35 Comments
User's avatar
Yancey Ward's avatar

I was born in 1966, so my musical tastes are the songs from 1978-1988, but I continued to listen to contemporary pop/rock music until well into the 2000s. That playlist above is excellent. I was immediately familiar with most of the songs and liked most of those quite a bit, and the ones I wasn't immediately familiar with came back to me as I listened to them.

And, yeah- music made since about 2010 really, really sucks- hard to find a gem in that pile of crap- there are some, but not a lot.

Expand full comment
Andy's avatar

1965 for me, and I always leant towards 60s and 70s tonnage. I’m not familiar with a lot of these artists, but if you put the list on Spotify I will definitely check it out. One song that comes to mind is Santana’s “Smooth.” And maybe something from The Buena Vista Social Club?

Expand full comment
Andy's avatar

(Spellcheck doesn’t like the word “toonage.”)

Expand full comment
American Psycho's avatar

I grew up listening to the 50s/60s/70s music with my parents. I have many fond memories of driving with my father listening to Jim Croce, Elvis, Dion and the Belmonts, America, and Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah.

"Just slippin on by on LSD Friday night trouble bound."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOrdtmG2IMM

Expand full comment
American Psycho's avatar

GenX guy here. Mix tapes were initially on, well, tapes. you’d have a tape in your radio and when a song you liked was played on the radio you’d quickly jump up to press record often catching part of the MC’s introduction.

https://youtu.be/x2X6I4LShac

Expand full comment
CaliforniaLost's avatar

1996 was the last great year here in this American Empire.

The Cold War was over, the US wasn't actively trying to kill all of its citizens, NAFTA hadn't pushed all of the manufacturing out of the US, the internet wasn't always on in everyon's hand, people actually talked to each other at dinner, you could just disappear for a week or two and no one freaked out. And I was a lot younger.

Ironically, Sublime became a HUGE band after Brad had overdosed in SF.

Expand full comment
Yuri Bezmenov's avatar

What changed in 1996? Most consider 9/11 the turning point.

Expand full comment
CaliforniaLost's avatar

Email and internet and celphones became ubiquitous. I believe "connectivity" destroyed civil society.

Expand full comment
Cyn's avatar

“post-2010 music is mostly garbage bordering on ear rape.” 🤣🤣🤣

TRUTH!

Expand full comment
ClarabelleVonH's avatar

Do you have a Spotify channel? It would be fun to put these onto a playlist that we could subscribe to.

Expand full comment
Yuri Bezmenov's avatar

No but I will start one and build this playlist if there’s enough interest. Please like this comment if you want Yuri Spotify!

Expand full comment
BaD Dad's avatar

I don't want to cause unnecessary controversy

but I cannot be silent:

Cherub Rock is Smashing Pumpkins best song.

Expand full comment
YourUnclePedro's avatar

Yuri, if you haven't already heard of Biological Leninism you will probably find this interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdNqSssD5Ms

For further info, watch the 3 part series on Spandrell.

Expand full comment
Paladin's avatar

Lots of research, Yuri, but I can't rise to your enthusiasm for anything about the Nineties-Two Thousands era, including it's self-indulgent music. I'm a late Fifties- early Seventies guy (sorry if my "guy" is insensitive.) because I see our high pop culture then as the zenith (remember the Zenith TV?) of the great American civilization and the music then as a key component. Who can not applaud (as in "Bravo") rock and roll, the only successful British invasion, folk (as in Bob Dylan,) and C&W (before it became pop)?

BTW: what was/is it about Britney spears (other than T&A) which caused all the stir? Could not be her face (dumb) or her voice (teenage snotty.) Same with Madonna earlier (snark stripper on stilts) and Beyonce later (all ass, no voice; vulgarity galore.) No such derision with earlier singers.

Expand full comment
Trevor Williams's avatar

Holy s%%T! I literally was putting together a banger with Spotify premium this weekend! It’s the dopest. Cheers from the land.

Expand full comment
Cary Carl's avatar

Sorry for you being too late for the 80’s Yuri. It was the heyday of mix tapes that were actually tapes. King Crimson. Cocteau Twins. Talking Heads. Laurie Anderson. The Cure. Kate Bush. Peter Gabriel. Brian Eno. The Smiths. My gosh, the 90’s were but a pale follow up.

Expand full comment
J. Daniel Blum III's avatar

Note difference between “Walkman” and “Discman”. Different eras.

Expand full comment
ruralbob's avatar

"Summertime, Summertime" by The Jamies. I'm not afraid to show my age.

Expand full comment
YM's avatar

A great list! This is the playlist of my junior high through college years. Even though I'm technically a older Millennial, I've always associated myself with late Gen-X more.

Expand full comment
Cyn's avatar

Thank you! Working this into my summer jam for sure!

Expand full comment
Lillian Sheriff's avatar

Wow Yuri from anorher music lover, your list surprised me, as I write let me be your Hero chimes in....🤣

Jesus saved my soul!!!

Expand full comment
cat's avatar

Don't forget The Cure and Depeche Mode

Expand full comment