Grunge bands return
Patrick Haynes
Issue date: 10/14/09 Section: The Edge
In the last two decades, popular music has ranged in a variety of classifications from hair metal to grunge-rock, from pop to the current hip-hop fad.
Grunge-rock, which had its heyday from the late-80s to the mid-90s, has been relatively quiet since the new millennium, unless you count the dreadful trash that radio shoves down our throats these days and calls grunge.
Thankfully, in the last year or two, the bands who thrived in the period when grunge reigned have been making a return to mainstream music and making fans take notice, whether they were fans during the original period of success or recently converted. And this is all without the band who more or less launched the grunge movement, Nirvana.
Pearl Jam was one of the core three bands that led the grunge movement out of Seattle and across America in the early 90s. The band, which centers around vocalist Eddie Vedder's deep baritone voice and the intertwining guitar riffs of Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, put out three consecutive number one albums on the Billboard charts from 1993 to 1996, not including their debut, "Ten," which has since gone 13 times platinum. However, they have not had a number one album since 1996, and sales dwindled drastically until this year, when the band released their first number one album in 13 years, "Backspacer," which combines multiple genres.
Alice in Chains, another band that achieved great success in the early '90s, embraced the more metal side of grunge music, bringing in fans worldwide who enjoyed both metal and soft, melodic rock. While Alice in Chains were thriving in the spotlight as a whole, putting out three records and two EPs, two of which went to number one on the charts, their singer couldn't handle the stress and spotlight.
Layne Staley died of a heroin overdose in 2002, six years after he put the band on pause to sort through his life, effectively putting an end to the band until 2007 when the band reformed with a new vocalist, William DuVall, and toured across the world playing their old hits. The band released their first new CD in 14 years just a few weeks ago, and it was released to critical and commercial acclaim across the board, debuting at number five on the charts.
Two more bands who were around from the beginning of the grunge movement to the end are Jane's Addiction and Stone Temple Pilots. Drugs and egos led to the end of both these groups that mixed punk-rock with experimental instrumentation and grunge vocals.
Both these bands dismembered with their members forming other side-projects, though none were as successful as their former bands. Both Jane's and STP reformed though in 2008 and have toured the world since, promising that their bands will put out albums in the future.
Grunge may never achieve the spotlight or success that it once basked in. It might never knock hip-hop off its pedestal. But at least it is rearing its ugly head yet again to give all its fans another 15 minutes of happiness as they remember the good old days, when music was loud and heavy and wearing a flannel shirt and torn jeans didn't provoke corny Al Borland jokes.
Grunge-rock, which had its heyday from the late-80s to the mid-90s, has been relatively quiet since the new millennium, unless you count the dreadful trash that radio shoves down our throats these days and calls grunge.
Thankfully, in the last year or two, the bands who thrived in the period when grunge reigned have been making a return to mainstream music and making fans take notice, whether they were fans during the original period of success or recently converted. And this is all without the band who more or less launched the grunge movement, Nirvana.
Pearl Jam was one of the core three bands that led the grunge movement out of Seattle and across America in the early 90s. The band, which centers around vocalist Eddie Vedder's deep baritone voice and the intertwining guitar riffs of Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, put out three consecutive number one albums on the Billboard charts from 1993 to 1996, not including their debut, "Ten," which has since gone 13 times platinum. However, they have not had a number one album since 1996, and sales dwindled drastically until this year, when the band released their first number one album in 13 years, "Backspacer," which combines multiple genres.
Alice in Chains, another band that achieved great success in the early '90s, embraced the more metal side of grunge music, bringing in fans worldwide who enjoyed both metal and soft, melodic rock. While Alice in Chains were thriving in the spotlight as a whole, putting out three records and two EPs, two of which went to number one on the charts, their singer couldn't handle the stress and spotlight.
Layne Staley died of a heroin overdose in 2002, six years after he put the band on pause to sort through his life, effectively putting an end to the band until 2007 when the band reformed with a new vocalist, William DuVall, and toured across the world playing their old hits. The band released their first new CD in 14 years just a few weeks ago, and it was released to critical and commercial acclaim across the board, debuting at number five on the charts.
Two more bands who were around from the beginning of the grunge movement to the end are Jane's Addiction and Stone Temple Pilots. Drugs and egos led to the end of both these groups that mixed punk-rock with experimental instrumentation and grunge vocals.
Both these bands dismembered with their members forming other side-projects, though none were as successful as their former bands. Both Jane's and STP reformed though in 2008 and have toured the world since, promising that their bands will put out albums in the future.
Grunge may never achieve the spotlight or success that it once basked in. It might never knock hip-hop off its pedestal. But at least it is rearing its ugly head yet again to give all its fans another 15 minutes of happiness as they remember the good old days, when music was loud and heavy and wearing a flannel shirt and torn jeans didn't provoke corny Al Borland jokes.
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