The 60's was a defining decade for American politics. Intertwined with the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the threat of nuclear annihilation was the hippie movement and the creation of GREAT music. Here's why I think the 60's is still music's greatest decade:

The British Invasion

A musical phenomenon never to be replicated. The two greatest bands of all time, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, "invaded" America from Britain in the mid-1960's. Both bands had an incredible decade, producing dozens of classic songs.

The Beatles evolved from writing relatively simple but irresistible songs ("She Loves You" and "Can't Buy Me Love") to complex masterpieces like "A Day in the Life" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." They released 12 albums between '63 and '70, an unbelievable rate of productivity.

The Rolling Stones began as a blues cover band, but soon shifted to writing original material. "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Gimme Shelter" are 2 of the greatest songs ever created, and they haven't aged a day.

Motown and Stax Records

The two greatest record labels for Soul and R&B, Motown and Stax, featured many of music's finest artists.

Motown had Marvin Gaye, a magnificent singer who had the smash hits "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," "Ain't That Peculiar," and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (with Tammi Terrell). They also had Smokey Robinson ("You've Really Got a Hold of Me") and Stevie Wonder ("For Once in my Life").

Stax had Otis Redding ("Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay), and the songwriting duo of Isaac Hayes and Sam Porter ("Soul Man," "Hold On! I'm Comin'").

Honestly, both labels have too many legendary '60's artists to list.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is, quite simply, the greatest songwriter of the 20^th century.

His most prolific years were the 60's, when civil rights were at the forefront of the nation's mind. He was coined, to his dismay, the "voice of a generation," for writing monumental songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'."

(The former was so affective that Sam Cooke, now arguably the greatest singer ever, penned the towering "A Change is Gonna Come.")

Dylan's sonic transition from acoustic-only folk rock to electric was an important moment in music history, and resulted in some of his very best songs. "Like a Rolling Stone" is a tour de force of rock lyricism, so much so Rolling Stone magazine unironically called it the greatest song of all time.

Jimi Hendrix

I have no doubt that, in the 60's, Jimi was considered ahead of his time. I'd argue that his music is STILL ahead of its time.

Eric Clapton was considered the greatest guitarist alive in the mid-60s, inspiring some iconic graffiti. A mostly unknown Hendrix managed to get on stage with Clapton in the UK, and literally played him off the stage. Clapton walked off midway through a song, grabbed a cigarette and remarked to his manager: "you never told me he was that f*cking good."

Jimi was undoubtedly the greatest to ever pick up an "axe." Listening to his scorching guitar solo on "All Along the Watchtower" is a spiritual experience. He was also a brilliant songwriter (see "Castles Made of Sand" and "The Wind Cries Mary").

The Jimi Hendrix Experience released 3 albums between '67 and '68. While Jimi died tragically young, he left behind a bevy of rock classics.

Those are my 4 reasons why I think the '60's is the best decade for music. There are many more reasons... too many to list them all. Thanks for reading! Do you agree? What decade of music is your favorite? Let me know by tweeting me @TylerNotTiler