Best five year span in music history?

[gouki88]

Pretty good selection before my time: 69-73 was a key classic era, Woodstock and the immediate musical aftermath. A year or two one way or the other, but Jimi's brief prime has to be in it.

The 70's was pretty awesome in every genre, from operettas such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Zeppelin, The Who, Red Headed Stranger and The Gambler albums, punk, all kinds of stuff.

TP. That's probably the best time for Rock N Roll - Zeppelin, Doors, Beatles, Sabbath, Creedence..insane amount of talent.

Also, i'm willing to bet a lot that no one says any period of time in the 2000's/2010's lol.

1996-2000, does that count?

1996: Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album, Swans - Soundtracks for the Blind, Fugees - The Score, Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister, Burzum - Filosofem, Nas - It Was Written, Jamiroquai - Travelling without Moving.

1997: Radiohead - OK Computer, Bjork - Homogenic, Elliot Smith - Either/Or, Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯ A♯ ∞, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Boatman's Call, Daft Punk - Homework, The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death.

1998: Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, OutKast - Aquemini, Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, The Living End - The Living End, Powderfinger - Internationalist, The Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop.

1999: MF DOOM - Operation Doomsday, Moby - Play, American Football - American Football, Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile, Eminem - Slim Shady LP, Dr Dre - 2001, Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada, Mos Def - Black On Both Sides,

2000: Radiohead - Kid A, Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven, The Avalanches - Since I Left You, OutKast - Stankonia, D'Angelo - Voodoo, Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele, The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia, A Silver Mt. Zion - He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts Of Light Sometimes Grace The Corner Of Our Rooms, Jurassic 5 - Quality Control.

[jambr380]

Mid-90s ('94-'98 if I have to be specific) for me. I generally agree with the OP about bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam (along with Live and Bush) taking over air-waves, but I am a punk rock guy all the way - Bad Religion, NOFX, Pennywise, Screeching Weasel, Rancid, NUFAN, Lagwagon, Goldfinger, etc, and of course Green Day and Offspring. The 90s punk resurgence was incredible and even the normies were into it.

Unfortunately, everything today seems to be country or hip hop. Back in the day, people fought over whether they liked hardcore, metal, skate-punk, pop-punk, ska, grunge, and on and on. Now I get excited whenever I hear any alternative rock band in the mainstream.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Well, it aint now.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

My favorite band is the Monkees, and their prime was '66-'70, so that's what I'll go with.

[slamtheking]

TPs to all the ‘69-‘73 folk.

The number of music genres and the number stars/groups is pretty staggering.

Stones
Beatles
Joplin
Hendrix
The Grateful Dead
The Who
The O’Jays
Teddy Pendergrass/Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes
Cream
Black Sabbath
Zeppelin
Stevie Wonder
Jefferson Airplane
Dirty Jim and The Doors
Santana
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young ( as a group and individually)
Beach Boys
Credence
Englebert
Tom Jones
Dylan
Nascent Disco

don't forget
Pink Floyd
Kinks
David Bowie
Allman Brothers
Lynyrd Skynyrd (first album made it in)

[GreenEnvy]

I’m not too familiar with the exact years, but I’ve always felt the 60’s were the golden era of music. The 90’s are #2 for me, not only because it was the era of my youth but I feel as they were the most diverse (rap, grunge, pop, r&b all took off).

Early 70’s were really good but don’t really like mid-70’s. 80’s obviously had some iconic artists and historic albums, but I felt it was arguably the weakest decade of the 5 from ‘60-‘09 (current decade has been awful IMO and not worth discussing).

[PhoSita]

Whenever you were between the ages of 18 and 23.

'98-'03?  I'll pass on that.   Music sucked while I was in high school & college.   There was some decent rap & hip hop but that was about it, IMO.

I'd either go with '91-96 so latter grammar school thru freshman of college.  What an era across multiple spectrums, highlighted by grunge & rap

OR

'06-'11. My late 20s to early 30s.  Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, Killers, Black Keys, Vampire Weekend, & so much more.   Just some incredible alternative rock going on.

I mean the exact range might vary from person to person but I think most people have a certain age when they formulate most of their music taste and are nostalgic forever thereafter for that specific era.

For me I think it's 2008-2013, roughly speaking.  In other words, college and a year or two thereafter.

[CelticsPoetry]

It's hard to find a 5 year span of greatness, so I will cheat a bit and expand it to 7. The best such span has to be from 1721 to 1727. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote some of his greatest works then (which coincidentally means some of the greatest works in the history of music):
The Well-Tempered Clavier, St Matthew Passion, St John Passion, The Brandenburg Concertos, Partitas for keyboard, The French Suites and numerous cantatas. I understand his music is not everyone's cup of tea, but the profoundness, complexity and importance of these works for the evolution of music as we know it can not be understated. It was the time when the tonal system as we know it was being ''tested''. I'm not saying music would not evolve as it has without such composers as Bach, it would just probably take more time.

[Neurotic Guy]

Whenever you were between the ages of 18 and 23.

'98-'03?  I'll pass on that.   Music sucked while I was in high school & college.   There was some decent rap & hip hop but that was about it, IMO.

I'd either go with '91-96 so latter grammar school thru freshman of college.  What an era across multiple spectrums, highlighted by grunge & rap

OR

'06-'11. My late 20s to early 30s.  Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, Killers, Black Keys, Vampire Weekend, & so much more.   Just some incredible alternative rock going on.

I mean the exact range might vary from person to person but I think most people have a certain age when they formulate most of their music taste and are nostalgic forever thereafter for that specific era.

For me I think it's 2008-2013, roughly speaking.  In other words, college and a year or two thereafter.

I’m not buying the “when you were 18-23” idea either. For me that was ‘76-‘81 — disco — one of my least favorite eras of music.  As I said earlier — ‘65 to ‘70 probably covers it if I’m restricted to 5 years. Rock was young but growing —  incredibly innovative and fresh.  Includes the best years of Dylan, Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, Rascals, Animals, all British Invasion, CCR, early work of CSNY (separate and together), early Clapton (various groups), Moody Blues, Chuck Berry (mid-career), Monkees, Mamas and Papas, Lovin Spoonful, birth of Motown (Stevie, Smokey, Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Jackson 5...), early Dead, also included early folk-rock- James Taylor’s best work, Peter/Paul/Mary, Joni Mitchell, Carole King (I think Tapestry just makes it).  No other era comes close.
If I had to choose a second 5-year span, I’d go earlier.

[Androslav]

I'd probably go with '66-'70.

[Silas]

I'd probably go with '66-'70.

I agree, mid to late 60s with the early 90s next.  I'm surprised no one has mentioned Sublime, my favorite group.