Mt. Rushmore of 90s Bands

[thenorthremembers]

7 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

Thanks for saying this.  I think, out of Bleach, Incesticide, Nevermind and In Utero ... In Utero was probably their most complete album.  LOVED IT. 

Its a pretty perfect album.   There is even an artistry of the way the songs flow into one another.  Its absolutely filled with blistering guitar and huge hooks for 35 minutes or so, and then to have All Apologies as the final song...I still pull the album on it stands the test of time.

 

Miss the days when music still had some mystery to it.   Loved hitting up the Lockport mall music store to look through the Imports and B-sides for Nirvana stuff.  For the life of me I dont remember the store's name before it was bought out by a bigger chain.

Edited January 27, 2023 by thenorthremembers

[Logic]

1 minute ago, thenorthremembers said:

 

Miss the days when music still had some mystery to it.   Loved hitting up the Lockport mall music store to look through the Imports and B-sides for Nirvana stuff

The feeling of thumbing through the selection at a record store and coming across a rare import or b-side that you've never seen before. Ringing it up, taking it home, inspecting the packaging and liner notes like you're looking for a hidden treasure map while you listen on repeat.

Man, I miss that.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Logic

[Gugny]

Just now, thenorthremembers said:

Its a pretty perfect album.   There is even an artistry of the way the songs flow into one another.  Its absolutely filled with blistering guitar and huge hooks for 35 minutes or so, and then to have All Apologies as the final song...I still pull the album on it stands the test of time.

 

Miss the days when music still had some mystery to it.   Loved hitting up the Lockport mall music store to look through the Imports and B-sides for Nirvana stuff

 

Back when it first came out, I had a CD player/alarm clock.  I had In Utero in the CD player and that was my alarm.  Let me tell you ... the beginning of Serve the Servants got my ass up QUICK!

[thenorthremembers]

19 minutes ago, Logic said:

When I think about what Kurt Cobain might have gone on to do musically if he had lived, it makes me really sad.

Unplugged in NY is a masterpiece. I still listen to that album regularly. I listen to it the most of any Nirvana album, in fact. It's just amazing, and showed this whole new side of Kurt and direction that the music could take. The fact that we never got to see/hear where it could lead is just heartbreaking. "Heavier Than Heaven", the in-depth biography of Cobain by Charles R Cross, remains the only time ever in my life that I finished the last page of a book and just started bawling. 

Dave Grohl is still my favorite drummer of all time, and the fact that he plays guitar for a living now is crazy to me. It would be like Hendrix deciding to play drums for the balance of his career. I get WHY Grohl stepped away from drums (he said in his book that it's basically just too emotionally painful), but still...

Part of me thinks Kurt HAD to die early, in the same way that Morrison and Hendrix and Joplin had to die early. There's a way in which that kind of early death freezes the musician in this idyllic, mythologized state. Maybe if any of them had lived to old age, they would have made awful music and become sad, fat caricatures. I don't know.



 

It makes me feel the same way.    I found Nirvana right after my Father passed away, he was a musician as well.   I was so used to being into the bands my Dad was into, that Nirvana felt like the first band that was just for me.   What Kurt was writing about and the way the music was just so visceral really made me feel like I had a friend in the form of music.   I was completely destroyed with grief, my Dad was my best friend, and losing him pretty much put me in a place where I didnt want to even get out of bed to go to school.  But I had my Nirvana albums.  I had all the magazine interviews Kurt gave and all the books that were written about them.  Through that I found a whole new world of authors, music, and people.   I fell in love with William S. Burroughs and Charles Bukowski because of Kurt. 

 

I haven't read the Charles Cross book yet but I'll make sure to get it this weekend.   Dave's book was fantastic.    Along the same lines of the way the Cross book made you feel, this interview with Krist is just so sad to me.  "He shouldnt have done that"  Its trite but incredibly true.

 

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by thenorthremembers

[Bray Wyatt]

Didnt care for much of their other stuff, but I loved the album Smash by The Offspring

[Logic]

6 minutes ago, thenorthremembers said:

It makes me feel the same way.    I found Nirvana right after my Father passed away, he was a musician as well.   I was so used to being into the bands my Dad was into, that Nirvana felt like the first band that was just for me.   What Kurt was writing about and the way the music was just so visceral really made me feel like I had a friend in the form of music.   I was completely destroyed with grief, my Dad was my best friend, and losing him pretty much put me in a place where I didnt want to even get out of bed to go to school.  But I had my Nirvana albums.  I had all the magazine interviews Kurt gave and all the books that were written about them.  Through that I found a whole new world of authors, music, and people.   I fell in love with William S. Burroughs and Charles Bukowski because of Kurt. 

 

I haven't read the Charles Cross book yet but I'll make sure to get it this weekend.   Dave's book was fantastic.    Along the same lines of the way the Cross book made you feel, this interview with Krist is just so sad to me.  "He shouldnt have done that"  Its trite but incredibly true.

 

 

My story mirrors yours, except with Pearl Jam.

Grew up listening to The Beatles, Elvis, Neil Young, and the Who. Lost my Dad at age 13. Overtaken with grief. Pulled my hood up, put my headphones on, and retreated into my own little world. Just about that time, I discovered Pearl Jam, and like you say, it was the first music that was MINE. And Eddie lost his Dad around the same age, and his music...really A LOT of the music of that era...was speaking directly to me. It was like it was written for me specifically.

While I was lost in Pearl Jam land, my brother Joe was a monstrous Nirvana fan. He grew his hair out like Kurt, dressed like him, formed a Nirvana cover band called "Sliver". He bought all the b-sides and imports and magazines and VHS's from those old record stores in the malls. Through him, I wound up hearing and learning by heart just about every Nirvana tune. I don't listen as much to them these days, with the exception of Unplugged in NY, because my musical tastes have mellowed out a bit over the years.

Kurt was such a sweet, vulnerable, gentle soul. Heavier Than Heaven is possibly the best biography I've ever read, and I love biographies. It IS, well...heavy, though. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Logic

[boyst]

1 hour ago, Gugny said:

 

On SXM, I listen to the Beatles Channel and Lithium about 90% of the time.  Classic Vinyl, The Blend and Deep Tracks get some play, too.  That's just about it for me, but I do dabble with other stations once in a while.

thoguhts on 1st wave?

 

i love the saturday night safety dance, and the breakfast beatmix. listen to the beatmix every morning probably

[Gugny]

Just now, boyst said:

thoguhts on 1st wave?

 

i love the saturday night safety dance, and the breakfast beatmix. listen to the beatmix every morning probably

 

Never heard/heard of it.  I just checked the site and the description (for others who may be interested) is:

 

Channel 33

Hear the first wave of Alternative and New Wave from the late ‘70s through the ‘80s. From early U2 and the Police to Depeche Mode and R.E.M.

 

That sounds great and I'll definitely check it out!

[LeviF]

Radiohead

Sublime

RHCP

The Cranberries

 

Had to argue with myself a little bit on whether GnR should be considered an 80s band or a 90s band. Same with Green Day 90s/00s. Ended up with GnR as 80s. Still not sure about Green Day as they've effectively had two careers.

[Toomstone.Part.Duex]

I'm so glad I was in my teens through the 90s.  (b 1973) 

 

I'll go with (in no particular order) 

Pearl Jam

Soundgarden

Alice in chains

Tool

 

Honorable mention..  RHCP.  

Edited January 27, 2023 by Toomstone.Part.Duex

[thenorthremembers]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

My story mirrors yours, except with Pearl Jam.

Grew up listening to The Beatles, Elvis, Neil Young, and the Who. Lost my Dad at age 13. Overtaken with grief. Pulled my hood up, put my headphones on, and retreated into my own little world. Just about that time, I discovered Pearl Jam, and like you say, it was the first music that was MINE. And Eddie lost his Dad around the same age, and his music...really A LOT of the music of that era...was speaking directly to me. It was like it was written for me specifically.

While I was lost in Pearl Jam land, my brother Joe was a monstrous Nirvana fan. He grew his hair out like Kurt, dressed like him, formed a Nirvana cover band called "Sliver". He bought all the b-sides and imports and magazines and VHS's from those old record stores in the malls. Through him, I wound up hearing and learning by heart just about every Nirvana tune. I don't listen as much to them these days, with the exception of Unplugged in NY, because my musical tastes have mellowed out a bit over the years.

Kurt was such a sweet, vulnerable, gentle soul. Heavier Than Heaven is possibly the best biography I've ever read, and I love biographies. It IS, well...heavy, though. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I did the hood up headphones on routine into my twenties.   Walked around Suny Brockport listening to City and Colour with snowflakes falling down around me.   MP3 players were a step up from the Walkman I use to carry around with me in High School!  Still love the feeling of going on walks with music playing in my headphones. 

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, LeviF said:

Radiohead

Sublime

RHCP

The Cranberries

 

Had to argue with myself a little bit on whether GnR should be considered an 80s band or a 90s band. Same with Green Day 90s/00s. Ended up with GnR as 80s. Still not sure about Green Day as they've effectively had two careers.

 

Well, GnR basically made one great album and that came out in 1987.

[LeviF]

6 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

Well, GnR basically made one great album and that came out in 1987.

Bruh

 

[SDS]

A little bit late to the game. I did not listen to 90s music when it came out, but I listen to a lot of it now. I don’t have the in-depth knowledge of every band from that era, especially the harder stuff. With that said:

 

1. Pearl Jam. I don’t even think this one is a question. Not only were they influential, but then you add the longevity.

 

2. Nirvana. With two of their three albums in the 90s, I guess you have to put Nirvana at number two. Nevermind pretty much put the nail in the coffin of every hairband that was still hanging around.

 

3. STP. I put that number three because I like them. Go pound sand if you think Soundgarden was better. Me don't care. 
 

4. Goo Goo Dolls. I’m going off the reservation with this one. In recognition that the early 90s were vastly different from the late 90s, we should all look back at how ubiquitous GGD was after a boy named goo and dizzy up the girl. By 1999 they were everywhere. MTV, movie soundtracks, guest appearances. Johnny Rzeznik was the voice of pop/rock music for several years there. Maybe they could’ve been considered a 2000 band, but with those two albums being in the 90s I’m going to give them the unconventional nod.

[Bill from NYC]

I think that Collective Soul and to a lesser degree the Spin Doctors deserve mention.

[shrader]

On 1/26/2023 at 2:25 PM, DrDawkinstein said:

Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden

 

Should just be reiterations of the same 5-10 bands for everyone

 

I'd run with this list.  And I quickly realize that there's only one lead singer left among the group. 

[yall]

On 1/27/2023 at 10:35 AM, Mark80 said:

Welcome to Sky Valley is one of my favorite Vinyls to play!

I need to go dig out my copy of Blues for a Red Planet.

 

Underrated by highly influential band that just doesn't get the love they deserve.

[Success]

Veruca Salt

The Cranberries

Nirvana

Oasis

[dancing_joker]

Nirvana

Pearl Jam

STP

311

[Doc]

On 2/6/2023 at 10:25 PM, SDS said:

A little bit late to the game. I did not listen to 90s music when it came out, but I listen to a lot of it now. I don’t have the in-depth knowledge of every band from that era, especially the harder stuff. With that said:

 

1. Pearl Jam. I don’t even think this one is a question. Not only were they influential, but then you add the longevity.

 

2. Nirvana. With two of their three albums in the 90s, I guess you have to put Nirvana at number two. Nevermind pretty much put the nail in the coffin of every hairband that was still hanging around.

 

3. STP. I put that number three because I like them. Go pound sand if you think Soundgarden was better. Me don't care. 
 

4. Goo Goo Dolls. I’m going off the reservation with this one. In recognition that the early 90s were vastly different from the late 90s, we should all look back at how ubiquitous GGD was after a boy named goo and dizzy up the girl. By 1999 they were everywhere. MTV, movie soundtracks, guest appearances. Johnny Rzeznik was the voice of pop/rock music for several years there. Maybe they could’ve been considered a 2000 band, but with those two albums being in the 90s I’m going to give them the unconventional nod.

 

Good band but only possibly MR worthy because they're from Buffalo.

[SDS]

2 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Good band but only possibly MR worthy because they're from Buffalo.

Again, Buffalo aside, you should really revisit the dominance they had in the late 90s spilling over into 00s. MTV is not Buffalo radio. City of Angels is not a Buffalo movie, nor was treasure Island. They were the band that epitomized the late 90s. Coincidentally, they were from Buffalo. 

[Doc]

Just now, SDS said:

Again, Buffalo aside, you should really revisit the dominance they had in the late 90s spilling over into 00s. MTV is not Buffalo radio. City of Angels is not a Buffalo movie, nor was treasure Island. They were the band that epitomized the late 90s. Coincidentally, they were from Buffalo. 

 

I was well on top of the 90's music scene.  It was the soundtrack of med school and residency for me.  

 

GGD were a really good band and best of all were from Buffalo.  Iris is an amazing song and is perfect for CoA.  But their time was fleeting and limited mainly to the late 90's.  They sold 7.5M albums while a band like Soundgarden sold 14M without having their songs featured in movies.  That's why I can't put them on the MR of the 90's without feeling like a homer.  But hey, that's just me.

[LeGOATski]

23 minutes ago, SDS said:

Again, Buffalo aside, you should really revisit the dominance they had in the late 90s spilling over into 00s. MTV is not Buffalo radio. City of Angels is not a Buffalo movie, nor was treasure Island. They were the band that epitomized the late 90s. Coincidentally, they were from Buffalo. 

They epitomized pop rock of the time. They did nothing influential.

[SDS]

1 minute ago, LeGOATski said:

They epitomized pop rock of the time. They did nothing influential.

The 90s were 10 years long. Not 3.

[LeGOATski]

Just now, SDS said:

The 90s were 10 years long. Not 3.

Yes, and?

[Gugny]

Goo Goo Dolls were a significant contributor to 90s music, but I don't think they're in the MR discussion.

 

They're still very much in demand, as they embark on a 2023 world tour playing arenas/amphitheaters that hold 17k+ people. 

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

milli vannili?

 

on a serious note I did not see/hear any bands that would classify as MR bands. of course this is coming from a different generation where as bias as it may sound the '90s did not reach the MR level of those bands from the 60s/70s. not saying some of the music wasn't tolerable or that I didn't like some of the '90s music. off the top of my head a couple bands come to mind that I even bought their cd. 

 

counting crows and the band from athens georgia, collective soul.

[LeGOATski]

1 hour ago, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

milli vannili?

 

on a serious note I did not see/hear any bands that would classify as MR bands. of course this is coming from a different generation where as bias as it may sound the '90s did not reach the MR level of those bands from the 60s/70s. not saying some of the music wasn't tolerable or that I didn't like some of the '90s music. off the top of my head a couple bands come to mind that I even bought their cd. 

 

counting crows and the band from athens georgia, collective soul.

It would've been easier to say "Please discount any thoughts I have on this subject"

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

12 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

It would've been easier to say "Please discount any thoughts I have on this subject"

[frostbitmic]

Alice in Chains

Incubus

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Soundgarden

[Another Fan]

Smashing Pumpkins

Oasis

The Offspring

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones 

Spice Girls (I guess they are more a group per say.  But when I was young I thought Posh and Ginger were hot.  And I grew up to like their music.  They just seem like very 90s)

[BringMetheHeadofLeonLett]

It's about as possible to nail down 4 bands which define 90's music as it is to define the 60's by 4 bands.  It's all taste in how you define something, maybe something more ethereal and feelings and emotions.  
 

The Mt. Rushmore to me has to start with

 

For anyone watching MTV the moment that video was played... Everything 80's was GONE.   All the New Wave was no longer relevant and EVERY Hair-Metal band on the planet, simultaneously, shat their collective pants because they knew their careers were... OVER.  F%#^Ing OVER.  It was a *^+=ing glorious day... literally 5 minutes that changed everything.

 

For me, number 2 that defined 'The 90's' was this band- something about their sound that set the stage for everything to come.  Mascis set a 90's soundstage earlier, but this later pop hit was the most accessible  (I do love this song and totally miss the way the air felt when it came out- I really hope there'e something unifying like this, some undefinable feeling of sound, purpose, or maybe just a fashion statement like Dr. Marten's, I dunno... something for the current and upcoming younger folks to make then feel like we're all in this together in our own oddball and unique ways:

 

 

Edited March 20, 2023 by BringMetheHeadofLeonLett

[BringMetheHeadofLeonLett]

Back by popular request, I'll motor on. There's a choice between a literal s%^*-ton of bands which rose to produce some magnificent music in the 1980's, but found a widespread audience in the 90's.  I'm going Nick Cave- both Magnificently 90's, and timeless. 
 

 

"But how can you old people listen to music that doesn't say, "you're beautiful" in every verse??

 

Well, that's a good question, SaraJonnie.  We were ignorant back then.  
 

4th and goal to go- this is a great piece of the 90's.  What the #%^* led to a generation of music actually LESS challenging to the music of the predecessors is beyond me:

 

 

 

[BringMetheHeadofLeonLett]

On 2/9/2023 at 7:46 AM, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

milli vannili?

 

on a serious note I did not see/hear any bands that would classify as MR bands. of course this is coming from a different generation where as bias as it may sound the '90s did not reach the MR level of those bands from the 60s/70s. not saying some of the music wasn't tolerable or that I didn't like some of the '90s music. off the top of my head a couple bands come to mind that I even bought their cd. 

 

counting crows and the band from athens georgia, collective soul.

That's like me saying Herman's Hermits was the pinnacle of 60's rock.  Though Mrs. Brown  does have a lovely daughter.  

[leh-nerd skin-erd]

On 1/27/2023 at 11:31 AM, Logic said:

My story mirrors yours, except with Pearl Jam.

Grew up listening to The Beatles, Elvis, Neil Young, and the Who. Lost my Dad at age 13. Overtaken with grief. Pulled my hood up, put my headphones on, and retreated into my own little world. Just about that time, I discovered Pearl Jam, and like you say, it was the first music that was MINE. And Eddie lost his Dad around the same age, and his music...really A LOT of the music of that era...was speaking directly to me. It was like it was written for me specifically.

While I was lost in Pearl Jam land, my brother Joe was a monstrous Nirvana fan. He grew his hair out like Kurt, dressed like him, formed a Nirvana cover band called "Sliver". He bought all the b-sides and imports and magazines and VHS's from those old record stores in the malls. Through him, I wound up hearing and learning by heart just about every Nirvana tune. I don't listen as much to them these days, with the exception of Unplugged in NY, because my musical tastes have mellowed out a bit over the years.

Kurt was such a sweet, vulnerable, gentle soul. Heavier Than Heaven is possibly the best biography I've ever read, and I love biographies. It IS, well...heavy, though. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I don’t have a lot to offer on this thread, my screen name might indicate I’m a bit older than you and @thenorthremembers.  I was working, having fun with a few bucks in my pocket and only a few years out from starting a family of my own when the 90s started.  I have virtually no understanding of the devotion to Nirvana, pretty much bypass any music they produced when given the opportunity, and see the life of Kurt Cobain as just another tragic story of a troubled artist and rock and roll.  None of it connects with me, which in the end, sort of is the point about genre and timing.  
 

What I do know, though, is the connection between music/pain/loss.  Your story, and North’s as well, hits me on that level.  The ability to connect with music in times of loss, that help you in some way deal with what you’re going through—especially at a young age—is what makes any of it Mt. Rushmore worthy. 
 

My father passed away right around the time some of these bands were gaining traction, but music helped me get through all of that dreadful time.  There were songs that hit me right in the heart and still do.  
 

Thanks for sharing, and truly, I’m sorry you both had to go through all that at such a young age, but it’s awesome the music helped you deal with it. 
 

 

 

[muppy]

a band I only quite recently Really listened to in depth was the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

 

Of course I'd heard them on mainstream radio. They've had a multitude of hits. But just now I was prerusing youtube and saw This clip. I liked it a lot.

 

 

Edited March 18, 2023 by muppy

[thenorthremembers]

5 hours ago, leh-nerd skin-erd said:

I don’t have a lot to offer on this thread, my screen name might indicate I’m a bit older than you and @thenorthremembers.  I was working, having fun with a few bucks in my pocket and only a few years out from starting a family of my own when the 90s started.  I have virtually no understanding of the devotion to Nirvana, pretty much bypass any music they produced when given the opportunity, and see the life of Kurt Cobain as just another tragic story of a troubled artist and rock and roll.  None of it connects with me, which in the end, sort of is the point about genre and timing.  
 

What I do know, though, is the connection between music/pain/loss.  Your story, and North’s as well, hits me on that level.  The ability to connect with music in times of loss, that help you in some way deal with what you’re going through—especially at a young age—is what makes any of it Mt. Rushmore worthy. 
 

My father passed away right around the time some of these bands were gaining traction, but music helped me get through all of that dreadful time.  There were songs that hit me right in the heart and still do.  
 

Thanks for sharing, and truly, I’m sorry you both had to go through all that at such a young age, but it’s awesome the music helped you deal with it. 
 

 

 

One of my fondest memories of my Father is him turning on a scrambled pay per view of the Skynyrd reunion when Johnny first became the lead singer.   We couldn't afford to buy it but he sat in his armchair and listened with tears in his eyes.  Skynyrd was that big of a deal to him.  

 

Thank you for sharing your story.  Cheers brother!

[LeGOATski]

On 2/12/2023 at 10:25 AM, Another Fan said:

Smashing Pumpkins

Oasis

The Offspring

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones 

Spice Girls (I guess they are more a group per say.  But when I was young I thought Posh and Ginger were hot.  And I grew up to like their music.  They just seem like very 90s)

That's 5....

 

Maybe just leave off the Might Mighty Bosstones

[muppy]

I love that 90's bands mean so many things to different people.  What I was listening to mainly during the 90's was Disney and other VHS videos. Sesame Street and Classic Rock radio stations on my FM dial while running carpools to soccer practice and cub scout meetings. It wasnt until they got older and sounds began coming from their bedrooms...the one classical and Broadway the other punk rock and grunge. My own interests broadened in those areas.

 

 As it would happen both my kids ended up at one point or another being professional musicians. Son in an indie rock band. My daughter opera and now cabaret. She has a show upcoming 3/28 here in san diego.. "Part of your World" which chronicles her musical path while being on the autitism spectrum

 

www.KatrinaAguilarMusic.com

[T&C]

The only band I can think of that moved the needle here from the 90's was Faith No More. Other than them I've got nothing...