I've been to a few shows lately and I'd like to hear people's views on grunge here.
Over the last few months I've seen The Melvins, Foo Fighters (not grunge but of course Dave Grohl was big at the start of it with Nirvana) and tonight I was at a Mudhoney show.
To me grunge was more of a sound and I feel any band from the Seattle area in the 80's was lumped in as grunge..... Nirvana, Soundgarden, Green River (which, when they split up became Pearl Jam and Mudhoney), Alice in Chains, Screaming Trees and The Melvins.
The Melvins and Mudhoney are the true grunge sound to me..... the others were more polished and just hard rock to me.
Sadly I missed most of these bands in the early days, being just across the border from Seattle they all played the clubs here but I was going to blues shows at the same clubs at the time. I did see Pearl Jam open up for Neil Young and The Screaming Trees open for Sons of Freedom.
Just last week at a Mule show at my favorite club The Commodore, there was a framed concert poster on the wall from a Nirvana, Mudhoney show there in the early 80's... I imagine I was seeing Johnny Winter or John Lee Hooker there about that time!
The Mudhoney show tonight was great.... Rock 'n' Roll!
Never got in to Mudhoney but was always a huge fan of Alice in Chains and Soundgarden and still occasionally listen to Nirvana unplugged. I am really enjoying the new Alice in Chains music.
I liked Pearl Jam and Nirvana but I was never into the Grunge music or scene too much and that’s not intended as disrespect to anyone at all. I had found the “jam bands” in the 80s and I guess I was either comfortable or narrow minded depending on whomever makes that call.
I saw a lot of those bands back when they were starting out, before it was called grunge. I grew up on bands like the Ramones and Clash and such, so I liked the sound coming out of Seattle. The Off-Ramp and ReBar had bands. I never understood why The Melvins didn't get the same recognition as some of the others. I was a big Screaming Trees fan. Nirvana was never my favorite, but I did enjoy them. I don't listen to it as much these days, but was into it for a good while.
I saw Pearl Jam about 15 years ago and was wowed. High energy, loads of songs I didn't know but that everyone else knew the words to, not just a greatest hits blitz. Good long show, and Vedder' s voice was very impressive live.
I saw the Screaming Trees on an MTV-sponsored tour; it was them with Soul Asylum and Spin Doctors. The Screaming Trees crushed the others.
I still listen to Mother Love Bone sometimes, probably more than I listen to Pearl Jam actually.
Some good stuff was around then, fun time to be into that music. I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit on the radio. I was a Junior in high school driving some friends around town in my 1979 Jeep CJ7. It changed everything!
I still listen to Mother Love Bone sometimes, probably more than I listen to Pearl Jam actually.
Some good stuff was around then, fun time to be into that music. I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit on the radio. I was a Junior in high school driving some friends around town in my 1979 Jeep CJ7. It changed everything!
I forgot about Mother Love Bone, I love them!
I remember telling all my friends about the Smells Like Teen Spirit video when I first seen it, what an amazing new sound it was!
I've been thinking lately about how Neil Young is sometimes referred to as the grandfather of grunge, I don't really see it except for the grungy guitar in Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black).... I think more like MC5 or The Stooges, the late 60's Detroit music.
I still haven't been to a Pearl Jam concert.
Pearl Jam shows are my current favorite. They are great live.
