Was 1982-1997 the "Golden Age" of Indie/College rock?
Pixies
Hüsker Dü
R.E.M. (the good stuff)
Neutral Milk Hotel -- hell, all the Elephant 6!
Game Theory
Posies
Minutemen/fIREHOSE
Bad Brains
Meat Puppets
Replacements
Fishbone
Flaming Lips
Mission Of Burma
Built To Spill
etc.
etc.

I know that some of these bands are still active, but some are past their prime, others have broken through to the mainstream.

I just don't hear quite as much "underground" stuff that resonates with me quite the way it used to.

So, my question: Was that truly the "Golden Age" or was it just that I was the right age for college music at the time?

And please, post after voting in the poll. Both to explain your vote and to see how closely along age lines the voting has gone. This'll be interesting.

the 4 (or 5) years you go to school and 10 years before that.

I think you could list a lot of great 'underground' bands from any 15 year period between, say, 1960 and 2005.

I went from 6 to 16 during the 80's so I guess they have the glow of nostalga around them for me too but I it's funny how people always think the "golden age" of anything was when they were young and more involved.

Oh and you missed out the best band! Sonic Youth.

Mid to late 90's will probably always be it for me. Mainly because that is when I was realizing there was great music out there. It didn't hurt that in my opinion the local Chicago rock scene was pretty hot as well.

I actually put on Triple Fast Action's "Cattlement Don't" a few days ago and thought how amazing that record was. That band and any band that played with them during that time were equally great to me. Some classic shit.

my golden period was 92-95 ish

pavement
sonic youth
superchunk
sebadoh
butterglory
caterpillar
archers of loaf

Both.

I'd say it ended earlier than you have it, though. Once Cobain killed himself the whole thing lost its innocence. It was like being woken up from a dream by a kick to the groin.

'77 - '87

Which is my case is the exact stretch PopTodd is talking about, so yes.

A phrase Kurtz and I have adopted: "THESE ARE THE GOLDEN YEARS"

Sounds like SOMEBODY is livin in the past man!!

I became a teenage in '80 and graduated college in '89. This was by far the period when I was most into music, so, for me, that's my "golden age."

But, I realize it's all subjective and would never get on my high horse and tell people it should be that way for everyone or "become" my parents-"you call this music, you should hear what I was listening to."

Steve

BTW, I'm not suggesting that this is what PopTodd's doing...just saying

Hey, Elvis Fu -- when did WHFS sell out? To me, that was curiously synchronized with the beginning of the end. I think it was like 87 or so.

dipset makes me agree with that.

Doesn't '82-'97 cover almost the whole time "college rock" was even occuring? I mean I don't hear about any great indie or college bands from the 60s or 70s...

But anyway, the best years were definitely from '83-'87, to be as narrow and non-inclusive as possible. So many great albums were released:

Murmur
Zen Arcade/New Day Rising/Flip Your Wig
Let It Be/Tim
Confusion is Sex/Bad Moon Rising (Sonic Youth's best!)/Evol/Sister
Double Nickels on the Dime
Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac
Dinosaur/You're Living All Over Me

etc. etc.