Best band of the 90s ..... ?

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

ok, http://img3.harmony-central.com/acapella/ubb/redface.gif ...it's safe to say the Beatles ruled the 60s

Zeppelin steamrollered the 70s ....

U2 ruled the 80s ......

sooooo.... who owned the 90s ? :dunno




... and the 00s? it's all over, forget that one :cry:

[Ulysses]

History will show Pearl Jam dominated the 90's in influence and popularity but I'm not much of a fan if at all. I'm sure many will probably say Nirvana, Dave Matthews, or Radiohead but same for those with me. In my opinion we have now have the best rock bands since 1971.

With "Exile on Main Street", Sticky Fingers", "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out", "Let It Bleed", "Some Girls", and some of the biggest rock tours of the decade I wouldn't say the Stones were "steam-rolled" by Zep in the 70's. I'd give Zep the nod but even though second, the Stones were more important over the course of those years than U2 was in the 80's.

[Sparky6string]

Sublime and Radiohead.

[codyj84]

Nirvana and Pearl Jam, I would say....

Sublime was pretty big too...

I couldnt get enough of the Black Crowes in the 90s....

And I guess since we're talkin bands, that rules out artists like 2Pac and Notorious BIG...they were definitely THE spotlight in the mid-late 90s...

[ReflectionsBurn]

green day, offspring, and stone temple pilots i think were pretty big as well...and they seem to still be going pretty strong

[squeally dan]

For some reason Pearl Jam was the 1st band that popped in to my mind. I don't even listen to them anymore. THey were the soundtrack to college in the early 90's (for me).

[codyj84]

GREEN DAY!!! Totally forgot about them!!! There were SO many bands... Alanis Morissette was big too....

[re-animator]

gotta be nirvana. pearl jam sold more records, but nirvana is undoubtedly tops in influence and importance. I would maybe put REM second.

[searchin4signal]

For myself, discovering Green Day was pivotal :dude ...and as for the 90's I also really liked the Gin Blossoms....as for who "Ruled the 90's" I would have to agree that Nirvana and Pearl Jam changed everything...so did the manufactured bands like New Kids on "teh" :) Block N'Sync and Brittany Spears and the rest of the cookie cutter kid stuff. Good or bad :dunno you decide....the 90's sucked for me :bkw ...so I stuck with the punk to get thru. :phones

[jammybastard]

Who "ruled"???

Depends on where you lived and what kind of music you listen to doesn't it?
Are we talking sales figures or artistic merit?
Both?
Neither?

Here's a simple opinion...YMMV...

In the US:
Hair metal started the decade, Nirvana and Pearl Jam broke in '92 and the populism of grunge lasted until '95.
Also worth noting, N'Sync and Britney Spears ruled the airwaves from 98-00.

Most influential?
Jane's Addiction. They were an amalgam of metal, psychedelia, and indie rock that prefaced most of what rock sounded like in the first half of the 90's.
Remember that "Nothing's Shocking" came out in '89 and "Ritual de lo Habitual" in '90.
Plus Perry Ferrell helped create Lollapalooza in '91 which was key in bringing together a new generation of rock, rap, and indie fans in one place united by a common love of music. That's what made alternative rock and grunge the commercial success that it was. Nirvana and PJ would have never blown up the way they did w/o the groundwork Lollapalooza laid.

In the UK?
Oasis ruled from 94-97.
"Wonderwall" practically became the national anthem.

Artistic merit?
I'd say Radiohead was the most significant artist to come out of the 90s.
First they were a great rock band. Listen to the guitar solos on "The Bends" if you need any proof about how great the playing is. You want arranging? Listen to
"Ok Computer". That came out in '97 and changed the game completely.
Second, they became a great psychedelic band, and eventually an electronic one as well. Like many of the greatest bands they never rested on their laurels or were concerned about writing "hits".
Third, they influenced countless bands that went onto be very popular and successful.

If you are looking for one artist who influenced people across the rock spectrum, in the US and UK?
Jeff Buckley.
There's a whole generation of singer and songwriters that owe so much to his singing and playing style.

[Thinsocks]

Maybe Nirvana? Although I'd say that Radiohead's OK Computer is the album I think of when I think of 90's rock.

[Dumo]

Nirvana probably changed music the most in the 90s for sure. Blew hair metal off the map. My favorite bands of the 90s were Kyuss, (Early) Helmet, Spirit Caravan, Turbonegro and the Hellacopters though.

[guitarslinger21]

Alice in chains

[johnhenry]

Dylan.

Good As I Been To You
World Gone Wrong
Time Out Of Mind
not to mention the official release of the greatest live shows ever (Live 1966) and the Bootleg Series.

--of course, that's my answer for each decade since the 60s.

[Artimus82]

Pearl Jam... I STILL listen to those guys...
Green Day is valid too tho I think.

[marsellus]

I figured I would have seen Smashing Pumpkins at least mentioned by now...or maybe Soundgarden.

[Lance]

Pantera! Well, for me anyway.

[AnthonyL]

Early 90's - Metallica owned...

Metallica was released on August 12, 1991 through Elektra Records (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elektra_Records), and is the band's best-selling album to date, with over 15 million copies sold in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) and over 22 million copies worldwide[citation needed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)]. It's also one of the best-selling heavy metal albums of all time.

[Bearded]

U2 definitely did not rule the 80's. Bono doesn't rule anything except the "I have the biggest ego and am the biggest d-bag in the world" contest.

I would call Pearl Jam the best rock band of the 90's.

[bowie3141]

Sublime and Radiohead.definately...i'm with you

[shredtrash]

I'd say Nirvana even though I'm not a huge fan of them. They turned the industry upside down. I think their influence is still being felt now, especially amongst the rock guitar community. My personal favorites are Pearl Jam (1st 2 records only) and STP.

[Kingbeegtrs]

Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam

thank God for those guys...brought us out of the dog days of Bon Jovi and Poison

what? Bon Jovi is still around? F*#k!!!!

[The Golden Boy]

U2 ruled the 80s ......



Phil Collins ruled the 80s. With an Iron Fist.

[Serious Poo]

My vote goes to The Catherine Wheel.

[JMarck]

In my opinion, Sublime

[CALI68]

Nsync & Backstreet Boys


Just kiddin' :roll




Seriously, If you had to narrow it down to one band and factor in how important they were then Nirvana ruled that decade.


-Chris

[James M]

Pumpkins and Metallica

[Artimus82]

Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam

thank God for those guys...brought us out of the dog days of Bon Jovi and Poison

what? Bon Jovi is still around? F*#k!!!!


dude, it's ok, so is Pearl Jam! :D
and last time I saw him Chris Cornell could still tear the paint off walls with his throat~
oh and there's this band with this drummer guy that used to be in this huge band called Nirvana....

good stuff~

[Original_Fire]

Like some have said, a ton of great and very influential bands from this decade (isn't every decade filled with them though?). I know DMB has been mentioned, maybe not as influential but definitely a monster as far as record sales and ticket sales. Hootie and the Blowfish anyone??? Don't know what backlash for that band is here on TGP, but I think it's pretty safe to say their debut was pretty big. Matchbox Twenty was 96ish, and didn't that record go something like diamond? Incubus, RATM, Soundgarden all definitely deserve mentioning, too. I agree that even though most people want to pinpoint Metallica's best to the 80s, the 90s saw huge success, regardless of the backlash.

BTW, I love how most of us (notice I said "us"; I'm as bad as the next guy lol) can't actually pick one band in these types of threads. So great that there's so much great music out there coupled with so many varying tastes, even if they're in the same ear :D.

[cram]

Who "ruled"???

Depends on where you lived and what kind of music you listen to doesn't it?
Are we talking sales figures or artistic merit?
Both?
Neither?

Here's a simple opinion...YMMV...

In the US:
Hair metal started the decade, Nirvana and Pearl Jam broke in '92 and the populism of grunge lasted until '95.
Also worth noting, N'Sync and Britney Spears ruled the airwaves from 98-00.

Most influential?
Jane's Addiction. They were an amalgam of metal, psychedelia, and indie rock that prefaced most of what rock sounded like in the first half of the 90's.
Remember that "Nothing's Shocking" came out in '89 and "Ritual de lo Habitual" in '90.
Plus Perry Ferrell helped create Lollapalooza in '91 which was key in bringing together a new generation of rock, rap, and indie fans in one place united by a common love of music. That's what made alternative rock and grunge the commercial success that it was. Nirvana and PJ would have never blown up the way they did w/o the groundwork Lollapalooza laid.

In the UK?
Oasis ruled from 94-97.
"Wonderwall" practically became the national anthem.

Artistic merit?
I'd say Radiohead was the most significant artist to come out of the 90s.
First they were a great rock band. Listen to the guitar solos on "The Bends" if you need any proof about how great the playing is. You want arranging? Listen to
"Ok Computer". That came out in '97 and changed the game completely.
Second, they became a great psychedelic band, and eventually an electronic one as well. Like many of the greatest bands they never rested on their laurels or were concerned about writing "hits".
Third, they influenced countless bands that went onto be very popular and successful.

If you are looking for one artist who influenced people across the rock spectrum, in the US and UK?
Jeff Buckley.
There's a whole generation of singer and songwriters that owe so much to his singing and playing style.

This is a very good review of the best artists in that decade..

I would only add Rage Against the Machine to that list with the qualification in genre. They influenced so much of what we see today. No one had that sound. I played the hell out of that cd...

[blood5150]

Phil Collins ruled the 80s. With an Iron Fist.


lol.....

http://api.ning.com/files/HISxCa4HZ6hL7ZtgkVnURsD-B6HPt7x0SA1uQrOtMrEweQpgflC52P2kHYvwC5TVyKpUjuuIRf 82pP5MYUcdd9YEw5Kc3r7O/phil_drum.jpg


http://www.hecklerspray.com/imppix/photos/uncategorized/phil_collins_genesis_reform.jpg

[Kingbeegtrs]

Yes, we can't seem to put just one.

Jane's Addiction and Radiohead did deserve an honorable mention.

Looks like Nirvana has the most votes.

[rmconner80]

Yes, it has to be Pearl Jam. I just don't hear the relevance, musical or emotional, of Nirvana anymore. Pearl Jam still resonates and persists on both levels and I think will continue to for a long time.

Radiohead I could see also.

REM I could see - EXCEPT to me this is a band a bulk of whose sound and achievement was in the 80s.

[geetarboy]

Pearl Jam followed by Radiohead.

[harryjmic]

STP for hard rock easily

[jammybastard]

I would only add Rage Against the Machine to that list with the qualification in genre. They influenced so much of what we see today. No one had that sound. I played the hell out of that cd...

Yeah, they were key as well.

Want to know something funny?
I wasn't that into RATM in the 90s.
Just didn't get them at all.
Only made sense to me after they broke up.
I got hung up on the politics, and missed the fact that at their core they are a great funk band and Morello is an amazing guitar player.

In the past 2 years I've worked with RATM 3 times, directing concert videos of their reunion at Coachella, Alpine Valley and Lollapalooza.
By far they are my favorite artist to work with now because their shows are so energetic and exciting.
In a way they are more relevant now than back in the 90s.

[guitarslinger21]

My vote goes to The Catherine Wheel.

Only if Tanya Donelly gets to sing though.:D

[jammybastard]

REM I could see - EXCEPT to me this is a band a bulk of whose sound and achievement was in the 80s.


REM were huge in the 90's, though I prefer their 80's work.
1991 was the year of "Losing My Religion", '94 was "Monster". That was their peak.

I saw them in Madrid in '95 in a basketball arena and it was the first time I had ever seen a crowd go completely f*@king NUTS for a song with a mandolin as the lead instrument!
Blew my mind.

[Phil M]

phil collins ruled the 80s. With an iron fist.

lol!

[reverber8]

Under rated and under appreciated and as such under the radar but my vote goes to...

dada

Still at it and touring and I saw them last year for the 10th time. Michael Gurley is one of the finest guitar players and songwriters out there.

Criminally unknown. Look them up and if you've heard of them make sure you look deeper than their most familar song "Dizzkneeland" - check out their albums Puzzle, American Hwy Flower and El Sublimioso.

[thesweetness]

gotta be nirvana. pearl jam sold more records, but nirvana is undoubtedly tops in influence and importance. I would maybe put REM second.

Pearl jam. I think Nirvana was what launched Pearl Jam's ability to rule the 90s. Nirvana just wasn't around long enough to be considered the band to rule the 90s, despite their massive influence on the decade. Nirvana almost started seeming retro after 96, where pearl jam continued to grow with their sound and have lasting power.

I look at it like this. Jimi Hendrix blew everybody away in 67 and allowed everybody's ears to be ready for Zepplin to rule in the 70s. Jimi undoubtedly set the stage for the sound of the 70s bands, but wasn't around long enough to be catagorized as an artist (or band) to be the one to "rule". In 1990-91 Nirvana blew everybody away and set the stage for other bands (like pearl jam) to carry on what they started.

Nirvana was more influential to listeners ("Joe the Plumber" as he might be called today) than they were other big name bands of the period. Kurt Cobain admitted hating pearl jam's music, and Pearl Jams more guitar related songs were due to Mike Mccreedy's listening to Jimi and Stevie Ray. And Green Day was influenced purely by the punk scene where they grew up.

All the bands that could be considerred to "rule" all came up in the same time with their own influences, and could be associated with Nirvana simply because they all captured the aura of the time, which may or may not have been launched by Nirvana in the ears of listeners. So in the end I say Pearl Jam. Good songs that capture the time and today, and really the only band to stay so consistent through the start AND finish of the 90s without breaking up or losing members or writing bad songs. You can't say as much for Nirvana (unfortunatly), Red Hot Chilli Peppers, STP, Sublime, or even green day.


Whoa, long post. My bad.

[Tone_Terrific]

Who sold the most product?

[guitarslinger21]

Who sold the most product?

Spin Doctors?:drink

[Rothbardian]

Satyricon
Swervedriver
My Bloody Valentine
Pantera
Ride
Cannibal Corpse
Morbid Angel
Mayhem

[drod2045]

pearl Jam, Nirvana and Radiohead

[cram]

Yeah, they were key as well.

Want to know something funny?
I wasn't that into RATM in the 90s.
Just didn't get them at all.
Only made sense to me after they broke up.
I got hung up on the politics, and missed the fact that at their core they are a great funk band and Morello is an amazing guitar player.

In the past 2 years I've worked with RATM 3 times, directing concert videos of their reunion at Coachella, Alpine Valley and Lollapalooza.
By far they are my favorite artist to work with now because their shows are so energetic and exciting.
In a way they are more relevant now than back in the 90s.

This thread was funny because something made me think of that first cd today, so I listenned to it while working front to back. It's a great release and you're right - a lot of people appreciate their stuff now.

Phil Collins ruled the 80s. With an Iron Fist.

Favorite southpark episode ever was when timmy and the lords of the underworld were trying to organize a concert in town... But the parents were forcing the kids to take ritalin and they were all hooked on Phill Collins music.
Thank god for the doctor in town that developed the new drug Ritalout to counteract the effects of ritalin

Once the drug took effect, timmy and the lords of the underworld reigned supreme..

On second thought - screw all of you!
Timmy and The Lords of The Underworld rule every decade!!!

[pfflam]

Best most rockin most awesomest album of the 90s has to go to The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole-!!

[Smakutus]

Toadies..

Jeff

[jammybastard]

Spin Doctors?:drink

Hootie, Spin Doctors and Blue Traveller....and that leads us to DMB.
Now I'm having a H.O.A.R.D.E. tour flashback circa '96!

[FeloniousBishop]

Alice In Chains

[mikef1331]

Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, Radiohead & the Foo Fighters. Another band that was HUGE in the 90's, but for some reason was never super popular here was/is Blur.

Radiohead & the Foo's are still huge today, along w/ the Pumpkins and STP reuniting recently.

Best band that started in the 90's that is big now Wilco.

There were a lot of great bands that came out in the 90's, really hard to nail down just one as being the "best".

[leftyaxeslinger]

Raging Honkies!

The name of their first album even says so!!
http://cdbaby.com/cd/raginghonkies2

Seriously...killer band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szgoFnUy3wA

[winstabull]

Garth Brooks probably sold the most records and got the most radio play in the 90's.

Madonna was probably the most influential in pop culture.

And yes, it pains me greatly to make both statements...

[Stike]

I don't care what the charts or music writers say, these guys ruled the 90's ( and still do ) for me.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vUynAX-pL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

[jrm]

The very first band that pops into my head when I think of the 90's is Nirvana. They weren't around long, but they opened the doors and I surely feel that their presence is still being felt today. Grunge rock had a huge effect on music. Let alone the legacy that Cobain and now Grohl have left in music.

But there were tons of other bands that I still love to listen to from that time. In no particular order:

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tonic
Bush
Alice in Chains
DMB
Beck
RATM
Alanis
Maxwell
Infectious Grooves/Suicidal Tendencies


...among many many others. But I always think "Nirvana" when the question comes up.

[pickaguitar]

Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Pantera & RATM

[Phil M]

Great album cover! I'm headed to iTunes right now to check this out.

I don't care what the charts or music writers say, these guys ruled the 90's ( and still do ) for me.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vUynAX-pL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

[atquinn]

In terms of most influential, I'd have to go with Nirvana and Radiohead. I never really dug Nirvana though, so in terms of the music I bought and still listen to, it would be Radiohead.

-Austin

[yugnat]

Aerosmith doesn't get mentioned anywhere? Definitely not a favorite of mine but I thought would be mentioned when it comes to most popular bands...

[Rothbardian]

Goo Goo Dolls
Gin Blossoms

Still love both bands...

[daddyo]

U2 ruled the 90s, too.

[Tuberoast]

Dylan
Massive Attack
Soundgarden
many others

[CAJUN]

Stp & aic

[aaronblues]

Pearl Jam is the most important band in my silly little life.... So they get my vote.

In pure historical terms, and having been there as a massive teenage music fan at the time (what other time could ever be as important as your teen's for music???) Nirvana was by far more "world dominating" then PJ, U2, or anyone else at the time. Which was great, because they were funny, intelligent, trashy, aggressive, and pop. The best part of PJ's and Nirvana's legacies were that they both paid huge respect to bands current and past that they worshipped, both big and little. My whole record collection is two steps off those two bands, for the most part.

Radiohead made the best albums of the decade, Nirvana changed the world, but Pearl Jam was the best band. Pick up any bootleg from 94-96. It will prove me correct.

Thanks, good to see Catherine Wheel get a vote or two!

cheers

[Zelja]

My album collection reflects the following:

Buffalo Tom
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Mazzy Star
Massive Attack
Died Pretty
Teenage Fanclub
Radiohead
Nirvana
Oasis

I got into Pearl Jam retrospectively & they would be in with a shout for overall dominace I guess.

[thirstypirate]

If you think about it as what band, had the not existed, would have changed the landscape of the decade it is Nirvana. They reached out into places far from their starting point in Seattle and headed a musical movement wheither the deserved to or not.

But, the OP said Best band of the 90's. To me it's Alice in Chains.

[Pags]

Phish

They started the decade playing in small clubs and bars and ended it with 80,000 fans in a swamp in Florida to celebrate the new millenium and play a 7+ hour set without a break.

[guitarslinger21]

Portishead
NIN?

[Tenacious E]

I would agree with most everyone's answers on here. I'm a huge fan of all of these bands. Don't leave out the Foo Fighters though! Much more dominant, anthemic, and CONSISTENT than a lot of the bands listed.

I've always thought that it's funny how much of this music got dumped into the "grunge" label. Everything from Nirvana, to Pearl Jam, to Alice in Chains, to STP, to NIN, to bla bla bla. And yet, now looking back, we all realize how unlike each other all of these bands were.

[JohnK24]

Pittsburgh's the GATHERING FIELD !

That's my pick...I loved these guys. Check out "Lost in America", a true classic in singer/songwriter rock if I ever heard one. Bill Deasy is a national treasure, imho.

[Serious Poo]

Portishead

+1 Portishead is a criminally overlooked band from that era.

[bdegrande]

If best is most influential, I would say Green Day or Nirvana.

The best band, hands down, was Sleater-Kinney. Never saw them play a show that wasn't great.

I'll also throw in a second for Soundgarden.

[ezyrydr]

There were plenty of bands who were "alternative" or "grunge" before Nirvana. They were not leading the way, they were just who the major label guys decided to make the face of the movement. As a result, Nirvana opened the eyes of the average joe for sure but bands like Black Flag were already breaking new ground.

Pearl Jam has proven to be the best band out of that era in my opinion. But there are countless honorable mentions. Lets not for The Smashing Pumpkins.

[jrm]

Pearl Jam is a good band, but I have a hard time taking them in as "the" band of the 90's. I love Vedder and "Ten" is a tremendous album, but the rest of their stuff leaves me feeling ...meh.

[mkl13]

Pearl Jam for me also.

Another one could be Phish, pretty much defined the whole Jam Band thing in the mid to late 90's. Their influence was pretty much limited to that one genre though.

[Tone_Terrific]

Obviously, nobody can agree or even reach a consensual list of contenders.
The paradigm has shifted.