What's the proper age for "old school"/"classic"?

[agent817]

I know threads have been done about this before, but I couldn't find the most recent one. What brought this on was that I was riding with my dad recently and we were listening to the classic rock station. He made a mention about how it plays the same stuff all the time, dating back to the 1960's and 1970's, some even 1980's. This brought to light about the fact that even when I was a kid in the 1990's, I heard the same songs played on there at the time. I mean I have heard some 1990's stuff on some classic rock stations, whether it's from the grunge era that molded into the alternative era. But we're already in 2020 and I wonder how old some stuff has to be in order to be considered "old school" or "classic."

I recall a station in my area that used to play oldies, but then it became classic soul/R&B, which then became a mix of old school hip-hop and R&B, as rap songs are played on there as well. Being that those songs are rather old now, it makes sense. I mean I am not sure if I could imagine some classic rock stations playing late-1990's to early-2000's rock, especially the emo/pop punk stuff like Blink 182, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, etc. But that isn't to say that some stations in other markets don't, because I am sure that some might out there.

What's funny is that even 1980's stuff was considered "classic" even in the 1990's, especially when you look at how different things were, late-1980's and early-1990's notwithstanding.

So what do you think about this?

[ERON]

Generally speaking, I think things become "classic" or "old school" when the kids who grew up with them become adults and start having kids of their own.

For classic rock, though, I think that term is destined to be defined as late '60s to early '80s rock from now until the end of time.

[The Legend of Groose]

My personal rule has always been 10 years is when something can become nostalgic.

[chazraps]

Last year the "old school classic hip-hop" channel I listened to adjusted its parameters from up to 1996 (which it'd been since 2004) to 2000, and even that itty bitty four year difference was a total mindsmurf - but it does speak volumes how fast hip-hop changes.

[Citizen Snips]

Feb 2, 2020 14:05:05 GMT -5 ERON said:

Generally speaking, I think things become "classic" or "old school" when the kids who grew up with them become adults and start having kids of their own.

For classic rock, though, I think that term is destined to be defined as late '60s to early '80s rock from now until the end of time.

Yeah, just like "oldies" are always going to be 50's/60's era music.

[wildojinx]

Feb 2, 2020 15:34:17 GMT -5 Citizen Snips said:

Feb 2, 2020 14:05:05 GMT -5 ERON said:

Generally speaking, I think things become "classic" or "old school" when the kids who grew up with them become adults and start having kids of their own.

For classic rock, though, I think that term is destined to be defined as late '60s to early '80s rock from now until the end of time.

Yeah, just like "oldies" are always going to be 50's/60's era music.

I've heard 80s stuff on oldies stations such as Hall and Oates (their 80s stuff like Maneater) and Huey Lewis. The local classic rock station (only really listen to it as it's the preset on my clock radio) has actually started throwing in some 2000s stuff like Kryptonite, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, and Seven Nation Army, but that seems to be more of an oddity (plus, those songs easily fit into a classic rock format as they have a more "timeless" sound that doesnt seem tied to the 2000s).

[Triangle Lancer]

Eh Sirius XM kinda gets it right. You have your "golden oldies" (50s into the 60s before the British Invasion), "classic vinyl" (Beatles-Stones era into Zeppelin-The Who), "classic rock" (mid-70s Southern rock into the hair band era).

Nostalgia tends to run 20 years apart. When I was in school in the '80s, the '60s rehash was big. Into the 90s, bell bottoms became a thing for a while.
Only reason the 90s things have been on and off for the past 15 years is because the whole of the 2000s really have nothing to speak of fashion-wise that differ than what we have now. It's really weird.

[Push R Truth]

If you are at least 18 and you hear a song that your parents could have been listening too when they made you in the public bathroom in the back of Walmart, it's a Classic.

[Venti]

It's tough for me, I really don't enjoy having to categorize music by time period, because good music for me is timeless.

I love a lot of newer bands and rappers from this past decade, but I also love music that was around long before I was even born.
Like, a Sabbath record from the early 70's is just as relevant to me now as anything else that is coming out.

But if I have to choose, I guess I'd say "classic" would be anything from before the new millennium. Stuff from 2004, for example still feels hella new to me.

[Deleted]

Feb 2, 2020 14:05:05 GMT -5 ERON said:

Generally speaking, I think things become "classic" or "old school" when the kids who grew up with them become adults and start having kids of their own.

For classic rock, though, I think that term is destined to be defined as late '60s to early '80s rock from now until the end of time.

Yeah. the local "current rock" station still plays stuff from the 90's like it's current music.

[thecrusherwi]

I feel like as time goes on and everything in pop culture remains permanently accessible, the definition of classic keeps getting pushed farther into the past.

When I was in high school 15-20 years ago, the Classic Rock Radio Stations played 70s and 80s music. Now the Classic Rock Radio Stations play 70s and 80s and 90s music.

I’m not sure 2009 will ever feel “Classic” because you can’t get nostalgic about stuff that never went away.

[Cela]

Feb 4, 2020 13:10:48 GMT -5 thecrusherwi said:

I feel like as time goes on and everything in pop culture remains permanently accessible, the definition of classic keeps getting pushed farther into the past.

When I was in high school 15-20 years ago, the Classic Rock Radio Stations played 70s and 80s music. Now the Classic Rock Radio Stations play 70s and 80s and 90s music.

I’m not sure 2009 will ever feel “Classic” because you can’t get nostalgic about stuff that never went away.

Black Eyed Peas, Bad Romance, Party in the USA, and the first of the Taylor Swift do seem pretty far away. Assume 18 years and it will feel "Classic".

[agent817]

I could imagine if at this point that in some markets, some "classic rock" stations might play stuff like Coal Chamber or Disturbed.

[Natural Born Farmer]

All I know is three different Spider-Man film series within 15 years was too many.

[Nr1Humanoid]

I refuse to call 80s pop culture oldies inntil at least 2035.

The 60s and before is old.

[mcmahonfan85]

please, everybody knows when that "old school" was: the 1920s & 30s

[wildojinx]

Feb 8, 2020 11:03:38 GMT -5 agent817 said:

I could imagine if at this point that in some markets, some "classic rock" stations might play stuff like Coal Chamber or Disturbed.

Disturbed maybe (and im sure they'd still edit out the "every time i dream" part from The Sickness), but Coal Chamber are pretty much forgotten even by nu-metal fans.

[Natural Born Farmer]

Feb 8, 2020 19:14:45 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

Feb 8, 2020 11:03:38 GMT -5 agent817 said:

I could imagine if at this point that in some markets, some "classic rock" stations might play stuff like Coal Chamber or Disturbed.

Disturbed maybe (and im sure they'd still edit out the "every time i dream" part from The Sickness), but Coal Chamber are pretty much forgotten even by nu-metal fans.

Dez is kind of f***ing this up by doing Coal Chamber songs with Devildriver while insisting he hates that idea. Saw them at Texas Independence Fest and it was a good show, but Loco really doesn’t sound any better with screams and double bass.

[Cyno]

For video games, I usually go about 3 generations back. So, I'd put N64, Saturn, and PS1 in the "old school" category, with Dreamcast sorta being in or out depending. When the next gen with new Xbox and PS5 start, I'd start considering the Xbox, PS2, and GC "old school."

For music, I just know that I've heard "American Idiot" on the classic rock station recently so I guess the 00's is starting to become "classic" now.

[mo]

Thread reminds of the time I listened to my local hip-hop station’s long running old school lunch hour for the first time in about a decade a few years back. I was expecting Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Stevie B, “Knockin’ Boots,” and “Ditty” and instead I got “I Wanna Know” by Joe and “Rock Wit U” by Ashanti. That was the first time I realized that the songs from my school years are now as old as the songs I considered old school back in those days. Shit kinda blew my mind.