, but 1968 was also the first year since '64 that the Stones didn't have a number 1 single in the US.) Likewise, in 1974, a year that a lot of hard rocking stuff was on the charts (BTO's hits "Let It Ride", "Takin' Care Of Business", and "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", Golden Earring's "Radar Love", "Rock & Roll Hootchie Koo" by Rick Derringer, "Jet" by Paul McCartney), the number one song of the year was Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were".   

1968 also had Dionne Warwick's "Valley of the Dolls" alongside, Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man", Rolling Stones "Jumping Jack Flash" and Jimi Hendrix "Gloria". Huge differences in music genre, but all accepted then and aired. "Harper Valley PTA" #1 before "Hey Jude" is another story too.

[CTListener]

I have to go with 1968. What a wild year that was!

And very much "all over the place", too. While you had stuff like "Hush" by Deep Purple, "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Cream, and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones in the top 5, and "Journey To The Center Of The Mind" by the Amboy Dukes in the top 20, not to mention Steppenwolf hitting their stride, the number 1 spot was often occupied by middle of the road-ers like Bobby Goldsboro, Herb Alpert, and Paul Mauriat. (Yes, "Hey Jude" was number 1 for almost 2 months, but 1968 was also the first year since '64 that the Stones didn't have a number 1 single in the US.) Likewise, in 1974, a year that a lot of hard rocking stuff was on the charts (BTO's hits "Let It Ride", "Takin' Care Of Business", and "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", Golden Earring's "Radar Love", "Rock & Roll Hootchie Koo" by Rick Derringer, "Jet" by Paul McCartney), the number one song of the year was Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were".   

1968 also had Dionne Warwick's "Valley of the Dolls" alongside, Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man", Rolling Stones "Jumping Jack Flash" and Jimi Hendrix "Gloria". Huge differences in music genre, but all accepted then and aired. "Harper Valley PTA" #1 before "Hey Jude" is another story too.

Hendrix had a hit with "Gloria"? The Them/Shadows of Knight song?

[deltas69]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdC-rKHc47w   I don't recall it being a hit...in fact I had never heard it..but here ya go...

[oldies76]

Hendrix had a hit with "Gloria"? The Them/Shadows of Knight song?

Not a hit, released on a Vinyl 7" EP, I believe from 1968 or so.

Check this out also, the full 8 1/2 minute version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBRt6va-ZqI&feature=related

[deltas69]

I kinda groove on this version....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAeu7-N5oR4