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Four of the five major grunge band lead singers are now gone
- Thread starter Kimawolf
- Start date
Screaming Meat
Unconfirmed Member
Aren't The Melvins considered grunge?
Uh... what makes you say that?
You just did.
Uh... what makes you say that?
You just did.
SillyEskimo
Member
Blind Melon dude died too.
SoRuffShoNuff
Member
Love pretty much all of Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots and my Spotify Playlist accurately reflects so. Grunge is just about the only rock I will listen to that was made after the early 1990s. Given that I don't like Pearl Jam it's sad I'll never hear any of that music live in its original form.
Machine
Member
Dust is one of my favorite albums that no one ever seems to talk about or remember
Well yeah, i was strictly talking about the de facto reason of their deaths. Regarding Cobain, if we get a little tin foil hatty, we can bring Courtney Love into the conversation too.
Because it was?
Radio went through a rapid, seismic shift because of grunge. We went from Guns'N'Roses and Bon Jovi to Nirvana and Soundgarden practically overnight, and from there alternative rock got enough momentum to go mainstream.
History repeated itself about 10 years later too, when we went from Limp Bizkit and Korn to The White Stripes and The Strokes, with an indie boom following.
texasairhead101
Member
admiraltaftbar
Member
Kind of. Some say they paved the way for grunge but they really were/are more of a drone/sludge metal band. Their sound and the fact they were a part of the Seattle grunge scene (Buzzo being friends with Cobain and the Melvin's being from Seattle) means they influenced early grunge quite a bit even if they never played grunge music themselves.
Yea. Blind Melon actually had a more distinct and unique sound at the time too.
FrenchMovieTheme
Member
People who don't like grunge have poor taste in music
I like grunge, but that's an incredibly ignorant comment to make.
reelbigtink
Member
I grew up listening to the next wave of alt after grunge (Weezer, Pumpkins, Foo Fighters) and never really listened to any of the bands listed in the OP
until about 5 years ago when I randomly decided to go on an Alice in Chains bender. Man, I sure was dumb to dismiss an entire genre. It's fantastic and filled with so much pain and emotion. Now I listen to AiC, Nirvana, STP, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Mad Season, and Temple of the Dog regularly.
Weiland and Cornell's deaths hit me harder than I thought they would considering how late I was to the party.
until about 5 years ago when I randomly decided to go on an Alice in Chains bender. Man, I sure was dumb to dismiss an entire genre. It's fantastic and filled with so much pain and emotion. Now I listen to AiC, Nirvana, STP, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Mad Season, and Temple of the Dog regularly.
Weiland and Cornell's deaths hit me harder than I thought they would considering how late I was to the party.
I don't understand this sentiment that Alice in Chains is nothing without Layne. The reality is both Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell shared vocals on many of their songs, but the majority of the song-writing was done by Jerry. It does suck not being able to hear Layne's vocals anymore, though. Alice in Chains are working on a new album, and it'll be out this year. Soundgarden was working on a new album as well, and was also to be released this year. 
Killer Queen
Banned
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
Since forever, at least in my experience.
At the time Weezer was classified as emo, with Ben Folds Five somewhere in there too.
'90s emo was not your '00s emo.
Screaming Meat
Unconfirmed Member
Ah okay.
I said it earlier, apart from Bleach, I don't think Nirvana have much of a relationship with the classic grunge sound; not anywhere near as much as the other bands mentioned in the OP. Like, I can hear Melvins in SG and AiC, but post-Bleach Nirvana is far more, I dunno, punk influenced, I guess? Never understood why they were lumped in with that crowd (barring the obvious media labelling).
The grunge explosion in 1991-1992 made alternative rock a commercially viable product, after the success of Nirvana and Pearl Jam major label records and the radio and MTV snapped up anything alternative or punk or whatever in hopes of curating the next big hit. Look at bands like Green Day, who were moderate successes in their own scene, but became platinum selling superstars after the grunge explosion.
If none of this had happened it's unlikely Radiohead would have been given the chance to have "Creep" be a hit on the radio and MTV, let alone tracks off Ok Computer.
RedSparrows
Member
Dust is a great album.
SPs weren't grunge they were Queen wannabes with big-fuzz, and it was fucking aces, no matter how much of a tool Corgan wasis/will be.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
AiC been grungish since forever. They might not fit the mold 100%, but it's not like Nirvana, Soundgarden, or Pearl Jam sound exactly the same either. Chains shares characteristics, came from the same place, and they were all friends ie Seattle Sound.
STP never was a grunge band despite being from that era. Ditto for SP.
Edit: Melvin's fit in that weird to classify proto alt rock phase of the 80s that isn't exactly part of the post punk/new wave/alt rock scene.
SillyEskimo
Member
They're always forgotten though. I think "Galaxy" was their best song. It was on their second album.
Hate to break it to you, but you like grunge.
Smashing Pumpkins was great.
Also, I love the saying that Billy Corgan found Jesus (Zwan) and lost talent.
I mean I guess. Before all that U2 released The Joshua Tree which was probably the last time a super critically acclaimed album had tons of radio support. Creep was obviously part of that alt rock movement along with genre bending stuff like Beck and Loser, but I don't know how you say those guys wouldn't have found success on the radio without grunge rock. Hell Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Jane's Addiction also had a ton of success and that was the same time.
Mudhoney's lead singer is still around, so I don't know what you people are talking about.
I don't get why these other bands get lumped in with Nirvana. STP was a psychedelic rock group from California.
I don't get why these other bands get lumped in with Nirvana. STP was a psychedelic rock group from California.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
80s are a weird period. I've always wanted to have a big round table discussion about the 80s. I also feel the longer we get from the 80s the more shit blends together.
There also are distinct differences between the US and UK that started as early as the 70s Punk scene. What was going on at CBGBs wasn't 1:1 analogous with London.
Hasphat'sAnts
Member
It's still so wild to me that grunge was topping Billboard charts in the 90s.
Skellig Gra
Member
Grunge died a long time ago along with my childhood.
Bit of a stretch, they are much more of a metal band with some minor grunge elements.
Bit of a stretch, they are much more of a metal band with some minor grunge elements.
U2 is a bit of a different case, by the time of the release of The Joshua Tree they had already built up a rapport with their previous music. Bands like Jane's Addiction and Soundgarden(they had "Jesus Christ Pose" in rotation on MTV before Nirvana emerged) and RHCP were indeed active and moderately successful, but they weren't mainstream. RHCP released their breakthrough Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik at roughly the same time Nirvana released Nevermind. RHCP rode the same wave Nirvana was riding. But Nevermind and specifically "Smells Like Teen Spirit" are what sent that wave crashing down, destroying hair metal and permeating every suburb in America, drowning all these kids in alternative music.
Skellig Gra
Member
It's simple. They are from Seattle and came out the same time as the others.
GeordieMark
Member
It sucks we won't get to experience the reunion tours, but to be honest, given the lifestyle and gloomy nature of grunge its hardly a surprise that there has been a high casualty rate.
I loved the grunge era. It was during some of the best years of my life, but I find that the vast majority of it is too angsty and downright miserable for me to listen to nowadays. Dirt was my absolute favourite album, but I can only listen to less than a handful of those songs now.
I loved the grunge era. It was during some of the best years of my life, but I find that the vast majority of it is too angsty and downright miserable for me to listen to nowadays. Dirt was my absolute favourite album, but I can only listen to less than a handful of those songs now.
I miss grunge. You know, when guitar was still loud and in your face, there were good solos, and singers weren't afraid to really belt things out. Drummers actually had energy. Today's mainstream rock space is pretty bad and limp, comparatively.
At least Pearl Jam's new stuff is still listenable and actually fantastic live.
At least Pearl Jam's new stuff is still listenable and actually fantastic live.
Brerlappin
Member
I remember when Nirvana made it big and blew the hair metal/cheese metal bands out of the water. I was 12 when Teen spirit came out and hearing it for the first time back then was like a revelation. Cobain, Cornell, Vedder, they were the biggest names back then. Oddly enough tho i still only really associate Nirvana with grunge music. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains seemed more like hard rock to me, their music was more complex, had solos, etc whereas Nirvana epitomised the kinda punk ethos i associate with grunge.
Either way its scary as fuck to see all these legends from back then die. Especially at this age.. 52 is no age to die, and definitely no age for suicide. You kinda think most people have their lives on track if you make it to that age, but i guess not. Im glad i was alive to experience the grunge explosion first hand at least. So much amazing music, so many great artists.
Either way its scary as fuck to see all these legends from back then die. Especially at this age.. 52 is no age to die, and definitely no age for suicide. You kinda think most people have their lives on track if you make it to that age, but i guess not. Im glad i was alive to experience the grunge explosion first hand at least. So much amazing music, so many great artists.
No, they wouldn't have had major chart success without grunge going in first. Grunge cleaned house, blasting away the buildup of all the '80s stars, and made room for fresh alternative rock acts. It's hard to explain if you weren't listening at the time.
In Toronto we have this long-running radio show called The Ongoing History of New Music, which I used to listen to, and the host has gone into great detail on it from time to time.
newdayrocks
Member
Corgan's a Trump supporter these days, too.
You should check out your local music scene, if there is one. The Toronto are has a vibrant scene, and stuff like that occasionally makes it onto the radio.
Because Weiland did a pretty good Vedder impression on plush.
Also IMO AIC really only sounded in line with the "Seattle sound" on album. Dirt days AIC live was goddamn metal, tons of leather and everything.
The GRUNGE/ALTERNATIVE thing/label with a lot of these bands was result of music journos being lazy/old in a lot of cases. It was the mainstream rock at the time (post-nevermind).
Aeriscloud
Banned
The title says singer not what ever the hell his voice does is.
Greatest Ever
Member
I mostly skipped a lot of this music, but Cornell's work on Casino Royale is fantastic. Miss the dude.
PaulBizkit
Member
Grunge died a looooong time ago. Now it's just a tag for those five bands of the early 90s.
Hale-XF11
Member
The mid '90s were some of the best years of my life. I was 17 years old when my friends and I first discovered Nirvana's latest album at the time - Nevermind.
Then just like that, like a bolt of lightning, our taste in music shifted entirely from glam rock to alternative/grunge rock.
Suddenly, the musical landscape became this magical plethora of new sounds that gave us this amazing buzz. It was like a drug. Every new band, album and song we heard was like a shot of euphoria. The first time I heard Stone Temple Pilots's song Dead And Bloated, it raised the hair on the back of my neck every time I listened to it.
I didn't know that music could be so powerful in that way. '80s rock didn't have that effect. This was something new and exciting and transformative.
There's been nothing like that era since to have that kind of impact on my life. I only wish I could share what I felt at that time with everyone today who wasn't there to be part of it all.
And then...it was gone. Somewhere around, I wanna say 1997, it all just disappeared as quickly as it came in. Hip-hop took over MTV, 3rd rate copy-cat grunge bands took over radio. Cobain was gone. The scene changed once again and life continued on.
Crazy how things go.
Then just like that, like a bolt of lightning, our taste in music shifted entirely from glam rock to alternative/grunge rock.
Suddenly, the musical landscape became this magical plethora of new sounds that gave us this amazing buzz. It was like a drug. Every new band, album and song we heard was like a shot of euphoria. The first time I heard Stone Temple Pilots's song Dead And Bloated, it raised the hair on the back of my neck every time I listened to it.
I didn't know that music could be so powerful in that way. '80s rock didn't have that effect. This was something new and exciting and transformative.
There's been nothing like that era since to have that kind of impact on my life. I only wish I could share what I felt at that time with everyone today who wasn't there to be part of it all.
And then...it was gone. Somewhere around, I wanna say 1997, it all just disappeared as quickly as it came in. Hip-hop took over MTV, 3rd rate copy-cat grunge bands took over radio. Cobain was gone. The scene changed once again and life continued on.
Crazy how things go.
Brerlappin
Member
Yes, the woman who was grieving so hard for her husband she literally climbed into the casket with him almost DEFINITEY HAD HIM KILLED. Jesus fucking Christ will people ever stop with this bullshit. There isnt enough tin foil in the fucking universe to make this true.
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