timeless in a lot of cases.

>I also don't buy the false distinctions made so often between
>"timeless" and "dated" music. That separation is very much in
>the ear of the specific listener, and it's so era-dependent.
>Something that sounds dated now may come across as "timeless"
>in another ten years if music trends swing a different way,
>and something that seems timeless today might suddenly sound
>extremely dated down the road. People have such a hard time
>seeing things from a perspective other than their own,
>current, limited one - or even understanding that other
>perspectives can or will exist, now or in the future.

One major thing I feel is that for 80's Rap and R&B, the music that's been sampled the most is the most timeless, because it had something in the drum sounds, melody, drum pattern, or whatever else, that has appealed to folks who weren't there to enjoy it. So all the 80's Rap songs I mentioned above, plus those like Top billin, Paul revere, etc...and for R&B, Make it last forever, Computer love, Between the sheets, Sexual healing....I feel those are timeless, not because they show them on Time Life compilations or Best of lists, but because those songs just had something (or everything) that still sound just as good today, and always have.

With NJS, I feel that most of that sounds dated, and proof is that Poison, then maybe MotownPhilly, Remember the time, Night and day, and a few others are really enjoyed by people who weren't part of that era.

In a way, most of the classic songs that come from each era are timeless, but you can't really judge it until years and years down the road. Many of the biggest hits at the time end up sounding dated even 2-3 years later, although some will come back and end up having a sound that's recycled later on.