The following was a quote from this topic, but I thought it was such a good point that it warranted its own thread:
http://www.inthe00s.com/index.php/topic,6978.0.html#quickreply


Yeah in my opinion the 80s are oldies now only in age. Would anyone agree that 80s music is more in the boat with 90s and 00s music than it is with 50s, 60s, and 70s music? In that most, but not all, mainstream sucks, but indie music and even slightly lesser mainstream rocks, instead of there being no music except for some, not many but enough, excellent mainstream bands and a slough of outnumbering crappy ones like there was from 1955-1978?

I'll never be able to see 80s music as "oldies", at least not until music gets an ENTIRELY new face.


To support this theory, many of the radio stations that play more current songs also mix it with 80's (i.e. the ones with a slogan like "Playing the best of the 80's, 90's, and today."), so even if it's very dated in many ways, it doesn't really sound "old" per se.

"Every Breath you Take", Michael Jackson, Van Halen, Journey, Hall & Oates, 80's Rod Stewart and all that sounds VERY modern compared to, say Elvis or early Beach Boys.

I'd actually say this change happened in the 70's. The music of 1973 sounds WAY older than that of 1978 - late 70's songs like "More than a Feeling" and "Still the One" have a more "modern" (as in post-oldies) arrangement.

1950-1976 - "Oldies"
1977-2005+ - "Modern"

1950-1966 - "Oldies"
1966-1981 - "Classic"
1981-1991 -"Modern"
1991 - 2005+ "Classic with a Modern Twist"

I say let's get back on track where we left off with "Modern" and progress instead of regress from this point on. Just my 2 pennies.

1950-1966 - "Oldies"
1966-1981 - "Classic"
1981-1991 -"Modern"
1991 - 2005+ "Classic with a Modern Twist"

I say let's get back on track where we left off with "Modern" and progress instead of regress from this point on. Just my 2 pennies.

Good points. :)

I think it's definitely more than just one category, but if I had to put a single line from "oldies" to "modern" it'd probably be around 1976-78. I also think 1967 is about when things started to become semi modern and break away from the 100% oldies/50's-influenced sound. Just compare the Beatles work in '65 to '67 - major difference. ;)

I think a better list might be:

Early 1900's-1953 - Standards/pre-rock
1954-1966 - Oldies
1967-1978 - Classics
1979-1991 - 80's/modern
1992-1996 - Grunge & Alternative (beginning of updates on old styles)
1997-2005+ - Modern (which largely includes updated classic stuff).

Seriously though, I've heard people say that 80's music sounds "old" and I don't agree. That's not just 'cause I happened to grow up listening to it, but really, if you think about it - in the 80's it was all about sounding futuristic. "New" technology like keyboards and synth machines, as well as a then-new MTV gave it a really "energized" and modern feel to it, IMO.

Even if alot of it became dated (which doesn't make it bad, IMO!) quickly, it still sounds "new" in many ways. In other words, go play a bunch of new wave, or hair metal, or dance songs from the 80's to some senior citizens - they'd probably still think it sounded like "today's" music, whereas 60's and the first half of the 70's mostly separates itself.