Which Song Introduced Grunge To The Mainstream?

[NKUSigEp]

What about "Loud Love" ...one of Soundgarden's better tunes and it came out in 1989. Grunge wasn't as much of a genre of music as it was a way of life and it was in full swing before the 90's came.

Having said that, I'd have to go with Nirvana to have definitively laid the 80's to rest (and not just cause VH1 said so).

 

[optikhog]

What about "Loud Love" ...one of Soundgarden's better tunes and it came out in 1989. Grunge wasn't as much of a genre of music as it was a way of life and it was in full swing before the 90's came.

Great tune (and album!), but didn't get quite the market presence of Nirvana. Excellent call, tho, as this was one of the first breakthroughs for the MTV crowd.

 

[optikhog]

I wanted to follow up on my last post - I remember the Rolling Stone review of 'Louder Than Love' where they hadn't quite figured out what to call this style of music. They gave it incredible reviews and declared that the Seattle sound was ready for the mainstream with this release.

 

[KPJ]

Yea, on Superunknown.

I think that "Rusty cage" or "Jesus Christ pose" might have been a better choice.

I believe Cobain was already dead when Superunkown came out.

 

[Altitude]

Definitely "Teen Spirit". Why is "Spoonman" on your list? That came out in 94.

I figured "Superunknown" was the first Soundgarden album to be heard by the masses. Since they were a big part of the movement, I thought they should be represented somehow. "Badmotorfinger" was probably better from a timing perspective, but I bet it didn't sell nearly as well before "Superunknown" as after it.

 

[KPJ]

I agree about "Louder Than Love", I remember seeing Soundgarden on Headbangers Ball when it came out. At the time, Soundgarden was considered the pioneering grunge band, Nirvana was just the first to break.

Badmotorfinger was very big when it came out. Superunkown may have sold more copies, but Badmotorfinger was definitely a hit.

 

[jerry]

I don't know why, but I never really considered Soundgarden a Grunge band.

 

[Bass Hero]

Alice In Chains: Man In The Box

 

[gweimer]

Smashing Pumpkins.. heh.

Grunge comes from Seattle! Everyone knows that!

Well, if you take away the stipulation of the '90s, I'd go with "Dirty Water" by The Standells. And there was a cover band in Minneapolis called The Hypstrz that were a lot of fun. They even released a live tape recorded off the sound board in 1979 just a couple years back. Fun stuff.

 

[Dmanlamius]

I believe Cobain was already dead when Superunkown came out.

Not quite. I think there was only a month or so in it though, because I remember I was listening to Black hole sun when I heard he died...



Yea, Grunge first poked its head from Seattle. Soundgarden and Pearl jam came from Mother Love bone who was one of my fav bands. Andy Wood, the singer died, and the guys from Soundgarden, joined with their friends from Pearl jam (they werent called Pearl Jam at the time) and did an album in memory of Andy Wood called "Temple of the dog." Vedder sung on this album (I dont think he was actually IN Pearl jam at this point), and I think it was one of the first recordings of him.

Everyone should get that album...

 

[optikhog]

Yea, Grunge first poked its head from Seattle. Soundgarden and Pearl jam came from Mother Love bone who was one of my fav bands. Andy Wood, the singer died, and the guys from Soundgarden, joined with their friends from Pearl jam (they werent called Pearl Jam at the time) and did an album in memory of Andy Wood called "Temple of the dog." Vedder sung on this album (I dont think he was actually IN Pearl jam at this point), and I think it was one of the first recordings of him.

Everyone should get that album...

Agreed, Temple of the Dog is incredible. BTW, most of the talent mentioned above spawned from a band called 'Green River'. MLB was pretty much Pearl Jam with Andy Wood for a singer.

 

[capnsandwich]

I guess I'm still not hip as to what "emo" really means, because I dug Samiam and LOVED Fugazi (well, still do) and I never knew they were predecessors.

Well, post-punk music kind of evolved into this depressed mixture of punk, metal, and the cure, and that's what I meant by my post. It's like they took little bits of certain genres of music, mixed them all together, watched Old Yeller and got depressed. After that they wrote some music.

 

[Crockettnj]

Well, post-punk music kind of evolved into this depressed mixture of punk, metal, and the cure, and that's what I meant by my post. It's like they took little bits of certain genres of music, mixed them all together, watched Old Yeller and got depressed. After that they wrote some music.

EMO is now way more about the clothes, hair, and (lack of ) personality than the music.


As to the OP-
IMO few musical era's have been as clearly ended/begun as with Teen spirit. The poster above who stated that song closed to door on the 80's hair bands was spot on. It served to define the incoming generation of music. And to again quote from above, it aint just cause vh1 said so.

IN fact, I challenge one to name a song as era-defining as Teen spirit.
I think you'd have to go back to the british invasion.

 

[magneezius]

Nirvana defined grunge as a genre and should be the Ruler by which all other grunge bands are measured.....

secondly I would not consider Smashing Pumpkins "grunge"....maybe just Alternative Rock but not grunge...

 

[Dincrest]

"Grunge" had existed for a long time, but it was Nirvana and "Teen Spirit" that opened the floodgates. It's kinda like how there have been RPGs (and excellent ones) before Final Fantasy 7, but it was FF7 that opened the floodgates and made RPGs a mainstream genre rather than a niche one.

And nuts to whomever lumped Fugazi as "emo." No no no no no no! Fugazi was hardcore. Fugazi was punk. Fugazi was, and is, all things awesome, good, right, and admirable in music. Emo as we know it now is just rich suburban white kids whining and crying about how much life sucks because daddy got him a BMW instead of a Benz.

 

[winstonthecat]

Nirvana defined grunge as a genre and should be the Ruler by which all other grunge bands are measured.....

secondly I would not consider Smashing Pumpkins "grunge"....maybe just Alternative Rock but not grunge...

+1 on the Pumpkins. Definetly NOT grunge.

Teen Spirit all the way. Changed the face of a lot of mainstream radio.

 

[kevteop]

IAt the time, Soundgarden was considered the pioneering grunge band, Nirvana was just the first to break.

See, when I think "pioneering grunge band" I think Mudhoney or Screaming Trees or Nirvana, not Soundgarden.

Well, if you take away the stipulation of the '90s, I'd go with "Dirty Water" by The Standells.

If we're going that loose then I pick "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks.

 

[scottyg11]

See, when I think "pioneering grunge band" I think Mudhoney or Screaming Trees or Nirvana, not Soundgarden.

I have to think of bands like Skinyard and Greenriver as being the fathers of grunge. I remember being very surprised that Nirvana was the band to break out first. I allways thought it would of been Soundgarden to break first. Man those were very bizzare days in a lot of ways especially after Never mind broke and the labels decided to sign a lot of bands around here. I have friends still paying off the IRS for taxes on the advances the labels gave out.

 

[capnsandwich]

And nuts to whomever lumped Fugazi as "emo." No no no no no no! Fugazi was hardcore. Fugazi was punk. Fugazi was, and is, all things awesome, good, right, and admirable in music. Emo as we know it now is just rich suburban white kids whining and crying about how much life sucks because daddy got him a BMW instead of a Benz.

I agree. I used to live in Baltimore and I saw them a couple times at the 930 Club in DC. Those were some good times.

 

[Solarmist]

Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains are "GRUNGE". Pearl Jam is [are] part Grunge. I love the Pumpkins too, but Billy, and his band aren't Grunge. I miss those days.