OT:"Music from the 90's lacked melody."-Joe Elliot

[JasonD]

Yep, most 90's bands suck for sure, but can I get a mercy vote for the Counting Crows? They weren't that bad......

..... & .......

Matchbox 20
Barenaked Ladies
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Blues Traveler
No Doubt


Okay, now I'm being just plain greedy!!!!!

[Eric]

There is a fair few folk on this site who are sounding like the adults they probably hated when they were teenagers in the 70s and 80s, "Ooo music in my day was the real stuff, not like this mumbo jumbo jargon you have now.. no one will remember these bands in 20 years time" etc etc.

Saying that the 90s sucked is just silly. One hit wonders? The 80s was full of them. Or that "grunge killed the 80s"?... 1990 killed the 80s! Ok, I wasnt around at the time.. but surely people were getting bored of faceless big haired bands and guitar solos overall?

I love 80s rock music with a passion, but the world of music doesnt end there. The 90s had some great bands which will stick around in people's heads for years to come.

And even now there is some great, new, FRESH, melodic bands out there:

Red Jumpsuit Parade
Anberlin
Shinedown
Hinder
LostProphets
Funeral for a Friend

Go look them up.

Some people here need to look at what they are saying and realise they have become their parents.

I've heard some Hinder on Sirius and me likes....lotta geeetar it sounds like. But - as Andrew worries - what will the label do to them. Will they force the butt rock marble vocals on them?

[weatherman90]

Yep, most 90's bands suck for sure, but can I get a mercy vote for the Counting Crows? They weren't that bad......

Sorry but I can't get over the hair.

[Ehwmatt]

Yep, most 90's bands suck for sure, but can I get a mercy vote for the Counting Crows? They weren't that bad......

..... & .......

Matchbox 20
Barenaked Ladies
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Blues Traveler
No Doubt


Okay, now I'm being just plain greedy!!!!!

All solid bands with lots of talent, but I'd add The Gin Blossoms to that list in that same vein

[Andrew]

Andrew, the only thing I'll say is that I don't really believe enough time has passed to determine if 90s bands will stand the test of time.

MORE than enough time has passed and the bands are all dead! PJ and AIC are about the only ones still about...maybe Soundgarden will reform, but those were the 3 best then and the only 3 now with any sign of life or possible fan interest.

Most are long forgotten and the band members have either overdosed or killed themselves and the fans moved on. The 80s/70s bands were still kicking in the 90s, but they got little press. Instead they made a living off recording in Europe and Japan. The USA has only recently caught back on...

[kgdjpubs]

a ton of little one hit wonders.....

That line says it all...one hit wonders. All dead and burried. And who's out on the road pleasing fans and still kicking ass - REAL bands from the 80s

Oh, BTW - If you had lived thru the 80s, you wouldn't love the 90s so much!!

The 80s had tons of one hit wonders! TONS..

No argument there at all. But what the 80s had and the 70s also, VS the 90s is bands that lasted the distance. Real rock bands with multiple albums and a catalogue they could tour off....and dare I say....a sound and style that outlasted fads like grunge...and lives on today.

Classic Rock is bands from the last 60s, 70s and 80s....there are barely any classic rock bands from the 90s. Barely any good bands at all

That right there is the main difference between the 60s/70s/80s and 90s onwards bands. Up until about 1990, you got the chance to make a few albums to figure out what you were doing, get your sound down, and build a following. From the 1990s onward, you better have a hit album coming out the door, then keep it up on albums 2 and 3. Most bands couldn't do it.

Compare that to your bands of the 70s and 80s. Journey, Bon Jovi, Springsteen, Def Leppard, etc. All of them took a few years and a few albums to build a following. By the time they hit big, you have a loyal fanbase, and a band that has worked out the kinks. If ANY of those had come out in the 90s, it's unlikely they would have had the chance for album #2--they would have been dropped from the record label.

The only bands from the 90s that MIGHT have a chance, are those with the back catalogues. There are very few of those out there--and Matchbox 20 is doing its best to kill its chances with Rob Thomas' solo career.

[Deb]

a ton of little one hit wonders.....

That line says it all...one hit wonders. All dead and burried. And who's out on the road pleasing fans and still kicking ass - REAL bands from the 80s

Oh, BTW - If you had lived thru the 80s, you wouldn't love the 90s so much!!

The 80s had tons of one hit wonders! TONS..

No argument there at all. But what the 80s had and the 70s also, VS the 90s is bands that lasted the distance. Real rock bands with multiple albums and a catalogue they could tour off....and dare I say....a sound and style that outlasted fads like grunge...and lives on today.

Classic Rock is bands from the last 60s, 70s and 80s....there are barely any classic rock bands from the 90s. Barely any good bands at all :)

I'm glad you said 'barely'. Ahem, see sig clip........

[kgdjpubs]

Classic Rock is bands from the last 60s, 70s and 80s....there are barely any classic rock bands from the 90s. Barely any good bands at all :)

I'm glad you said 'barely'. Ahem, see sig clip........

you know, I basically consider Mr. Big to be "80s version 2". They are stuck in that middle ground where things may have headed had grunge not arrived. I tend to consider "90s music" the stuff from Nirvana/Alica in Chains/Soundgarden forward. Mr. Big is like Tyketto, Giant, and even Tall Stories for that matter--they have FAR more in common with the 80s sound than the 90s sound.

Actually, my main problem with the 90s in general is a serious decline in lead vocal quality. There were a lot of very good singers in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Not so many in the 90s--and 00s.

[FishinMagician]

a ton of little one hit wonders.....

That line says it all...one hit wonders. All dead and burried. And who's out on the road pleasing fans and still kicking ass - REAL bands from the 80s

Oh, BTW - If you had lived thru the 80s, you wouldn't love the 90s so much!!

The 80s had tons of one hit wonders! TONS..

No argument there at all. But what the 80s had and the 70s also, VS the 90s is bands that lasted the distance. Real rock bands with multiple albums and a catalogue they could tour off....and dare I say....a sound and style that outlasted fads like grunge...and lives on today.

Classic Rock is bands from the last 60s, 70s and 80s....there are barely any classic rock bands from the 90s. Barely any good bands at all

Andrew, the only thing I'll say is that I don't really believe enough time has passed to determine if 90s bands will stand the test of time. Journey was gone for 10 years for instance and now look at them. I think there is just now starting to be a resurgence as those who really grew up as kids in the 90s, like myself, are reaching their mid twenties and starting to pine for the music we remember staying up all night watching MTV or even crazier, taping cassettes off the radio!

Maybe that means the ones that are still alive will be around someday in the mid future, maybe Napster and the MP3 will just mean music and longevity for bands will never be like what it was. Who knows. But I think it's too early to say that none of them were "good enough" to stand the test of time.

People were saying the same thing about most of the bands we love and talk about around here.

lol i remember taping songs off the radio

[paste]

Andrew, the only thing I'll say is that I don't really believe enough time has passed to determine if 90s bands will stand the test of time.

MORE than enough time has passed and the bands are all dead! PJ and AIC are about the only ones still about...maybe Soundgarden will reform, but those were the 3 best then and the only 3 now with any sign of life or possible fan interest.

Most are long forgotten and the band members have either overdosed or killed themselves and the fans moved on. The 80s/70s bands were still kicking in the 90s, but they got little press. Instead they made a living off recording in Europe and Japan. The USA has only recently caught back on...

While I am not a fan of a lot of these bands, there are quite a few 90s bands still out there touring and/or recording:
Green Day
Foo Fighters
Goo Goo Dolls
Counting Crows
Gin Blossoms
Red Hot Chili Peppers *
Sugar Ray
No Doubt
Smashmouth
Barenaked Ladies
Weezer
Blink 182
Collective Soul
Wallflowers
Live
Sister Hazel
Fastball
Third Eye Blind
Beck
Breeders
Stone Temple Pilots
Ben Folds
Matthew Sweet *
Tori Amos
Matchbox 20
Alanis Morrisette
Sheryl Crow
Fountains of Wayne
Oasis
Black Crowes
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Jane's Addiction*
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Faith No More *
and until recently, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry

* like Soundgarden, these bands actually started recording in the 80s, but didn't really peak until the 90s.

As far as lack of melodies goes, the 90s was one of the best decades for Power Pop, which is a genre that pretty much focuses on melody and hooks, with artists like Jellyfish, the Posies, Redd Kross, Material Issue, Rembrandts, Lemonheads, Fountains of Wayne, Matthew Sweet, Gin Blossoms, etc...

[verslibre]

The first couple albums by Faith No More are just BADASS. Angel Dust is a whopper.

[ProgRocker53]

Faith No More is a SICK SICK band that deserves a ton more credit.

The 00s have brought all kinds of kick-ass music as well.

Muse
Coheed & Cambria
Anberlin
Shinedown
Avenged Sevenfold
Audioslave
Pure Reason Revolution
!!!
Mastodon
The Killers
The Mars Volta
Disturbed
The Black Keys
Airbourne


...Good music has never died out. It's just shifted, evolved, hid, and come back out again. You gotta look for what you like sometimes.

With all this said, I am looking forward to the new Winger, Porcupine Tree, Muse, and Alice in Chains albums all with equal excitement.

[verslibre]

I love the first couple albums by The Mars Volta but after that they just got too whacky. De-loused is so f'in melodic and it's awesome. The second & third by C&C rawk, too.

Audioslave is no more. First album is balls-to-the-wall. The other two are solid.

[Arianddu]

lol i remember taping songs off the radio

Guilty - and still have most of them. Will probably even digitise them eventully, just so I can still have the playing order, the song starting 3 seconds in from the beginning, the word and a half from the DJ before it cuts off suddenly at the end... all burned into my memory of what this or that song should 'really' be.

[Eric]

While I am not a fan of a lot of these bands, there are quite a few 90s bands still out there touring and/or recording:
Green Day
Foo Fighters
Goo Goo Dolls
Counting Crows
Gin Blossoms
Red Hot Chili Peppers *
Sugar Ray
No Doubt
Smashmouth
Barenaked Ladies
Weezer
Blink 182
Collective Soul
Wallflowers
Live
Sister Hazel
Fastball
Third Eye Blind
Beck
Breeders
Stone Temple Pilots
Ben Folds
Matthew Sweet *
Tori Amos
Matchbox 20
Alanis Morrisette
Sheryl Crow
Fountains of Wayne
Oasis
Black Crowes
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Jane's Addiction*
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Faith No More *
and until recently, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry

* like Soundgarden, these bands actually started recording in the 80s, but didn't really peak until the 90s.

As far as lack of melodies goes, the 90s was one of the best decades for Power Pop, which is a genre that pretty much focuses on melody and hooks, with artists like Jellyfish, the Posies, Redd Kross, Material Issue, Rembrandts, Lemonheads, Fountains of Wayne, Matthew Sweet, Gin Blossoms, etc...

Barenaked ladies are gonzo...thankfully...they were't grunge, but they were some goofy bastards. Its true that lots bands from the 90's had good stuff...but my argument is that grunge killed those, either by keeping them down, killing them or influencing them and or their label to sound grungey.

[Andrew]

Actually, my main problem with the 90s in general is a serious decline in lead vocal quality. There were a lot of very good singers in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Not so many in the 90s--and 00s.

Ditto. And you have nailed it. The 93-onwards era has seen almost no great singers and frontman delivered from current bands. Most of them sing out their nose or out their ass.

Gone are the days of powerhouse singers/frontman, hence why kids going to classic rock shows are blown away.

[strangegrey]

Actually, my main problem with the 90s in general is a serious decline in lead vocal quality. There were a lot of very good singers in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Not so many in the 90s--and 00s.

Ditto. And you have nailed it. The 93-onwards era has seen almost no great singers and frontman delivered from current bands. Most of them sing out their nose or out their ass.

Gone are the days of powerhouse singers/frontman, hence why kids going to classic rock shows are blown away.

Not to mention guitarists. There are NOT many current bands or 90s bands that have fronted talented guitarists....with the grand exception of Dream Theater, whom I consider an 'alternative' band to the then-90s mainstream puke inducing crap that populated the airwaves during that dismal decade.

But for the most part, it's the exception, NOT the rule, that a band that made it's break post 1992, did so with a talented guitarist at the helm....

[paste]

Barenaked ladies are gonzo...thankfully...they were't grunge, but they were some goofy bastards. Its true that lots bands from the 90's had good stuff...but my argument is that grunge killed those, either by keeping them down, killing them or influencing them and or their label to sound grungey.

I haven't really heard them or seen them since one of their singers left, but when I did see the Barenaked Ladies in the 90s and early 00s, they were a weird, but fun mix of comedy, upbeat pop/rock, nerdiness, with a Grateful Dead influence in the way they do improv stuff every night, as well as change up the setlist every night.

Most of those bands, were actually post grunge, but pre-rap rock/nu metal of the late 90s. Grunge really didn't last too long after Cobain killed himself in 94. Pearl Jam went kind of underground, skipping videos and interviews (and for a lot of people, catchy songs) for the most part; Alice in Chains faded because of Layne's issues; and Soundgarden broke up a few years later. The B & C list bands, like Bush, Silverchair, and Candlebox mostly faded away or changed their sound.

Also, here's a few more 90s bands/artist that are still out there in some form or another: Phish, Dave Matthews Band, Jewel, Everclear, Marilyn Manson, Soul Asylum (another band that started in the 80s, but hit it big in the 90s), Spin Doctors, and Darius Rucker, the singer from Hootie and the Blowfish.

I was born in the late 60s and as far as decades of bad popular music goes, the 00s have been the worst, IMO. Lot of good music out there, but most of it is under the radar.

[paste]

Not to mention guitarists. There are NOT many current bands or 90s bands that have fronted talented guitarists....with the grand exception of Dream Theater, whom I consider an 'alternative' band to the then-90s mainstream puke inducing crap that populated the airwaves during that dismal decade.

But for the most part, it's the exception, NOT the rule, that a band that made it's break post 1992, did so with a talented guitarist at the helm....

In some cases, it is not so much that they aren't talented, it is that they purposely hide the fact that they can really play. The best example is probably Rivers Cuomo, the singer/songwriter/guitarist in Weezer. He can shred, but doesn't because that type of playing wouldn't fit in Weezer - and it did become the hip thing to not play those type of solos. Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins can also shred with the best of them, but didn't on the big hits.

While guitar soloing took a backseat in the 90s, bass playing actually improved a bit in the 90s. With the exception of people like Billy Sheehan or Steve Harris, a lot of the 80s stuff was straight root notes, and it wasn't uncommon for the bass part (and in some cases, drums) to be replaced by machines. Bands like the Peppers, Jane's Addiction, No Doubt, and Ben Folds Five had some really good bass playing.

[ProgRocker53]

Tom Morello, Gossard/McCready, Claudio Sanchez, Matthew Bellamy, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (I may have that backwards), Gates/Vengeance.... ALL amazing guitarists prominent from the 90s forward.

[Sarah]

Barenaked ladies are gonzo...thankfully...they were't grunge, but they were some goofy bastards. Its true that lots bands from the 90's had good stuff...but my argument is that grunge killed those, either by keeping them down, killing them or influencing them and or their label to sound grungey.

Grunge died in like, 1994. Many of the bands that paste listed hit it big after '95. The mid-late 90s were dominated by alternative.

[Don]

I saw Bare Naked Ladies perform at an Employee party for E! Entertainment. They weren't that bad. They usually did one cover every show.
Careless Whisper was the one we got.

[Ehwmatt]

This whole notion of no one being around from the 90s just baffles me... plenty of them are, aside from those who have died and/or broken up. Just revisionist history and revisionist reality for those of you who want to only live in the 80s

No need to list bands, as others have done a great job here already

[WiseOldTabbyCat]

I was born in the early 90's and grew up surrounded by music from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's, courtesy of my nostalgic parents. Naturally, I've grown up indoctrinated to believe that life before the 90's was better and most music between '87 to '99 and beyond is bollocks.

[Peartree12249]

I have to agree that there was plenty of great music in the 90's. Was it melodic rock? Well no. Everything changes... nothing stays the same. Otherwise we'd still be listening to some band doing Peggy Sue or Rock Around the Clock. There wouldn't even be melodic rock if 70's music hadn't morfed into it. I grew up in the 60's, came of age in the 70's and was still rockin in the 80's & 90's. All 4 decades had it's share of one hit wonders and crappy artists but there was some excellent stuff as well. Some of my favorites from the 90's include:

REM
Live
Green Day
Mary J Blige
Metallica
Black Crows
Matchbox 20

I recently saw Live in concert on HDNet. They were phenomenal. One of the most emotional and passionate performances I've seen in years. Much better than many of the big-haired, spandex-wearing posers that were playing back in the 80's.

[Eric]

I have to agree that there was plenty of great music in the 90's. Was it melodic rock? Well no. Everything changes... nothing stays the same. Otherwise we'd still be listening to some band doing Peggy Sue or Rock Around the Clock. There wouldn't even be melodic rock if 70's music hadn't morfed into it. I grew up in the 60's, came of age in the 70's and was still rockin in the 80's & 90's. All 4 decades had it's share of one hit wonders and crappy artists but there was some excellent stuff as well. Some of my favorites from the 90's include:

REM
Live
Green Day
Mary J Blige
Metallica
Black Crows
Matchbox 20

I recently saw Live in concert on HDNet. They were phenomenal. One of the most emotional and passionate performances I've seen in years. Much better than many of the big-haired, spandex-wearing posers that were playing back in the 80's.

Just wanted to point out that not one of the bands you mentioned is grunge. I think the point is discussing the most popular rock of the 90's versus the 80's........Melodicrock versus Grunge. Metallica, Black Crowes and REM are WAY more 80's bands than 90's too.

[Ehwmatt]

I have to agree that there was plenty of great music in the 90's. Was it melodic rock? Well no. Everything changes... nothing stays the same. Otherwise we'd still be listening to some band doing Peggy Sue or Rock Around the Clock. There wouldn't even be melodic rock if 70's music hadn't morfed into it. I grew up in the 60's, came of age in the 70's and was still rockin in the 80's & 90's. All 4 decades had it's share of one hit wonders and crappy artists but there was some excellent stuff as well. Some of my favorites from the 90's include:

REM
Live
Green Day
Mary J Blige
Metallica
Black Crows
Matchbox 20

I recently saw Live in concert on HDNet. They were phenomenal. One of the most emotional and passionate performances I've seen in years. Much better than many of the big-haired, spandex-wearing posers that were playing back in the 80's.

Just wanted to point out that not one of the bands you mentioned is grunge. I think the point is discussing the most popular rock of the 90's versus the 80's........Melodicrock versus Grunge. Metallica, Black Crowes and REM are WAY more 80's bands than 90's too.

I don't agree about Metallica, Crowes, and REM. They were all VERY commercially relevant in the 90s, and thus qualify as 90s music. If they were relegated to diehard fan followings and modest chart success following 80s success, I'd agree, but they all had tons of commercial success in the 90s... that's how I'd differentiate the distinction.

[Peartree12249]

I have to agree that there was plenty of great music in the 90's. Was it melodic rock? Well no. Everything changes... nothing stays the same. Otherwise we'd still be listening to some band doing Peggy Sue or Rock Around the Clock. There wouldn't even be melodic rock if 70's music hadn't morfed into it. I grew up in the 60's, came of age in the 70's and was still rockin in the 80's & 90's. All 4 decades had it's share of one hit wonders and crappy artists but there was some excellent stuff as well. Some of my favorites from the 90's include:

REM
Live
Green Day
Mary J Blige
Metallica
Black Crows
Matchbox 20

I recently saw Live in concert on HDNet. They were phenomenal. One of the most emotional and passionate performances I've seen in years. Much better than many of the big-haired, spandex-wearing posers that were playing back in the 80's.

Just wanted to point out that not one of the bands you mentioned is grunge. I think the point is discussing the most popular rock of the 90's versus the 80's........Melodicrock versus Grunge. Metallica, Black Crowes and REM are WAY more 80's bands than 90's too.

You're right I didn't list any grunge bands. I do like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam however. The tread was responding to a quote that 90's music lacked melody. Grunge was only one type of music in the 90's so I didn't think I had to limit my comments to just grunge. The Black Crows with their rock & blues vibe were way more of a throwback to the 70's rather than the 80's which is why I liked them.

[Eric]

I have to agree that there was plenty of great music in the 90's. Was it melodic rock? Well no. Everything changes... nothing stays the same. Otherwise we'd still be listening to some band doing Peggy Sue or Rock Around the Clock. There wouldn't even be melodic rock if 70's music hadn't morfed into it. I grew up in the 60's, came of age in the 70's and was still rockin in the 80's & 90's. All 4 decades had it's share of one hit wonders and crappy artists but there was some excellent stuff as well. Some of my favorites from the 90's include:

REM
Live
Green Day
Mary J Blige
Metallica
Black Crows
Matchbox 20

I recently saw Live in concert on HDNet. They were phenomenal. One of the most emotional and passionate performances I've seen in years. Much better than many of the big-haired, spandex-wearing posers that were playing back in the 80's.

Just wanted to point out that not one of the bands you mentioned is grunge. I think the point is discussing the most popular rock of the 90's versus the 80's........Melodicrock versus Grunge. Metallica, Black Crowes and REM are WAY more 80's bands than 90's too.

You're right I didn't list any grunge bands. I do like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam however. The tread was responding to a quote that 90's music lacked melody. Grunge was only one type of music in the 90's so I didn't think I had to limit my comments to just grunge. The Black Crows with their rock & blues vibe were way more of a throwback to the 70's rather than the 80's which is why I liked them.

No...you're right...I think thats what Eliott means though is grunge, and its definitely what I mean.

[wastingbeerz]

Wow, lots of people in this thread sounding stuck in the 80s. "Music just ain't what it used to be!"

Well I grew up in the 90s, and I still love 90s music, and I know plenty of people my age who do too. The decade was not shit and I'm pretty sure it wasn't disappointing for the people who grew up in it, unless their earliest memory is Backstreet Boys. Obviously I like Pearl Jam but I was only 6 when they hit it big, so I'm talking more like Third Eye Blind, Alanis, Green Day, Sublime, No Doubt, Oasis as mentioned, and a ton of little one hit wonders many people in their early/mid twenties would smile with nostalgia if they heard. Recently in Sacramento they made a 90s radio station (though sadly it replaced the only good rock station there) and I know quite a few people including myself who listen to it.

I won't say the entire decade was shit, but I will say that it was a HELL of a lot harder to find good bands in the 90's. The shit to great ratio was pretty much off the scale, with shit taking up the biggest portion probably ever (with the exception of the current decade... don't even get me started). There were some amazing artists that came out of both decades, but for my money the 80's was far more consistent.