I'm not even sure
I do blame Steps for basically covering Abba's music and somehow getting away with it, effectively allowing everyone else to do the same. But then you could just blame Oasis, but that's too easy.

Aren't we about the same age?
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 14:47, 1 reply, 15 years ago)

I would guess we are about the same age
What I meant was you were falling into the trap of thinking there was a golden period for pop music, which has now passed, even trying to pinpoint where it went wrong. In 20 years time maybe people will be nostalgic for the classic era of Steps (or perhaps not).
I don't think Oas*s should be acknowledged at all.
But from what I can see you are more a metal fan than a pop fan. Now if you wanted to have a debate about when metal stopped being good...
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 14:56, Reply)

That I could get into!
Depends how you define "metal" though. I personally was a big fan, at the time, of the likes of KoRn and Limp Bizkit, although I can now see how limited they were. But they're not metal in the strictest sense. Depends how wide you want to cast the net.

Alternatively, the answer is "when Dimebag Darrell was killed"
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 15:00, Reply)

I realise this thread is dead
but I am warming to my theme here.
For me the classic era of metal is of course the Maiden/Metallica/Anthrax/etc years. I certainly would never have counted Korn or Limp Bizkit, and only recently discovered how good the likes of Pantera were.
The correct answer is that it didn't - sure it ebbs and flows like all music genres, but there is still new and interesting stuff being released (off the top of my head the last Sunn o))) album was great)
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 15:19, Reply)

I don't think I've really been in to what you'd call a real metal band since Pantera
Gave up on Metallica a long time ago, circa Reload I think, and definitely after the abortion of St Anger. On the other hand I'm a huge Slipknot fan, and Corey Taylor's original band Stone Sour are bloody great - they're pretty much straight-up metal.
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 15:24, Reply)

You did well to stay with Metallica as long as that
Turning point for me was the Black Album.
Mind you, I quite enjoyed the last one.
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 15:32, Reply)

Didn't bother with it
I heard one single - once - and concluded after two minutes of it that they'd learned nothing since St Anger. This was probably highly premature of me but my decision was reinforced by the discovery of a track on the album called Unforgiven III. F. F. S.
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 15:37, Reply)

They learned to get rid of Bob Rock
Who had been with them since the Black Album (and Unforgiven#1), but you really haven't missed much.
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 15:43, Reply)

Even if Death Magnetic is as good as Vippers says it is
I really doubt I'll appreciate it as much as I would have 20 years ago anyway. I'm more about the bleepy bleepy nowadays. I know, I know.
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Tue 19 Jul 2011, 15:45, Reply)