This is one of our favorite topics of discussion at NPR Music: What was the worst and best decade for pop music? We'll post a survey later asking you what you think, but I say the worst is the '80s.

Paul McCartney began the ’80s in much the same position as he’d entered the ’70s: He released a home-recorded solo album after a blockbuster band had broken up. Wings had been the portrait of pop-rock ...