It's true, it seems ridiculous, but you can't walk one block in Downtown Seattle without running into a Starbucks, Tully's, or Seattle's Best, among other chains. It's crazy, they're literally everywhere.
Mudhoney Screaming Trees though not really similar musically, Seaweed let's not belittle Dino Jr and call them grunge.
I thought about including Mudhoney and Screaming Trees but I figured interest in them would be too low to bother.
My favorite was Alice in Chains. Cantrell was great and Staley's vocals cannot be duplicated. I laugh at bands like Godsmack and the like that try to copy AIC. Give it up and find your own identity. As for Nirvana, like someone said in this thread, Nirvana put "Grunge" on the map. "Nevermind" is an awesome album, very Beatle like, well crafted. That album changed everything. Cobain's play on words was very much like John Lennon used to do. Nirvana was the best IMHO.
well yeah, they didn't get the airplay of the biggies, but they are much bette rin my opinion. Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees) has a GREAT voice is is a hell of a songwriter. The Mudhoney "Superfuzzbigmuff" singles collection is pretty much the best document of this entire scene.
I liked The Screaming Trees, they rocked. It's funny, but in a lot of interviews I read with Vedder, Cobain, Staley and Cornell, they always mentioned Mudhoney as their biggest influence.
Well, along with the Melvins they pretty mich were the grandfathers of that entire scene. A lot of people used to super polished radio music get turned off by their sloppiness and "lack of professionalism", buit the songs and attitude are there. I suggested them to some BBS member, and they checked out a song on iTunes and said they were unlistemable because of the production and sloppiness. He totally missed the entire point. A band that never realy gets mentioned but was a precursor to the entire trend was Texas' own Posion 13, which featured Tim Kerr from the Big Boys. p.s. please don't compare Cobain to Lennon lyrically. Lennon was a master and Cobain's lyrics were usually cringeworthy.
I never got into all of Soundgarden's or Pearl Jam's stuff, although I did like them. Same goes for Nirvana. However, there are very few Alice In Chains songs that I don't like. Bleed the freak baby! Soundgarden gets a close second with Pearl Jam and Nirvana bringing up the pack.
. A couple of songs on their first album (Facelift) sound like they could be Bang songs, but after that AIC found their own identity. "Dirt" is an awesome album, one of my favorites. "Down In A Hole" is so good, I put my guitar away for a long time after hearing that song.
I liked Screaming Trees a lot, too. I had to go with Nirvana as far as this poll goes. I love all 4 bands. I just recenty got a new copy of the "Singles" soundtrack, possibly the greatest of all time.
Heck, I think you can look back even farther and say that the "alternative" scene was founded by a lot of the trailblazing SST bands from the mid-80s. Husker Du and the Minutemen influenced a lot of what turned into "grunge." Legend has it that Buzz from the Melvins took Kurt Cobain to his first show... Black Flag. A life was changed that night!
I entirely agree that PJ's later four albums all flew under the radar and are much better than "mediocore." You don't hear PJ anymore b/c their music no longer fits the current format of any radio stations. The music bends through a number of genres and no longer can be pigeonholed into "grunge." Beyond that, who really wants to hear grunge? They've evolved...and even if they kept to rolling out "grunge" tunes these same critics who claim they have lost a step and are turning out "mediocore" music are the same folks that would stone them if they continued making the same music off of "Ten." Can't play it both ways... The mainstream doesn't want what PJ has to offer, and frankly, I'm guessing PJ doesn't care to much to fit that bill. Remember, they haven't made a video since "jeremy" (except for the animated video "do the evolution"). They've made their money, continue to have a sizeable fan base (who don't have to hear "jeremy", "alive," "even flow," and "daughter" to be happy) and have carved the most lasting niche of any of the seattle bands.
You are missing my point completely. Lennon would have loved Cobain's play on words. I liked Cobain's lyrics better than the music.
The cd I happened across in the rack that inspired this thread! There are a few clunkers on the disc (Sickman) but most of it is pure gold. "Rain When I Die" is my favorite, but "Would?," "Angry Chair," "Them Bones," "Down in a Hole" and of course "Rooster" are DAMN tough to beat, by Seattle bands or otherwise. It still upsets me that Staley's death cause so few ripples in rock...
