Freak Scene: A Retrospective on the Evolution of Grunge, Part 1 (1985-89)
Click below on the streaming service of your choice to listen to the playlist as your read along.
In the late 1980s, over my final two years of high school, my music listening migrated from new wave and post-punk music to classic rock. After a couple years away at school in New Jersey, I returned to Toronto, became a working stiff, and sought out a place to hang out on weekends. The years of 1990-91 were amazing for modern rock and reinvigorated my love for contemporary, alternative music. As a young, working man, I sought out a club to enjoy my weekends and where I could hear the music I was listening to on my favourite local radio station, CFNY.
A more recent pic of the bar in The Dance Cave. I can’t recall if those exact murals were the same back in the early ‘90s when I was hanging out there, but they were the same style. The curved walls are a result of it being the top half of an old, ornate cinema that opened in 1919. In the late ‘60s it was updated into a burlesque dinner theatre venue and the top half balcony was closed off and converted into a speakeasy, which is the space occupied by The Dance Cave to this day.
I made my way to The Dance Cave, a club on Bloor St. West in Toronto upstairs from famed live music venue, Lee’s Palace. An long time, high school friend of my brother’s was DJ on Fridays and Saturdays. Over the next two years my taste in music expanded greatly listening to what he played at the club. Having grown up on new wave and then acquired an appreciation for classic rock, I was primed for the wave of guitar-driven, heavy sounds that came to prominence during that time. For the first time, I was drawn to punk and strains of hard rock and heavy metal that I had ignored growing up. So, when grunge broke in late ’91, I welcomed it with open arms and threw myself into it deeply. For a solid year, grunge dominated my music purchases, which had picked up thanks to my first full-time job.
The famous Lee’s Palace, one of Toronto’s most cherished live music venues opened in 1985. It is where countless bands have played, including Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana. The exterior mural was painted by local artist, Al Runt, who did both the 1987 original, the 1992 update (as seen here), and its most recent 2010 incarnation, which was required when a take-out burrito stand was built into the front of the venue.
The Playlist (Part 1)
I Wanna Be Your Dog \ The Stooges (1969)
Supernaut \ Black Sabbath (1971)
Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) \ Neil Young (1979)
Return of the Rat \ Wipers (1980)
Come on Down \ Green River (1985)
Rain \ The Cult (1985)
Cow Rock \ U-Men (1985)
Orange Airplane \ Screaming Trees (1986)
I Don't Want to Know if You Are Lonely \ Hüsker Dü (1986)
With Yo' Heart (Not Yo' Hands) \ Malfunkshun (1986)
Reptile \ Skin Yard (1987)
Hunted Down \ Soundgarden (1987)
Echo Head/Don't Piece Me \ Melvins (1987)
Break My Body \ Pixies (1988)
Forever Means \ Green River (1988)
Mountain Song \ Jane’s Addiction (1988)
Touch Me I'm Sick \ Mudhoney (1988)
Silver Rocket \ Sonic Youth (1988)
Freak Scene \ Dinosaur Jr. (1988)
Waiting Room \ Fugazi (1988)
Big Cheese \ Nirvana (1988)
Bite the Wax Tadpole \ L7 (1988)
Bad Little Woman \ U-Men (1988)
Behemoth \ Tad (1989)
Windows \ Screaming Trees (1989)
Promises \ Fugazi (1989)
School \ Nirvana (1989)
Hands All Over \ Soundgarden (1989)
Between the Eyes \ Love Battery (1989)
Attacked by Monsters \ Meat Puppets (1989)
Start at the Top \ Skin Yard (1989)
Oven \ Melvins (1989)
Blockbuster \ The Jesus Lizard (1989)
Genres never arrive fully formed, cleanly defined, or labelled. They are identified, usually by media, and often well after they have reached a critical mass or have peaked. Such was the case with grunge, that by the time it was achieving its highest scale of success it was actually a culmination of a six-year wave of bands and music that had been building towards what would be known as the grunge sound and look.
What was the grunge sound? It was a combination and repackaging of what had come before, so there was some resistance to identifying it as something new or different. Yet, there was something, an evolution, and it came at a stale time for modern rock. So, it was desperately needed, and that made it new and exciting despite the familiarity of its elements. Grunge evolved from the darker post-punk and punk scenes of the mid-‘80s and married those to rock – from classic to heavy metal. It was concurrent to a rise in guitar-based indie rock and was a heavier variant on the broader trend. Grunge existed on a spectrum between the speed, rawness and energy of punk and the sludgy, longer, crunchy styles of rock. A common aspect in the early iterations was an unadorned, honest, and due to limited budgets, poorly produced sound. It that aspect it was very punk – a DIY approach with little concern for commercial appeal. The guard rails of grunge are hard to define, so there has always been a healthy debate around what acts were truly grunge or not.
There was also a strong geographic aspect to grunge, such that many prefer to isolate the genre to the Pacific Northwest of the United States, what originated as the Seattle Sound. But as with any genre, there were other acts already exploring the same sounds or, as grunge became better known, adopted the style. For certain, this list is almost entirely American acts, so grunge was centred on the US, but it’s necessary to show grunge music didn’t just happen in Seattle, only the moniker did.
It needs to be acknowledged that most grunge artists begrudged the term. Given its unflattering connotations it was understandable, but also since many of the acts were exploring different music styles, it seemed illogical to bundle acts such as Soundgarden and Mudhoney. The bands usually just considered themselves punk or rock bands. Thus, grunge came about as much, or more, by its geographic and fashion elements as it did its musical ones.
It’s hard to fathom that the grunge era, and my time as a carefree, club-going, young twenty-something was thirty years ago. So let’s look back at grunge – its locales, influences, fashion, and of course, the music – via this extensive playlist. Let’s start with its seeds, way back in the 1960s.
“I Wanna Be Your Dog” \ The Stooges \ The Stooges (1969)
The grunge era was borne from the influences of many critical acts that paved the way for and inspired its sound. As they had done for the proto-punks and punks, The Stooges also created a sound that would become the essence of the grunge vibe. The psychedelic rock outfit from Ann Arbor, Michigan launched the career of Iggy Pop and, over the course of three albums from 1969 to 1973, forged a raw, guitar heavy sound that created a schism in the rock universe. In “I Wanna Be Your Dog” from their first, self-titled LP, the template for grunge was created. The song’s feedback ridden guitar, sludgy and raw sound, pounding beats, irreverent delivery, and just enough pop sensibility to set its hooks into you, were the elements that set the template for grunge.
“Supernaut” \ Vol. 4 \ Black Sabbath (1971)
Formed in 1968 in Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath were much like The Stooges in that they evolved the psychedelic rock of the 1960s into something new, becoming a progenitor of heavy metal. The band also had an iconic leader in Ozzy Osbourne, whose voice rode high over the heavy, powerful, fast-paced licks from Tommy Iommi and the thunderous rhythms of bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. After releasing two LPs in 1970, with the second having reached #1 in the UK on the top ten success of the title track single, “Paranoid,” the band had two more UK top ten LPs in 1971 and 1972. The third LP, Master of Reality, was the first to reach the top ten in the US. Vol. 4 gave them their third consecutive top twenty LP in the US.
After the success of “Paranoid,” none of the band’s singles charted, but the albums were filled with sludgy rock songs that built a strong and influential following. “Supernaut” was on Vol 4 and though not a single, was a good example of what Black Sabbath was creating in their sound. It had the heavy, vast sound that many grunge acts would employ with slight moments of the dirge-like sound that Black Sabbath was known for, such as on songs like “War Pigs” and “Iron Man” from the second LP. And though not included on this playlist, other icons of classic rock such as Led Zeppelin can also be cited as influences of grunge. “Supernaut” would be fantastically covered by the act, 1000 Homo DJs (a side project of Al Jourgenson of the industrial-metal band, Ministry) during the grunge era in 1990, and though not a grunge song, it fit with the guitar heavy sound of the time and revealed the influence of Black Sabbath on that era’s artists.
“Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” \ Rust Never Sleeps \ Neil Young (1979)
When the Seattle scene and the grunge sound started to coalesce into something identifiable, Canadian rock legend Neil Young was crowned the ‘godfather of grunge.’ It was tunes like “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” that led to such claims. Never one to shy away from the use of feedback, Young sprinkled raw guitar licks throughout his most rocking tunes. Rust Never Sleeps, an album recorded live while on tour, capped off an impressive decade for Young before he ventured into a varied, experimental stage of his career in the early ‘80s before returning to rock in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
The progenitors of grunge: The Stooges, Black Sabbath, Neil Young, and Wipers
“Return of the Rat” \ Is This Real? \ Wipers (1980)
Punk was hugely formative for grunge. The speed, force, swagger, down-market fashions, and DIY approach were all common features for its first generation of bands. Punk launched in 1976 with the arrival of The Ramones and then in England around iconic acts such as The Sex Pistols and The Clash. After its initial splash, it faded into the fringes giving way to the post-punk and new wave eras. In the US, after a slow start, punk thrived in the urban centres of New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and the Pacific Northwest in the form of a faster and more aggressive form, hardcore, that had comparable features to metal.
Wipers are selected for this playlist as a representative band from the ‘80s punk era, and notably related to grunge as hailing from Portland, playing in a heavy, distorted fashion, and being a frequently cited influence by grunge bands. Formed in 1977 as a trio of Greg Sage, Sam Henry, and Dave Koupal, the band was one of the first punk acts in the Northwest. In true DIY fashion, Sage formed his own label, Trap Records, and released Wipers first single in 1978, “Better Off Dead” along with tunes from other local punk bands. It was followed by the band’s first album, Is This Real, from which “Return of the Rat” was the first track. The tune was a great example of the sound that would come to define the region’s rock sound, mixing punk with a dark wave feel.
“Come on Down” \ Come on Down EP \ Green River (Oct 1985)
Green River - the sound was grunge, but the look was a mix of glam, punk and new romantic.
No one would have considered it as such at the time, but when Seattle’s Green River released their first EP, Come on Down, in 1985, it would become the first grunge release. At the time the band and its sound were more likely to be considered punk or rock. When grunge was later classified, it was clear Green River had the distinction of being the first grunge band.
They formed in 1984 and the band’s composition helped forge the grunge style. Steve Turner (guitar) and Alex Vincent (drums) had been playing in hardcore punk bands when they joined with schoolmate Mark Arm (guitar/vocals) to form Green River. The band’s name was taken from the Green River serial killer as well as from the 1969 CCR album and song. They asked another schoolmate, Jeff Ament (bass) to fill out the line-up, and soon after Stone Gossard (guitar), who had played in a hardcore band with Turner, was added. The addition of Gossard allowed Arm to focus on vocals. The band was split between heavy metal interests and hardcore punk, and thus the different feel and tension to the band’s sound and membership. In early ’85 Turner left the band due to his discomfort with the heavy metal aspect of their sound and was replaced by Bruce Fairweather.
After a year of playing around Seattle and recording, Green River issued their first EP, Come on Down, on New York indie label, Homestead Records. They also did their first tour of the US, exposing their sound to others. In the title track, the band’s sound was evident, deploying heavy metal chords over punky vocals and rhythms, and with it the grunge model was established.
“Rain” \ Love \ The Cult (Oct 1985)
You’re not going to find The Cult on many grunge lists, but there are more than a few interviews out there in which they are asked about their influence on grunge. There are also several grunge artists that cite them as a favoured act. The Cult are included here because their first three albums – Dreamtime (1984), Love (1985), and Electric (1987) – did much to shift the popular sound of music away from new wave and R&B back towards rock, which helped open the door to the grunge sensation of the early 1990s.
Through the early 1980s punk, dark wave, and other variations of heavier, guitar rock were shunted to the shadows of the music world. They had die-hard followings and subsided with a manageable level of sales and touring success, but few acts found chart success. In America, glam metal rode a wave from the mid-1980s onward which fused classic rock with pop and dressed it up in the make-up, clothes, and hair of the 1970s glam era. Glam metal achieved great commercial success with bands such as Quiet Riot, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, and Kiss enjoying huge hits while others such as Ratt, Whitesnake, Winger, and Night Ranger also had time in the sun. Though not generally respected among the indie and punk genres, the success of these rock bands helped re-assert rock as a commercially dominant genre in America.
The Cult in 1985. The look wasn’t grunge, but the sound did much to open doors for the generation of rockers that followed.
The Cult, formed in Bradford, England in 1981 as Southern Death Cult, had been evolving within the dark wave sounds of English rock, blending a new wave and pop sensibility into classic rock structures and laced with goth overtures in sound and look. It was the joining of singer Ian Astbury with guitarist, Billy Duffy (ex of Nosebleeds (with Morrissey) and Theatre of Hate) in 1983 to form the act, Death Cult, that the band’s sound started to round into a more distinguished form. In 1984, they shortened their name to The Cult and released their debut LP under that name, which featured a #1 hit on the UK indie charts, “Spiritwalker.” The album was a shift towards a purer form of rock than most other acts of the time, perhaps taking influence of the American trends.
The next album was Love in 1985 which brought in a ‘60s psych-rock feel to their sound, and the results were magical. Filled with hooks within a big, rock sound, the album was a sensation, driven by the UK top twenty singles, “She Sells Sanctuary” and “Rain.” It didn’t fare as well in the US, but in Toronto and across Canada, where I was fifteen and myself shifting away from the new wave era, the album was a top ten success and a big part of my life in 1985. The album’s meaty guitar chords started my journey towards guitar rock and classic rock in ways that the American glam rock acts would never do. In 1987, The Cult’s success continued with the Electric album and a more unabashed heavy rock sound with singles like, “Love Removal Machine,” “Lil Devil,” and “Wild Flower.”
“Cow Rock” \ Stop Spinning EP \ U-Men (1985)
U-Men
As these new, updated variants on the ‘70s rock sounds made their attacks on the charts in the UK and the US, in the American northwest a more raw, noisy brand of rock continued its evolution in the clubs and indie scene. In this vein there was U-Men, a Seattle band who were the first to be managed by Susan Silver, who would go on to handle the likes of Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, and Alice in Chains. Formed in 1981 by Tom Price (guitar), Charlie ‘Chaz’ Ryan (drums), and John Bigley (vocals), the band cycled through bassists over the next few years before Jim Tillman settled in for their debut, self-titled EP, released by Bombshelter Records in 1984.
Stop Spinning, this time via Homestead Records, was the band’s second EP, issued in 1985. It evolved their sound to a noisy, thrashier, less dark style than their debut and contributed to the Seattle scene’s distinctive brand of punk rock. “Cow Rock” captured the band’s blend of dark-tinged, slightly unhinged rock blended with a hooky, pop influence, a central element of grunge.
“Orange Airplane” \ Clairvoyance \ Screaming Trees (Feb 1986)
Travel southeast from Seattle into the Cascade mountains and you come to Ellensburg, Washington, a town of just over 10,000 people in 1985, which is when the band, Screaming Trees, came together. Brothers Gary and Van Conner joined with high school friends Mark Lanegan and Mark Pickerel through shared appreciation for, of course, punk and classic rock.
It’s interesting to note that punk originated out of a rejection of classic rock, and in particular the more grandiose forms such as progressive rock. But a few years on, in the same ways new wave got past the ‘disco sucks’ attitudes and came to embrace dance and R&B music to create an inventive mixture, rockers were looking for ways to move beyond the tight strictures of playing the same three chords in different combinations. It was an understandable evolution that bands would come to recognize the appealing elements of classic rock and find ways to incorporate the expressive and expansive elements of rock into punk.
Screaming Trees released an EP in early 1986, Other Worlds, quickly followed by their debut LP, Clairvoyance, in February. Both were issued by local indie label, Velvetone Records. The album drew more from the classic rock and psychedelic rock formats, with some edgy, punk elements along with some hooky, pop moments. “Orange Airplane” was the album’s lead track and creatively worked those combinations.
“I Don't Want to Know if You Are Lonely” \ Candy Apple Grey \ Hüsker Dü (Mar 1986)
The evolving mix of punk, post-punk, and rock were evolving predominantly in the northern states. Whether it was the long, dark winters, the economic factors stemming from the shift of manufacturing from the rust belt to the sun belt in the 1970s and ‘80s (along with the start of offshoring), but grunge and its antecedents seemed to almost exclusively evolve in northern climes.
Hüsker Dü: Greg Norton, Grant Hart, and Bob Mould
Hüsker Dü was the trio of Bob Mould, Grant Hart, and Greg Norton and hailed from St. Paul, Minnesota. The trio had first come together in another act as far back as 1979, and by 1986 were issuing their fourth and penultimate LP, Candy Apple Grey. Considered one of the more influential bands of the 1980s, the band had forged a unique brand within the American punk scene by blending more melodic strains into their frenzied, hardcore sound.
After building their reputation through releases via the Long Beach, CA indie label, SST Records, they signed to major, Warner Bros., in 1986 for Candy Apple Grey. The album continued the band’s evolution from hardcore to a fuller, more sophisticated alt-rock style. With the major label support they saw some chart action but couldn’t crack the top 100 in the US charts. The single, “I Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely,” just managed inside the top 100 in the UK. The band’s driving, guitar heavy sound was on its fullest display, giving up none of the punk energy while ripping through a catchy, melodic pop format. For artists already in the thrall of Hüsker Dü, it was further encouragement to move punk into more creative, broader realms.
“With Yo' Heart (Not Yo' Hands)” \ non-album single \ Malfunkshun (Mar 1986)
Bainbridge Island sits in Elliott Bay, directly adjacent to Seattle. It was from there that brothers Andrew and Kevin Wood formed the band, Malfunkshun, with Dave Hunt and Dave Rees in 1980. The later pair left the band and were replaced with Regan Hagar, leaving the act as a trio. The band employed alter egos, glam looks, and elements of performance art into their imaginative performances.
After a stint in rehab for Andrew, (did you really think drugs weren’t as much a part of this rock scene as any other?), Malfunkshun achieved its first release when the song, “With Yo’ Heart (Not Yo’ Hands),” was included in the Deep Six compilation album. It was released on March 21, 1986 by Seattle label, C/Z Records, and has come to be recognized as seminal moment for grunge’s evolution. It featured fourteen songs from six artists: Green River, Melvins, Malfunshun, Skin Yard, Soundgarden, and U-Men. C/Z was created by engineer/producer Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale and Deep Six was the label’s first release. The compilation’s success prompted them to sell the label to Daniel House of Skin Yard, who carried it forward as a consistent outlet for many indie bands over the following years, especially for grunge acts.
Andrew Wood and Malfunkshun, with a glam spin on the early grunge sound
Malfunkshun never got far off the ground, failing to generate sufficient fan and label interest. Only a couple more songs were released via another compilation in 1989, which by then they’d already disbanded. In 1995, all their recordings finally saw the light of day via the album, Return to Olympus. “With Yo’ Heart (Not Yo’ Hands)” (the version on this playlist is from the Return to Olympus album and not the version from Deep Six) displayed the band’s heavy sound, channeling the sounds of ‘70s metal into a modern rock sound. The slower, undulating rhythm of the song was a consummate grunge feel.
“Reptile” \ Skin Yard \ Skin Yard (Jan 1987)
Deep Six accelerated interest in the acts that appeared on it and brought attention to bands throughout the Pacific Northwest. Skin Yard was one of those acts from the compilation that benefited from its success. C/Z released their debut LP in early ’87, a self-titled LP that was accompanied by a non-album single, “Bleed.” In those early days of grunge, none of the acts were generating commercial success and the scene remained primarily a local phenomenon.
Formed by in 1985 by Daniel House and Jack Endino, the band was rounded out by Matt Cameron and Ben McMillan. Cameron left shortly after the album’s release to join Soundgarden. The album was not as raw, distorted, or heavy as most other grunge releases. Skin Yard wasn’t a clean fit for the classic rock or punk veins of grunge but employed an indie rock sound that nonetheless employed many of the typical tempo changes, dramatic turns, pop hooks, and wailing or harmonized vocals that would become staples of grunge. “Reptile” was the lead track from the debut LP and revealed these dynamics.
“Hunted Down” \ Screaming Life EP \ Soundgarden (Jun 1987)
Grunge is often explored primarily through its principal acts, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, who were all Washington state based and the most successful of the grunge genre. In June 1987 there was the arrival of the first of these acts when Soundgarden had its first release with the single, “Hunted Down.”
Soundgarden’s started with singer Chris Cornell and bassist, Hiro Yamamoto, who had been in a Seattle band together, Shemps. Hiro left the band and was replaced by Kim Thayil, who had moved to Seattle along with Hiro and Bruce Pavitt, the soon to be founder of label, Sub Pop. When Shemps split up, Cornell, Thayil, and Yamamoto came together in 1984 to form Soundgarden, a name drawn from a local sculpture, A Sound Garden. Scott Sundquist came on as the drummer (relieving Cornell, who had been doing double duty with the vocals) and it was this initial quartet that recorded the three songs that appeared on the Deep Six compilation in 1986, making those the first available recordings from the band. Susan Silver, who we met previously as the manager of Screaming Trees, was Cornell’s girlfriend at the time and also became Soundgarden’s manager (they were married in 1990, had a daughter in 2000, and divorced in 2004).. By the end of ’86 Sundquist had left the band and was replaced on drums by Matt Cameron from Skin Yard.
Cities that have had great local music scenes, especially in the modern rock genres, usually have one or two excellent radio stations, and Seattle was no exception. KCMU was a station formed by students at the University of Washington in 1972, evolving from a campus radio station to a public broadcasting station in 1981. The station was revered for its DJ controlled content that gave exposure to a plethora of progressive rock, new wave, punk, and indie rock acts. With the as yet unnamed grunge scene growing on their doorstep, the station was a natural outlet for those bands. In 2001, the station changed its call letters to KEXP and continues to be one of the leading alternative music stations in North America, now noted for its excellent live, studio recordings of bands.
Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt
Jonathan Poneman was a DJ at KCMU who became a fan of Soundgarden after seeing them perform. Offering to fund their recording, Thayil connected Poneman to his friend, Bruce Pavitt, who was trying to get a label, Sub Pop Records, off the ground. The name came from a fanzine Pavitt had run in the early ‘80s while attending the renowned Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, a liberal arts college known for its non-traditional teaching methods and encouragement of the arts. The school was a breeding ground for the art scene in the Pacific Northwest. Bruce’s fanzine was first titled, Subterranean Pop, but was shortened after the first few issues. In July 1986 Pavitt had issued a compilation album, Sub Pop 100, which included the likes of Steve Albini, Wipers, Sonic Youth, U-Men, Skinny Puppy from Canada, and Shonen Knife from Japan. He then brought on Green River as Sub Pop’s first signed act, but lacked the funds to release their sophomore EP, Dry as A Bone. When Jonathan Poneman offered Pavitt $20,000 to release Soundgarden’s music, it gave Sub Pop a needed financial lift.
The Screaming Life EP
The first Soundgarden release on Sub Pop was the single, “Hunted Down,” in June 1987 and was included on the following EP in October, Screaming Life. The single and EP already contained the elements that would lift Soundgarden above the fray of the local, indie grunge sound. First and foremost, the band had the outsized talent of Cornell, one of the most powerful, pure voices in rock music. His ability to range from subtler, melodic sequences to wails that would make any classic rock act jealous, allowed Soundgarden to ably explore the punk and hard rock dualities of quintessential grunge. Thayil also drove the sound with crunchy guitars alternating with searing solos to underpin Cornell’s vocals. Tending to lean more to the classic rock side of grunge, Soundgarden’s style was already evident in that first single, “Hunted Down,” with its driving, droning, heaving rhythms.
“Echo Head/Don't Piece Me” \ Gluey Porch Treatments \ Melvins (1987)
The band, Melvins, originated in 1983 out of Montesano, WA, a community southwest of Seattle and on the highway between Olympia and the coastal town of Aberdeen. The trio of Roger ‘Buzz’ Osborne (later to be known as King Buzzo), Mike Dillard, and Matt Lukin went to high school together and named the band after an unliked supervisor Osborne had at his job. After Dillard left and was replaced by Dale Crover, the band started working out Crover’s hometown of Aberdeen.
Melvins: Matt Lukin, ‘Buzz’ Osborne, and Dale Crover
Melvins first release was an EP, Six Songs, in February 1986 on C/Z Records. Later releases were dubbed Ten Songs and Eight Songs per their track listings, though now is generally referred to as the album, Melvins (or Melvins!). They received a lift through their inclusion that spring on the Deep Six album. In 1987, the first LP, Gluey Porch Treatments, was issued via San Francisco indie label, Alchemy Records.
Melvins’ distinction was their slower, dirge-like sound and the greater employment of moody, distorted effects than their grunge peers. “Echo Head/Don’t Piece Me” was the album’s second track and one of the peppier offerings from the band. Again, the dark, sludgy take on punk sprinkled with classic rock guitar riffs and growling vocals helped consummate the grunge template.
In 1984, Ronald Reagan was re-elected in a landslide in the US, repeating the success Margaret Thatcher had achieved the year before in the UK. Their conservatism promoted an emphasis on individual agency and a lack of dependence on government, seeking to reduce the spending and, in their eyes, reliance that many had on government support programs. The early ‘80s had experienced one of the deepest recessions since the depression and they succeeded in convincing voters it was too much government that had rendered the economy unproductive, leaving families having to live with less thanks to high taxes and inflation. By the mid-‘80s things were rolling again and the era of gloss, glitz, and ‘greed is good’ took over, showing up in music and fashion through a pop heyday, glam rock, danceable synth music, and the celebration of colour and coiffured style and in both clothing and hair.
On October 19, 1987, the stock market collapsed, adding pain to what had been developing through a collapse in the Savings and Loan industry starting in 1986 which led to the failure of hundreds of local savings institutions and banks over the next several years. The economy began a slowdown over the next couple of years that culminated in a recession starting in July 1990. George H. W. Bush was elected in November 1988, carrying on the conservative policies of Reagan. These events were fodder for the disaffected youth of America, whether living in homogenous suburbs or declining cities rife with crack addiction, towards a wider sense of antipathy or ambivalence to the broader, materialistic, every-man-for-himself views of the decade. Despite being the first generation not to deal with civil unrest, having enjoyed the rise of home video games and computing, and higher rates of education, the sense that things weren’t getting better for them led many late ‘80s teens to approach life with a sense of cynicism. This led to media questioning the commitment and ambition of this generation of youth, labelling them slackers in 1990 and further popularized in Richard Linklater’s 1991 film of the same name.
In 1987, an article appeared in Vancouver Magazine entitled, Generation X, in which the author, Douglas Coupland, discussed the trials and tribulations of his generation. It sparked an interest that led to his 1991 novel, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, and became the popularly adopted nickname for the generation born roughly between 1965 and 1980. Therefore, in the late ‘80s it was that generation that was embracing the likes of grunge. Gen X was a cohort wedged between the Baby Boomers and their children, also marked a period of lower birth rates and leaving it competing adversely between its two larger bookends. Gen Xers came of age during the rise of dual income families and the advent of the latchkey kid, in which thousands of young people spent their after-school time alone, before their parents’ arrival home from work. They watched MTV, fed themselves, learned to be self-sufficient and, for many during a period (or the start?) of crass materialism, became duly unimpressed with the world. For some, the salve was hardcore punk, for others it was the early forays into hip hop, while another group embraced the less prevalent forms of heavy metal – all of which had an air of rebelliousness in their purpose.
Thus, grunge was a significant cultural event and one of the most prominent to be driven by Gen X. The sense of cynicism and a casualness towards its art and expression marked many aspects of grunge. The lack of artifice and a celebration of the raw, less polished styles of music was a direct rejection of new wave, pop, and glam metal, and a move towards the promotion of the more earnest, meaningful, and impactful currents of hardcore punk. The music’s prevalent darkness in its lyrics and tones displayed the attitudes and moods of its practitioners.
“Break My Body” \ Surfer Rosa \ Pixies (Mar 1988)
The Pixies: Joey Santiago, Black Francis, Kim Deal, and David Lovering
Pixies were another iconic band that didn’t fit cleanly into the grunge mold but whose influence on grunge warrants mention in any grunge study. The quartet, originally out of Amherst but established through the Boston music scene, was comprised of Black Francis, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal, and David Lovering. They made their recording debut with the local success of an indie cassette, known as Purple Tape due to its cover colour. It led to a signing with UK label, 4AD, who released in September 1987 an EP, Come on Pilgrim, that was a selection of tracks from the cassette.
Surfer Rosa was the Pixies’ first album, released in March 1988 and produced by Steve Albini. Born in Pasadena, Albini had moved around the US with his family, settling into the Chicago area after high school to attend journalism school. He had been a member of several punk acts through the early ‘80s (recall his appearance on the Sub Pop 100 compilation) and continued to participate in bands as his career in the studio behind the music evolved. Aside from his work with Chicago act, Urge Overkill, his handling of the Pixies album was one of the first notable releases of his engineering/producing career, starting him on a journey that would see him helm many (estimated over 1,000) notable alternative rock releases, including those of many grunge acts.
Not unlike many debut releases of game changing bands, the Pixies first LP didn’t catch on commercially but has become recognized as an influential and compelling work of the time. Mixing noisy, chaotic tracks with subtler, moving tracks, the album was a fun ride from start to finish. The band’s tight playing and irreverent approach led to much creativity and variety. More than most, they had a penchant for quick tempo changes, often abruptly stopping or launching their songs through quick sequences and the use of pregnant pauses. It was a technique that would influence the grunge sound, being a perfect technique for marrying punk and classic rock rhythms. While “Gigantic” was the single and standout song from Surfer Rosa, “Break My Body,” the album’s second track, better represented the type of Pixies’ sound – mixing a pop vibe into a noisy, raw feel – that linked them to the grunge movement on the opposite coast.
Pixies would evolve and refine their sound, becoming a little less grungy but no less noisy, frenetic, and creative. Their following three, stellar LPs between 1989 and 1991 made them one of the most respected and successful acts of the alternative rock heyday.
“Forever Means” \ Rehab Doll \ Green River (Jun 1988)
Since Green River’s debut in 1985, retroactively recognized as the first grunge release, the band’s profile had continued to grow in the local scene and even a bit nationally thanks to a 1985 tour. Their inclusion in the Deep Six album also bolstered their following. In 1986, they recorded the EP, Dry as A Bone, with Sub Pop, but Bruce Pavitt couldn’t pull the funding together to release it until after the cash injection from Jonathan Poneman. Dry as A Bone was issued in July 1987.
In the Sub Pop catalogue Pavitt referred to Green River’s sound on Dry as A Bone as “ultra-loose grunge,” drawing on an expression that had been used to refer to garage rock and lesser polished music since the 1960s. Use of the term drew on its more general meaning as someone or something that was dirty. It was the first known use of the adjective to refer to the emerging music of the Seattle area, but wouldn’t yet become the standard term of reference. Sub Pop itself more commonly used the reference, ‘Seattle Sound,’ to describe the music scene they were promoting.
Rehab Doll LP
Green River finally got to release a full LP in June 1988 on Sub Pop. Pavitt and Poneman had quit their jobs to focus on the label full time, with Pavitt focusing on the music and Poneman on the business. Meanwhile, Green River was experiencing the opposite problem, in which instead of coming together, the band was diverging both musically and on the approach the band was taking to its career. Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard wanted to continue to evolve the band along a rock feel with a view to a major label signing. Mark Arm wanted to stay with the punkier, indie approach of the band. In October 1987, Ament, Gossard, and guitarist Bruce Fairweather decided to depart. Therefore, despite continuing to finish the recording of the album into January 1988, the band was already dead on arrival. Therefore, the album, Rehab Doll, would be Green River’s only LP.
Rehab Doll included re-recorded versions of previously released songs. “Swallow My Pride” had been on the debut EP, Come on Down, and “Together We’ll Never” had been issued as a single during the period waiting to release Dry as A Bone. “Forever Means” was the album’s lead track and exemplified the band’s punk side with a quick tempo and raw vocals from Arm; however, the guitar riffs revealed the hard rock vibe from guitarists Gossard and Fairweather. Curiously, the album included a credit to Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, as an additional musician offering ‘sonic groan.’
“Mountain Song” \ Nothing's Shocking \ Jane's Addiction (Aug 1988)
One of the challenges in defining the borders of grunge was that concurrent to its ascension was the growth in a broad variety of guitar-driven indie rock. We already noted the commercial dominance in America of the glam metal acts, while punk and heavy metal continued unabated, benefitting from the embrace of guitar rock from more listeners. The increased use of guitar with electronics was causing a healthy rise in dark wave variants such as goth and industrial metal. Power pop also increased as bands pushed the guitar back to the fore while sticking to the catchy, melodic feel that had been championed by new wave and R&B through the early ‘80s.
Jane’s Addiction was another act that had a strong, loyal following and achieved great success with a unique brand of rock that was hard to define or pigeon-hole into a particular category. Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, the band was blessed by the talents of singer Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro. The band’s ardent following in the LA music scene led to major label signing with Warner.
The debut LP was 1988’s Nothing’s Shocking. Perhaps not being of the northern persuasion and coming from the glam metal capital of the world, Jane’s Addiction’s sound was drawn from the layered, drawn out stylings of metal. However, with influences drawn from the post-punk period, the band blended acoustic ballads, echoey, dreamy vocals, and edgy, punky guitar sequences in between the wailing, classic rock passages. While the album didn’t chart highly, the wonderful single, “Jane Says,” got the band top ten attention on the fledgling Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1988. “Mountain Song” was the strongest entry of their outsized, epic rock feel. So, while not a grunge styled band, the attention Jane’s Addiction brought to their sound via a major label and some chart success helped paved the way for the interest in grunge.
“Touch Me I'm Sick” \ Superfuzz Bigmouth EP \ Mudhoney (Oct 1988)
“Touch Me I’m Sick” was the first smash of the grunge era. Of course, such assertions are always subjective and the song and EP, Superfuzz Bigmouth, didn’t see any commercial or chart success (it was a hit on college radio), but was an undeniable breakthrough for the grunge sound. Fuzzy, catchy, high in energy and with a propulsive, hypnotic rhythm, the song distilled the grunge sound into its best incarnation yet.
After Green River’s demise in late ’87 (though recording and release of their album continued well into ’88), Mark Arm reunited with Steve Turner, who had left Green River after the first EP due to dislike of the band’s evolving rock sound. Arm and Turner had been in bands together since their high school days, and the pair came together to set their sights back on a rawer punk sound. They brought on Dan Peters on drums, who had been working in the pre-grunge scene since the early ‘80s, and Matt Lukin on bass after he’d left the Melvins. They named themselves Mudhoney after a Russ Meyer film and were able to quickly record and released the EP, Superfuzz Bigmuff, through Sub Pop.
The problem grunge was having to that point, despite growing attention and appreciation for its vibe, was that it was very raw, chaotic, and as often as not, poorly played, produced, and recorded. There just wasn’t going to be a broad audience for this sound, which for many of its participants was likely okay since it was, by design, intended to be caustic and challenging. Like punk’s early days, there was a growing sea of bands and releases inspired by the sound and they were finding their way, experimenting, learning their craft, and every so often, catching the brass ring with an exemplary tune or two. Yet, no band had separated themselves from the fray by finding a more accessible, consistent, and high-quality release that could catapult interest beyond the local following. Superfuzz Bigmuff, and in particular “Touch Me I’m Sick,” were signs such a breakthrough might be possible.
“Silver Rocket” \ Daydream Nation \ Sonic Youth (Oct 1988)
Sonic Youth has already appeared in Ceremony profiles as contributors to shoegaze, Women in Modern Rock, and Dark Wave. Yes, here they are again making their imprint on yet another category of modern rock; it’s no understatement to say this band was very influential. The evolving nature of the band’s sound resulted in them never fitting very tightly into any one genre, which is why they helped sway so many different strains of modern rock, but for grunge they weren’t just helpers in launching the sound, they continued to drive its success over the following years.
In 1988, the New York band was on its fifth album, Daydream Nation, and was in an ongoing process of shifting out of the distortion heavy, droning styles of their native city’s no wave movement. Led by husband-and-wife team, Thurston Moore (vocals/guitar) and Kim Gordon (vocals/bass) and propelled by the drums of Steve Shelly and the guitar of Lee Ranaldo, Sonic Youth wasn’t yet a breakthrough commercial success. They had issued their releases through indie labels that had included Homestead and SST Records, but their reputation was national and as their sound became more accessible, music press and indie music fans were rallying to their cause.
Sonic Youth in 1986: Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelly, and Kim Gordon
Daydream Nation was released by Enigma Records, another California indie like SST. Enigma distributed through the major, Capitol/EMI, and was having some success with glam rock acts like Poison and Stryper (a Christian Rock act) and indie rock acts such as The Smithereens from New Jersey. While Daydream Nation didn’t achieve a commercial break for Sonic Youth, was a critical success and had strong appeal to a broader indie following.
The album’s single, “Teen Age Riot,” reached the top twenty on the US alternative rock chart while “Silver Rocket” was the second single. That second single was an example of how the band’s brand of tight, noisy rock was evolving to more accessible and compelling structures. It didn’t bring Sonic Youth cleanly into the grunge fold, but it certainly had a foot in it and continued to expand the appetite for such music.
“Freak Scene” \ Bug \ Dinosaur Jr. (Oct 1988)
Like the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr. were another Massachusetts band out of Amherst. And like Sonic Youth, Pixies, and Jane’s Addiction, were more grunge adjacent than pure grunge but influential in growing the indie rock movement that buoyed the upcoming grunge tidal wave. Dinosaur Jr. was one of my most listened to acts during the era and it’s hard for me to separate them from the rest of the scene in my mind.
Joseph Mascis (vocals/guitar), known professionally as J Mascis, teamed with ex-bandmate Lou Barlow (bass) in 1984 after they’d been in a hardcore punk act together in high school. Mascis had been exposed to ‘70s rock such as Black Sabbath and Neil Young by friend Gerard Cosloy, who founded Homestead Records which went on to release the likes of Green River, U-Men, and Sonic Youth. After a brief stint under the name, Mogo, and with a line-up that added Charlie Nakajima on vocals and Emmett ‘Murph’ Murphy on drums, Nakajima was dropped and the remaining trio continued on as Dinosaur.
The first release was a self-titled album in 1985 on Homestead. It mixed Mascis’ influences of punk with ‘70s hard rock and country rock delivered through an unvarnished, feedback strewn sound. At this point the vocals were primarily being handled by Barlow with Mascis singing only a few of the tracks. The band’s profile received a boost when selected by Sonic Youth to open for their Fall 1986 tour.
Dinosaur Jr: J Mascis, Murph, and Lou Barlow
The next release was the 1987 album You’re Living All Over Me, which evolved their jangly, off-kilter brand of indie rock, and this time was issued by SST Records. The B-side to the album’s single, “Little Fury Things,” showed the band had a penchant for great covers with their take on Peter Frampton’s, “Show Me the Way.”
After a lawsuit by another, more established band called Dinosaur, the trio added the ‘Jr.’ to their name (it would also be added to their prior releases for re-issues) for the release of the third LP, Bug, in 1988. It was on this album their sound started to coalesce into a more attractive, engaging sound, none more so evident than on the album’s lead track and single, “Freak Scene.” If Dinosaur Jr. doesn’t come across as grunge on much of their music, “Freak Scene” was one example in which the band scored squarely inside the genre’s goal posts. With Mascis’ nasally drawl on vocals, his slacker delivery and the songs mix of jangly guitars with caustic, feedback littered breaks exhibited all the elements of the grunge formula. Blessed with a catchy, driving rhythm the song was as if Neil Young had reincarnated himself as a punk. The song got the band its first taste of success, reaching #4 in the UK indie chart while Bug reached #1 on the UK Indie album chart.
“Waiting Room” \ Fugazi EP \ Fugazi (Nov 1988)
Thus far in the playlist we’ve seen grunge evolving out of new bands influenced by the punks of the early ‘80s. While many of the participants had been in punk bands during that era, they were just formative acts that hadn’t made a mark. But what of the original punk acts? Were they in turn being drawn to this new, more expansive sound? Generally, the answer would be no, the 1980s punk bands continued to stick with their core punk sound, but of course there were exceptions. Henry Rollins from Black Flag, itself very influential in the west coast music scene, would move to a different sound with Rollins Band which was part punk, part hard rock, but lacked the elements of grunge to land him in the category. Another, more fitting example of a punker going grunge was Ian MacKaye.
MacKaye was the singer in the highly respected and influential Washington, D.C. punk band, Minor Threat, which broke up in 1983. Though they only released three EPs and one LP, the album Out of Step was regarded as a classic, helping evolve the hardcore punk sound and influencing the broader indie rock scene. Always an independent spirit (he was noted for his ‘straight edge’ lifestyle which stayed clear of alcohol and drugs), MacKaye was looking to explore a sound that melded older rock styles such as psychedelic rock and reggae into his punk music. By late ’87 he’d pulled together a trio with Joe Lally (bass) and Brendan Canty (drums) and named it Fugazi after a Vietnam acronym. In early ’88 guitarist and vocalist Guy Picciotto also joined.
Fugazi’s Seven Songs EP
The band’s debut release was a self-titled EP in November 1988 on the label, Dischord, which MacKaye and fellow Minor Threat bandmate Jeff Nelson had formed in 1980. Similar to Melvin’s first EP, the release was also referred to as 7 Songs in the absence of a clear title. If it’s noticeable that the quality of the releases over the past few entries in this playlist are getting better, this release was no exception in raising the bar. It was a fantastic album, defying categorization in its mix of a broader punk sound and alt-indie feel.
The lead track, “Waiting Room,” would become the band’s best-known song and provided another giant of a song into the grunge era. Due to MacKaye’s history and the absence of a grunge title to the scene of the time, many were as likely, even today, to just label this as punk and separate it from grunge. But its pacing and tempo changes, broader sound, mix of older influences such as reggae rhythms, and call and response vocal styles all tied it to the trends of the Northwest. Throughout the release, the EP’s sounds were mostly indistinguishable from grunge.
“Big Cheese” \ B-side to "Love Buzz" \ Nirvana (Nov 1988)
Unquestionably, the act most synonymous with grunge is Nirvana. They are the most commercially successful, notorious, storied, tragic, and documented band of the era and was responsible for making grunge the juggernaut it became. In 1988, this was not obvious, most in particular to the band themselves.
Singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic attended high school together in the coastal town of Aberdeen, WA and came together as friends and fans of the Melvins. The pair started out as a CCR tribute band, giving first notice of the deep, historical rock roots of their sound. Over 1987 and early ’88 they cycled through a few drummers as they named themselves Nirvana as a juxtaposition to the raw, noisy, original music they were starting to develop, drawing from Kurt’s prior work under the title Fecal Matter. After Kurt and Krist moved to Olympia, they finally settled in with Chad Channing on drums in the spring of ’88 as they continued to play around Washington state.
Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman were continuing to build the Sub Pop brand, now having had some small success thanks to the releases by Soundgarden, Green River, and Mudhoney. The duo employed the risky strategy of spurring demand by suppressing the supply of releases. This had worked well with “Touch Me I’m Sick,” in which the first pressing was only 800 copies. They also studied the methods of other successful indie labels and noticed most were built via a strong regional presence. They decided that, with the strength of the music scene across the Pacific Northwest, this would be a workable strategy and they set about scooping up unsigned bands from the area, including Nirvana.
Nirvana’s “Love Buzz” b/w “Big Cheese” single
Sub Pop also initiated a singles club, a service that delivered a single each month to subscribers which had the dual benefit of providing some stable revenue while also getting the music into listeners hands without having to wait for buyers to find it. Nirvana’s first release was a single issued as part of the club in November 1988. Limited to a pressing of 1,200 copies it was a cover of a 1969 song, “Love Buzz,” by Dutch band, Shocking Blue. Nirvana would prove to be a phenomenal band with cover songs, an aspect not widely recognized amongst the popularity of their original music.
Preferring to focus on original music in this playlist, the B-side to “Love Buzz” is our focus here. “Big Cheese” was not only Nirvana’s first original song on offer, thanks to the band’s consistent quality it was no slouch of a song and ably showed what was coming from this band. Cobain’s influences have been widely documented, from the classic rock influences of CCR and David Bowie to the power pop of Japan’s Shonen Knife to the sparse, jangle rock of Scotland’s, The Vaselines, to the local influences of friends, the Melvins. Kurt had an extraordinary ability to merge these influences into a fuzzy, pop-infused, punk-edged result.
“Bite the Wax Tadpole” \ L7 \ L7 (1988)
Grunge was no different than almost all other rock genres – especially among the more aggressive forms – in that it was male dominated. So far in this list of twenty-two songs, we’ve come across just two women, Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth and Kim Deal from the Pixies. This changes with the arrival of L7, an all-female band from Los Angeles. Not only did they bring a welcome dose of estrogen into the grunge mix, they contributed to a later wave of acts that that mixed punk, grunge, heavy metal, and indie rock into a feminist movement that become known as Riot grrrl.
L7’s debut LP
Donita Sparks (vocals/guitar) and Suzi Gardner (guitar/vocals) came together in the LA community of Echo Park in 1985, drawn together by mutual appreciation for both punk and heavy metal (notice that trend?). After adding Jennifer Finch on bass and Ray Koutsky on drums, they landed with Epitaph Records and recorded their self-titled debut LP in 1987. Koutsky would be replaced by Ann Anderson on drums by the time the album was released in 1988, making the band all-female from that point onward.
The heavy guitars, fluid rhythms, and screaming vocals lent L7 to any categories of punk, metal, or what would become grunge. The album featured no singles and didn’t make much of an impression, but set the band on their way, most importantly into series of shows along the west coast. “Bite the Wax Tadpole,” a name drawn from a Mandarin transliteration of ‘Coca-Cola,’ was the album’s lead track and a good example of the band’s high-paced mix of punk and metal.
“Bad Little Woman” \ Compilation: Dope-Guns-'N-Fucking in The Streets Volume One \ U-Men (1988)
We were introduced to U-Men via their sophomore release in 1985, the Stop Spinning EP. Since then, they had received help from appearances on the notable compilations Deep Six and Sub Pop 100 in 1986. In 1987, Black Label Records issued a single by the band, “Solid Action,” after which bassist Jim Tillman left to be replaced by Tony ‘Tone Deaf’ Ransom. That line-up issued U-Men’s only LP, Step on A Bug, also on Black Label.
Tom Price and Chaz Ryan then departed to join the band, Catt Butt, but returned shortly after when Tom Hazelmyer, founder of the Amphetamine Reptile label, agreed to join U-Men on bass. Thus, in 1988 they were again on a compilation release, the first in Amphetamine Reptile’s series, Dope-Guns-‘N’-Fucking In the Streets. The song was “Bad Little Woman” and was a wonderful example of a minor strain of grunge that drew on old country and blues, producing a twisted form of punk-rockabilly.
One more single would follow on Amphetamine, “Freezebomb,” before the band would call it quits as Hazelmyer sought to focus on his label. No doubt the band’s lack of commercial and audience traction also contributed to the band grinding to a halt. Two compilations have been made pulling together U-Men’s various releases, Solid Action in 1999 and U-Men in 2017 on Sub Pop. There are quite a few interesting tracks to check out by U-Men, one of the earliest and most intriguing of grunge’s formative period.
“Behemoth” \ God's Balls \ Tad (Mar 1989)
Thomas ‘Tad’ Doyle was a vocalist/guitarist from Seattle who formed this band in 1988 by recruiting bassist Kurt Danielson from the band, Bundle of Hiss, Steve Wied, ex- of Skin Yard, and guitarist Gary Thorstensen. They issued their debut LP, God’s Balls, in March 1989 on Sub Pop. The album was produced by Jack Endino, who was becoming the de facto in-house producer for Sub Pop and had already produced his band, Skin Yard, along with Green River, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and Nirvana.
Tad’s sound, fully evident in the album’s lead track, “Behemoth,” was a consummate grunge sound of crunchy guitars, pounding drums, and propellent rhythms. Tad’s vocals were rough and aggressive to match the raw music.
“Windows” \ Buzz Factory \ Screaming Trees (Apr 1989)
After their debut LP, Clairvoyance, in 1986 on Velvetone Records, Screaming Trees moved to SST for their next three LPs: 1987’s Everything If and Especially When, 1988’s Invisible Lantern, and in 1989, Buzz Factory. Despite constant touring and the greater promotional power of SST, the band remained off the charts and with limited commercial success. The original line-up of Lanegan, Pickerel and the Conner brothers was intact.
The band had interesting phrasing, which Mark Lanegan’s vocals delivered in appealing turns against the band’s driving rhythms. If there was anything lacking, it was the music was too generic, failing to set the songs apart from one another nor the band from the broader rock landscape. The songs were solid and enjoyable, but they hadn’t found the key to lift things to the next level. This was evident in the song, “Windows,” from the Buzz Factory album, produced by Jack Endino. It was a good song and all of the band’s elements were there, but like so many grunge songs, it needed an extra spark. They were, however, one of the leading issuers of grunge music by that point.
A consummate grunge photo. Screaming Trees in 1989: Mark Lanegan, Van Conner, Mark Pickerel, and Gary Lee Conner
“Promises” \ Margin Walker EP \ Fugazi (Jun 1989)
Fugazi was back also in 1989 with their first LP, Repeater, issued in April, followed by their second EP, Margin Walker, in June. The band’s first two EPs were also combined on the release, 13 Songs, in 1989 which is a must have for any fan of grunge. “Promises” was from that second EP and was another stellar song that employed the band’s large sound structured around the tight riffs and sharp tempo changes, with a slick groove to finish. Like their first EP, it continued the promise of grunge to elevate the listening experience through its smart composition and mix of hook-filled melodies and addictive rhythms.
“School” \ Bleach \ Nirvana (Jun 1989)
After the literal buzz created by their first single, “Love Buzz,” in the fall of ’88, Nirvana issued their debut LP, Bleach, in the summer of 1989. As with so many other Sub Pop releases, it was produced by Jack Endino. The intent going into the studio was to produce an EP, but the band had written and rehearsed so many quality songs that they recorded them all over multiple sessions in late ’88 and early ‘89. Three songs recorded prior with drummer Dale Crover were maintained but remixed, while the rest were recorded with Chad Channing on the skins. As Sub Pop was still running on thin margins, grunge was yet to break out into broader success, and the label’s stable of bands were, by design, mostly known only in the Seattle region. The label was lacking the funds to promote a full album and Bleach’s release was delayed from the spring to summer.
Sub Pop also lacked the funds to cover Endino’s costs given the length of the recording sessions, so Jason Everman, a fan of the band’s and a guitarist that had played with several local acts, offered funds in return for sitting in on the sessions. He ended up being credited as a player on the album and his picture was on the album cover, but his playing did not end up in any of the finished product.
Bleach, including brief Nirvana member Jason Everman on the cover (right)
Bleach is now regarded as a classic album, probably the first such entry into the grunge genre. It was a fantastic collection of tunes displaying the band’s special talent for producing intoxicating, dark, thundering pop songs. “School” was the album’s fourth track and just one its many excellent examples. The band’s soon to be signature heaviness, catchy turns, dark moods, and thrilling tempo changes were all there. In addition to that track and the single, “Love Buzz,” the album also offered “Blew” (the second single), “About A Girl,” “Negative Creep,” and the closer, “Sifting,” songs that were immediately among the best of the grunge library.
Despite its quality, the album did not sell well but was received favourably by critics. It became a hit on college radio as Nirvana started touring for the first time outside Washington state. They covered most of the US through 1989 and also made their way through Europe, with loops through Germany, The Netherlands, and England. Sub Pop was keen to see their local scene go international, even though it hadn’t even spread across the US, and in March 1989 had brought Melody Maker journalist, Everett True, to Seattle to cover the scene. As anticipated by the label, the exposure helped pave the way for a grunge wave in the UK and for tours by Nirvana, Tad, and Mudhoney in the fall.
“Hands All Over” \ Louder than Love \ Soundgarden (Sep 1989)
After their debut single and EP over the latter half of 1987, Soundgarden released a second EP, Fopp, in August of 1988. Their debut album, Ultramega OK, was issued on Halloween 1988 through SST Records and was followed by a tour of the US and Europe in 1989. The album generated greater interest in the band though didn’t find its way onto the charts.
After having held off interest from major labels when they made the move to SST, Soundgarden made the jump for their next LP, signing with A&M Records. Thus, they were the first grunge band to sign to a major, which naturally brought some dismay to their indie-oriented following. More than any other grunge act to that point, Soundgarden was dwelling sonically in the hard rock and heavy metal regions, with comparisons drawn a much to the likes of Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath than punk acts, but their strong connection to the Washington state indie scene anchored their reputation as a modern rock act.
Louder than Love - grunge acts like to put action shots from their shows on their album covers
Soundgarden thus put out the first major label grunge release in September 1989 with the album, Louder than Love. It was also the first of the genre to get some national chart exposure, reaching #108 in the US album chart, while both singles, “Loud Love” and “Hands All Over,” got just inside the UK top 100 singles chart. Produced by the band and heavy metal specialist, Terry Date, the album sounded better than anything yet to come out of the indie based grunge genre. Given their penchant for big songs and Chris Cornell’s powerful vocals, it helped Soundgarden reach the next level. More so, it showed that grunge didn’t have to be a lo-fi, muddled mix of guitar and bass but could soar and still deliver attitude along with more polished, slick sounds.
Not everything on the album clicked, revealing Soundgarden’s sophomore effort as a band still figuring things out, but it delivered enough to make the album noteworthy. “Loud Love” was a fantastic, mid-tempo grinder that showed how fantastic classic rock, metal, and punk edginess could come together seamlessly. “Hands All Over” gave the band, and grunge, its first true anthem. Leveraging a slow build the song exploded into meaty chords, thundering beats, and eventually Cornell’s outsized vocals riding an off-beat rhythm and melodic hooks. Louder than Love added another major plank to the bridge than was growing between the Northwest music scene and the national consciousness.
“Between the Eyes” \ Between the Eyes \ Love Battery (Oct 1989)
Any band that named itself after a Buzzcocks song was going to endear itself to me, and once I discovered them, Love Battery became one of my favourite grunge bands. They were a Seattle act formed in 1989 out of two ex-members of the band, Crisis Party, guitarist Kevin Whitworth and bassist Tommy ‘Bonehead’ Simpson. They joined with vocalist Ron ‘Nine’ Rudzitis from psych rock act, Room Nine, and Mudhoney’s drummer, Dan Peters, who left before their first recording, replaced by Jason Finn from Skin Yard.
Love Battery set themselves apart from their grunge peers by embracing pink as a favoured album cover
Sub Pop issued Love Battery’s first single, “Between the Eyes,” in October 1989. It was produced, of course, by Jack Endino. Though they would never be a commercial success, the band’s music was as catchy, grungy, and simply fantastic as anything else released during the era. “Between the Eyes” featured a psychedelic vibe with its reverb guitar riff but the tempo, lo-fi feel, vocals, and pounding drums, made the song as grungy it came.
Love Battery added to the stable of compelling acts being nurtured by Sub Pop and promoted as part of the ‘Seattle sound,’ a clever marketing ploy by the label to bring attention and status to the Pacific Northwest. Little did they know how well this would play when the world came calling.
“Attacked by Monsters” \ Monsters \ Meat Puppets (Oct 1989)
Formed in 1980, by 1989 the Meat Puppets, from Phoenix, Arizona, were an established act. Monsters was their sixth LP (in addition to two EPs), all released on SST Records. A trio comprised of brothers, Curt and Cris Kirkwood, and drummer Derrick Bostrum, the band had established a niche following with their blend of punk, country, folk-rock, and increasingly melodic indie rock. They were one of the few punk acts of the early ‘80s to evolve to different styles and, as the wave of stripped-down rock bands starting to ascend through the last months of the decade, the Meat Puppets were poised to join in. Though the single was the LP’s second track, “Light,” a truly lighter, pop-styled song, it was the first track, “Attacked by Monsters,” that showed the band blending their rock sound into a tougher mold, drawing on the looser, growling sound of the grunge guitars.
Meat Puppets would release their next LP in 1991 on London Records, making the jump to the sub of a major label, Polygram. Thanks to Kurt Cobain being a fan of theirs going back to their hardcore days, the Kirkwood brothers were invited to join Nirvana for their famous ‘unplugged’ performance for MTV in 1993. Nirvana covered two Meat Puppets songs, both of which made it onto the big selling release of the show the following year. The profile boost helped Meat Puppets score the only hit of their career (#47 in the US chart and #11 in the Modern Rock chart), the great tune, “Backwater,” in 1994.
“Start at the Top” \ non-album single \ Skin Yard (Oct 1989)
After a promising start thanks to their appearance on the Deep Six compilation in 1986, Skin Yard had yet to gain more attention after their first two albums in 1987 and 1988. Their reputation was being made as much as a feeder of drummers for other bands after Matt Cameron had decamped to Soundgarden, Steve Wied had joined Tad, and Jason Finn was about to join Love Battery (and later, the band The Presidents of the United States of America). Skin Yard was also contributing behind the scenes thanks to Daniel House’s C/Z Records and Jack Endino’s growing profile as a go-to grunge and rock producer.
In 1989, the band released a single, “Start at the Top,” bridging the time until their third LP released in 1990. It was a marvelous example of a growing trend in grunge to bring the bass forward as the driving force of the music. While grunge, thanks to its hard rock origins, typically revelled in thundering rhythms, it was creating its own personality by allowing the bass (in this case by Daniel House) to increasingly ride shotgun with the guitar, bringing a nice post-punk, dark wave flavour to the sound that gave grunge a menacing, darker depth that further separated it from its punk and metal foundations.
Melvins: Dale Crover, Buzz Osborne, and Lori ‘Lorax’ Black
“Oven” \ Ozma \ Melvins (1989)
In 1989, Melvins put out Ozma, their third release after the debut EP and first LP. After having moved from Washington state down to San Francisco and losing bassist Matt Lukin to Mudhoney, Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover (after his guest stint in Nirvana) brought on Lori ‘Lorax’ Black on bass. The new album continued the band’s exploration of the sludgy morass of their indie metal sound. Keeping the punk ethos, only six of the album’s sixteen songs were over two minutes in length, while the variety of their influences were evident in covers of songs by Kiss and The Cars (as a bonus track on the cassette and CD). “Oven” was the album’s second track and succinctly showed how the band twisted a metal vibe into an experimental, fragmented sound that enthralled and frustrated in equal measures.
“Blockbuster” \ Pure EP \ The Jesus Lizard (1989)
The Jesus Lizard came together in Austin, Texas in 1987 via guitarist Duane Denison and vocalist David Yow, who invited David Sims, an ex-bandmate from Scratch Acid, to join on bass. When Yow and Sims moved to Chicago in 1988, Denison followed. The band’s first release was the EP, Pure, released in 1989 on Touch and Go Records and produced by local boy, Steve Albini. “Blockbuster” was the EP’s lead track and was a thick, bass heavy tune that exhibited a little industrial vibe into their grunge sound, evident via the tempo changes and quick guitar.
While Chicago wasn’t going to become a focal point for grunge – no other place would given the dominance of the Seattle area acts – it did have its own brand of modern rock (see industrial label, Wax Trax!) that complimented grunge, as we’ll see shortly with the arrival of Smashing Pumpkins. The broadening geography of acts adopting the dark, distorted, guitar-heavy sound of grunge revealed the growing interest and influence of the sound. At a time of rising economic inequity, conservative austerity, and overall economic malaise, the appeal of no-nonsense, disaffected, angry youth adorned in simple layers of ripped denim and plaid flannel cranking out honest, earnest rock with dark, cynical, and sarcastic lyrics was increasing. The youth of North America – Generation X – were looking for an outlet to express their frustration for their aimless future, and the Pacific Northwest was about to offer just the solution they sought.
Please continue to Good Enough: A Retrospective on the Evolution of Grunge, Part 2, 1990-91 to read along to the rest of the playlist. The playlists on Spotify and YouTube are single lists, so keep listening and enjoy!
