Following the release of their 1991 album 'Nevermind', Nirvana became one of the biggest bands in the world. The worldwide success of this album - only their second studio album recording - saw the band thrust into the spotlight as figureheads of the grunge music explosion that followed, with dozens of bands playing a similar hybrid sound of punk and metal. Not bad for three Generation X kids, who bought their clothes from thrift shops and were even described as being too lazy to use shampoo.
The term ‘grunge’ was originally used as slang for ‘filth’, by Mark Arm, front man of Green River, and later Mudhoney, when he was trying to describe how dirty the guitar sound employed by his band was. It was later adopted by Bruce Pavitt, founder of Seattle-based record label Sub Pop, as the name given to collectively describe the new batch of bands emerging in the Seattle area in the wake of Nirvana’s success.
Arguably, the three most notable of these bands were Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. All three were classic grunge acts, but also had their own distinctive qualities and style. Eddie Vedder’s Pearl Jam were highly influenced by British acts such as The Who as well as more classic American rock acts such as Neil Young, and on later albums, experimented with elements of folk and world music. Soundgarden - fronted by Chris Cornell - were a more aggressive outfit, with Cornell’s gritty vocals and guitarist Kim Thayil’s riffs combining in a sound resembling a dirtier Led Zeppelin. Meanwhile, Alice In Chains were perhaps the definitive grunge band, with sludgy guitar arrangements that owed more of a debt to classic heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath than to the punk sound.
The emergence of this new scene was captured by film-maker Doug Pray in his 1996 documentary 'Hype!' which includes rare interviews with many of grunge’s key players. It also features the only footage ever released of Nirvana performing their breakthrough hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for the first time, as well as other original live concert footage from early grunge shows, shot from iconic Seattle venues such as the Crocodile Café and El Corazon.
These (and other) venues in Seattle have maintained a healthy reputation for live music, both local and worldwide, up to the present day and any fans wishing to experience the live scene for themselves can choose from a number of hotels in Seattle to stay in. However, guests today are encouraged not to trash their room, an activity that many of the grunge superstars who came out of the city revelled in doing!
The influence of the grunge movement remains evident today. Sonic Youth, although not strictly a grunge band, had a huge impact both artistically and professionally on Nirvana (it was due to advice from Youth’s Kim Gordon that Nirvana signed to major label RGC prior to the release of Nevermind) and are still touring and recording today. Newer bands such as Giant Drag and Silversun Pickups have also embraced the heavy guitar sound and are introducing a whole new audience to the distinctive grunge sound, almost twenty years on from its original incarnation. You have to believe Kurt Cobain would be proud of them.
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