Who likes Grunge?

[Robert]

Grunge - what did it do to guitar players all over the world? I think it took the shredder mentality away, to some degree at least. Perhaps some think that's a good thing.

The Grunge movement left me completely cold. Musically speaking, it was dead boring to me. So I just stayed away and worked on my good old blues licks and jazz progressions.

How about you?

 

[Tone2TheBone]

I liked it. I built my house to it. Staying up late nights working on our house in the 90s listening to ZRock radio. Grunge goes great with a circular saw in hand.

 

[Rockermann]

I couldn't and still can't stand it. Simplistic guitar, no solos (like you alluded to) and whining/moaning vocals. And what was up with all the flannel?

The 90's blew when it came to rock music, especially grunge. It seemed like everyone was trying to do the same thing. One band sounded like the next (and that still applies to most of the rock music today). It sounds like the same producer is working for all the artists and there is no individuality left.

There's a few modern rock acts I like. Tool, Alice in Chains... but that's about it.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Grunge goes great with a circular saw in hand.

No thanks. I'd be tempted to use it on my head after 2 or 3 songs....

 

[Eric]

I like it. 'Real' grunge (according to SVL) and the offshoots of it are what I cut my teeth on in the early to mid 90s. Anybody can say any style of music sounds the same, but that's mostly due to an unfamiliarity with it.

Probably not my favorite style of music any more, but definitely a time in music I value and something that put out a lot of stuff that I like. Still, I don't find myself playing it too much any more. Maybe I should revisit it...

 

[Commodore 64]

I like flannel shirts and patterns. I wear a lot of it. But I pretty much hate grunge. I freakin' HATE Nirvana, and their offspring. I don't really know what "grunge" really is but I pretty much despise: Nickelback, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, 3 Doors Down, Creed, Nirvana, Alice in Chains (Except for the Dirt album), Soundgarden (except for the song, Pretty Noose), Candle Box, Bush, Green Day. That's all garbage that makes me want to gouge my ears out. I don't know if it's all "grunge", but to me grunge started the decline of music into what it is today and includes all of those craptastic bands.

It's awful. I'd take the worst hair band over the best grunge band every day of the week and 2x on Sundays.

 

[marnold]

Grunge is a rather wide definition, encompassing such diverse groups as Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam, to name some of the big ones. To me Nirvana's "Nevermind" is a classic. There's a lot for me to like about Alice in Chains and Soundgarden too. I never really got into Pearl Jam. I don't think grunge killed metal. Too many Poison wannabes killed metal.

I agree with Steve/Rockermann about the 90s in general though. Painful time for rock music. That decade gave us Nu Metal (infinitely worse than grunge) and made Billie Joe Armstrong a guitar hero. Shoot me. Shoot me now. The new millennium was a major breath of fresh air.

 

[Commodore 64]

The new millennium was a major breath of fresh air.

I'm still waiting for that air. Is there anything good out now in rock? Other than Bonamasa, whom I like, but not enough to listen to one of his CDs over and over, like for example Blue Oyster Cult, or UFO (which I'm jsut getting into now). It distresses me, that in order to find music that I liek I keep having to go back in time. I remember thinking my parents were anachronistic because they listened to "oldies". I'm pretty sure the stuff I listen to now, would be considered "oldies" by my daughters as soon as they get old enough to hate me.

 

[Rockermann]

It's awful. I'd take the worst hair band over the best grunge band every day of the week and 2x on Sundays.

Amen. I think another reason I hated grunge is that it's such a downer. I never liked country music either as it was always about prison, divorce, loosing your job etc. Same type of stuff with grunge. Who want's to listen to all of that, over and over. Give me a band that writes about chicks, partying and having a great time. Now that I can listen to.

 

[duhvoodooman]

I think another reason I hated grunge is that it's such a downer.

Yeah, I'd much rather listen to something positive and uplifting. Like Slipknot.... uke: :rollover

 

[Eric]

I agree with Steve/Rockermann about the 90s in general though. Painful time for rock music. That decade gave us Nu Metal (infinitely worse than grunge) and made Billie Joe Armstrong a guitar hero. Shoot me. Shoot me now. The new millennium was a major breath of fresh air.

What exactly is Nu Metal? I've seen it referenced so so much, but I don't really know what it is. Any examples or anything?

I've been going through music I liked in the 90s, and I guess it's true that there aren't a lot of blistering guitar solos. Odd that I think that stuff defined rock for me at that critical age of 14 or so. Rock music can definitely be more than guitar solos, but I find it curious that people say this music was ready-made to flush down the toilet. There's a ton of stuff from the 90s that I won't touch (Creed/Nickelback/3 Doors Down), but that always seemed so clearly in the 'crappy' pile, I never even thought that people would lump it all together.

Interesting.

 

[hubberjub]

I view it as a much needed colonic for the music industry. I loved metal, but it had gotten stale. It needed to be shaken up. The initial wave of grunge bands was great. It was different and quite diverse. You had the raw sounds of Nirvana, but you also had the melodically interesting writing styles of Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. Soundgarden was one of the first bands since the prog rock movement that embraced odd time signatures. No, the eyeliner wearing, pink guitar playing guitarists weren't shredding anymore, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Grunge, like most popular things, became a fashion statement. It turned into a mockery of what it started out as and it imploded. It was funny to see metal bands that tried to latch on to the success of the grunge scene.

 

[Commodore 64]

One of the corniest songs in the world has to be "Free Time" by Gamma Ray, but I still love it.

 

[Eric]

I'm still waiting for that air. Is there anything good out now in rock? Other than Bonamasa, whom I like, but not enough to listen to one of his CDs over and over, like for example Blue Oyster Cult, or UFO (which I'm jsut getting into now). It distresses me, that in order to find music that I liek I keep having to go back in time. I remember thinking my parents were anachronistic because they listened to "oldies". I'm pretty sure the stuff I listen to now, would be considered "oldies" by my daughters as soon as they get old enough to hate me.

I really think it depends on what you like. Also, you have to do your homework and find the music that's out there. Good music is *always* being made. Sometimes it's in the form of revivalists of a certain style, but it's there.

To say the music of a certain time period sucks is just saying you haven't looked very hard and have listened to too much pop radio. Were the aughts defined by Gwen Stefani and Justin Timberlake? I don't think so.

My favorite example of this is the 80s. Many people look at 80s music as a joke. Sure, there was a lot of Madonna and Michael Jackson, but you also had everything from Poison to Iron Maiden to The Smiths and bands like Dead Can Dance. Or New Order. Or Blondie. Or The Church. I mean, there were plenty of things happening musically, but somehow people only remember it as the time when Flock of Seagulls and Frankie Goes to Hollywood had hits.

 

[Commodore 64]

When you say The Church do you mean Metal Church? Because Metal Church is pretty awesome. The song Beyond the Black still freaks me out, it's scary.

 

[Eric]

When you say The Church do you mean Metal Church? Because Metal Church is pretty awesome. The song Beyond the Black still freaks me out, it's scary.

I was talking about these guys, but the point remains even with Metal Church.

 

[pes_laul]

Grunge (or just alternatuve) is probably my favorite music. Like foo fighters, stone temple pilots, pearl jam, soundgarden etc. and I dont think it was all guitar weak, layne staley is a killer guitarist. and so Is kim thayil.

 

[marnold]

What exactly is Nu Metal? I've seen it referenced so so much, but I don't really know what it is. Any examples or anything?

For example: Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Korn

The sad thing is that it started out with something infinitely cool: a collaboration between Anthrax and Public Enemy. It went rapidly downhill from there.

 

[marnold]

layne staley is a killer guitarist

Layne Staley is actually the late lead singer of Alice in Chains. Jerry Cantrell is the guitarist. I agree that he is very good.

 

[marnold]

Amen. I think another reason I hated grunge is that it's such a downer. I never liked country music either as it was always about prison, divorce, loosing your job etc. Same type of stuff with grunge. Who want's to listen to all of that, over and over. Give me a band that writes about chicks, partying and having a great time. Now that I can listen to.

You could make the same argument about the blues: "My woman done left me so I'm gonna jump in the river and drown." Of course I tend to prefer the "my baby came back" blues to the "my baby done left me" blues.

Reminds me of the comedian who talked about how there are no good blues Christmas tunes. So he wrote one called "My Woman Is Dead."

"Woke up Christmas mornin'
*duh DUH duh duh duh*
My woman was dead
*duh DUH duh duh duh*
Reindeer came down the chimney
*duh DUH duh duh duh*
And stepped on her head"

 

[Eric]

For example: Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Korn

The sad thing is that it started out with something infinitely cool: a collaboration between Anthrax and Public Enemy. It went rapidly downhill from there.

Ooh yeah, I think the concept is OK, but the execution leaves something to be desired.

However...shameful though it is, I have to admit to liking a few Linkin Park tunes. I can't help it.

 

[Commodore 64]

Soul on a roll but you treat it like soap on a rope cuz the beats and the lines are so dope!

Anthrax and Public Enemy...that was a great collaboration.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I liked it, and still sometimes do. I lived there during that time, and got what they were saying at the time. Part of it was frustration at californication of the PNW, part of it was the hypocrisy of the hippy/yuppy boomers, part was the aftermath of old growth logging which was being closed down due to environmental concerns, loss of fisheries, general economic depression in those areas where those guys were from, as opposed to the emerging tech economies of King County (Seattle/Bellevue/Redmond). (Nirvana was an Olympia band, Cobain was from Aberdeen/Hoquiam. Alice in Chains was from Spanaway). So it expressed stuff I felt. But I could not stay in that place for too long. I liked a lot of other stuff too.

Also, after a while, and particularly after the media made a big deal out of it, it started getting ruined. Obviously some of the artists (Cobain, Staley, and some others that got lucky and didn't kill themselves), were on unsustainable life paths. But those comments are about the side show, not Robert's question about the music. I did and do enjoy the music when I am in the mood for it.

My opinions were previously collected here.

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=8638

and more recently here:

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=15435

 

[bcdon]

Sure, I like grunge.. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, &c. Good music, but lacking in guitar solos. It is, what it is..

 

[bcdon]

I'm still waiting for that air. Is there anything good out now in rock?

Certainly. In a word: METAL! :dude

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Yeah, too bad I never liked metal. So there is less out there now for me other than the new blues guys, and a few isolated garagey punky indie bands, at least that I can find easily. Re: metal and shred, unless it is soulful, melodic, and fits the song, I just am not a big shred or guitar solo guy. I did enjoy the VanHalen singing about girls with DLR doing his thing and Eddie doing his thing. It is fun to listen to that once in a while, but most of it is just big hair, big ego ******y to me. I could just never get into it. Vai, Satriani, Malstreem, those guys too.

I have the same problem with jam bands and endless weedely weedely ala Jerry Garcia. I saw Santana open up for the Dead in 1988 in Tacoma, and Santana's sound, and playing in the context of the music, wiped the Dead all over the floor in my opinion.

I do like extended songs sometimes, and albums that have a story to them. So that opens the door to some prog for me. But mostly, I like songs to have a beginning and an end, and not have too much endless soloing. Some blues jams or jazz improv excepted. The group experimentation there makes that more interesting to me.

Grunge to me was hard rock with a punk edge musicially and lyrically. Like strip zeppelin down some, dial back the solos, replace Page's vocals with something newer, give it some relevant lyrics that talk about something, . . . to me you had something kind of fun, and that was rebelling against the stuff I did not like at the time.

 

[Eric]

Yeah, too bad I never liked metal. So there is less out there now for me other than the new blues guys, and a few isolated garagey punky indie bands, at least that I can find easily. Re: metal and shred, unless it is soulful, melodic, and fits the song, I just am not a big shred or guitar solo guy. I did enjoy the VanHalen singing about girls with DLR doing his thing and Eddie doing his thing. It is fun to listen to that once in a while, but most of it is just big hair, big ego ******y to me. I could just never get into it. Vai, Satriani, Malstreem, those guys too.

I have the same problem with jam bands and endless weedely weedely ala Jerry Garcia. I saw Santana open up for the Dead in 1988 in Tacoma, and Santana's sound, and playing in the context of the music, wiped the Dead all over the floor in my opinion.

I do like extended songs sometimes, and albums that have a story to them. So that opens the door to some prog for me. But mostly, I like songs to have a beginning and an end, and not have too much endless soloing. Some blues jams or jazz improv excepted. The group experimentation there makes that more interesting to me.

Grunge to me was hard rock with a punk edge musicially and lyrically. Like strip zeppelin down some, dial back the solos, replace Page's vocals with something newer, give it some relevant lyrics that talk about something, . . . to me you had something kind of fun, and that was rebelling against the stuff I did not like at the time.

Given that, there is TONS of music out there for you now. Tons.

 

[Robert]

Steve, what does PNW stand for?

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Oops sorry, the Pacific Northwest.

more about guitar solos, I don't seem to have trouble with guys like SRV, and I certainly like Mayer, Bonomassa, etc. as well. I guess I find that more melodic than the shred or metal stuff mostly. I can always find exceptions though. Eric, I am sure there is more out there. I just don't hear it much here in Idaho. I have to get on some better internet stations.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Oh, then it's not Pathetic NitWits, huh?