1960's V 1970's

Somebody once asked me... "If you had to choose, which decade of the 20th Century would you live through?"
My answer, unequivocally, has to be the 1960's. While he tends to debate the merits of the 1970's, pointing out the "funky" music, I have to say the 1960's wins hands down. Everytime.
The reasons for this are plentiful, and although music provides a soundtrack for this decade, and for my choice, it is by no means the deciding factor.
Music was an expression of the times, from the wistful sounds of Dylan and his "Times they are achangin" to the Buffalo Springfield's "For What its Worth... the zeitgeist of the time was felt through the music. But it is this "Zeitgeist" which intrigues me the most. This sense of Uprising, and social change. The casting off of the "traditional values" and the opening up to the idea that, Hey, there might be a different way to live. Although many just saw this as "irresponsible excess" and called for a "return to old fashioned values"
Take America, 1950's.... the roles of men and women were set in stone, the "place" of black/mixed race people unchallenged. Women were portrayed in adverts being spanked by their husbands for making the wrong coffee and Black people were made to sit, eat, shop and study separately.

The 1960s came around and across the world a gentle buzz of change was felt. This little buzz which began as a "counterculture" progressed and eventually rose to a crescendo and its ripples were felt across the world. From the Cuban revolution (technically 1959, but still) to The Chinese revolution. From the Anti War protests that highlighted the monstrosity that was Vietnam, to the Uprisings in France in '68. Martin Luther King and his infamous and inspirational 1963 "I have a dream" speech. To the eventual signing of the Civil Rights Act in '64. It was also a time of unrest in communities traditionally expected to exist in poverty and discrimination and suffer in silence and many riots broke out in cities across the U.S.

The "swinging Sixties" is also the home decade of the "sexual revolution". This can be attributed to many factors, such as the large number of women who gained financial independence through entering the workplace during the Second World War, and the advent of "TV" which brought with it new "modern" ideas to the masses within an instant. Then came the advancement of Obstetrics and the advent of the "pill", which gave women a control over their bodies and reproductive system which allowed more freedom in many ways. Without the fear of unwanted pregnancies, women were able to express themselves sexually and this, coupled with the breaking of taboos occurring in so many other areas, changed attitudes toward sex and sexuality beyond recognition.

Words like Liberation, Freedom, Equality, Feminist and Unifying became part of the Lexicon of the masses and it became socially unacceptable Not to challenge "the man". From the Sexual Revolution to the Underground Press, the 1960's saw a massive social upheaval which has shaped the society in which we live today.
The freedom and open-minded attitudes that came along with this sociological change gave rise to the popular culture with which the 1960s is synonymous. I am of course referring to Flower Power, Hippies, Summer of Love, Woodstock and Psychedelia. Music was the soundtrack to this generation and still today the voice of Hendrix, Beatles, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan and many others evoke mental images of miniskirts, flares, paisley patterns, VW camper vans, Pot smoking festival goers and the peace sign.
Festivals such as Woodstock and Monterey showcased some of the finest artists of the time including those mentioned above. Many of my favourite musicians came to consciousness in the 1960s, such as Jimi and Joni, The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family stone, Love, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, Jefferson Airplane, to name but a mere few!
So of course, for the chance to see, in my opinion, the most talented musician of the past hundred years, Jimi Hendrix, the 1960s would win as my decade of choice based upon that alone!
Of course 1967, the Summer of Love, is probably one of the most famous "events" of the time. and put San Fransisco and Haight Ashbury on the world map as the "home of the hippy". The wonder of such a social phenomenon and how the times changed and the atmosphere of the time, could lead to such a cultural and political rebellion without and real organisation is ultimately fascinating to me. Of course at this time, hippies gathered in their masses in many places, and indeed some of the worst riots occurred during this summer, but a change was made at this time, and not just at the site of this movement in SF, but in cities across the world as those who had flocked in their masses returned home with new ideas and expectations from their own societies. The Flower Children, as they named themselves, are responsible in many ways for creating social responsibility for ourselves and others with their ideas of free food, free love and free clinics. After all are we not still seeing people desperate to push through a free health care system for America today?

Indeed what this decade and generation brought into public consciousness and the Legacy it left behind was felt throughout the ensuing decades. Right up until today. The fashions, ideas and most importantly the achievements of this time have changed the way we live our lives in ways we must all be mindful and grateful for.
And, add the music this period brought to us to that.... and I'm doubtful anyone could dare challenge my perspective : )