If anyone can point us out a decade that produced only good music, I'd be happy to hear about it. The rot set in in the late 50s, when American labels realised they could market teen crap and it'd sell. I'd take any modern pop record over the bubblegum crap that America was churning out in the early 60s.

But every decade has had good stuff too, from people who could play/sing/write. 80s - hmm. All the ones mentioned so far, plus:-

Folk-related: the Levellers, the Albion Band and endless variations (including Show of Hands)

Rock/pop: Chris Rea, Blondie, ZZ Top, Michael Jackson, Prince, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Meatloaf, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, Frankie goes to Hollywood

Also acid and other early house music (yet again, Britain reworks a US musical invention and kicks ass). And the whole Madchester movement.

If you reckon the 80s were crap, you must have had the wrong radio station on for 10 years!

Graham.