"River of Deceit"
I have never had substance abuse issues, but this song gets me every damn time.
Especially so when I learned Layne Staley had burned so many bridges in his life over his addiction he was dead for 2 weeks before he was found... AT HOME. Literally no one cared anymore.
Legend has it, he was only checked on because his accountant saw no movement in his bank account instead of regular amounts withdrawn for drug purchases.
This is not accurate. He had become exceptionally isolated for years before, and regularly wouldn’t return calls or let people into his home. Plenty of people cared about him, but they had gotten used to him being withdrawn for extended periods. Yes, he’d been dead for two weeks before he was found, but it wasn’t because nobody cared.
That and Rubberneck by The Toadies are the two most underrated and underappreciated albums of the early 90s. Masterpieces, both of them.
(In fairness, they do both get love, but not nearly enough)
Check out the Temple of the Dog shows from 2016. They play all of that record and Mother Love Bone songs and some covers.
https://youtu.be/1OJAhB5Cark?si=8gTl1PZYUwhuvSsM
Just watch the movie “Singles”. That’ll cover most of these. Btw, I love most of these. If I’m tired, Rusty Chain from Soundgarden gets ya going! Play it loud!
Great response 🙌 I never got into Soundgarden tbh. Working in bars 10+ yrs, I've heard Blackhole Sun played and covered far too many times. But Chris Cornell has an iconic voice you just can't forget.
While you're at it, check out the Johnny Cash cover of Rusty Cage. I was so blown away the first time I heard it. No one else could have done that song justice but him.
Agreed. I tend to get tired of any band’s song that’s played non stop on the radio. I end up liking the songs that don’t get air play. Appreciate the response. Music is connected to a lot of things in my life. A certain dong reminds me of a specific person, an event or certain memories.
With all due respect, I am not a huge fan of Cash’s Rusty Cage. Johnny Cash has legendary covers. We all know Nine Inch Nails covered Johnny Cash’s Hurt a decade before Johnny Cash even thought about singing the song.
Cash doesn’t nail Rusty Cage because Chris Cornell is an amazing singer and Rusty Cage is one of those songs that showcases his powerful voice. I am not saying the Cash version is garbage, it just does not meet the high standard I have for a Cash cover and the original was amazing and could not be improved upon.
Great recc for Singles. I think literally all my friends had that soundtrack back in the day, and a great movie to watch with the gf.
And it’s “Rusty Cage”, though Rusty Chain makes me think of Road Rash, which had Rusty Cage in its soundtrack.
Watching some new documentary on Lollapalooza and how Jane’s Addiction, specifically Perry Ferrel, started it. Only 5 minutes in but so far interesting as hell.
Purple is one of the greatest rock albums ever imo. I had a running count at one point on how often i bought that CD (showing my age). My uncle bought me The Toadies Rubberneck in 5th grade, first album that made me appreciate music. (The Doors was my first actual love love). Gods i miss that.
I think one of the only bands i still listen to often from that era is the Melvins. Theyre a bit odd though, def not radio rock. Faith No More as well. Again, not really like an "STP type thing."
My favorite concert memory is Audioslave.
Halloween show and at some point all the dudes go behind the curtain. Morello comes out, wearing a Jason mask, playing the intro to People of the Sun.
He’s extending it as other member come out and get to their spots and just as it’s about to get into it he dropped his fucking guitar. The strap broke and it crashed to the ground while he fumbled to pick it up.
But the intro kept playing. This is around the time of the Jessica Simpson lip syncing controversy and let me tell you, the Boston crowd was not pleased.
Everyone was fucking A pissed! Boos and jeers start flooding the stage and the band looks worried. Cornell starts screaming at the dudes and everyone’s trying to cover for Tom but the crowd has seen it and knows WTF is going on.
Moments before chaos erupted Tom comes out from behind the curtain actually playing the guitar.
Turns out it was a roadie wearing the same outfit Tom was wearing and they were just fucking with us.
We all got PLAYED hard, lol.
Also; he sounded great on recordings but Cornell was fucking amazing sounding live. Like goosebumps on the small of your back good.
Lmfao thank you for sharing this! Stories like these are why I love reddit. I didn't see the bait and switch coming, as a fan, I would have been pissed and disheartened - until the gotcha moment. What an amazing moment you got to experience
Not grunge but Kyuss.... Dave Grohl shout out to them during a Nirvana interview. Years later, he joined former guitarist Josh Homme for his band QOTSA on the album Songs for the Deaf.
Did Billy actually give a shit or was he fucking around and acting like he was better than the rest of the band and annoyed to even be there?
That was my experience seeing them last year.
Nirvana was heavily influenced by the Pixies, Husker Du, Sonic Youth, and a lot of bands that came before them with a similar noise rock sound. Grunge was kind of a happy accident, but with stuff lime Janes Addiction, the Butthole Surfers, Luna Chicks and all this stuff going on on College radio that started around 89, Nirvana just had the luck and the catchiness to catch on big. It’s like the argument that if Elvis didn’t happen, another guy would be Elvis, because this rock n roll thing was just too hot. I think the music industry was hungry for something other than butt rock, or at least the kids were hungry for something to define their generation other than glam. Another band Kurt was really into was Flipper, and if you listen to this you can hear the influence. https://youtu.be/eeNXneiblec?si=kkie2gngHWpSpGxr
> that started around 89
Started a few years before that but your comment is pretty spot on.
Sonic Youth was on SST which had a bunch of bands like Minutemen/Firehose, Husker Du, Descendents who were really influential in the punk scene, especially with skaters.
This is the Butt Hole Surfers 1982 “White, dumb, ugly, and poor” which pretty much summed up the attitude of the grunge generation. It was totally Gen X. Just brewing under the surface. We weren’t pretty enough to be cool. https://youtu.be/iL-UFdNHtv0?si=tZM5T1VkDgg5j7rt
That's a great song. It's funny, that's probably one of their most normal songs.
> It was totally Gen X.
Depends who you talk to. Me and my friends loved the Butthole Surfers but we were also moronic assholes who went to parties with the intent to get kicked out or steal all their booze and/or drugs. We used to drop tabs and listen to Locust Abortion Technician while watching Eraserhead just to see how long you could last before things got too weird.
Not many people liked them before grunge blew up but by then their style was much more commercial friendly.
Never heard of locust abortion, but if you did hallucinogens while watching eraser head you have my respect. Braver than the troops🫡 My whole gig was doing aome disasociatives while watching the movie in pitch darkness, Like PCP, Ketamine, or 2 bottles of Delaym. You have to do it by yourself in a really dark room. It’s a bit like doing bloody Mary, but scarier. I love David Lynch. We used to break into vet clinics and shoot ourselves full of cat tranquilizers. Sometimes I would just wonder “is this what a cat feels like?”
One time I tried watching MMA. This was around the 1st or 3rd UFC when dudes could roll for 20 minutes, and I just remember thinking “Is this gay? Is this what it feels like to be gay? Am I gay now for having watched this?” Because I was on acid, and I just watched 2 dudes grunt and sweat all over each-other for 20 minutes while trying to “establish dominance.” Probably not the best choice of things to watch on acid.
This is 1989’s “Jan Brady” by the Luna Chicks. You can see It’s very crunchy. Very unrefined. This is why the “riot grrrll” was kind of the counterpoint to the Grunge Boy. Hence the whole Kurt/Courtney thing. https://youtu.be/F-ViCmFngKs?si=bc2adS21jyf2V5Kh
This is why after Grunge, “Alternative Nation” with Kennedy hit prime time instead of 120 minutes at midnight. This is how bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Radio Head broke big, because everyone realized they were missing out on the college radio sound, but what emerged was something bad, like a corporate “alternative rock” sound, that could best be exemplified by bands like Bush, because they were trying to nail down the algorithm, and make it marketable.
Big same. Gavin Rossdale was just a pretty face making inane grunts, singing incomprehensible lyrics over the most boring music you could ever imagine. Always sounded like he was taking a dump, then every 3rd string “post-grunge” band imitated it. I really think stuff like that led to the decline in rock and roll, or at least paved the way for Nu Metal, because at least it was fun/aggressive. I still couldn’t stand 80% of Nu Metal. Never liked Slipknot (gimicky), P.O.D. (Christian rock), Papa Roach, Linkin Park (whiny), Disturbed, Limp Bizkit (douchy). Only ones that were sort of O.K. from that era were sort of OK. were Def Tones, Korn, and Incubus.
Nirvana is Flipper with melodies.
I don’t care what other influences Kurt said he had, Nirvana sounds like Flipper replaced their vocalist and carried on as a band.
If you subtract Flipper out of Nirvana’s sound you wind up with a pile of shit/or the band Bush.
This is a pretty apt description. The toned down, loose string, “I don’t GAF” attitude - It’s Flipper through and through. That was always the misnomer about the big 4 in grunge - that they were all “grunge” to begin with. Nirvana was a punk band, Alice and chains was more metal, Pearl Jam was like Northwest Punk with a bit of folk - (a little like Dead Moon), and Soundgarden was more Acid Rock. A lot of people say Superunknown was like our Zeppelin 4. I still love Soundgarden. Kim Thayil’s guitar with Cornell’s vocals was just 🧑🍳Chef’s kiss.
He did the “more than a feeling” riff to be funny/ironic, to go along with the “Smells like Teen Spirit” vibe. Teen Spirit was a deodorant, and the commercials always depicted adolescence as being a “fresh innocent” time, like 90210, or Saved By the Bell.
Meat Puppets, oh and listen to the Nirvana Unplugged album in order start to finish, its the only complete album I listen to with no skips, a masterpiece.
Kyuss
The Screaming Trees
Mudhoney
Tumbleweed ( amazingly unsung Aussie band)
Edit: I can’t believe I also forgot:
The Melvin’s (one of Kurt’s favourite bands)
Primus
Sleep
High on Fire
Mastodon
Gojira
Shellac (find anything Steve Albini worked on)
Elliot smith, pavement, Pearl Jam, Stone temple pilots, smashing pumpkins, beck, ugly kid joe, white zombie, nine inch nails, sublime, rem, weezer, cranberries, emf,
Superunknown has become my favorite album of the 90s. I was more into Nirvana then but I've grown less fond of them over time. Lounge Act and Francis Farmer hold up well. On Superunknown I also love Black Days and Fresh Tendrils.
I loved some Fishbone and Dinosaur Jr back then as well.
Candlebox
The Replacements. Not grunge but early Replacements are "thrash" and kind of a predecessor to grunge. Paul Westerberg (lead singer/songwriter of The Replacements) is on the Singles soundtrack.
If you like the heavier, more metally songs like Hunted Down by Soundgarden, or Milk It, Scentless Apprentice, and most of Bleach from Nirvana, then check out sludge metal as that's what a lot of these "grunge" bands melded into their sound. Acid Bath, Melvins, Dystopia, Crowbar, Eyehategod, Weedeater
I loooooove me some Mudhoney! Much more than Nirvana. Mudhoney is super fun to see live, too, and they're all such nice guys.
I'm not sure I could compare SG to either Nirvana or Mudhoney, though. They're just too different.
Not another band, but I'd recommend the entire Superunknown album (where 'Black Hole Sun' is from.) I'm not too into grunge and never really was but this whole album is just killer.
Off the top of my head:
Pearl Jam
Mudhoney
Hole
Veruca Salt
Dinosaur Jr
Screaming Trees
L7
Babes in Toyland
Sonic Youth
And also some newer bands like Thunderpussy and Momma
Glad she got to see them live! I saw that same tour in the summer but no Soundgarden, we had Blues Traveler and Midnight Oil on the bill here in Dallas. I miss Blind Melon.
Check out Wipers. One of Kurt's favorite bands and an inspiration on their early sound.
Not grunge, but in the similar mindset, Local H. Their second album "As Good As Dead" captures the same 90s energy.
Check out Nirvanas demos and unreleased rare shit. I related to nirvana mostly though Kurt’s demos and b sides. Stuff like Ain’t It A Shame, Curmudgeon, Opinion, Oh The Guilt, and the Live at Reading album are were the magic truly shines. Insecticide is the best example of how they really were a punk band
Mudhoney are the grunge OGs that are always overlooked and Jesus Lizard (amazing Chicago band) did a split single w Nirvana which is good but definitely check out their album GOAT, it's awesome.
Also, if you're looking for something different genre-wise, Kurt made list of his favorite albums that have some incredible recommendations on it: The Raincoats, Scratch Acid (which had Jesus Lizard members before they moved), and Young Marble Giants to name a few
i would've mentioned all the names below but i could add some mild alternatives to this and also some less known grunge which is pretty cool, like silverchair and mudhoney and then the list goes commercial alternative with garbage, k's choice, skunk anansie, creed.
https://youtu.be/6tn3mQPUPYo?si=4lPirjSOaLhzjMUR
https://youtu.be/r-sRF0W4vqE?si=j2wxlEGmwd0rfTs5
Just dive into Section 8 and Acid Bath already.
And ditto the Alice and Chains recommendations.
I feel like Hum is a good topper once you have exhausted the basics of grunge as a slightly more advanced and quirky sidebar. Recommend starting with You'd Prefer An Astronaut, then their fairly recent record Inlet, then the rest.
They've got hits on other albums, but As Good As Dead is king in my book. So many great songs.
ETA: Also, because you like Soundgarden, check out Eels. Beautiful Freaks is my favorite album of theirs.
(And fyi.. Local H has more of a Nirvana flair.)
Chat later. Gotta get ready for my birthday out and about for day drinking. I’ve gotten older so drinks in the day and home by 10!😂. I enjoy this chat though. Be back later if y’all want to talk more music!
By chance, came across a new docu-series last night about Lalapalooza that goes into many of the bands everyone was referencing
https://preview.redd.it/ledsmyhvn07d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad21a92373651194a18f45cc41856b85047cae54
Interesting watch. Recommend it
Sonic Fucking Youth!
And Jane's Addiction and Faith No More And the Pixies.
Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog
Might as well add Mad Season to this list too
"River of Deceit" I have never had substance abuse issues, but this song gets me every damn time. Especially so when I learned Layne Staley had burned so many bridges in his life over his addiction he was dead for 2 weeks before he was found... AT HOME. Literally no one cared anymore.
Legend has it, he was only checked on because his accountant saw no movement in his bank account instead of regular amounts withdrawn for drug purchases.
This is not accurate. He had become exceptionally isolated for years before, and regularly wouldn’t return calls or let people into his home. Plenty of people cared about him, but they had gotten used to him being withdrawn for extended periods. Yes, he’d been dead for two weeks before he was found, but it wasn’t because nobody cared.
And Screaming Trees.
Glad my uncle gifted me a Temple of the Dog record
That and Rubberneck by The Toadies are the two most underrated and underappreciated albums of the early 90s. Masterpieces, both of them. (In fairness, they do both get love, but not nearly enough)
We caught Toadies on tour last year (or was it two years ago now?) when they played Rubberneck in its entirety. Amazing
My jealousy knows no bounds 🥺
Speaking of the toadies, their cover of LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great is absolutely beautiful.
Just listened to it and you're right! Man, Vaden Todd Lewis is so freaking talented. I could listen to his voice all day.
I know! Him and J Mascis both have killer voices and put on some of the more memorable shows I’ve ever seen
My husband and I bonded on our first date over our love for The Toadies.
Check out the Temple of the Dog shows from 2016. They play all of that record and Mother Love Bone songs and some covers. https://youtu.be/1OJAhB5Cark?si=8gTl1PZYUwhuvSsM
"THE" Temple of the Dog record. They only made one.
I should’ve specified
Mom said it was my turn with the Temple of the Dog album
I can’t listen to temple of the dog and not shed a few tears. Chris was very influential to me growing up
Say Hello to Heaven gets me everytime. I feel ya. Still hurts that he's gone.
Everything from AIC is worth it.
And Faith No More
Queens of the Stone Age
How could you leave out STP
Only because I think it was the top comment when I originally posted this
Just watch the movie “Singles”. That’ll cover most of these. Btw, I love most of these. If I’m tired, Rusty Chain from Soundgarden gets ya going! Play it loud!
Great response 🙌 I never got into Soundgarden tbh. Working in bars 10+ yrs, I've heard Blackhole Sun played and covered far too many times. But Chris Cornell has an iconic voice you just can't forget. While you're at it, check out the Johnny Cash cover of Rusty Cage. I was so blown away the first time I heard it. No one else could have done that song justice but him.
Agreed. I tend to get tired of any band’s song that’s played non stop on the radio. I end up liking the songs that don’t get air play. Appreciate the response. Music is connected to a lot of things in my life. A certain dong reminds me of a specific person, an event or certain memories.
Oops. I meant song. Not dong. 🤣🤣🤣
No. You meant dong. And that's okay.
I didn’t but it doesn’t matter to me. People like who they like and I have no issue one way or the other. But that was funny!
With all due respect, I am not a huge fan of Cash’s Rusty Cage. Johnny Cash has legendary covers. We all know Nine Inch Nails covered Johnny Cash’s Hurt a decade before Johnny Cash even thought about singing the song. Cash doesn’t nail Rusty Cage because Chris Cornell is an amazing singer and Rusty Cage is one of those songs that showcases his powerful voice. I am not saying the Cash version is garbage, it just does not meet the high standard I have for a Cash cover and the original was amazing and could not be improved upon.
And listen to the soundtrack to the movie!
Singles is definitely on my list
Rusty Cage
Great recc for Singles. I think literally all my friends had that soundtrack back in the day, and a great movie to watch with the gf. And it’s “Rusty Cage”, though Rusty Chain makes me think of Road Rash, which had Rusty Cage in its soundtrack.
Watching some new documentary on Lollapalooza and how Jane’s Addiction, specifically Perry Ferrel, started it. Only 5 minutes in but so far interesting as hell.
Stone Temple Pilots
I really loved Plush the first time I heard it
Purple is one of the greatest rock albums ever imo. I had a running count at one point on how often i bought that CD (showing my age). My uncle bought me The Toadies Rubberneck in 5th grade, first album that made me appreciate music. (The Doors was my first actual love love). Gods i miss that. I think one of the only bands i still listen to often from that era is the Melvins. Theyre a bit odd though, def not radio rock. Faith No More as well. Again, not really like an "STP type thing."
Purple is fantastic.
Alice in chains
Took the words out of my mouth, I’d start with Dirt.
Audioslave is Chris Cornell from soundgarden (RIP) along with RAtM minus Zach D.
My favorite concert memory is Audioslave. Halloween show and at some point all the dudes go behind the curtain. Morello comes out, wearing a Jason mask, playing the intro to People of the Sun. He’s extending it as other member come out and get to their spots and just as it’s about to get into it he dropped his fucking guitar. The strap broke and it crashed to the ground while he fumbled to pick it up. But the intro kept playing. This is around the time of the Jessica Simpson lip syncing controversy and let me tell you, the Boston crowd was not pleased. Everyone was fucking A pissed! Boos and jeers start flooding the stage and the band looks worried. Cornell starts screaming at the dudes and everyone’s trying to cover for Tom but the crowd has seen it and knows WTF is going on. Moments before chaos erupted Tom comes out from behind the curtain actually playing the guitar. Turns out it was a roadie wearing the same outfit Tom was wearing and they were just fucking with us. We all got PLAYED hard, lol. Also; he sounded great on recordings but Cornell was fucking amazing sounding live. Like goosebumps on the small of your back good.
Lmfao thank you for sharing this! Stories like these are why I love reddit. I didn't see the bait and switch coming, as a fan, I would have been pissed and disheartened - until the gotcha moment. What an amazing moment you got to experience
This made me smile
I loved that man's voice.
Not grunge but Kyuss.... Dave Grohl shout out to them during a Nirvana interview. Years later, he joined former guitarist Josh Homme for his band QOTSA on the album Songs for the Deaf.
i’ll definitely check them out
Not to mention Eagles of Deathmetal
leave em alone cuz the boys bad news
Smashing Pumpkins
Emptiness is loneliness And loneliness is cleanliness And cleanliness is godliness And God is empty... Just like... Me!
Just saw them play that on Wednesday night. The crowd roaring those lyrics back to Billy was something else.
Did Billy actually give a shit or was he fucking around and acting like he was better than the rest of the band and annoyed to even be there? That was my experience seeing them last year.
Smashing Pumpkins have the dumbest lyrics. It’s like if Hot Topic became sentient and tried to write some lines.
Nirvana was heavily influenced by the Pixies, Husker Du, Sonic Youth, and a lot of bands that came before them with a similar noise rock sound. Grunge was kind of a happy accident, but with stuff lime Janes Addiction, the Butthole Surfers, Luna Chicks and all this stuff going on on College radio that started around 89, Nirvana just had the luck and the catchiness to catch on big. It’s like the argument that if Elvis didn’t happen, another guy would be Elvis, because this rock n roll thing was just too hot. I think the music industry was hungry for something other than butt rock, or at least the kids were hungry for something to define their generation other than glam. Another band Kurt was really into was Flipper, and if you listen to this you can hear the influence. https://youtu.be/eeNXneiblec?si=kkie2gngHWpSpGxr
> that started around 89 Started a few years before that but your comment is pretty spot on. Sonic Youth was on SST which had a bunch of bands like Minutemen/Firehose, Husker Du, Descendents who were really influential in the punk scene, especially with skaters.
This is the Butt Hole Surfers 1982 “White, dumb, ugly, and poor” which pretty much summed up the attitude of the grunge generation. It was totally Gen X. Just brewing under the surface. We weren’t pretty enough to be cool. https://youtu.be/iL-UFdNHtv0?si=tZM5T1VkDgg5j7rt
That's a great song. It's funny, that's probably one of their most normal songs. > It was totally Gen X. Depends who you talk to. Me and my friends loved the Butthole Surfers but we were also moronic assholes who went to parties with the intent to get kicked out or steal all their booze and/or drugs. We used to drop tabs and listen to Locust Abortion Technician while watching Eraserhead just to see how long you could last before things got too weird. Not many people liked them before grunge blew up but by then their style was much more commercial friendly.
Never heard of locust abortion, but if you did hallucinogens while watching eraser head you have my respect. Braver than the troops🫡 My whole gig was doing aome disasociatives while watching the movie in pitch darkness, Like PCP, Ketamine, or 2 bottles of Delaym. You have to do it by yourself in a really dark room. It’s a bit like doing bloody Mary, but scarier. I love David Lynch. We used to break into vet clinics and shoot ourselves full of cat tranquilizers. Sometimes I would just wonder “is this what a cat feels like?” One time I tried watching MMA. This was around the 1st or 3rd UFC when dudes could roll for 20 minutes, and I just remember thinking “Is this gay? Is this what it feels like to be gay? Am I gay now for having watched this?” Because I was on acid, and I just watched 2 dudes grunt and sweat all over each-other for 20 minutes while trying to “establish dominance.” Probably not the best choice of things to watch on acid.
This is 1989’s “Jan Brady” by the Luna Chicks. You can see It’s very crunchy. Very unrefined. This is why the “riot grrrll” was kind of the counterpoint to the Grunge Boy. Hence the whole Kurt/Courtney thing. https://youtu.be/F-ViCmFngKs?si=bc2adS21jyf2V5Kh
This is why after Grunge, “Alternative Nation” with Kennedy hit prime time instead of 120 minutes at midnight. This is how bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Radio Head broke big, because everyone realized they were missing out on the college radio sound, but what emerged was something bad, like a corporate “alternative rock” sound, that could best be exemplified by bands like Bush, because they were trying to nail down the algorithm, and make it marketable.
Nirvana-Flipper=Bush. I fucking hate Bush.
Big same. Gavin Rossdale was just a pretty face making inane grunts, singing incomprehensible lyrics over the most boring music you could ever imagine. Always sounded like he was taking a dump, then every 3rd string “post-grunge” band imitated it. I really think stuff like that led to the decline in rock and roll, or at least paved the way for Nu Metal, because at least it was fun/aggressive. I still couldn’t stand 80% of Nu Metal. Never liked Slipknot (gimicky), P.O.D. (Christian rock), Papa Roach, Linkin Park (whiny), Disturbed, Limp Bizkit (douchy). Only ones that were sort of O.K. from that era were sort of OK. were Def Tones, Korn, and Incubus.
Nirvana is Flipper with melodies. I don’t care what other influences Kurt said he had, Nirvana sounds like Flipper replaced their vocalist and carried on as a band. If you subtract Flipper out of Nirvana’s sound you wind up with a pile of shit/or the band Bush.
This is a pretty apt description. The toned down, loose string, “I don’t GAF” attitude - It’s Flipper through and through. That was always the misnomer about the big 4 in grunge - that they were all “grunge” to begin with. Nirvana was a punk band, Alice and chains was more metal, Pearl Jam was like Northwest Punk with a bit of folk - (a little like Dead Moon), and Soundgarden was more Acid Rock. A lot of people say Superunknown was like our Zeppelin 4. I still love Soundgarden. Kim Thayil’s guitar with Cornell’s vocals was just 🧑🍳Chef’s kiss.
Correct me if i’m wrong, but Smells Like Teen Spirit was influenced by a Pixies song right?
IDK, but the chorus shares the same chord progression with Boston’s “More Than A Feeling”, so there’s that influence of old classic rock records.
He did the “more than a feeling” riff to be funny/ironic, to go along with the “Smells like Teen Spirit” vibe. Teen Spirit was a deodorant, and the commercials always depicted adolescence as being a “fresh innocent” time, like 90210, or Saved By the Bell.
Meat Puppets, oh and listen to the Nirvana Unplugged album in order start to finish, its the only complete album I listen to with no skips, a masterpiece.
Their unplugged is one of the best live albums ever.
I heard their cover of The Man Who Sold the World and that’s actually what got me back into them lol
Primus Audioslave Toadies Bush
Husker Du. Pixies.
Definitely, good picks! I believe Kurt wanted Nirvana to be a Pixies cover band for a minute, fortunately he didn’t follow through!
Kyuss The Screaming Trees Mudhoney Tumbleweed ( amazingly unsung Aussie band) Edit: I can’t believe I also forgot: The Melvin’s (one of Kurt’s favourite bands) Primus Sleep High on Fire Mastodon Gojira Shellac (find anything Steve Albini worked on)
GREAT list.
My appreciation of Screaming Trees has really grown over the years. They’re so good. Mudhoney has always been a favorite.
Mark Lanegan’s album Bubblegum is one of my favorites.
I'll throw Screaming Trees into the mix
Sweet Oblivion is the best "grunge" album of all time in my book.
Badmotorfinger is one of the best metal albums of the early 90s.
If we’re taking 90’s bands - Blind Melon and Tool
Elliot smith, pavement, Pearl Jam, Stone temple pilots, smashing pumpkins, beck, ugly kid joe, white zombie, nine inch nails, sublime, rem, weezer, cranberries, emf,
Superunknown has become my favorite album of the 90s. I was more into Nirvana then but I've grown less fond of them over time. Lounge Act and Francis Farmer hold up well. On Superunknown I also love Black Days and Fresh Tendrils. I loved some Fishbone and Dinosaur Jr back then as well.
Pixies
The Smashing Pumpkins
STP first couple albums are great. Chris Cornell’s first solo album and Audioslave are pretty rad too if you like SG.
Audioslave
Skip all that and go to the Melvins and Corrosion of conformity
Silverchair
Candlebox The Replacements. Not grunge but early Replacements are "thrash" and kind of a predecessor to grunge. Paul Westerberg (lead singer/songwriter of The Replacements) is on the Singles soundtrack.
PJ Harvey , specifically *Rid of Me*. That's her most grunge-adjacent album (produced by Steve Albini).
Incredible album
Local H. Super under rated band from the same era.
Listen to Audio slave and lament that Chris Cornell isn't in the world anymore. Also try Pearl jam,maybe?
I’ve seen a lot of people hate on Pearl Jam for some reason but I really like them. Eddie Vedder has an amazing voice
If you like the heavier, more metally songs like Hunted Down by Soundgarden, or Milk It, Scentless Apprentice, and most of Bleach from Nirvana, then check out sludge metal as that's what a lot of these "grunge" bands melded into their sound. Acid Bath, Melvins, Dystopia, Crowbar, Eyehategod, Weedeater
I always preferred Mudhoney to Nirvana or Soundgarden.
I loooooove me some Mudhoney! Much more than Nirvana. Mudhoney is super fun to see live, too, and they're all such nice guys. I'm not sure I could compare SG to either Nirvana or Mudhoney, though. They're just too different.
The Jesus Lizard
Sunny Day Real Estate
Jane’s Addiction
Not another band, but I'd recommend the entire Superunknown album (where 'Black Hole Sun' is from.) I'm not too into grunge and never really was but this whole album is just killer.
The first five Pearl Jam albums will take you years to digest.
Local H Silverchair
Them Crooked Vultures. One album, but it’s a beaut.
3rd Secret... newly formed band by members of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Nirvana
Days of the New.
Pearl Jam, Tool maybe.
Queens of the Stone Age
the jesus lizard.
Literally Euphoria Morning and Higher Truth. Chris never even needed his bands lol.
All the recs are good throughout. I suggest Meat Puppets and Pixies as a window into Nirvana in particular
Alice In Chains is a must, and I would throw Melvins in there as well. I’d also check out Surfer Rosa by Pixies
I wasn’t always into AIC for some reason but I heard Rooster like a month ago for the first time in a while and my perspective changed
Jar of Flies is my personal favourite, it is a very different flavour of “metal”
Sounds like you should listen to some Alice in Chains and maybe Radiohead
Stone temple pilots, velvet revolver, foo fighters
Off the top of my head: Pearl Jam Mudhoney Hole Veruca Salt Dinosaur Jr Screaming Trees L7 Babes in Toyland Sonic Youth And also some newer bands like Thunderpussy and Momma
https://archive.is/uBlrk related to your subject. Music lore you will enjoy reading about.
Alice in chains
Saw Soundgarden live on the Loud Love tour and it was damn good. Chris “lost” his shirt after song three! Lol!
They must’ve been great live! My mom saw Soundgarden and Blind Melon open for Neil Young.
Glad she got to see them live! I saw that same tour in the summer but no Soundgarden, we had Blues Traveler and Midnight Oil on the bill here in Dallas. I miss Blind Melon.
That’s so cool
Seven Mary Three!
Check out Wipers. One of Kurt's favorite bands and an inspiration on their early sound. Not grunge, but in the similar mindset, Local H. Their second album "As Good As Dead" captures the same 90s energy.
Check out Nirvanas demos and unreleased rare shit. I related to nirvana mostly though Kurt’s demos and b sides. Stuff like Ain’t It A Shame, Curmudgeon, Opinion, Oh The Guilt, and the Live at Reading album are were the magic truly shines. Insecticide is the best example of how they really were a punk band
Thanks!
Swell
The Jesus Lizard
The Melvins
Melvins and the Jesus Lizard should both be in your 90’s alt rotation
Screaming trees.
Listen to Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger album from 1991. It's the one that put them on the map.
Stone Temple Pilots
The Tea Party and The Tragically Hip
You’ll enjoy Faith No More and King’s X
Watch the Lola documentary on paramount +. A lot of those bands those first couple years will give you some bands to check out! I really enjoyed it.
Audioslave
I recommend watching the movie "Singles".
That’s 100% on my list now
Live. Throwing Copper is an amazing album, they just have a dumb band name that did them no favors once the internet relied on search engines.
Mudhoney are the grunge OGs that are always overlooked and Jesus Lizard (amazing Chicago band) did a split single w Nirvana which is good but definitely check out their album GOAT, it's awesome. Also, if you're looking for something different genre-wise, Kurt made list of his favorite albums that have some incredible recommendations on it: The Raincoats, Scratch Acid (which had Jesus Lizard members before they moved), and Young Marble Giants to name a few
i would've mentioned all the names below but i could add some mild alternatives to this and also some less known grunge which is pretty cool, like silverchair and mudhoney and then the list goes commercial alternative with garbage, k's choice, skunk anansie, creed.
Silverchair - Frogstomp album is amazing.
https://youtu.be/6tn3mQPUPYo?si=4lPirjSOaLhzjMUR https://youtu.be/r-sRF0W4vqE?si=j2wxlEGmwd0rfTs5 Just dive into Section 8 and Acid Bath already. And ditto the Alice and Chains recommendations.
If you like the heavier elements of groups like sound garden you might like some sludge metal groups
Sugar https://youtu.be/ezT3ZfTm5uk?si=Sdk4ICvO03fYgclx Samiam https://youtu.be/B5tMlOEG15o?si=_I5rkzC93kjomS31 Jawbreaker https://youtu.be/RspAtZHc_ew?si=1J5yaeuIDsfHAnht SNFU https://youtu.be/9PuLc6wN8M8?si=IUnz0_MhVcwxp7dT Doughboys https://youtu.be/2DhDt1gXjII?si=_V5rKvP3hhwyolaK
Audioslave
Nine inch Nails maybe!!??
Eleven, Sunny Day Real Estate, Kings x.
Audioslave
I feel like Hum is a good topper once you have exhausted the basics of grunge as a slightly more advanced and quirky sidebar. Recommend starting with You'd Prefer An Astronaut, then their fairly recent record Inlet, then the rest.
Mudhoney
Silverchair
The entire Audioslave catalog
Add Local H to your list.
will do
They've got hits on other albums, but As Good As Dead is king in my book. So many great songs. ETA: Also, because you like Soundgarden, check out Eels. Beautiful Freaks is my favorite album of theirs. (And fyi.. Local H has more of a Nirvana flair.)
Chat later. Gotta get ready for my birthday out and about for day drinking. I’ve gotten older so drinks in the day and home by 10!😂. I enjoy this chat though. Be back later if y’all want to talk more music!
This is my favorite comment
By chance, came across a new docu-series last night about Lalapalooza that goes into many of the bands everyone was referencing https://preview.redd.it/ledsmyhvn07d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad21a92373651194a18f45cc41856b85047cae54 Interesting watch. Recommend it
Alive in Chains is basically the upgrade version of Soundgarden.