Mt. Rushmore of 90s Bands

[SinceThe70s]

1 hour ago, muppy said:

interesting topic. I would say that THE top of Mt Rushmore for 90's rock bands is NIRVANA.

 

 It resonated hard with my sons age group. Super influential and foundational for a lot of bands.

 

My two cents on the 90's is that the Nirvana debut album was a welcome jolt to the late 80's hair bands - Nirvana put that era to bed.  The album was great, but nothing I hadn't heard before. It spawned the grunge/flannel backlash with great bands like Soundgarden, but again nothing I hadn't heard before.  

 

The bands that stuck out for me in the 90's combined different genres in a cool way, loved Rage and ska-punk. Would have loved to see where Sublime took things.

 

 

 

[boyst]

3 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

I think Foo Fighters were at their cheesiest early on, actually - even though they've always been awesome.  Green Day's 90s stuff was gold, but yeah ... they definitely got weaker as they went on.  Weezer, to me, has been consistent.  Island in the Sun is super cheese, but it's almost tongue-in-cheek (and I love the song).  NIN definitely gets points for being truly alternative.

 

I feel good about my top 4.  I usually flip flop with these kinds of topics, but - for my own personal taste - I can't see swapping any of my top  4 out.

 

The 90s was a fantastic decade of music.  I think the 80s were an incredibly underrated decade of music, too.

I like 90s rock. I can listen to it but do not know anything about it. 

 

The Weezer, green day, foo fighters legacy is also jaded because music changed a lot between the 90s and by the end of the 00's. It was metamorphosing into whatever today has for music.

 

I am eager for 20-30 years old when we are old folks to know if this stuff holds up like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Zeplin, etc.

[SinceThe70s]

5 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

My two cents on the 90's is that the Nirvana debut album was a welcome jolt to the late 80's hair bands - Nirvana put that era to bed.  The album was great, but nothing I hadn't heard before. It spawned the grunge/flannel backlash with great bands like Soundgarden, but again nothing I hadn't heard before.  

 

The bands that stuck out for me in the 90's combined different genres in a cool way, loved Rage and ska-punk. Would have loved to see where Sublime took things.

 

 

 

 

EDIT: shout out to @Johnny Hammersticks for calling out Tool, forgot about them - happy to hear about others I forgot.

[US Egg]

Cobain along with Cobain and then two more of Cobain.

[LeGOATski]

I don't think the big 4 Seattle grunge bands is the answer, although I love them.

 

90's rock is a wide range, so I'd put up 4 of the most influential bands in different areas throughout the decade:

 

Metallica - coming out of the 80s, Black Album in 1991 is one of the best ever - they were obviously a huge band through the whole 10 years

Nirvana - kicking off the grunge era with angst, putting an end to hair metal and Michael Jackson at the same time - they were the poster boys of grunge 

RATM - keeping the angst going, but with a harder edge and social activist vibe that was ever present in 90s music after the Gulf War

Slipknot - closing out the 90s while representing what rock and metal had become

[Pete]

Kyuss, Rage, Tool,  and Sublime

[Tierlifer]

Nirvana

AIC

Screaming Trees

Soundgarden

[May Day 10]

10 hours ago, boyst said:

 

 

I am eager for 20-30 years old when we are old folks to know if this stuff holds up like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Zeplin, etc.

 

IMO the first part of the decade stuff will be played on classic rock and oldies stations for 100 years.  Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sublime, Primus, many of these things mentioned.

 

However, a lot of the later decade stuff blended the genres and came out as that Metal/Rap garbage that effectively killed rock as we knew it.  Maybe garbage is harsh, I like some hit songs from there time to time at a tailgate or something.  But thinking Limp Bizkit, Korn, Disturbed, Linkin Park, POD, SUM 41, Incubus, Godsmack, Papa Roach, Saliva, etc.   I hesitate to put Rage Against the Machine here because the lyrics and Tom Morello... it had quite a bit of substance.  TRL also came in the later portion of the decade and created stuff with little substance like many of the aforementioned acts and Blink 182.  

 

The 90s almost feels like 2 decades.  We had 1989-1996, then 1997-2003 or so.

Edited January 27, 2023 by May Day 10

[boyst]

29 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

 

IMO the first part of the decade stuff will be played on classic rock and oldies stations for 100 years.  Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sublime, Primus, many of these things mentioned.

 

However, a lot of the later decade stuff blended the genres and came out as that Metal/Rap garbage that effectively killed rock as we knew it.  Maybe garbage is harsh, I like some hit songs from there time to time at a tailgate or something.  But thinking Limp Bizkit, Korn, Disturbed, Linkin Park, POD, SUM 41, Incubus, Godsmack, Papa Roach, Saliva, etc.   I hesitate to put Rage Against the Machine here because the lyrics and Tom Morello... it had quite a bit of substance.  TRL also came in the later portion of the decade and created stuff with little substance like many of the aforementioned acts and Blink 182.  

 

The 90s almost feels like 2 decades.  We had 1989-1996, then 1997-2003 or so.

It's tough with korn because korn and slayer did sooo much to bring about a new wave in true rock music.  Neither gets the credit they deserve. 

[Gugny]

11 hours ago, boyst said:

I like 90s rock. I can listen to it but do not know anything about it. 

 

The Weezer, green day, foo fighters legacy is also jaded because music changed a lot between the 90s and by the end of the 00's. It was metamorphosing into whatever today has for music.

 

I am eager for 20-30 years old when we are old folks to know if this stuff holds up like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Zeplin, etc.

 

I think all of the bands mentioned in this thread will hold up, but not necessarily achieve lifelong legend status like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Zep, etc.

 

I think Nirvana and Pearl Jam will achieve that status to the masses.  The other bands like AiC, Soundgarden, Sublime, STP will always be in demand, too.

 

Jane's is probably my favorite band from that era.  In 20 years, I think Jane's fans will still be listening, but I don't think they'll be at top of mind for most when this kind of discussion takes place.

 

 

[Mark80]

My personal Mt. Rushmore:

 

Pearl Jam

Blind Melon

Rage Against the Machine

Oasis

 

Overall Mt. Rushmore

 

Pearl Jam

Nirvana

Smashing Pumpkins

Red Hot Chili Peppers

 

My album Mt Rushmore:

 

Blind Melon - Blind Melon

Pearl Jam - Vs.

Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

AIC - Jar of Flies (if counted as an album)

Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory

Weezer - Blue Album

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by Mark80

[boyst]

4 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

I think all of the bands mentioned in this thread will hold up, but not necessarily achieve lifelong legend status like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Zep, etc.

 

I think Nirvana and Pearl Jam will achieve that status to the masses.  The other bands like AiC, Soundgarden, Sublime, STP will always be in demand, too.

 

Jane's is probably my favorite band from that era.  In 20 years, I think Jane's fans will still be listening, but I don't think they'll be at top of mind for most when this kind of discussion takes place.

 

 

It came up a while back somewhere here. Bands like Badfinger still get considerable airplay despite a limited catalog. Others like Kansas and even Jackson Browne were never superstar headliners, too, but still get airplay.

 

My point is well constructed and talented music is timeless. I'm hoping all of these bands continue to receive airplay. SiriusXM Lithium is a fantastic station that helps preserve this stuff.

 

Conversely, Sirius XM Turbo, late 90s and early 00s rock is dated and forced. It hasn't held up. 

[Mark80]

4 hours ago, Pete said:

Kyuss, Rage, Tool,  and Sublime

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

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, boyst said:

It came up a while back somewhere here. Bands like Badfinger still get considerable airplay despite a limited catalog. Others like Kansas and even Jackson Browne were never superstar headliners, too, but still get airplay.

 

My point is well constructed and talented music is timeless. I'm hoping all of these bands continue to receive airplay. SiriusXM Lithium is a fantastic station that helps preserve this stuff.

 

Conversely, Sirius XM Turbo, late 90s and early 00s rock is dated and forced. It hasn't held up. 

 

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

[Logic]

Taking my personal bias out of it, I would probably say:

Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Can't make a 90s rock Mt Rushmore without Nirvana. You just can't. Pearl Jam had the longevity and were the last men standing from the grunge boom. Green Day aren't necessarily my personal cup of tea, but it's hard to argue against their longevity and mainstream success. Plus, they represent the 90s punk/"pop punk" section of the market. The Chili Peppers...again, they had INCREDIBLE mainstream success and appeal, made a bunch of hits and really catchy tunes, and they sort of cover the rap/rock/funk crossover corner of rock. 

I feel confident saying that you could present 90s rock music to someone who had never heard it before using just the music of the four above bands, and it would be a pretty good and thorough representation.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Logic

[Gugny]

6 minutes ago, Logic said:

Taking my personal bias out of it, I would probably say:

Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Can't make a 90s rock Mt Rushmore without Nirvana. You just can't. Pearl Jam had the longevity and were the last men standing from the grunge boom. Green Day aren't necessarily my personal cup of tea, but it's hard to argue against their longevity and mainstream success. Plus, they represent the 90s punk/"pop punk" section of the market. The Chili Peppers...again, they had INCREDIBLE mainstream success and appeal, made a bunch of hits and really catchy tunes, and they sort of cover the rap/rock/funk crossover corner of rock. 

I feel confident saying that you could present 90s rock music to someone who had never heard it before using just the music of the four above bands, and it would be a pretty good and thorough representation.

 

Yeah, I think Nirvana and Pearl Jam are absolute locks ... I really can't see how it could argued.  After that, it gets tough for me.

[thenorthremembers]

11 minutes ago, Logic said:

Taking my personal bias out of it, I would probably say:

Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Can't make a 90s rock Mt Rushmore without Nirvana. You just can't. Pearl Jam had the longevity and were the last men standing from the grunge boom. Green Day aren't necessarily my personal cup of tea, but it's hard to argue against their longevity and mainstream success. Plus, they represent the 90s punk/"pop punk" section of the market. The Chili Peppers...again, they had INCREDIBLE mainstream success and appeal, made a bunch of hits and really catchy tunes, and they sort of cover the rap/rock/funk crossover corner of rock. 

I feel confident saying that you could present 90s rock music to someone who had never heard it before using just the music of the four above bands, and it would be a pretty good and thorough representation.

Nirvana albums were only getting stronger too.  The In Utero album is a masterpiece and was a perfect blend of the noise Punk from Bleach and the more Pop vibes they had on Nevermind.  Throw in the Unplugged from NY album and they were hitting an artistic stride.   Absolute shame.

[Rico]

Radiohead

Garbage

Hole

 

Don’t really have a 4th, guess I’ll say Black Crowes.

[Gugny]

5 minutes ago, thenorthremembers said:

Nirvana albums were only getting stronger too.  The In Utero album is a masterpiece and was a perfect blend of the noise Punk from Bleach and the more Pop vibes they had on Nevermind.  Throw in the Unplugged from NY album and they were hitting an artistic stride.   Absolute shame.

 

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

[Logic]

9 minutes ago, thenorthremembers said:

Nirvana albums were only getting stronger too.  The In Utero album is a masterpiece and was a perfect blend of the noise Punk from Bleach and the more Pop vibes they had on Nevermind.  Throw in the Unplugged from NY album and they were hitting an artistic stride.   Absolute shame.

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

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

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

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



 

Edited January 27, 2023 by Logic