Alternative II: Rock's Bronze Age

Years: 1990 - 1998

After 1999, it can be considered The Great Dispersion. 

 

 

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Returning to the story of our beloved Rock, who died in 1981 along with Bob Marley... how is it then that we still have Rock? Does Corvan mean to say that Rock doesn't exist today???

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No. Of course, I'm not going to take the position of saying that all good Rock definitively ended in the 70s and that nothing good has happened since then. That would be disregarding countless good bands and excellent songs that have existed in the last 30 years. The thing is, the Rock we hear today isn't the same as the Rock we hear in the 60s and 70s... WTF????

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Let me explain: Rock had its love affairs before its death, with the student music movement that was just beginning to spread across American universities, a rather sharp and intelligent musical movement; Musical intellectuals who sought to break the mold without being didactic like the great progressive virtuosos, kids who also didn't seek the mainstream and were far removed from commercial sounds, from mile-long solos, from technical virtuosity. From those fiery nights in school dorms, the seed of Alternative Rock would remain, a bastard child of the original Rock that would grow underground and without attracting the spotlight. These musicians would nurture and care for Rock in the same way that the Beatles nurtured and kept alive the battered original Rock & Roll in Hamburg and Liverpool 20 years earlier. Rock returned to its foundations, got rid of all the 10-minute solos, the complex structures, and returned to its basic essence because it was being born again. It was a child growing up in slums, in school gigs, secretly nourishing itself from the radio and TV and big corporations, just like his father 20 years before. He was a smart kid precisely because he was far removed from the terrible commercial and corporate influences. While record labels and MTV made their multimillion-dollar business dictating the commercial direction of fashionable music, true rock was hidden, growing up far from the spotlight, far from the videos that killed Radio Star. It would be a matter of time before people got fed up with the commercial garbage, that bubblegum, substanceless music that infested the 80s, and for that incisive rock movement to explode in a similar way to what it did in 1967.

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The differences between rock up to the 70s and what we've had since the 80s are twofold: The first is that nothing new is created anymore. There are no truly original genres, but rather they take various genres from the early rock era and fuse them into new rhythms and textures. Thus, grunge is nothing more than a mixture of punk and metal or hard rock; Brit Rock is nothing more than a reworking of sounds already used by the Beatles or the Kinks; indie rock recaptures a certain spirit of '60s garage and has punk nuances... from the '80s onwards, everything was already done, and the originality of truly new genres was lost. Even electronic music was already being explored in the '70s. But I don't mean by this that there haven't been truly exquisite mixes that have contributed to the sound. They're simply not original. Nor does it mean that it's bad. Excellent proposals have emerged from the mixes, or the original sounds have been perfected. It's just that rock has lost its ability to reinvent itself, and at the same time, we as listeners have lost our capacity for wonder. It's hard to see true rock idols return like they did in the '60s and '70s, when communication was slower and idols were truly idols because of the profound impact they had on people through years of high-quality work, not through flashes of inspiration, one-hit wonders, or mere marketing. Before, bands had to put in the hard work, years and years of grinding away at perfecting themselves and producing a quality product. Since the '80s, things have changed, and image has become more important than the music they created. It didn't matter in the music business that you had no idea how to sing or how to hold a guitar. That's what playback and cutting-edge technology are for, and this necessarily has an impact on the quality of the music being offered. The few artists without an H who remained, who were more concerned with their music, survived, relegated by record labels and fans to the underground. Tell me if you're on MTV and I'll tell you who you are.

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The second difference is attitude. From the 1980s onward, rock music ceased to have any real social relevance. From the immensely powerful hippie movement, which cost the White House more than the Vietcong, to the punk movement that nearly culminated in total anarchy in London, rock music was linked to the empowerment of the people, of young people. Action. Social activism, a threat to the system... Rock music was synonymous with a cause. From the 1980s onward, it ceased to have any specific weight. There has never been another Lennon or another Marley. At least not as sincere. Since then, rock music "seems" to champion certain movements, but it has never generated activism as powerful as in its original era. Grunge itself never truly had a political significance like punk did. Grunge was simply a kind of cultural nihilism that didn't pose a threat to the political system per se, but simply exposed the cultural and social fissures in the American system. And when people had their golden opportunity to shine in new activism after the cowardly attacks on Iraq, without any proof of alleged weapons of mass destruction, they were immediately disappointed by the null results of the first global mega-march. Instead of reinforcing actions, people returned to the apathy that characterizes our generation, and we sat on our couches watching Baghdad burn. Yes, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Chris Martin, and Bono sang and protested and all that, but let's be honest... since the 1980s, this has been more posturing than genuine intent, or the few sincere sparks fail to attract people. Live Aid and Live 8 haven't really made a difference, and the proof is that Bush was reelected. And that's one of the differences between Bastard Rock and its father, who died in '81. Authentic Rock moved masses toward a common goal, and while it didn't technically triumph, it did manage to shake the system many times. Ultimately, it WAS a triumph, as Black rights were finally recognized, the United States finally accepted defeat in Vietnam (something that HASN'T happened with Iraq), feminism and women's rights made giant strides, and sexual freedom also emerged. Not thanks to rock, but with rock raised as a flag and a unifying symbol. It can't be said that the rock of the 60s and 70s has achieved nothing. On the other hand, today's rock has only served as proof that this generation is much more apathetic and conformist, and that the old days are unlikely to return because circumstances are simply very different and not conducive to it.

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The point is that the "Dark Ages" of rock that was the 80s, tightly controlled by record labels on one side, and MTV, which ruled over marketing and band exposure, finally exploded in the early 90s. Both MTV and the major record labels maintained tight control over which bands released their music, and how they released them—that is, what image they should have and what they should say. If there were even hints of attacks on the system, they were simply wiped off the map. If their sound wasn't commercial, their contracts were terminated. Bands' creative freedom was severely restricted, and only groups like U2 dared to make fierce critiques of the system and remained in the mainstream. The rest, those who managed to maintain their freedom, didn't even see fame or money coming their way.

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By 1990-1991, people were fed up with the scuzzy bands. They would take anything that came along to give them new meaning and content, and the first thing that came along was "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by a Seattle band called Nirvana. This new music was underground, uncompromising, dirty, with anguished lyrics, pained screams, punk-influenced, and not intended to reach the masses. That's why I went ahead with grunge, because grunge as a subgenre comes from the sounds of the early alternative era of the 80s, nourished by the Pixies, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, among others. With grunge exploding, the main genre, which was alternative, exploded even more and finally emerged from the schools or small bars where it had been surviving to become a devastating movement.

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“Smells Like Teen Spirit” didn't single-handedly forge the entire impressive Alternative movement of the early '90s, but it was the straw that broke the giant dam. People were shocked by the rawness, but above all, the brutal and anguishing honesty with which the trio interpreted the song. The fact is that behind Nirvana came Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Sound Garden, Stone Temple Pilots, among others, with a more refined but equally powerful and harsh sound. And the world loved it. It was the antithesis of the posers and makeup-wearing glamors of the '80s. And they were already fed up with them. However, it wasn't just Grunge. Suddenly, the bands that had inspired these grunge bands and that had been buried in the '80s became hugely famous and cult-like: R.E.M., Pixies, Sonic Youth, Jane's Addiction—they became giants overnight. Record labels had to give in to the power of these bands, who were sweeping the world. So they offered them lucrative contracts and snatched them away from the small independent labels they'd started with. The major labels had to give in for the money. Business was now about teenage angst? Well, let's make business out of teenage angst! The point is, they had to give in on content. They couldn't tell the bands what to wear anymore, let alone what to say. At least during the first few years of the Alternative explosion, the music was really good because the record labels HAD to accept what the bands gave them, no matter how much they went against the system. And the bands, in turn, had been busting their butts for years to scrape together pennies in seedy dives and had achieved a devilishly good sound, with incisive lyrics, strong hard rock riffs, and a defiant image… The Alternative explosion seems like it happened overnight, but it had been brewing for years, and the bands suddenly had the green light to release their best songs, with little or no censorship.

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Even MTV had to give in, and suddenly the channel that had been characterized by its 99 red balloon videos was flooded with Cobain screaming with a crucified Christ behind him, skulls, drug allegories, violence, and truly dark art in many of the bands' videos. And they had to swallow it, also for the money. MTV became a big channel in the early 90s, not because it wanted to, but because it had no choice. Just as they dictated the line of what was released in their ranks for almost 10 years, in the '90s the public wanted to see those screaming, filthy bands, and MTV had to suck it up and go alternative. It was also the time when it launched its Latin American subsidiary, where the Alternative movement also had a powerful branch that generated one of the glorious eras of Rock en Ñ. It would take years to regain control.

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Add to that festivals like Lollapalooza, sponsored by Jane's Addiction, which became THE festival par excellence of the '90s, bringing together the best alternative bands and giving them great exposure during the festival tour. So, everything was set up for a radical shift in trends with a single spark, shifting the scales to demand rather than supply.
 

On the Grunge side, we had the aforementioned "Nevermind" by Nirvana, "Dirt" by Alice In Chains, "Ten" by Pearl Jam, and "Purple" by Stone Temple Pilots.

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Added to this were bands from other genres that achieved greater creative control or made more accessible works, such as Metallica with their "Black Album," which for the first time brought metal to MTV and into the mainstream, or Guns N' Roses with their "Use Your Illusion" I and II, achieving a mainstream appeal for their sounds and, now, definitively erasing the entire glam generation that refused to accept that their five minutes of glory were over.

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80s bands that revived a new lease on life and tweaked their sound, achieving renewed popularity, such as R.E.M. With 1991's Out of Time and 1992's Automatic for the People, they achieved all the success and recognition they had been denied until then. With 1990's Violator, Depeche Mode released one of their best albums, still electronic, but somewhat in line with global trends. U2 would do the same with 1991's Achtung Baby and 1993's Zooropa, considered by many to be their best albums.

 

So, it wasn't just grunge bands that brought a new sound. They were the spearhead, but they opened the door to the now sacred cows of the 80s, which we saw in the first part of Alternative, but also to a huge number of groups that were just starting out, and whose sound was a delicious collage of a multitude of influences. Rock expanded like never before. The bands escaped any label and were able to seamlessly blend all previous genres: Funk, Hard Rock, Punk, Electronic, Folk, Jazz, Garage, Brit Rock, for a Bronze Age of Rock, where there were no limits to sounds, and where we enjoyed a creative explosion that can perhaps only be compared to 1967 and 1971:

 

The Red Hot Chili Peppers released their Blood Sugar Sex Magik in 1991, which would begin to lift them out of obscurity. During the 1990s, they would establish themselves as one of the most powerful bands in the world with a funk sound and superb guitar, bass, and drum work, returning to complex lines and a display of virtuosity without sounding progressive, although their best works are considered those of the 1990s-2000s transition.

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With their Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness album, Smashin' Pumpkins established themselves as an alternative band, closer to grunge sounds but with a more artistic approach. Led by the charismatic Billy Corgan, they would release "1979," one of the anthems of the '90s generation, among other songs that charted.

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Radiohead would be one of the British answers. Initially considered "One Hit Wonders" for their mega-commercial single "Creep," they managed to shake off that image and become one of the most proactive bands with their second album, The Bends. Finally, in 1997, they released THE album of the '90s, OK Computer, which would establish them as a cult band and arguably one of the pinnacles of Alternative, after which the genre began to lose strength and power in the face of trends like hip hop, electronica, and pop.

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Green Day is a Californian band with a strong Punk influence, but with much more melodic songs, powerful but easy-to-assimilate riffs, and who were given the label Happy Punk. The truth is that the trio was very good, and they were saddled with the responsibility of those nerdy artists who would later form Happy Punk at the end of the decade. Their 1994 debut, Dookie, was a smash hit with several anthems of the era, such as "Basket Case," "When I Come Around," and "Longview." Although they had other good albums, 2004's American Idiot would put them back in the spotlight, showing the group at a more mature age, with more critical lyrics, and considered one of the best works of the decade.

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Offspring, also Californian punks, are an iconic band of the Skato subculture. In 1994, they reached their first peak with their album Smash, featuring songs like "Selfsteem" and "Come Out and Play," and a major comeback with Americana, from 1998, an album that produced songs like "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)," "Why Don't You Get a Job?", and "The Kids Aren't Alright."

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From the ashes of Nirvana, Foo Fighters emerged, led by Dave Grohl. The group is also one of the highlights of the genre, especially in the US, where they have become one of the most popular groups. Dave moved away from Nirvana's basic sound to seek more complex or rhythmic sounds, and has expressed that he likes to think these were the sounds Cobain was looking for at the end of his life.

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Rage Against the Machine is another of the quintessential alternative bands, with their 1992 self-titled album and 1996's Evil Empire as their most emblematic. RATM was a mixture of Punk, hip-hop, and trash, with powerful and creative guitar playing by Tom Morello and highly critical lyrics that attacked Yankee imperialism from an almost Latin perspective. It's worth considering that Morello is of Cuban descent, and Zach dela Rocha is Mexican. Their lyrics were perhaps the most disturbing, but they contrasted with Zach's refusal to play in Latin America, which led to the friction that ultimately broke up the group. They recently regrouped.

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The Cranberries were an Irish band with the powerful and charismatic voice of their vocalist Dolores O'Riordan, one of the best female voices. Flirting with pop, the group produced excellent melodies and achieved breakthrough success thanks to their 1993 debut, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, which features 90s classics like "Dreams" and "Linger." 1996's No Need to Argue cemented their position with hits like "Zombie" and "Ode to My Family."

 

Counting Crows and Dave Matthews Band were characterized by more inclusive sounds, with an acoustic base but encompassing broader instrumentation and more poetic lyrics, with certain Dylan influences.

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4 Non Blondes, led by the notable lyricist and vocalist Linda Perry, was an all-girl group (all brunettes, hence the name) who, while only releasing one album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, managed to record another of the decade's greatest anthems: "What's Up." A sublime song that is the equivalent of the '90s "Satisfaction." Linda pursued a solo career and later continued writing for other artists, including Christina Aguilera's most decent songs, for example.

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Collective Soul is a Georgia group characterized by the delicate elaboration of well-crafted riffs, in the style of '70s hard rock, albeit with melodies with certain pop influences, leaving behind a handful of powerful yet easily digestible classics during the decade.

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Beck is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, impossible to pigeonhole into a single genre and always a chameleon. His 1993 album, Mellow Gold, and particularly the song "Loser," catapulted him to stardom, and from then on, he continued to release good albums and eventual hit singles.

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Other bands characteristic of the 90s Alternative movement include Live, Cake, Blind Melon, Stereophonics, Cowboy Junkies, Eels, Everlast, Filter, Garbage, PJ Harvey, Hole, Kula Shaker, Beastie Boys, Marcy Playground, Wallflowers, No Doubt, Semisonic, Kate Bush, Lenny Kravitz, Concrete Blonde, Semisonic, Cibo Matto, Spacehog, Sugarcubes, Tori Amos, Supergrass, Alanis Morrisette, Goo Goo Dolls, Fastball, Mazzy Star, Weezer, Ke, Spin Doctors, Creed, The Cardigans, Soul Asylum, Rusted Roots, 10,000 Maniacs, etc., etc., etc.

Solo artists who emerged from fragmented bands include Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Bjork of the Sugarcubes, Richard Ashcroft of The Verve, among others.

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Shortly after, a wave of British bands would emerge with a branch of Alternative: Brit Rock, led by Blur and Oasis, with bands like Suede, Breeders, Elastika, The Verve, Travis, and Train, but we'll discuss that subdivision separately.

 

Later, in the late 90s or in the new millennium, a second wave would come with the White Stripes, Muse, Modest Mouse, Placebo, Mars Volta, Arcade Fire, Dresden Dolls, Velvet Revolver, Audioslave, Dead Weather, Fiona Apple, and Yeah Yeah Yeah's, who reasserted for themselves the creative control that record labels and MTV had reclaimed. Or there are bands that were previously in the Grunge genre and eventually moved away from the Seattle sound, like Pearl Jam or Stone Temple Pilots.

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Alternative music itself hasn't died, and there are still bands that fall into the genre or flirt with it, although definitely not with the quality and explosiveness of the early 90s. Towards the end of the decade, rock was weakened again by the decline of some bands, the dissolution of Grunge, and the emergence of new genres, once again controlled by record labels and MTV, which regained power and once again dictated the direction. Many bands lost their spotlight, and others broke up altogether or continued to maintain a low profile. What was new was the electronic wave, the so-called Nu Metal, Happy Punk, Hip Hop, and the return of Pop, which ultimately plunged rock into a new depression during the turn of the millennium, along with the new technological and distribution conditions, which we'll explore in more detail in the Indie era.

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What a great time it was. I lived through this Bronze Age of rock to the fullest, and I truly miss the number of bands there were, the variety of offerings, and, above all, the quality of the songs. Unfortunately, that musical explosion burned out too quickly.

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Anyway, I can't go into detail about each band, and these were some of the ones I remembered (if I miss any important ones, let me know, hehe). We'll look at the Alternative subgenres in more detail later, such as Brit Rock and Indie, among others.

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It's worth mentioning that, for technical reasons, after 1999, there still exists an Alternative movement, which isn't necessarily Indie, or Alternative Metal, or anything else. That is, it's still Alternative in general, but without the intensity and power of the '90s. Many were '90s bands that lost their momentum, or new groups that we'll be lumping into this category. Why dispersion? Because we no longer see a cohesive movement, but rather individualistic bands trying to survive in an increasingly difficult environment.

 

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By Corvan

Jan/10/2011

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