Alt Rock Artists of the 1990s - Then and Now #'s and A's

There was a lot of music in the 1990s.  Alternative music was pretty much at its heyday.  And I will field arguments that the 1980s were better, and will, in fact, probably touch on these later.  But the 1990s are when I was going through young adulthood.

Most of you probably remember this, but when you're a young adult, you really don't know shit.  But you think you do.  And that's what I am talking about here.

This segment will cover alternative artists (mostly popular ones) and what I thought of them in the 1990s, and what I think of them now, looking back over 20 or so years.  Part one - numbers and A's:





10, 000 Maniacs


Then: C   Now: C


My opinion of this group really hasn't changed much, despite Natalie Merchant's very bland foray into adult contemporary music in the later 90s-00's.  I knew some people who really liked this band and some who really didn't.  I could never pick a side.

I mean, their covers were good ("Because the Night", "Peace Train").  And I do like the fact that Merchant had "Peace Train" removed from their In My Tribe album, because I made some dough on eBay selling the rarer version with the song still on it on.  And she had that whole involvement with Michael Stipe.

Here is "Peace Train" for you to check out.  Please note that I'm taking most of these videos from youtube, so I assume there is no copyright issue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WBxTwMb_HY


311


Then: D   Now: C-


The songs were catchy (not GOOD, per se, but catchy), and there was that persistent rumor that they were klansmen (311 = 3+ 11th letter of alphabet = KKK).  They did a pretty cool version of the Cure's "Love Song":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egX9ZDaIrkU



4 Non Blondes


Then: F   Now: F


No.  Just No.

He-Man alert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjVugzSR7HA





Afghan Whigs:


Then B   Now: B+


Literate post-punk alt rock that nobody ever seemed to get too excited about (myself included).  But they're really good, and I wouldn't mind seeing them live, mainly because I missed them the first time around.  We would play this CD in the music store I worked at, and it would always sell when playing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6ER2_4q5KQ





Alice in Chains:


Then: A   Now: A  Group that's around now that sounds like an AIC tribute band: D-


Jerry Cantrell gets credit for really good solo work, but trying to reformulate the band with a Layne Staley soundalike makes me sad.   Layne passed on in 2002, and he had a Drug Problem.  Capital D, capital P.  I remember reading an article where he had lost fingers due to his smack problem.  That's just sort of pathetic.  He also, apparently, had one of those lonely "dead until the smell wafts out into the hallway" passings, and that is REALLY pathetic.

And tragic.  Drug addiction sucks.

Their music always kind of reflected that dark/sinister side, and as a teen experiencing his first serious breakup (1992), their music reflected the sorrow that I felt but was not tooled to properly express.

Then I met my wife, had a kid.  And you know what - they were still gloomy.  And I still liked it.  It's just that we were going our separate ways.   Their rock rocked, and their acoustic music was amazing.  I can still hear "Them Bones", "Would?", "Heaven Beside You", etc, and they are as fresh as ever.  And as depressing.

I just loved their appearance on MTV Unplugged:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fNcq0JoEY4





Tori Amos


Then: Didn't care  Now: Still don't care


Nice hair, Tori:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5283ATA7TnQ





Fiona Apple:


Then: D  Now: C-


Remember that video for "Criminal"?  That's the closest to snuff film kiddie porn that MTV ever got.  She gets a half-tick upgrade due to her insistence that her fans hear the music that her record label shelved, and her inclusion of Zach Galifianakis in her videos.   The music just never appealed to me, though she does have a swarming legion of rabid fans, and that has to count for something.

Turn off all the lights and put on a raincoat before watching this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFOzayDpWoI





At the Drive In


Then: B+  Now: C


These guys were the frontrunners to that genre of hard rock that infested the music scene in the 2000s.  Much of it was sheer crapola.  These guys were not.  I guess that it is unfortunate that they get lumped in with these who followed, because these guys had a great sound.  It's just sort of been imitated to death.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce0LtolCsLc





Audioslave:


Then: pleh  Now: blah


Rage Against the Machine + Soundgarden = sludge

I'm not even giving a video link.  You'll thank me later.