Monday, October 2, 2017

Paid In Dirt--The Big 4 Of Grunge

Initially, I considered following up the "Big 4 of American Thrash Metal" series with discography reviews for the Grand Quartet of UK heavy metal. Actual extensive research determined those bands to be: Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Motörhead. Honesty then forced me to admit that I could not in good conscience proceed.

One stipulation of my discography reviews is that the band or bands involved must have a minimum of three albums that I personally own and enjoy. Sabbath and Priest, of course. Maiden? Sure they petered out, but their early records are massively listenable. Motörhead, though, I can't pretend. Listening to/reading Lemmy interviews have entertained me much more than listening to any of their albums.

Well, piss.

Then, whilst not-sober, I had another idea. A Big 4 from a musical movement that I not only lived through, but actually appreciated as it unfolded: grunge. The Seattle sound. A goddamn subgenre that no one worth a damn wanted to claim. I struggled with this. Grunge? S'pose us all have friends and loved ones whose given handles are less than stellar. Not to mention, the band's placed underneath that umbrella are so sonically diverse it's safe to say that the only requirement was to own at least two distortion pedals and release a record between 1992-1996.

Truth is, most of those bands that ruled the decade's first half were perfectly classifiable as "alternative rock." They could hail from anywhere, dress within their budget, just so long as they were young and loud. Grunge, though, could only come from the Pacific Northwest, a region of America notorious for rainfall, lumber production and serial killers. Somehow, this aggressive smear of alienation and amperage comprised the musical feel-good story of the Nineties: small scene breaks bank, unpopular kids shift popular culture, lazy dressers revolutionized the fashion industry and some legitimately timeless music gets produced. End it there, and everyone walks away smiling.

Of course, the real conclusion was far messier. Persistent cloud cover turned people off and drove them away towards the next hot sound, one not so damned drab and dreary. Rock stars disowning their just rewards inspired cynicism and derision. By 1996, the grunge phenomenon was done.

Having been there, I can assure the absent--alternative music really did conquer. How things went so far south so relatively fast, I still can't figure. I don't mean decreased record sales, concert attendance and media exposure--that's par. I'm thinking rather of the progressive views associated with the scene, especially the increased presence of women in bands: L7, Hole, Babes In Toyland, Seven Year Bitch, Breeders, the Riot Grrl contingent, and--keeping in mind that you shouldn't overlook a band just because they're categorically worse than rapists--Veruca Salt. Women who played their own instruments, wrote their own songs, and cultivated their own images.

I would not have guessed that, in less than twenty years, the role of female bands (and females in bands) would have regressed. Kurt Cobain openly identified as a feminist while a member of the biggest rock band in the world. Today, he'd be labelled a "cuck" in Internet comment sections and sent semen-coated photos of his own daughter.

Decision made, I had to determine the "Big 4" of grunge. This took zero research. Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains fill the slots by virtue of selling the most records--175 million-plus worldwide, in total. With the Big 4 of American thrash, I could have easily put in Testament or Exodus, but the plain fact is, neither of those bands represented their genre in the public eye to the level that the likes of Metallica, et. al did. Mudhoney is a truer example of the so-called "Seattle sound" than AIC, at least, and they're responsible for one of the most joyously raucous live shows I've ever attended, but none of their major label records even went gold. Skin Yard are pummeling pioneers of the scene, but I didn't hear a song by them until the early 2000s. Most people know that TAD features a really fat guy, but couldn't tell you the title of even one song. Melvins are one of the most underrated bands of all-time, despite releasing 724 records, and frankly, I gotta have limits here.

Maybe I can do the "Big 4 of Seattle Bands Better Than Motörhead."

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