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Mears 1 Alex Mears Mr.

Loeffler Composition 2 1 April 2011 Grunge Takes Over Grunge music is often judged from the outside as just a bunch of rebels going against society playing their pessimistic rebel music, but it is much more than that and often completely different than that shallow stereotype. Similar to the counterculture hippie movement in the 1960s, the grunge movement was very counterculture and had an apathetic attitude towards life. The grunge movement was much more low-key than the hippie movement in terms of politics and caused little to no problems politically. In a way, the grunge movement can be described as a new generation hippie movement, sharing many differences and similarities to the latter. While many people criticize grunge music in a stereotypical, negative way, much of the music that is popular today would not exist if not for grunge music. Understanding the grunge movement is a key part in understanding modern music, especially modern rock music. The grunge movement of the late 20th century was one of the most influential musical movements ever and included many great artists and bands. The grunge movement began long before the world renowned band Nirvana was around. Seattle was the frontier of what would eventually become grunge music, but the city was completely unaware of this in the mid-1980s when grunge started taking shape from a variety of musical influences. There was no definite beginning to the grunge movement, but many important events happened that led to the explosion of grunge music.

Mears 2 Seattle was really the only city that harbored all of the pioneer bands of grunge, but prior to grunge music, Seattle was barely on the musical map. Metal and punk had started mixing around 1984 in Seattle, with bands like the U-Men (Azerrad 418). There were also early forms of bands such as Soundgarden, but there were no record labels to speak of at the time (Azerrad 418). The combination of the isolated underground movement in Seattle and Seattle being a nonentity regarding trendiness created a unique Seattle sound (Azerrad 452). The actual term grunge was coined by Mark Arm, who was in the grunge band Mudhoney (Blecha 252-253). Arm had created a fake band in the early 1980s with his friends for fun and publicized the band greatly, often describing their sound as pure grunge (Blecha 252-253). Seattle was the last place anyone would have thought would produce such a popular music form as grunge eventually became. While Sub Pop Records is usually solely associated with grunge music, C/Z Records signed many early grunge bands and was one of the first grunge labels. When people think of grunge music, most of them think of Sub Pop Records because they spearheaded the grunge record companies. However, C/Z Records signed some of the earliest grunge bands and released their music on a compilation CD called Deep Six (Harrington 459). The Deep Six compilation was released in 1985 and included music from the earliest grunge bands such as Green River, The Melvins, and Soundgarden (Harrington 459). This release was important because it got grunge music out to the public and showed a growing interest in grunge music from record companies. One of the most important events that helped pave the way for the grunge movement was the creation of Sub Pop Records. In the early 1980s, Bruce Pavitt created a fan magazine called Subterranean Pop, which also released compilation tapes of underground rock bands but the

Mears 3 last issue was released in 1983 (Blecha 252). Pavitt eventually shortened the name of the fan magazine to Sub Pop, which, of course, slides off the tongue just a bit easier. Shortly after the first Sub Pop compilation LP was released in 1986, John Poneman invested in Pavitts record label and the official Sub Pop Records was created (Blecha 252). Sub Pop Records would eventually turn out to be one of the biggest record labels ever and sign some of the greatest bands of all time. After Sub Pop got going with signing more grunge bands and releasing their music, Seattle changed dramatically. Sub Pop Records signed their first big band in 1987 which was Soundgarden and they released their first EP in the same year (Blecha 254-255). After Soundgarden was signed by Sub Pop and became relatively popular, big-name labels such as A&M Records and Epic Records began to get aggressive to sign Soundgarden, which drew much attention to Seattle (Blecha 254-255). These big record labels that were fighting for bands such as Soundgarden started bringing attention to the isolated city of Seattle and ultimately made grunge the most rapidly subverted form of rock ever (Harrington 470-471). In other words, the big record labels corrupted the grunge music business with their intentions of making money, rather than making quality music. The Seattle government itself became aware of the growing musical movement and thought that it would create a mass amount of public disturbance. Local authorities began enforcing poster bans, the Teen Dance Ordinance, noise ordinances and would often send the fire department to clubs for surprise inspections (Blecha 253). Despite the authorities attempts to contain the underground grunge movement, the bands kept playing and the movement kept growing rapidly. Grunge music reached its pinnacle of popularity after the large amount of mainstream attention it gathered in 1991. The grunge movement was starting to be recognized as one of the

Mears 4 biggest rock phenomenons ever by the mainstream media and Seattle was becoming known as the rock capital of the world (Blecha 274). The world was catching on to the insanely popular new music type that was grunge and Seattle was caught in the middle of it. The year 1991 launched grunge music into world fame. Alice in Chains had a huge MTV/radio hit, Pearl Jam started recording their first record, Ten, which would be one of the greatest rock albums of all time, Nirvana left Sub Pop Records for DGC Records and Mudhoney released an album that reached number 37 on the UK album charts (Blecha 269-270). On September 10, 1991, Nirvana released the single Smells Like Teen Spirit with DGC Records and the band was almost immediately launched into worldwide popularity (Blecha 271-272). Nirvanas following record, Nevermind, was released later that month, peaked at number 1 on the Billboard magazine charts and eventually achieved double platinum status, meaning it sold over 2 million copies (Blecha 272-272). The release of Smells Like Teen Spirit and Nevermind was a huge turning point for grunge and made grunge music a worldwide phenomenon. There were people all over Europe and the United States listening to Smells Like Teen Spirit and falling in love with the song. Grunge music had reached the pinnacle of its popularity and existence, but it would be very short lived. Surprisingly, there was not a large number of bands that were involved in the grunge movement, which was one of the biggest rock music movements ever. Almost all of the grunge bands of the movement were from Seattle, with the exception of a few bands that were regarded as grunge but not as true grunge bands from Seattle. Of course, the grunge movement wasnt selective as to where a band originated, it is just that Seattle was so isolated that a unique sound was produced from the bands of Seattle and that sound was grunge. The artists of the grunge

Mears 5 movement were some of the most popular artists of the 1990s and remain as some of the most influential artists in music history. One of the first major grunge bands that initially formed in the mid-1980s was Soundgarden. Soundgarden formed in 1984 and were from the capital city of grunge music, Seattle. Soundgarden led the northwestern non-metal grunge music scene and the band was one of the more mainstream bands of the era (Robbins 679). Soundgarden was much unlike most grunge bands of the time and eventually became more focused on making hits rather than being original (Robbins 680). The band was never as heavy as the Melvins, as punky as Nirvana, nor as serious as Pearl Jam (Robbins 679). Despite these great differences between them and other bands, Soundgarden always seemed doomed to become a commercial juggernaut (Robbins 679). Many people would argue that Soundgarden and their music did not represent the grunge culture enough (Robbins 680) but they were still an original grunge band nonetheless. Singer Chris Cornell went on to be in the very popular band Audioslave after Soundgarden split up. Another very popular grunge band whose frontman coined the word grunge was Mudhoney. Lead singer and guitarist Mark Arm formed Mudhoney in 1988 who released a single shortly after forming (Blecha 261). The band started attracting a decent amount of attention with the single and an even greater amount of attention with the release of their following LP (Blecha 261). Mudhoney pretty much spearheaded the Seattle music scene and would have blown Nirvana off the stage in 1988 and 1989, which was the prime of their career (Azerrad 411). In a way though, Mudhoney blazed the trail for Nirvana with their grunge influences. The band soon toured with the insanely popular band Sonic Youth and they were loved by everyone who saw them (Blecha 261). Their music soon entered British charts and Seattle was starting to be placed on the map of the world music scene (Blecha 261). Unfortunately, Mudhoney left Sub Pop

Mears 6 Records for Warner Brothers Reprise Records after a while and served a key loss for Sub Pop and a loss for the Seattle music scene (Azerrad 452). Like many bands, Mudhoney had began to demand higher royalty rates and more control of everything, which sadly led to them leaving Sub Pop (Azerrad 452). Mudhoney was one of the greatest grunge bands of the time and should always be known as one of Sub Pops most profitable bands. A band that was more metal than grunge, but still helped bring attention to the grunge movement was Alice in Chains. Alice in Chains formed in 1987 and released a free EP soon after and landed a tour with Poison, a popular hair-rock band of the 1980s (Alice in Chains). In 1990, the band has a moderate radio hit off of their first EP and was played on many metaloriented stations, showing that Alice in Chains had added metal into the grunge music scene (Blecha 268). To further prove the bands metal likeness, Alice in Chains toured with a very well known metal band, Megadeth, after the release of their first album, Facelift (Blecha 268). The bands music and lyrics was greatly influenced by substance abuse, which was common for metal and grunge bands of the time (Robbins 34). Unfortunately, Alice in Chains faced a breakup in 1995 mainly because singer Layne Staley could not get his life together and would often show up to practice high (Alice in Chains). Staley died in 2002 at an early age because he never seemed to get his life back in order and is remembered as a very influential grunge star who influenced many rock-metal bands and singers (Alice in Chains). Pearl Jam was another popular Seattle grunge band that helped spearhead the grunge movement and acheived huge mainstream success. Pearl Jam was formed in the early 1990s by ex-Green River and ex-Mother Love Bone members (Robbins 550). The greatest musical acheivement of Pearl Jam is that they created thuggish electric rock without dressing it up for the sole acheivement of being famous (Robbins 550). In their music, Pearl Jam showed the rage and

Mears 7 frustration of the youth of the time along with a sense of longing and compassion that other bands such as Nirvana lacked (Helander 491). In this way, Pearl Jam was a very unique grunge band because their music did not simply reflect a hateful, apathetic attitude, but rather a frustrated, caring attitude that many people loved. The substance of their music was very innovative and the bands awesome rythym sections, such as in their famous album Ten, that have been imitated countless times by other bands (Robbins 550). The impact of Pearl Jam on the music world can never be imitated or matched by any other band because of their immeasurable musical talent and capabilities. Nirvana was most likely the most popular grunge band ever and acheived gargantuan amount of mainstream success along with drawing a massive amount of attention to the Seattle grunge setting. Nirvana first appeared on a vinyl 45 for Sub Pops Singles Club and played their first gig shortly after where they were bluntly invited to leave (Blecha 258). Surprisingly, Nirvanas first album, Bleach, was far from any influential music capitals and had a tone of hope-free meaninglessness (Robbins 515), which was a common tone for grunge music. Nirvana was one of the earliest grunge bands to acheive mainstream popularity after they released their chart-topping album Nevermind in 1991 (Helander 473). Singer Kurt Cobains lyrics on Nevermind were often disconnected fragments randomly put together and were as much a social statement in structure as in content (Robbins 515). Nirvanas last album, In Utero, was released in 1993 and showed the band in a state of confusion and instability (Robbins 516). The album had a very corrosive sound combined with rough and harmful content (Robbins 516). Nirvana disbanded promptly after Kurt Cobain committed suicide in April of 1994 but the Nirvana legacy will last forever in rock music history.

Mears 8 Grunge music did not simply come and go quickly without leaving its footprint on the world. Many things, especially in the music world, have changed or been reformed as a result of the grunge movement. These changes of the music world, along with a numerous amount of post-grunge bands, are important products of grunge movement. The grunge music explosion has greatly influenced modern music, the modern music industry, and the culture of today as well as the culture of its time. Grunge music influenced both the youth of its time and the youth of today. As the grunge movement began to decline, many wanna-be grunge bands moved to Seattle dressed in stereotypical grunge clothes and this all lead to a grunge overkill (Azerrad 447-448). Nirvana created a fashion craze that swept the nations youth and consisted of baggy, dirty jeans, flannel shirts, and combat boots (Helander 473). This grunge fashion craze is similar to the indie fashion craze of today, consisting of long hair, plaid, and skinny jeans. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was a huge influence on the youth, especially after copies of his journals were released. Cobains journals have inspired many smart, passionate and emotional young artists to pick up a guitar for the first time and start playing music (DeRogatis 2). Despite Nirvanas immense amount of success, they werent the only band that influenced the youth in a big way. Alice in Chains, which was a very pessimistic grunge band, set a negative example with their music that actually helped some people with their problems (Alice in Chains). One band member of Alice in Chains tells that one of the bands fans told him that their music helped him quit drugs (Alice in Chains), which Im sure is a story that many young people, whether now or back then, can relate to regarding grunge music . Overall, grunge music was a very social type of music that affected many people and still affects people to this day.

Mears 9 After the grunge movement faced its decline, a somewhat lengthy period of new music and culture set in called post-grunge. Noting the vast amount of success of grunge bands, record companies started using grunge as a tool to make money (DeRogatis 69). The record conglomerates used this grunge tool to sell wanna-be grunge bands such as the Stone Temple Pilots and also market apparel that went with the grunge fashion craze (DeRogatis 69). The success and popularity of Nirvana sparked many pre-packaged bands to surface that were made up of boys in shorts screaming to the crunch of loud guitars, such as the bands Rage Against the Machine, Tool, and Bush (Harrington 554). A large influx of girl rock bands occurred after the grunge movement as well (Harrington 478), probably influenced by Kurt Cobains widowed wife Courtney Love, who was in the rock band Hole. Bikini Kill and Hole were a few of the top postgrunge girl bands and girl bands are much more popular in the music world today, with bands like The Donnas and Paramore (Harrington 478). One of the bigger and more popular movements of bands during and after the grunge movement were anti-grunge bands. These antigrunge bands, also known as Britpop bands, were trying to fight the pessimistic attitudes of grunge music with more optimistic songs (Hindmarsh). These anti-grunge bands were bands like Oasis and Blur and were all about more light-hearted songs than the apathetic nature of grunge songs (Hindmarsh). Many of these post-grunge bands made very quality music and have also influenced future music along with the grunge movement. The mainstream media and music industries changed dramatically during and after the grunge music movement. During and after the grunge movement, the mainstream and industrial media complex dumbed down their advertisements because they felt that the grunge movement had made the youth too stupid to understand advertisements that were not simply dumb (Harrington 523). The music ticketing industry also changed greatly when grunge band Pearl

Mears 10 Jam fought Ticketmaster, the only nationwide ticket agency, for lower ticket prices (Helander 491-492). Thanks to Pearl Jam, the government and the public alike have become more aware of monopolistic practices in the ticketing industry (Helander 491-492). The grunge movement also helped record companies rethink the recording and mastering processes and essentially stripped down to using classic, vintage gear that was notably used in the recording of Nirvanas Nevermind (Hindmarsh). Record companies began using analogue-type recording onto tapes, which is a very old method of recording, that computers can simulate today and popular bands like the Arctic Monkeys use this recording method today (Hindmarsh). The modern music industry should thank the grunge movement for helping greatly in shaping what it is today. One of the most popular and influential bands that surfaced as a result of the grunge movement and is considered as a modern rock band as well is the Foo Fighters. Nirvanas drummer Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters in 1994 shortly after Kurt Cobain died. Grohl played all of the instruments on the Foo Fighters self-titled debut album and surprised the music community with a successful album coming from the ex-Nirvana drummer (Sutton 107). The musical style of the bands debut album greatly mirrors the melodic punk phase of Nirvana, showing Cobains songwriting influences on Grohl (DeRogatis 22-23). Cobains influences on Grohl definitely show up when Grohl employs the patented Cobain dynamic shift (quiet verse and loud chorus) in his songs, while also picking up many of Cobains vocal mannerisms (DeRogatis 23). The debut album shares the same violent noise, emotion, rage, and confrontation with Nirvanas Nevermind (Sutton 107) even further revealing Cobains influences on the Foo Fighters . There is no doubt that the Foo Fighters came about as a result of the grunge movement and the music world is very lucky because of this seeing as the Foo Fighters were, and still are, one of the most popular bands in the music industry.

Mears 11 In conclusion, the importance of the grunge movement is almost unmatched by any other musical movement of the 20th century. The combination of location, content, and the time period of the grunge movement created such a unique music form that was short-lived, but still very significant to the shaping of modern rock music. To fully understand how great and innovative the grunge movement was, a person should look deeper into the movement rather than settling with its shallow outside appearance. While grunge music was not as much counterculture as the hippie movement of the 1960s, it was still a very large social statement of unrest and frustration and still essentially created a counterculture movement. The world of modern music has taken on such a great shape for the most part and it owes much of that shape to the grunge movement. The artists of the grunge movement can never be matched in the quality of their music. The influence of the grunge movement of the late 20th century is unparalleled by any other music movement and many great artists and bands contributed to this very important movement of music known as grunge.

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