There was this sound that came about in the late 80s, matured in the early 90s. It wasn't quite metal, it wasn't quite punk, and it certainly wasn't hardcore. These bands didn't seem to mind feedback and they didn't seem to have the same predelictions for high fashion that their mainstream counterparts possessed. People labeled it the "Seattle Sound" even though their were bands doing it in Minneapolis, LA, Philly, Denver, NY and Lawrence, KS. The sound was hard to nail down, but it did represent a real musical thread for a lot of heavy alternative music of the early and mid 90s. It wasn't long before bands from Australia and the UK were doing their own version of the sound. Anyway, all these videos are from bands that helped to establish the sound, formed as a result of the sound, or modified their style because of the Grunge phenomenon.
Unlike my usual Alternative Aftermath posts that have 13 videos, this one is little longer (see: Spectacular). I hope it recaps all the highlights and many of the forgotten vids of the era.
1. Nirvana - In Bloom (Early Version)
Okay, let's get 'em outta the way. You knew they had to be on here, but you've seen all their videos a bajillion times, so I went with their fairly obscure pre-Nervermind version of In Bloom. It is, afterall, a grungier version. Kurt still has his long-ass hair, and Dave Grohl is still Chad Channing at this point.
2. Soundgarden - Jesus Christ Pose
Another band I was forced to include. This video totally failed to impress me at the time of its release. But it's a song that doesn't really get any play anymore, and so here you are.
3. Alice in Chains - Them Bones
And the third obligatory inclusion. I have vowed their will be no Pearl Jam videos in this series, and those guys didn't have any songs that were particularly grungy anyway. So, we got the major Seattle guys out of the way and we can go on to more interesting things right after this video.
4. Stone Temple Pilots - Wicked Garden
The quintessential--quite literally the fifth essential--Grunge band after the Big 4 Seattle guys. Interesting mix of Seattle sounds and traditional hard rock. They continue to refine and expand the sound throughout the decade.
5. The Jesus Lizard - Nub
I never even knew there was an official video for this song until a year ago, but the Jesus Lizard, though they never got any particularly large commercial success, were an extremely influential band on the development of bands like Nirvana, who in turn influenced countless other bands. And the Jesus Lizard has the honor of being the 1st band to have two videos featured on my blog.
6. Mudhoney - Suck You Dry
Another hugely influential band that all the cool grunge kids listened to, the ones that listened to Sonic Youth and Nirvana, not the ones who listened to Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains.
7. Melvins - Hooch
Their drummer was in an early incarnation of Nirvana and they just crush most other hard alternative bands who came after them.
8. Tad - Stumblin' Man
Unfortunately for Tad, despite the fact he had one of the best Grunge bands in the Pacific Northwest, he was too fat to get really successful.
9. Sonic Youth - 100%
They were never Grunge, per se, but their noise antics were hugely influential on the sound. And the album Dirty, their first to be released after the incredible commercial success of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, does sound suspiciously grungified if you ask me.
10. Daisy Chainsaw - Love Your Money
No one ever applied the term Grunge to Daisy Chainsaw, that I can recall, but you can hardly get any more Grunge than they were. I mean... JESUS!
Daisy Chainsaw - Love Your Money by vargsmal
11. Baby Chaos - Sperm
Don't remember exactly how I heard about these guys, but I'm pretty sure they never showed this video on MTV. In theory Baby Chaos should have been huge. In reality I bet you forgot all about them.
12. Sponge - Wax Ecstatic
These guys would never have had any success without the Grunge vanguard preparing the way for them. They never seemed particularly good or bad to me, but for some reason songs like "Molly" and "Plow" have persisted. Wax Ecstatic was actually way catchier.
13. Wool - Medication
DC's first line of defense went up as soon as Dave Grohl made it big with Nirvana. Wool had one of his former Scream band mates. I assume it was no trouble for these guys to watch a couple Pearl Jam and Soundgarden videos and buy some hats and flannel.
14. Helmet - Give It
The first East Coast band to be pushed on Grunge listeners. This is not their best song, but it is kind of grungy, if you squint and cock your head. It doesn't help that they all look like frat boys about to kick your ass. Helmet is also the 2nd band to get the honor of having me feature more than one of their videos in this series.
15. L7 - Pretend We're Dead
I think it was their look that lumped them in with Grunge, because they are really built on the Joan Jett template, with really melodic lead guitars. They did have some really grungy stuff... later, once no one cared anymore (see: Off the Wagon).
16. Low Pop Suicide - Kiss Your Lips
Their look was a little Goth, and their personnel (members of Revolting Cocks, Lard, Ministry, Gang of Four, Shriekback, among others) made them hard to pigeonhole into a genre, but basically they were a heavier version of Bush, if Bush was actually good.
17. Paw - Jessie
Emerging from Kansas, Paw had a unique blend of melodic Southern Rock sensibility and grunge aggression (only Mule and early Iron Boss are even comparable at all). This is the most intense son you will ever hear about losing a dog.
18. Babes in Toyland - Bruise Violet
Their look mixed kinderwhore with white dreads and filth, their sound mixed high school metal riffs and stylized vocals with punk angst and relentless noise assaults. Their music may be the apex of Grunge.
19. Babes in Toyland - Sweet '69
Fuck it, I'm posting this one, too. Babes are babes and that's all there is to it.
20. Ruth Ruth - Uninvited
Kind of a typical example of the first wave of solidly Post-Grunge rock. You know, all those bands that sounded kinda like the first Foo Fighters album. But it's still a catchy song.
21. Salt - Bluster
You are in for an absolute fucking treat if you forgot about this Swedish grunge act. This song rocks! And is it just me or did Fuel rip the chorus of Shimmer off of this song?
22. Dandelion - Weird Out
And speaking of bands that sound like early Foo Fighters, I totally thought this song was by Foo Fighters for like a year. I was all, "Man, that band has soooo many songs on the radio!" But it turned out some of those songs were, like, Dandelion.
23. Clutch - A Shogun Named Marcus
These guys emerged from the DC/Maryland hardcore scene, but they never really fit in. You can hear the Melvins/Soundgarden-ish vibe in there. This fit right in with those bands no matter what Gus Bowman tells you.
24. Therapy? - Nausea
These Northern Irish guys, like Helmet, had some industrail and noise rock edges, but kinda crept in because of Grunge, and so they total deserve to be on the list. And this video always cracked me up when the song breaks down and the drummer is hitting the jello salad with the serving spoons. Genius!
25. Green Apple Quick Step - Dirty Water Ocean
Sort of a Grunge Jane's Addiction without falsetto vocals. Not one of my favorite bands of the era, but I guarantee you haven't heard this song since it came out.
26. Treepeople - Something Vicious for Tomorrow
VBoise's Treepeople, based primarily out of Seattle, were certainly tainted by the Grunge virus as evidenced by this track. They generally had played 'College Rock' with elaborate intertwining guitar leads, the kind of emotional stuff that evolved into Built to Spill, which Doug Martsch went on to form. And Grunge hit, and they got darker and heavier, but just for the one album, so you can't blame 'em.
27. Toadies - Away
These guys took Pixies, Nirvana and Soundgarden and put them in the proverbial blender, but somehow it really worked and I totally dig 'em.
28. Gruntruck - Crazy Love
And on the more Metal side of Grunge, we had Gruntruck, who, according to some sources, were the last actual Grunge band to get signed out of Seattle. They were a less nuanced Alice in Chains, basically, but they wrote catchy riffs.
29. Urge Overkill - Sister Havana
These fellows were actually an anomaly in that the more popular Grunge became, the less Grungy they sounded. Their first few albums (before Saturation, which features this song) are very noisy and grungy. Then later they release the Neil Diamond cover for the Pulp Fiction soundtrack... you know. I guess it was a way to rebel.
30. Blur - Song 2
At an earlier point in his career, Damon Albarn declared himself the anti-Nirvana. Well, Blur could hardly get any closer to Nirvana than they did on this track.
31. Hole - Garbage Man
If sludge riffs, buzz saw distortion and off key screaming make you Grunge, then Courntey perfected the art on this song.
32. Veruca Salt - Seether
And then there were the Post-Grunge bands like Veruca Salt and Weezer who combined classic Power Pop sensibilities with the wall of guitar sound the Butch Vig popularized in his production of Nevermind.
33. Nada Surf - Popular
I'm kinda surprised this song hasn't remained in rotation. The video and the song are both so quirky, you can't help but like it.
34. Screaming Trees - All I Know
Another unemphasized side of the Seattle sound was how much of it was rooted in 60s Garage and Psychedelic music. Screaming Trees were the most obvious example of this. Great band, too.
35. Meat Puppets - Scum
This a case of a band being influential upon Kurt Cobain, so he wore their t-shirts. Then the started sounding a lot more like Nirvana after that. Strange.
36. Bush - Little Things
Now, Bush are not a particularly good band, but I do kind of like this song. I once heard a guy say Bush were musically just like Nirvana, except they had singer who could sing from his diaphragm. Yeah, and a songwriter who couldn't write songs.
37. Brother Cane - And Fools Shine On
If you were into the kind of Grunge that became Toadies and Veruca Salt, you, like me, probably didn't like bands like Brother Cane or Days of the New. But none the less they did carry on a Grunge legacy of a certain breed.
38. REM - Bang and Blame
Totally REM trying to stay and hip and current. Got themselves a little Grunge and everything.
39. Cranberries - Zombie
Yeah, these guys tried to Grunge it up, too.
40. Self - Cannon
Forgot about these fuckers, didn't you? Are you sorry yet?
41. For Squirrels - The Mighty KC
A song about Kurt, and then the singer of For Squirrels died before they really peaked. Ironic?
42. Coward - I Don't Care
Another Weezer who just wasn't as cool or nerdy.
43. Foo Fighters - I'll Stick Around
This song rocks, though the band has at times taken detours into stupid crap.
44. Weezer - Pink Triangle
Pinkerton is one of the greatest rock albums of all time. No question. If you disagree... stop reading my list.
45. Jale - Not Happy
Somewhere between Veruca Salt and the Breeders, these Canadian gals took their turn cranking up the distortion.
46. Superchunk - Package Thief
Gotta love the puppets.
47. Girls Against Boys - Superfire
I didn't really get into these guys and only have the vaguest recollection of them. Song is interesting, but I don't think I need to hear it for another 15 years.
48. Shudder to Think - Hit Liquor
Ditto about these guys. Never liked 'em.
49. Local H - Bound for the Floor
Catchy song. Though the two man novelty aspect was unfortunate.
50. Everclear - Father of Mine
Rounding out the list at a nice 50 is Everclear, who I also never liked very much, but this song is good to hear after 15 years.
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