Punk and the Birth of Alternative Rock Learning
This is an example of the lecture notes he gives for every chapter. While they re long they do give a bunch of info for the exams. and the birth of alternative
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Studocu
Post-Punk and the Birth of Alternative Rock

Learning Objectives:

● Compare the United Kingdom’s reaction to punk with that of the United States.

● Understand how Alternative resulted as an unintended consequence of a U.

regulatory agency decision, and college radio’s role in the post-punk era.

● Realize that Alternative, as first realized had no set of common characteristics

● Know the key acts from various areas in Great Britain and elsewhere.

● Differentiate between punk and post-punk aesthetics.

What’s In a Name?

We should start by making clear that alternative is not a genre of music in the usual sense. The name is more about what it isn’t, than what it is. It’s not mainstream (until it is), it’s not popular (until it is) and it doesn’t have a singular style (until it does). If this seems confusing, you are not alone. Starting in the 1980s, in the post-punk explosion of sub-genres, collectively referred to as new wave, there were new acts that found new audiences in new places. Out of British punk came the bands who carried the punk aesthetic with a little more sheen and restraint. Then there were holdouts emerging from the regional punk scenes of Detroit, Washington DC, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Los Angeles and San Diego, that fueled a resurgence of punk, with a melodic overlay. Some of these acts end up among the most recognized in rock history, yet they carry the alternative label across the line of popularity that typically divides the pop from the not. Acts labeled as, or associated with an alternative style, would form the basis of alternative rock.

College Radio

In the post-punk era, roughly 1978 to 1990, Student-run radio on college campuses had already been around for decades, but the licenses they operated under were limited to 10 watts (compared to the largest 50,000 watt commercial stations). In the early seventies, with the hope of promoting the new FM band, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began issuing higher wattage licenses to new college station applications, but by the end of the decade competition for open wavelengths became heavy. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the newly-founded National Public Radio (NPR) convinced the FCC that the low-power stations were detrimental to broadcasting, and this class of license should no longer be renewed. The FCC capitulated. College radio stations were effectively forced into a choice; upgrade equipment to qualify for a standard broadcast license or shut down. Since there was a big price-tag in upgrading, many schools opted to shut down, but those who remained on-air found themselves with a unique opportunity. Since the cost of broadcasting was often defrayed by the school (or other grant money) surviving stations were not compelled to compete in an established format (heavy metal, pop, r&b, etc.), weren’t dependent on advertisers, and could play, virtually, anything they wanted (within FCC rules). Run by students, most played music that was not available on commercial radio, music that the on-air DJs were fans of. That music became an alternative to the existing market.

There was not, however, any kind of consensus about what type of music the alternative music would be. The only criterion was that it not be something one would otherwise hear up and down the dial. In the 1980s, the term “alternative” wasn’t being used. It was simply a case of music that wasn’t being played on stations of the traditional advertising-based model who were increasingly following a curated playlist, assembled by marketing “experts” employed by industry executives. Where they were once ignored by record label reps, college radio program directors (the person who sets the tone, and sometimes the playlist of a station) become superstars in their own right, especially in high-traffic, metro areas, wined and dined by record labels at industry conventions, and subject to the same temptations (like payola) as high-profile dee-jays of the past. These stations were taking a serious bite out of the commercial stations’ audience, most notably in the demographic known to purchase records at a rate

300% higher than any other, ages 15—25. As the eighties moved into the nineties the field began to narrow somewhat, as major labels began to buy up indie labels or sign any act seeing heavy airplay on college radio.

Only major labels have the resources to promote their new groups to commercial radio stations. Even then newcomer alternative commercial stations made their playlists from artists “suggested” by reps of the majors. There were a few notable stations, like Los Angeles’ KROQ, that had a familiar spirit as the student-run college stations, mostly because the management had the good sense to hire dee-jays from that environment (they also were the lowest paid, from nothing to something), lending the very authenticity young listeners were attracted to in the first place. First it was called college radio. A strange collective of quirky artists and groups that corporate players just couldn’t see any potential in. Afterall, among the competition were acts such as Journey, the Police, and Queen, leviathans in the rock world. Major labels wouldn’t consider a band that might appeal to only 1% of the market. Yet some of these acts would become highly influential on some of the biggest names in alternative rock. Still fewer became those big names.

Alternative to What?

There is to this day confusion about what alternative was, is, and will be. It is further muddled by the fact that in its development in the 1980s, the term “alternative” was not being used in the industry, but now retroactively it is. No particular set of characteristics existed for it as a format. It is more that all the music labeled as such had one common attribute, that it was not popular with the mainstream. This is no longer true. “Alternative” became mainstream. It had become just another marketing tag, defined by the marketers and not the market. After the wave of grunge bands out of Seattle and elsewhere hit the nation in the early nineties, alternative rock had a reasonably consistent enough sound and style that it claimed the title for itself.

The bands discussed here were among hundreds of groups being played on campus radio stations in the 1980s, while not, at least initially, crossing over to the mainstream listener. Of course some eventually did, and perhaps this is where the whole issue in the label began. After all, REM, once heard only on college radio, started to sell millions of records. Do they suddenly crossover into a new genre – Southern Angst Jangle Pop? Clearly not, so the label “alternative” sticks. It is then applied to every other act that moved from college radio to commercial radio, regardless of style — along with those who didn’t.

Recordings of artists that first found a home on college campuses, then becoming stadium-filling mega acts included Elvis Costello, REM, the Smiths, the Cure, INXS, and U2. Later bands in the 1990s like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Green Day, REM and Oasis broke into the mainstream, selling multiple millions of albums. First we look at post-punk acts from the United Kingdom and then the United States.

Post-Punk and New Wave in the United Kingdom

Sometimes examining music in regions reveals some important trends, just as studies of folk music observe regional effects, the result of shared experiences and community aesthetics. We start with London-area acts, XTC and Elvis Costello, Wire and the Cure - finding the punk effect somewhat muted, in favor of effective songwriting. Moving north to Liverpool (the Beatles origin) and Manchester, both sources of the 1960s Merseybeat movement, we see Magazine, Joy Division/New Order (two incarnations of the same band) and the Smiths. Finally moving out to Scotland, Ireland, and Australia, respectively for Simple Minds, U2 and INXS.

XTC

As with other musicians discussed throughout this text, their exposure on radio, nor their record sales are always as significant as the impact they had on either their contemporaries or future trends in

His songs were from the beginning, more melodic than his contemporaries in the British punk first wave, pressaging later pop-punk groups like Green Day and Seattle’s Nirvana. Setting him apart from most of the new wave was his lyrical clever wordplay, using metaphor as a sharp instrument, slicing to the heart of issues, society and politics. Punk lyrics were, by comparison, blunt and obvious. A prolific songwriter, as of 2022, he has recorded 26 studio albums, the majority of their contents were songs he penned.

[EMBED: “Pump It Up!”

Wire

Wire formed in 1976 at the zenith of the first wave of the punk scene in London. The band got an initial boost from its inclusion on a compilation album, The Roxy London WC2 (1977), comprising live recordings of several bands that appeared at the legendary Roxy club. Among the other early bands included were the Damned and the Buzzcocks (discussed in Punk chapter 38), and sold very well in the U., helping evangelize the punk sound. Although the timing of their emergence would put them in the punk camp, their boundary-pushing, richly detailed and atmospheric sound, along with obscure lyrical themes, pegs them as a definitive art punk and post-punk band, drawing comparisons to the Velvet Underground. They produced four initial albums, each one more adventurous than the prior one, ending in a fallout with their label. Wire’s first has been called “perhaps the most original debut album to come out of the first wave of British punk.” With 18 albums in all, the band has withstood the test of time and were influential on U. punk bands Minor Threat and Black Flag. 3 They are a critical favorite and enjoy a strong cult following.

The Cure

Formed in 1977 from three friends since middle school, who had played together in several groups, then enlisting two other members, the Cure became known for popularizing gothic rock (goth). Their debut album, Three Imaginary Boys (1979) had a familiar punkish quality, mostly because they were studio newbies, and their label-assigned producer came from that world. A crucial change in their style came after they toured as the support band for Siouxsie and the Banshees. A darker, brooding style manifested in their next album, Seventeen Seconds (1980), with a lusher production, and emotionally delivered songs steeped in hopelessness and longing. Singer/guitarist Robert Smith donned a teased messy jet-black mop of hair and the excessive black eye makeup that would become associated with goth. It struck a chord in youth culture, that went from angry in the punk days, to ironic. The often bright, happy beats belie darker lyrical themes. By the third album, Pornography (1981) they had gone full on nihilistic, and contrary to the label’s fear of a disaster, it had their biggest success in album sales and singles chart placement. It had also caught on with United States college radio and soon their videos would be featured on MTV. Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins claimed the Cure were a primary influence on him and on the band. 4 Worldwide album sales are estimated at 30 million, and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. 5

3 Henry Rollins. "KCRW BROADCAST No. 144 12–10–11". henryrollins. Retrieved 3/12/2022, henryrollins/kcrw/detail/kcrw_broadcast_144_121011/.

4 Chris Mundy, Rolling Stone Interview, Q&A: Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan talks success, influences, his fans and Kurt Cobain, Nov. 1994, accessed 3/12/2022, rollingstone/music/music-news/qa- smashing-pumpkins-39045/

5 The Cure | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company, accessed 3/10/ officialcharts/artist/20492/cure/

Magazine

Singer Howard Devoto (originally with the punk group Buzzcocks) and guitarist John McGeoch started Magazine in 1977 with the intent of being a more progressive group. One begins to see a common thread among these groups, that punk was a one-way trip down a deadend street. That the best qualities of punk could be preserved, while making room for long-favored musical qualities like melody, sonics, texture and songcraft. They appeared on Britain’s BBC Top of the Pops [HOVER: Top of the Pops was the world's longest-running weekly music show on British television, featuring guest bands performing], with their first single “Shot by Both Sides”. They would record a second album and release a third live album. Though their tenure on the world’s stage was brief, they left a significant legacy of influence. Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood named McGeoch as his biggest guitar influence, and said that Magazine's songwriting “informs so much of what we do.” McGeoch’s guitar work also informed Johnny Marr of the Smiths and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, both of whom helped define their respective groups’ sound, and their bands define a genre. 6

Joy Division, New Order

In 1976, friends and founders guitarist Bernard Sumner and bassist Peter Hook, in an all-too- common scenario, were equally inspired by an early Sex Pistols show in Manchester. Adding singer Ian Curtis and a drummer they operated under various band names, until finally landing on the name Joy Division. They recorded and released an EP in 1979, garnering some attention from the press, in particular BBC radio jock John Peel, who routinely recorded underground and/or cutting-edge bands that were ignored by the mainstream, whom he would feature on a showcase. These “Peel Sessions” had helped boost the early careers of artists like David Bowie and later the Smiths. Demand for Joy Division music bloomed once Peel highlighted them.

Whereas the overall sound and style of their EP had all the speed, energy and edge to satisfy any punk fan (partly because it was made with demos of songs from 1977, their earliest days as a band), their debut album, Unknown Pleasures (1979) reveals an evident shift in concept. It was more experimental, Sumner’s dissonant guitar textures, Hook’s aggressive, often droning bass lines, and Curtis’ unpolished baritone vocals, heavily laden with reverb, evoking the Doors. There were a couple uptempo songs, but the majority were slower, meandering, improvisational, with each musician seemingly, at times, having chosen their own key. They were not formally (or even informally) educated musicians, but the synergy forged a new sound. For their second album, recording was completed, but they initially only released a single, “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” that went to no. 13 in the U. Just before a planned U. tour, singer Ian Curtis, who had suffered epilepsy that worsened as the band progressed, and an impending divorce, committed suicide. When the album was released a couple months later, the news had the effect on sales that would resemble Nirvana’s, after the death of Kurt Cobain more than a decade later.

Early on, for unknown reasons, the band had made a pact that if one of them left, the group, as it was known, would be dissolved. To honor the pact, the remaining three continued under the name New Order. Though donning a new name, their first singles were songs written under the “old order” and reflected Joy Division’s aesthetic, therefore critically dismissed as ground already trodden. Over the intervening year before their first album, they absorbed influences from the European dance club scene, including groups such as Germany’s Kraftwerk, and English bands Cabaret Voltaire, the Human League, who consistently utilized drum machines and synthesizers. They became darlings of college radio and dance clubs, with hits like “Blue Monday,” and “Confusion” cementing their legacy as pioneers of the dance pop movement.

6 Rory Sullivan-Burke, The Light Pours Out of Me: The Authorized Biography of John McGeoch, Omnibuspress, 2022. Accessed 2/8/2022, omnibuspress/products/the-light-pours-out-of-me-the- authorised-biography-of-john-mcgeoch-published-on-april-28th-

Subjects of the Empire

A handful of hitmakers and influencers came from the English-speaking lands of Scotland, Ireland and Australia. Each had a distinct sound and impact on pop music.

Simple Minds

Simple Minds, began in Glasgow, Scotland in 1977 as a post-punk/art-punk outfit. The first of their material bounced between several styles, eventually coalescing around the anthemic output of Roxie Music (contemporary of David Bowie, in the glam rock period of the early 1970s.) They had several hits in the U. but one U. (and international) hit arrived in “Don't You (Forget About Me),” recorded for the “brat-pack” 1985 film, The Breakfast Club, with its vivid orchestration and lead vocalist Jim Kerr’s dynamic performance. The soundtrack sold well and their single reached no. 1 in the U. and several other countries, as well as reaching the top 10 in dozens of countries worldwide.

U

In 1977, U2 started as a cadre of high school students, convinced by the immediate rush of punk bands, that virtuosity (or even competence) was unnecessary for success. The quartet, Paul Hewson (“Bono”) as lead singer, David Evans (“the Edge”) on guitar, Adam Clayton on bass guitar, and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums and percussion, rehearsed cover songs in their school’s band room. Over three years they wrote and developed songs, played gigs, recorded singles that failed to catch on, but persevered. By 1980, they released their debut album, Boy. The single, “I Will Follow,” Bono wrote from his mother’s perspective of a mother’s love for a child. She died when he was 14, and the song has been performed at every U2 concert since its release. A unique element of their sound was the Edge’s guitar approach. He used an electronic effect pedal that created a distinct echo (delay effect) not just to color the sound, but as a rhythmic enhancement to the sparse chords he strummed. It was a one-man wall of sound and it distinguished U2 from every other synth-driven band at the time.

U2’s second album, October (1981) contained overt Christian themes, as three of the members had renewed (or discovered) their faith, and for a time wondered whether their spirituality stood in opposition to their rock careers. Bono, the lyricist of the majority of U2’s material, responded with songs that satisfied both. The song “Gloria” is derived from a segment of the Catholic Mass by that name, the Latin text sung, “Gloria, in Excelsis Deo.” By their third album, War (1983), with a central theme of the violence perpetrated by a faction of mankind against another, America had bought in. They toured America, Europe and Japan. Their videos played in heavy rotation on MTV, and later that year they filmed and recorded a monumental performance at Red Rocks Amphitheater, outside Denver Colorado, songs from which also aired on MTV.

A continuous thread of activist, humanitarian and spiritual themes embody their songs across the years, including, “Yahweh,” “Peace On Earth,” and “Mothers of the Disappeared,” in tribute to mothers whose children were murdered or disappeared in El Salvador’s civil war. “One” is a call to action inspired by the life and work of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There were numerous compilations and live releases over the intervening decades. Of their 14 studio albums, nine went to no. 1 in the U (eight in the U.) and altogether they sold an estimated 150–170 million records worldwide, placing them among the best-selling music artists in history. As a concert act, they set records of attendance few could boast. U2 was the only act from 2000 to 2009 to sell out every show, and the band grossed $1 billion, just in the 2010-2019 decade.

INXS

The three Farriss brothers started a band in the early 1970s, as the Farriss Brothers. Soon they would add Michael Hutchence as lead singer, before most of them had graduated high school. Adding two

more musicians, they operated under various names until deciding on INXS (pronounced “in excess”) inspired by the British sensation XTC. Australia didn’t have a punk scene, per se, but its radio influence was diverse, compared to style-based programming in the U. and the U. The members of INXS had been exposed to a variety of genres. Funk and disco had seemed to resonate the most with them, along with synth-pop from England. They forged a unique style; part funk, part pop. Their constant touring and videos played on MTV, elevated their standing as a world-class act. In the U. alone, INXS had numerous top-10 singles, among them, “Original Sin,” “Need You Tonight,” “New Sensation,” and “Never Tear Us Apart.” They were relevant well into the 1990s, but the unexpected death of Hutchence, effectively put an end to the band. Despite bringing on singer Terrence Trent D'arby, who had a no. 1 U. hit of his own, as a Hutchence replacement, fans did not ultimately buy in. Hutchence had that irreplaceable quality, charisma.

Post-Punk In the United States

Most of the original British punk movement had burned out, or morphed into other styles by 1980. Reggae and ska had come in to slow the tempo and quell the anger, as discussed in the previous chapter on music of the Caribbean, spawning a punk-ish ska revival. Other bands, as outlined above moved toward dance beats and melodies, with a sprinkling of avant garde, and a moderation of the punk edge. Although almost every urban area of a certain size in America boasted having a punk scene, here we examine the aftermath of punk in New York, and the development of regional punk, hard core, and experimental scenes in places as geographically disparate as Washington D., Boston and Amhurst, Massachusetts, the twin cities of Minnesota and Los Angeles, California.

Sonic Youth Avant garde music has captured the imagination of countless creatives over centuries. The drive to challenge the status quo is at the heart of all movements, music and otherwise. Sonic Youth formed in 1981, around the performance art aesthetic of New York's avant-garde, an extension of the Velvet Underground—a movement referred to as underground. Guitarists/vocalists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo and bassist/vocalist Kim Gordon. They all came from a somewhat privileged background, Gordon herself an art school student (recall the connections already made between rock and art school). Using guitars “prepared” with drumsticks and various other objects shoved through the strings, electronic effects and unorthodox instruments, the band achieved an effective mix of experimentalism, noise and melodic construction that defied any other group, before or after.

In protest of the new wave, mostly imported from England as a softened version of punk, they were part of a movement dubbed “no wave”. Their goal was to push the boundaries of rock, while at the same time attract people to it. Because of their strong connection to the avant garde, Lee Ranaldo was friends with celebrated 20th century composer Steve Reich. He gave Ranaldo instruments that were used in historic recordings of his. Their debut album, Confusion Is Sex (1983) made a few waves, but wasn’t surprising in the wake of the onslaught of new punk emerging from everywhere, but the second album, Bad Moon Rising (1985), set them apart and set the stage for their early output. Industrial, distorted, oddly organized, sparse sung phrases, with a twisted sonic pallet, it was an amalgamation of the punk aesthetic and avant garde, delivering on the promise made by the Velvets. They endured personnel changes and decades of music making. Sonic Youth were a major influence on the alternative and indie rock movements.

Midwest Underground

In Minnesota’s twin cities, St. Paul and Minneapolis, a strong punk scene rose up, with bands like Willful Neglect, Final Conflict, Todlachen, Red Meat, Outcry, Loud Fast Rules, The Blue Hippos, Ankle

popular in the region around Athens, they toured extensively through the Southern United States. When major label RCA approached them with a record deal, they went instead with independent label I.R. in 1981, who became one of the most successful labels in college rock-oriented bands of the 1980s. They released a five-song EP named Chronic Town in 1982, recorded and produced by Mitch Easter who experimented with various techniques and unorthodox concepts, such as using tape loops or recording Stipes’ vocals outdoors. This creative trait, along with Easter’s production would become core to R.E.’s sound and success.

The EP garnered critical favor, as the band prepared songs for their first album proper. They started sessions with an I.R. selected producer, Stephen Hague, who had a number of British successes, but the band felt stifled by his insistence on perfection. The label allowed them to go back to Easter and pursue the style and sound they had begun to forge together. Among other bold choices during production were refusing to include synthesizers—hit songs without them were rare at that time—and avoiding guitar solos, instead filling spaces with aggressive guitar strumming and Stipes’ ad libbed vocalese, resulting in a timeless feel. Stipes authored most of the lyrics, but the band shared song ownership equally—John Lennon and Paul McCartney had a similar songwriting/ownership arrangement between them. Adding to R.E.’s allure was that Stipes sang with an intentional slur, obscuring the song’s meaning, further often buried under instrumentation, the mystery lending a sense of meaning and depth, that may not have been, had the songs been sung and mixed in the traditional way.

Over pop music’s history, critics and audiences are typically found on opposing sides about any given song, artist, or project, but their debut album, Murmur (1983) found significant favor with both, scoring five-star reviews from nearly every significant publication and reaching no. 36 on the Billboard album chart. Although its initial release only sold 200,000 units, sales increased as their audience expanded through airplay on college radio, TV appearances and later albums, and by 1991 it was certified gold (over 500,00 sold). 8 It opened with a re-recorded version of their single, “Radio Free Europe” plus eleven other songs that many felt was a fulfillment of a promise made in the Chronic Town EP.

The second album, Reckoning (1984) featured more of the same magic, again produced by Easter, with a similar response from the press and audiences, gaining even more attention by college radio. In subsequent albums, Stipes’ lyrics became increasingly political and darker in tone. Their fifth, Document (1987) was R.E.'s breakthrough album, and the first single “The One I Love” that charted in the Top 20 in the U., U., and Canada. The album’s producer, Scott Lit, would go on to produce the band’s next five albums, representing R.E.’s most successful (in sales terms) period of their existence.

A decade after their first release, came Out of Time (1991) which reached no. 1 in both the U. S. and the U., spinning off the single “Losing My Religion” (a Southern phrase that indicates someone losing their temper). On it, and the album overall, they used acoustic guitar, mandolin and organ as primary instruments, bringing a fresh sound to the R.E. pallette. It became their highest ranking song at no. 4 in the U. and the video played heavily on MTV. Going into the 2000s, their appeal in the U. began to wane, but was stronger than ever in the U. They remained a band, after their original drummer, Bill Berry retired, finally ending it as a going concern in 2011.

Many remark on the guitar sounds as crisp, chimney, or jangley, evoking in many ways the pop of the 1960s. Indeed, guitarist Peter Buck played a Rickenbacher guitar, renowned for its clear tone, as did Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, one of the jangleyest bands of the 1960s. Critics coined a new name, “jangle-pop” for the genre. In the early 1990s, other alternative rock acts such as Nirvana viewed R.E. as a pioneer of the genre. “I don’t know how that band does what they do. God, they’re the greatest.

8 Buckley, David, R.E.: Fiction: An Alternative Biography, (Virgin Books, an imprint of Random House:London) 2002, p. 71-2.

They’ve dealt with their success like saints, and they keep delivering great music,” said Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. 9

Road to Seattle

Seattle gave birth to a genre that came to be called grunge. As with any “new” genre, there are many acts that in hindsight, clearly informed that genre before anyone decided to name it, making it seem as though the first major band sprung out of the ground, or fell from the sky, on its own. That was the public perception (and some in the press) when Nirvana released their first album. In actuality there were many contributors to the sound of Nirvana in particular, and grunge in general.

The Pixies

It’s been said of the Pixies that there was almost no alternative band in the 1990s that wasn’t influenced by them, or that it’s hard to imagine Nirvana without the Pixies’ signature loud-quiet-loud dynamics and lurching, noisy guitar solos. 10 They emerged from a strong Boston punk scene, founded in 1986 by Black Francis (born Charles Thompson) and Joey Santiago, college roommates. Francis had been going to California and back during his teens, already playing guitar in groups before moving to Massachusetts for good, clearly influenced by some of the West coast post-punk. With Francis on guitars and vocals and Santiago on lead guitar, they added Kim Deal on bass and vocals, and David Lovering on drums. When Francis began writing songs, he was listening to nothing but Hüsker Dü, Captain Beefheart, and Iggy Pop. 11 After an early recording showed moderate success in England, they released their debut album, Surfer Rosa (1988). It never reached a mainstream audience, but its reach in influence was massive, not just in America, but in Britain as well.

Slint

An equally crucial band, Slint, was also formed in 1986, lesser known, but nearly as influential as the Pixies. From Louisville, Kentucky, the band consisted of guitarist and vocalist Brian McMahan, drummer and vocalist Britt Walford, (two remnants of a previous band, while still in high school, also celebrated by critics and a cult following, Squirrel Bait) guitarist David Pajo, bassist Todd Brashear. It was their second album, Spiderland, (1989) that was critically elevated and among musicians who paid attention, recognized as something new and worthy of their attention. Tracks featured syncopated guitar riffs, sudden dynamic changes, shifting meters and vocals which included passionate singing, and hushed phrases contrasted with screaming. It was also their last album— a case of their impact far exceeding their longevity. Innovative and iconoclastic, the group’s deft, extremist manipulations of volume, tempo, and structure cast them as clear progenitors of the post-rock movement that blossomed during the following decade. 12

INSERT KCs-part 1

9 Fricke, David (January 27, 1994). "Kurt Cobain: The Rolling Stone Interview: Success Doesn’t Suck". Rolling Stone. Accessed 3/21/22, rollingstone/music/music-news/kurt-cobain-the-rolling-stone- interview-success-doesnt-suck-97194/

10 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, “The Pixies Biography,” All Music, accessed 3/21/22, allmusic/artist/pixies-mn0000895136/biography

11 Sisario, Ben, The Pixies' Doolittle (33 1/3), Continuum International Publishing Group: London, 2006, p.

12 Ankeny, Jason, Slint Biography, All Music, accessed 3/12/22, allmusic/artist/slint- mn0000751604/biography

Soundgarden

Seattle native, songwriter, singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell, started Soundgarden with two musicians from the midwest, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto, who also happened to have been friends of Sub Pop’s owner Bruce Pavitt before they all moved out west. So it was a natural move for the band to record under Sub Pop. The music had the slow grind of Black Sabbath with the edge of punk, but with the depth of Led Zeppelin. After two EPs with Sub Pop, they released their debut album, Ultramega OK (1988) with Los Angeles-based indie label SST, to hold on to artistic freedom, not always a given with a major deal. Sub Pop had yet to break anything out to the mainstream market, although that would soon change. Solid critical praise, despite low sales, propelled them on to a second album, Louder Than Love (1989) with major A&M Records, which reached 109 on the Top-200.

It was their third album, Badmotorfinger (1991), that was poised to be the vehicle to launch grunge into the known universe. Before they completed the album, however, Nirvana released their megaton surprise hit album, Nevermind. This didn’t stop Badmotorfinger from succeeding—it went to no. 39 on the album charts—but maybe they were deprived of the historical credit for popularizing grunge. Others may credibly argue that the high tide Nirvana’s release caused, floated all Seattle boats.

Soundgarden continued touring and recording, as their popularity rose. A fourth album, Superunknown (1994) proved to be the hit album they had been working toward, releasing at no. 1, delivering a genuine crossover no. 1 song, “Black Hole Sun”. Superunknown became one of the most popular records of 1994, selling over three million copies and earning two Grammys. Their last studio album released at no. 2 in 1996, a success by any standard, Down on the Upside went platinum, but failed to spin off a hit single. It demonstrated Cornell’s goal to move away from the heavy jams that had brought them to the party, including some acoustic guitar textures. Co-headlining with Metallica on the Lollapalooza tour that year, followed by a world tour, Soundgarden announced a breakup, citing members’ desire to pursue other interests. Chris Cornell recorded three solo albums, then co-founded a new band, Audioslave with former members of Rage Against the Machine.

Stories of huge bands who break up, more times than not, include a reunion, serial reunions, or as in Soundgarden’s case, a reformation. It is often the path-of-least-resistance, with pressures from fan demand, promoters promising large paychecks and a well-greased onramp making it hard to turn down. For Soundgarden there was also the principals’ desire to create new music. Far too many details to cover here, but they would include several collections and compilation packages, new studio albums, a live album, collaborations, their music on popular video game, Guitar Hero, tours and one-off appearances. Partway into a 2017 tour, Cornell was found in his hotel room, dead of apparent suicide.

Nirvana

Relative to Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, Nirvana had a much shorter existence, but none would deny they had the biggest impact on pop music since the Beatles. The origins of the band are actually in the small logging town of Aberdeen, Washington, 100 miles away from Seattle, where in 1985 Kurt Cobain met Chris (née Krist) Novoselic to become the original members of a band eventually named Nirvana. Teenage Cobain’s listening habits moved from the Beatles through heavy metal, landing on hardcore punk, before starting a band. All of these influences show up in his songwriting: John Lennon’s penchant for wordplay (Cobain admitted that lyrics were usually the last thing he considered), the Beatles mastery of pop arranging, metal’s power and accuracy of execution, and hard core’s complete abandon, all occupied Cobain’s palette.

After a cycle of musicians and band names, Cobain moved from drums to guitar to be the front man. Beginning with some well received live shows in Olympia, Washington, the band recorded several demos, some of which landed with a co-founder of Sub Pop, Jonathan Poneman (partner of Bruce Pavitt, discussed above). Sub Pop signed them to record a single, followed by their debut album, Bleach (1989)

which played well on college radio stations. The album generated a lot of buzz, both in the rock press (including in the U. music rag, Melody Maker) and among some established post-punk bands. A six- song demo was shopped around and generated a bidding war between major labels wanting to sign them. They hired drummer Dave Grohl just before signing a $287,000 deal with David Geffen Company (DGC a subsidiary of major A&M).

The label expected to sell 100,000 units of album Nevermind (1991). It blew up, especially because of the video of the single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that played in heavy rotation on MTV, quickly depleting the initial run of 50,000 copies. In the end it went to triple-platinum status (3 million units sold). Cobain’s melodic, half-mumbled delivery of enigmatic lyrics, the sudden changes in dynamics, from an intimate clean guitar-driven verse, jolting to a shouted chorus underlain by dense power chords and Grohl’s powerful drums, seemed to define grunge. Labels rushed A&R (artists and repertoire) agents to Seattle in hopes of signing the next Nirvana. Meanwhile, every part of the Seattle scene had grown to disdain the term “grunge”. Sub Pop staffer Jeff Gilbert said the word was like “talking to someone with bad breath: you could put up with it, you still wanted to distance yourself.” Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden put it a little more succinctly: “Grunge was a f.. word used in TV commercials about scum on your shower curtains.” 14

In the period between Nevermind and their next album, there were increasing reports of Cobain’s heroin addiction, with canceled appearances and hospitalizations, all of which the label tried to downplay. His highly publicized marriage to singer Courtney Love, put an even more intense spotlight on his life. Suicide attempts were rumored. The band finally got back in the studio by spring of 1993, finishing tracks for their third album, In Utero in two weeks. The album was released at the top of charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Sales of In Utero didn’t live up to those of Nevermind (and likely couldn’t have), so they agreed to perform on MTV’s Unplugged series, after which sales surged. They released the recording of the Unplugged show as well. A U. tour was followed by a European tour that ended in Rome. Cobain and Love stayed, but once again he attempted suicide, this time by overdosing on tranquilizers and champaign. This was confirmed to the band when Love revealed his suicide note. An intervention led to treatment at a Los Angeles based addiction facility, but Cobain left prematurely to return to Seattle. Soon he was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In the aftermath of this shocking event much was made of Kurt Cobain’s pain and angst being a parallel to the experience of generation X (the identified generation that the bulk of fans fell within). Journalists built a case for the cognitive dissonance Cobain suffered not wanting publicity, yet pursuing it at the same time and the pressure to create and perform caused him to self-medicate. Yet others have rightly pointed out that his troubled childhood may have been the biggest detriment to his mental state as an adult.

Alice In Chains

There are three things that Alice In Chains had in common with Nirvana, and two that they didn’t have. Both groups were from Seattle, and they were categorized as grunge. Thirdly, both lost their lead singer to drugs. Not in common was that despite being called grunge, Alice In Chains couldn’t have sounded more unlike Nirvana. Alice In Chains was much more a product of heavy metal. Secondly, after Cobain’s death, Nirvana was done, Alice In Chains having lost Layne Staley, found a replacement and had continued success.

Alice In Chains started with guitarist Jerry Cantrell and vocalist Layne Staley. Each had been in heavy metal bands prior to joining up. In fact Columbia records pushed their debut album, Facelift (1990) to a metal audience. Staley’s dark lyrics were in line with the themes of death and drug addiction of

14 Author unknown, The origin of "grunge", Northwest Passage, accessed 7/29/2022, revolutioncomeandgone/articles/1/the-origin-of-grunge.php

the biggest bands in the 1960s-70s; Ringo Starr of the Beatles, Charlie Watts of the Stones, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, or Keith Moon of the Who (the latter two died, causing their respective bands’ demise).

The first album, Ten (1991) [HOVER: Fun fact, 10 was the number on the jersey of their favorite basketball player, Mookie Blaylock, whose name they initially took as the band’s name. It was only changed when they signed with Epic] was released in August of 1991, a few weeks before Nirvana’s Nevermind. Sales were disappointing until Nevermind exploded, after which any band with a Seattle heritage (which it seems was the primary justification for calling them “grunge”) likewise outsold all other rock bands. Ten ultimately sold even more than Nevermind (peaked at no. 2, currently certified 13x platinum), which in hindsight is not surprising. Pearl Jam recorded pop songs, in the best sense of the term. Even with some cryptic lyrics, ultimately there were stories told that fans understood, or felt the intent of in some way. The hooks were clear and well executed, eschewing the sloppy punk effect of Nirvana, but with all the energy. Vedder delivers attention-grabbing melodies with his authoritative baritone that moderates in intensity to match the emotion in the narrative. Kurt Cobain, although highly inventive melodically, was nowhere near the singer Vedder was (and is).

As one of the longest continuously working bands in rock history, Pearl Jam embodied an ethos that was apparently genuine and which drove most of their decisions and actions. Ten generated three singles, "Jeremy," "Evenflow," and "Alive". The video made around “Jeremy” was popular on MTV. But starting with the next album, Vs. (1993) which debuted at no, the band made the conscious and costly decision to not produce any more videos, at a time when labels lobbied hard to get their acts’ videos played, because MTVs audience was automatically vetted on the basis that it was only available on cable, and only middle to upper classes could afford cable TV. Pearl Jam’s justification for their decision was artistic. Vedder waxed back to the pre-video era when one would listen to the music and form their own visual story. It didn’t seem to impact sales and possibly endeared fans to them. Cynics would say they were playing the long game. It was more likely pure idealism.

Another counterintuitive business decision was to play smaller arenas and theaters than demand would warrant, mainly in an effort to keep down the price of tickets—an obvious pro-fan move. When it was discovered that Ticketmaster was adding a service fee to the price of tickets which was alleged to have been split with promoters at large venues, Pearl Jam was incensed. The band actually brought a lawsuit against Ticketmaster on antitrust grounds that dragged on for years. They also opted for fewer interviews and television appearances, which some in the press derided, while others observed a parallel with Led Zeppelin’s relationship with the music press, mostly ignoring it.

Their third album, Vitalogy (1994) was sold for the first two weeks on vinyl only (this was another passion of Vedder’s, the romance of the LP). By this time, CDs and cassettes had overtaken LPs as a popular medium, thus sales lagged until the CD and cassette release, after which it quickly went multi- platinum. Critics generally praised it as another jewel in the band’s crown. To get around using Ticketmaster-contracted arenas (they had a near monopoly), Pearl Jam created some venues of their own, Woodstock style,[HOVER:At the 1969 Woodstock Festival, the stage was hand-built out of wood, for a one-time use, the sound system was cobbled together with speakers held up on construction scaffolding. By the 1990s, erecting a fully functioning soundstage was simply a matter of contracting with existing companies whose whole business model was doing just that.] in rural areas, setting up a stage, full sound and lights and bringing in bleachers and seating. Another way around the service fees was found in a clause in Ticketmasters’ venue agreements, allowing charities to sell their own tickets directly. The band held a series of benefit concerts. They even testified in front of a Congressional committee, investigating Ticketmaster’s business practices. A bill was passed to force more transparency in how fees appeared in contracts. Ultimately Pearl Jam lost their lawsuit, leading to a continuation of their boycott of Ticketmaster venues. Drummer Dave Abbruzzese, disagreed with this practice and was fired.

The fourth album, No Code (1996) was a deliberate break from the style they had established since the beginning, with more variation of instrumentation, experimental, with lyrical themes on self- examination and growing up. Not surprisingly, fans of their original sound could not abide. Continued difficulty touring behind No Code also hurt sales. In 1997 they reentered the studio to record their answer to No Code. They released Yield (1998) to much more enthusiasm. Vedder relinquished some of his usual sway in the production, allowing individual voices to become more evident in the end product. Critics felt that although it was a tempered version of Pearl Jam, it felt like the harder rocking Pearl Jam they knew. Fans didn’t necessarily agree, although it started at the no. 2 position, sales suffered.

Clearly the band cared a lot about playing for their fans. In fact, from the beginning they earned a reputation for exciting live shows, even taking requests for random songs they didn’t know. Pearl Jam continued recording, including a live tour album that sold very well, and released multiple compilations and best-ofs which always do well. They had a surprise hit with a rare 1960s cover of a splatter platter, “Last Kiss” in 1999. They continue to tour, and their 11th studio album, Gigaton (2020) was released, tackling environmental and other issues. Pearl Jam was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by comedian David Letterman in 2017.

California Alternative

Before anyone had imagined Nirvana, some California musicians were drawing from the same wells. Metal, punk and even r&b were in the mix. Despite a number of similar characteristics between these groups and their Pacific Northwestern brethren, the press seemed to reserve the term “grunge” for the latter. But after the initial grunge explosion, and the style began to coalesce (as much as that was possible) into a loosely definable set of characteristics that became enmeshed into the mainstream, ironically “alternative rock” became the preferred tag.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by a group of young, enthusiastic high school friends and musicians, Red Hot Chili Peppers helped define alternative rock by being truly “alternative”. They brought together the unlikely genres of punk, funk and rap to create a unique style that connected to the general listener. What set them apart from most L. bands at the time was that what metal influences they had, didn’t dominate their music, although they would be influencers of new genres called funk metal, rap metal, and nu metal.

The band’s history is defined by their succession of guitar players (recall the Yardbirds, or Pearl Jam’s drummers) starting with Hillel Slovak, who died of an overdose and was replaced by 18-year-old John Frusciante. He left in the middle of a tour to check into rehab for heroin addiction. After a few other guitarists over the next few years, a refreshed Frusciante was invited back. The other members are vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (born Michael Balzary) and Chad Smith (who early on replaced Jack Irons who we met above). Two albums preceded their breakout album Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) produced by Rick Rubin [HOVER: founded Def Jam Records. He produced hit albums across hip hop and rock genres, including the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Geto Boys, and Run-DMC, Danzig, Slayer, System of a Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, The Cult, Johnny Cash, and The Chicks.] The powerful stripped-down production (a process Rubin had honed to an art), strong musicianship, and stellar songwriting came together like a surfboard poised to ride the alternative wave of the grunge phenomena. It was released on the same day as Nirvana’s Nevermind. The album spawned singles “Give It Away” and the group's first Top Ten single, “Under the Bridge.”

Chili Peppers’ biggest commercial success was Californication (1999) with 16 million copies sold worldwide. Among the singles were the title track, “Californication,” “Otherside,” and “Scar Tissue”. A two-year long world tour followed the success of the album. Several other albums would come. Lots of

more imitators than any American rock band since Nirvana. Their seeming ordinariness convinced a generation of goofy punks that maybe they, too, could turn out deceptively simple songs as well constructed as anything on the pop chart. And their prankish camaraderie made fans feel like members of their extended social circle.” 15 They are still active.

Sublime

A band from Long Beach, California, Sublime, formed in 1988, bringing together ska, reggae, rock and punk into a fresh, unpretentious new sound (unless you consider three white dudes playing reggae pretentious). Of course, it was really a revival of an idea birthed in England in the 1970s, when punks and West Indies immigrants lived together in areas like Brixton. Recall Bob Marley’s “Punky Reggae Party” and of course, the Clash. The difference with Sublime is their off-handed nihilism, sexual subjects and celebration (or normalization) of drugs in their lyrics, as well as touches of hip hop (like record scratching), heavy metal and funk. Sadly, their biggest success came after the death by heroin overdose of their lead singer/guitarist and primary songwriter, Bradley Nowell—an all too common ending for musicians—just before their first major label release, Sublime (1996). Their hits include, “What I Got,” “Santeria,” “Wrong Way,” and “Doin’ Time”. Another bit of irony is that the two albums released earlier, 40oz. to Freedom (1992) and Robbin' the Hood (1994) began to sell and reached multi-platinum in sales, generating singles of their own.

No Doubt

Another act connected to ska-punk was No Doubt from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986, co- founded by Eric Stefani. Lead singer, and Eric’s sister, Gwen Stefani, has since become a pop icon and fashion model. They are influential in what is called the third-wave ska movement.[HOVER: Ska was a musical genre with its roots in the 1940s, from Jamaica, based on American R&B. It saw a revival in the U. in the 1980s. Third wave ska centered around U. bands in the 1990s, primarily in Southern California] Their third album, Tragic Kingdom (1995) was the band’s breakout, with the single “Don’t Speak” going to no. 1 in the U. and the U. A later album, Rock Steady (2001), recorded in Jamaica, featuring two Jamaican artists, produced two Grammy-winning hit singles, “Hey Baby,” and “Underneath It All”.

Rage Against the Machine

Bands like Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers occasionally inserted rap segments in their songs. We saw Run DMC take on hard rock songs as rap vehicles, so it wouldn’t be long, nor a hard stretch, to envision a band that embraced that fusion as the basis of their whole style. Rage Against the Machine, from Los Angeles, California, was the first of this new breed. Blending funk and metal, musically borrowing from Chili Peppers, but with highly political lyrics from rapper Zack de la Rocha, that borrowed from much of hip-hop in its cadence and rhymes. They blurred lines between performance and protest, at one time shutting down the New York Stock Exchange to shoot a video. Guitarist Tom Morello invented a guitar technique that mimicked turntable scratching, which connected to the band’s hip-hop strain, and added an exciting element to live shows (he also played in the more conventional way quite virtuosically). While politics and punk go together like peanut butter and jelly, RATM ranted harder than most at that time against corporate America, with vitriolic sloganeering on cultural imperialism, and government oppression. Their single “Killing in the Name” (1992) was a polemic around the Los Angeles

15 Kelefa Sanneh (July 17, 2016). "Good Clean Punk". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on July 21, 2016, accessed 8/16/2022, web.archive/web/20160721032658/newyorker/magazine/2016/07/25/blink-182s- california

Police Department, following the historic Rodney King beatings, the trial that acquitted the cops, and subsequent riots.

Limp Bizkit

On the heavier side of the punk spectrum were bands like Korn, from Bakersfield, California, drawing on a scaffolding of well executed heavy metal riffs, with mostly rapped, sometimes screamed vocals, on darker subjects. Limp Bizkit, from Jacksonville, Florida, likewise had a heavier approach but with an equal measure of hip hop, often labeled nu metal. Founder Fred Durst, grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina, becoming immersed in breakdancing, hip hop, punk rock, and heavy metal. He joined with guitarist Wes Borland who established a persona that was always costumed in some way, including masks, which turned out to be an attraction for fans at live shows and the theatrics played well, and heavily, on MTV. Their drummer, John Otto, had studied jazz and played in avant garde outfits prior to joining Bizkit.

System of a Down

System of a Down, likewise blended rap and rock with a political edge. Among the causes undertaken, the Armenian genocide at the hands of the Turkish Ottoman Empire occupies a significant segment—if not about it, at least inspired by it. Lead rapper/lyricist/keyboardist Serj Tankian, bassist Daron Malakian, and drummer Ontronik "Andy" Khachaturian (later replaced by John Dolmayan) were all Armenian immigrants. Tankian is as much an activist on the subject, and related subjects of ethnic cleansing around the globe, any actions that smack of genocide. The band’s hard-edged, energetic style provides an underlayment, ready-made for angry rapping over. They came to the attention of producer Rick Rubin, who called them his “favorite band”. He produced all System of a Down’s albums. Their second album, Toxicity, debuted at no. 1 has eventually achieved 3x-platinum certification. They took a sabbatical in 2006 after the album, Hypnotize (2005). Tankian followed with multiple solo projects, partly in the SoaD vein, but also with some welcomed subtle and melodic tracks. Malakian and Dolmayan formed Scars on Broadway, producing two albums, before System regrouped for an international tour in 2011. No new albums were released.

Heavy Industry

An even harder sub genre was industrial metal. “Industrial” was coined in the 1970s to describe groups using jarring metallic percussion or found-sounds with electronics creating avant garde dystopian soundscapes with repetitive rhythms. But bands from the 1970s such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten, Chrome and Cabaret Voltaire had influences from the 1960s like Red Krayola, and Nue!. 1980s groups included Voltaire, still contributing, Ministry, fully engaged in the style, and other kinds of groups that were including some experimental elements, like David Bowie and Iggy Pop, in their collaborations, The Idiot (1977) and Lust for Life (1977), often cited as important incorporations of the industrial ethos.

Nine Inch Nails

In the 1990s, Nine Inch Nails (NIN), Rob Zombie, and Marilyn Manson took the idea to the extreme.. the mainstream. NIN, led by Trent Reznor heavily incorporated synthesizer and sampling technology in his recordings and live shows, before laptops powerful enough to do such things were available. Dark and troubling, with a rotation of textures and sounds that while not instantly identifiable, had a visceral connection with the sinister or dangerous. At the same time, it was mostly dance music— the groove was primary. Reznor used drum machines and layers of sonically altered guitars and synths, all of which he played. There is a strong parallel here with Prince, who likewise played just about everything on his records, as well as Stevie Wonder in his Barry Gordy Jr. emancipation period. There is nothing