In 50 years, music has seen significant developments - both in the way that it is played and in what is considered popular. Successful artists from decades long gone by are still remembered fondly, informing even the most modern sounding records, showing that even though popular music changes and grows it remains respectful and grateful to sounds of the past.
The biggest bands in the world during the 60s such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stone and The Who were British, and in America this was called The British Invasion. Vinyl records were used to play music at home. Into the 70s a harder sound was created by artists like Black Sabbath and the anarchic sounding Sex Pistols. At the same time, Marvin Gaye and Bob Marley were producing successful soul and reggae records.
The 1980s saw the launch of MTV and with it an increased interest in music videos, which certainly helped musicians such as Madonna and Michael Jackson, whose 1982 album 'Thriller' is the highest selling in history. Other artists that had huge success in the rock and hip hop genre respectively include Bon Jovi and The Beastie Boys. It was the advent of the CD that brought music a step closer to the digital revolution however, as tape cassettes and vinyl would soon fall out of favour.
In the decade before the millennium it was girl power that ruled the airwaves, with the Spice Girls becoming one of the most successful groups of all time. Arguably, they paved the way for female teen-pop artists such as Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. Oasis and Blur were considered a more acceptable pop-sound for adults. After the millennium the way we play music may be more significant than what we play - downloading songs online to play through a computer or mp3 player mean that people can have a much wider selection of music instantly available at their fingertips.
While music on the radio may sometimes sound like something from the far-off future, it in fact is almost always looking backwards, sampling sounds from the past or borrowing from old styles, as in the case of Amy Winehouse. Similarly, vinyl records are still being sold despite the dominance of CDs and mp3s.
The biggest bands in the world during the 60s such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stone and The Who were British, and in America this was called The British Invasion. Vinyl records were used to play music at home. Into the 70s a harder sound was created by artists like Black Sabbath and the anarchic sounding Sex Pistols. At the same time, Marvin Gaye and Bob Marley were producing successful soul and reggae records.
The 1980s saw the launch of MTV and with it an increased interest in music videos, which certainly helped musicians such as Madonna and Michael Jackson, whose 1982 album 'Thriller' is the highest selling in history. Other artists that had huge success in the rock and hip hop genre respectively include Bon Jovi and The Beastie Boys. It was the advent of the CD that brought music a step closer to the digital revolution however, as tape cassettes and vinyl would soon fall out of favour.
In the decade before the millennium it was girl power that ruled the airwaves, with the Spice Girls becoming one of the most successful groups of all time. Arguably, they paved the way for female teen-pop artists such as Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. Oasis and Blur were considered a more acceptable pop-sound for adults. After the millennium the way we play music may be more significant than what we play - downloading songs online to play through a computer or mp3 player mean that people can have a much wider selection of music instantly available at their fingertips.
While music on the radio may sometimes sound like something from the far-off future, it in fact is almost always looking backwards, sampling sounds from the past or borrowing from old styles, as in the case of Amy Winehouse. Similarly, vinyl records are still being sold despite the dominance of CDs and mp3s.
