A discussion of Seattle Grunge Rock

cubdog

banging through drywall
I was born in 1952 so I kind of missed out on the whole Grunge movement. I was living in Denver back then and the local FM radio force, KBCO, was at that time still playing a lot of Classic Rock with Reggae and some new music mixed in. So, while I did hear some of the classic Seattle bands I never got a steady diet of them. Also I was never a big radio guy and listened to a lot of jazz when at home.

Anyway, I've never stopped trying to expose myself to new music, new to me anyway, so I've been sampling some Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Pearl Jam. While I don't think I'd ever want a steady diet of Grunge, these bands and others, were certainly were capable of producing some fine music.

I'm curious about those of you who were teens around the time of the Grunge explosion. How big an impact did they have on you? Which bands did you most like and which albums were your favorites? Thoughts?

cubdog
 
I'd say big, and I see it more now, than back then. Grunge is a dirty word around the PNW. Soundgarden as compared to Pearl Jam as compared to Nirvana? No comparisons really, completely different sonics in all cases. Nirvana was punk to pop but craving minimalism in their music and sound, I think of Bleach and In Utero as being their defining albums. Soundgarden started more minimalistic, but ended up very expansive in the sound the presented. Pearl Jam just reminds me of Seattle's version of U2.

But to me, nirvana nailed the "grunge" sound, pop and punk merged, with healthy doses of angst.

I think overall the combination of styles, don't forget alice in chains and countless others, just set the stage for future music appreciation. Hey band XYC sorta sounds like PJ or Sound Garden.

Influence, wise I can go from Steve Albini to Dr Dre and Wagner in one day. So don't know.
 
I listened to a ton of it in HS, and I still listen to quite a bit of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. Some less known bands to try would be something like Mother Love Bone, or some of the one-offs like Mad Season. Audioslave is another one I'd recommend if you like Soundgarden.
 
Don't forget the Temple of the Dog album; that may be my favorite from that whole scene, on the days when one of the Nirvana albums is not.
 
Soundgarden as compared to Pearl Jam as compared to Nirvana? No comparisons really, completely different sonics in all cases. Nirvana was punk to pop but craving minimalism in their music and sound, I think of Bleach and In Utero as being their defining albums. Soundgarden started more minimalistic, but ended up very expansive in the sound the presented. Pearl Jam just reminds me of Seattle's version of U2.

But to me, nirvana nailed the "grunge" sound, pop and punk merged, with healthy doses of angst.

Well said.


Think about punk.
Punk grew up as a reaction against many things, but among them was the over-produced and over-stylized pop hits of the 70s...

Grunge was a similar reaction to the pop hits of the 80s hair bands that was also influenced by punk... so you had the DIY ethos form punk with the rock flair of the 80s all mixed up. Add in The Melvins and Mudhoney and the stage was set.

I remember being at a High School dance when I heard 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' for the first time. It completely emptied the dance floor. Nobody knew what to do. It was awesome
 
I was a Melvins fan, still am a bit when I feel like putting on a plaid shirt and cords and its grey cloudy, drizzly outside in November...That to me is classic grunge time
 
LOL.....would love to have seen a mosh pit at my "Disco" themed prom in 78.

Back to the topic...would Stone Temple Pilots fit on this list?
 
Mudoney! Superfuzz Bigmuff for the win.

Without a doubt ! Mudhoney blew all the others away - saw them live twice.

Nirvana I love, but Pearl Jam? Not even close in my book. Even Bikini Kill and others in the riot grrl genre were closer to grunge than Pearl Jam.
 
Although they hail from L.A. if you wanna grunge band from here try Rage Against the Machine. This is angry music.
 
When grunge hit, I was a high-schooler who was focused on classic rock and had just discovered punk. As such, it took me a little while to "get" Nirvana. Was it metal? Was it punk? I wasn't sure. I eventually came to have a greater appreciation of grunge, with Nirvana and Muhoney topping my short list of groups from that scene. Kurt Cobain's punk influence and pop sensibility on Nevermind was a killer combination, but perhaps not a surprise in hindsight. If I recall correctly, he was a fan of The Cars.

Every now and again, I get the impression that some rockers still have an axe to grind when it comes to grunge. The reaction seems to be similar to the one metal fans and others had toward punk in the 70's. How dare that guitarist play only four chords and not include a solo! :D
 
I was in junior high (8th grade) when Nirvana first got big. At the time, I mainly listened to hip hop/rap/R&B, because that was what the local radio stations played. I first caught Nirvana on MTV (remember when they actually played music?), and didn't get Smells Like Teen Spirit right away. When Come As You Are and In Bloom came out, that caught my attention. What sealed the deal was the first time I heard Would? by Alice In Chains. Made a rock fan out of me. Seattle bands/Seattle influenced bands are still heavy on my playlists. To this day, I find myself searching out the bands that influenced the "grunge movement", early alternative bands and artists. So I would say grunge really influenced my musical taste.
 
I was born in 1952 so I kind of missed out on the whole Grunge movement. I was living in Denver back then and the local FM radio force, KBCO, was at that time still playing a lot of Classic Rock with Reggae and some new music mixed in. So, while I did hear some of the classic Seattle bands I never got a steady diet of them. Also I was never a big radio guy and listened to a lot of jazz when at home.

Anyway, I've never stopped trying to expose myself to new music, new to me anyway, so I've been sampling some Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Pearl Jam. While I don't think I'd ever want a steady diet of Grunge, these bands and others, were certainly were capable of producing some fine music.

I'm curious about those of you who were teens around the time of the Grunge explosion. How big an impact did they have on you? Which bands did you most like and which albums were your favorites? Thoughts?

cubdog


Just another fad as far as I am concerned . Different clothes and a "new" attitude just like any other decade .

The music was OK IMHO . One band that I did enjoy was The Screaming Trees .

Sweet Oblivion (1992)
Dust (1996)
Last Words: The Final Recordings (2011)

Excellent releases .
 
Just another fad as far as I am concerned . Different clothes and a "new" attitude just like any other decade .

The music was OK IMHO . One band that I did enjoy was The Screaming Trees .

Sweet Oblivion (1992)
Dust (1996)
Last Words: The Final Recordings (2011)

Excellent releases .

Well obviously I've never been a big fan of the Seattle sound or I would be better informed. However to say the Grunge movement was just another fad seems like a slap in the face to countless bands and their many millions of fans. Sorry, but I strongly disagree with your assessment.

cubdog
 
I was in college about the time the genre started getting recognition, and knew a bunch of people in bands that didn't quite make it. It was all over the radio here in Seattle but the stations didn't think it was only a local phenomenon and it wasn't even really called grunge for quite awhile...it was just new music. I never got Nirvana (still don't), but listen to Jane's Addiction and Soul Asylum on occasion, but they're not local. Most of the rest never really made much impression on me.
 
It was like overnight it went from fun music about sex, drugs, and rock and roll to how bleak and bland life was and the music was just depressing. I hated the sound of Nirvana the day they came out and still dislike it to this day. Of course, it's just my opinion and I dont expect it to be shared by all and that's ok. There are still many many bands around now that I listened to growing up that still tour. Nirvana, on the other hand, is nowhere to be found. Well, at least Cobain or whatever his name was.
 
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