grunj metal

1 ANSWERS

1. amomipais82
   

   Hi There,
   To paraphrase Led Zeppelin, "Does Anyone Remember Pearl Jam?"
   
   Of course you do, and their first album, the numerically titled Ten, has just been reissued in all its glorious "grunge" splendor, making all of us who remember it the first time feel very, very old. I remember a world B.G. (Before Grunge) when hair-metal bands and funk-'n'-roll bands ruled the earth. And while grunge bands ended up quickly becoming a parody of themselves, they at least handed us a few memorable tunes and held off "The Death of Music" for a few years.
   
   Well, I exaggerate. But not by much. "Grunge" was a great way for the folks over at Sub Pop Records in Seattle to prove they could go toe-to-toe with any superslick marketing campaign from some fancy East Coast ad agency and essentially sell their record label as a "brand." How much the "movement" actually contributed to society is still up for debate. Are we better people because of it? We may not know that answer for a hundred years, at which point, as my friend Bill so astutely pointed out, "We'll all be dead."
   
   I even wondered aloud, what would qualify a band as "grunge"? Would it be the wearing of flannel? If so, the Minutemen would qualify. Would it be the usage of long hair without hair product? That would include too many unwashed bands to mention. Would it be a band's proximity to Seattle? That would preclude a "West Coast bias." After awhile I realized it would be best if I just started listing all the bands I could think of and then see how it rolled out and then let nature be my guide.
   
   No one ever agrees with me anyway. So why worry? But I will admit, I have a sneaking suspicion that I left off at least one crucial band. Obviously, I don't know who--or else I'd list them! But it's a daunting fear that keeps me awake at night and prevents me from truly enjoying the life I've imagined.
   
   And, hey, how do you like this new economy?
   
   25) Smashing Pumpkins: Billy Corgan was always too much of a studio taskmaster to really fit the loose and raw aesthetic of "grunge," but he sure could whine! And considering how so much of this stuff is based on "complaint" rock, Smashing Pumpkins surely fit the bill. And he did from Chicago, one heckuva town!
   
   24) 7 Year b***h: Unfortunately many of the bands on this list lived up to the slacker reputation of the genre by underachieving and suffering band tragedies. In this poor band's case, it was the drug overdose of guitarist Stefanie Sargent after only their first album. Close friend Mia Zapata of the Gits was brutally raped and murdered and the band paid tribute with their second album, Viva Zapata! They even signed to a major label but the band's momentum never quite rolled as it should.
   
   23) Fastbacks: Around long before any "grunge" scene, Fastbacks could be seen as "enablers" of the scene, as they played big brother to their eventual more successful young protégés.
   
   22) Temple Of The Dog: With members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, this was a grunge supergroup that formed before there was anything super about it. By the time the band members were famous the band was over, but that didn't stop the record label from discovering they had pure gold on their hands and the "Hunger Strike" began in full earnest.
   
   21) Mad Season: Another supergroup, this one formed once there was something "super" about them, featuring members of Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and Screaming Trees. It's almost like all these guys hung out at the same YMCA and got these crazy ideas sitting in the steam room and then made it happen. Don't you wish your life was like this? Amounting to something?
   
   20) Cat Butt: With the best name in the business, it's a wonder how they guys never caught on. You'd think there'd be legions of junior high school students just dying to get in on this and scrawl the name on their notebooks.
   
   19) Veruca Salt: Were they actually grunge? They were surely sloppy and that "Seether" song sure was catchy. But then they went into the studio with Bob Rock and came out sounding like something Bob Rock would produce and that didn't bode well for their future. And it didn't.
   
   18) Skin Yard: Jack Endino produced tons of grunge bands, so it was only fitting that he have his own band to play around with. Not many people took notice. But those that did liked them quite a bit. Me? I stared at their album covers and waited to be inspired. I've remembered their name after all these years. That counts for something.
   Thanks

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