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Agreed. There’s a philosophical aspect to Soundgarden’s lyrics that Nirvana doesn’t have. “Looking California and feeling Minnesota.” Kurt’s lyrics are great don’t get me wrong but, soundgarden’s is intense.
I'm an adult and I've always loved nirvana and I love sound garden too. For some reason as a 37-year-old I just recalled my interest in Kurt and Nirvana. I think as an adult I appreciate it more. I'm really truly in love with grunge. It's very very comforting. Like I feel accepted. To me it's like listening to RAW unfiltered emotions. It's so beautiful in its pain.
Any friend who gives you a car/apple ultimatum aint no friend at all. When he aint got a car and needs a ride to go apple picking, then he'll call and pretend that nothin happened but dont answer man, trust me.
Chris is my favorite. I just dig the odd time signatures, heaviness, and prog sensibilities of Soundgarden. The lyrics were poetic and Chris' vocals were among the best ever. I still love Kurt, though. He was punk rock at heart, but definitely had some indie in him.
Badmotorfinger was the album that broke Soundgarden...not Superunknown.When Superunknown came out most if not all the music magazines talking about it were using the phrase "The Death of Grunge" to usher in the beginning of their articles about Superunknown.Badmotorfinger was THE grunge album before "Nevermind",maybe not for long but those two records are very different and represent separate representations of the "grunge" sound.Though not mentioned here let's not forget yet another piece of the grunge sound...Alice In Chains.
You are absolutely right. BADMOTORFINGER was the breakout album. Wierd. that she didnt know this. The hype and expectation for SUPERUNKNOWN was huge, with Rolling Stone giving plenty of coverage. I got to see them in 96. A huge rain cloud descended over the stage and concert ground as Kim and Chris were kicking into the first notes of " Black hole sun", It was a very cool moment. Chains were undeniably a cornerstone as well.
Great points man. Everytime I see or hear, "Soundgarden's break came in '94 with Superunknown ." I think , 'what are they talking about, Badmotorfinger '91." Even had a mega-single "Outshined". Also , your point about AIC is spot on . Right there with Soundgarden as the "old heads of grunge". Just wanted to say I felt the same as you. Great points my friend!!!☮️☮️☮️!!!!
@@ThomasDowning-ud6fz Thank you Tom,it's really cool that you also remember how things actually went down.Unfortunately most people don't remember the actual details about these things because they weren't there/didn't live through it like you and I.They are doing a disappointing disservice to history and to the fans that weren't old enough to experience it or weren't born yet and that's a shame especially in a world where fewer and fewer people depend on reading actual facts in books and instead counting on videos for their history.Glad there's people like you on earth.Take good care and have a great day!!!!!🙂🎸🎶🤘🎵☮️
I remember a lot more word of mouth about Soundgarden than there was about Nirvana circa 1990-91. There were those Sub Pop tours in 1988 and 89 where Soundgarden, Afghan Whigs, Mudhoney, Nirvana, the Fuel would go on these runs through the Midwest. Soundgarden was hands down the KING of those tours in the underground clubs and I remember people being completely excited when Badmotorfinger came out, at least in Milwaukee. Screaming Life was one of those recommended records people talked about and "you gotta hear Badmotorfinger" was a thing in 1991, much much moreso than Bleach, which really wasn't all that impressive really. I kinda thought Nirvana was just another band!! But then blew up.
Ultramega OK, too, their first SST record. I mean SST couldn't "break" anybody and they had acquired the whole Sonic Youth catelogue up to and not including Goo -- yet all those years were pretty hit or miss about what you were able to find in the record stores. So some of Soundgarden's timing issue had to have something to do with the resources Sub Pop and SST had ... it's not like you could just find these albums at a walmart or kmart.
Chris Cornell had the vocal chops. Makes him my fave...Plus he was from my part of Seattle.. We knew him as a kid.. Great Person..I miss him terribly..
He washed dishes at Ray's Boathouse in Ballard..That was after he dropped out of high school.. Just another wayward kid till he found music..His dad messed him up unfortunately...Another abusive parent so I was told.
Chris' voice wasn't only beautiful and soulful, the lyrics and music that came from deep inside him still serve as voice for the millions of people who struggle with severe depression every day. I miss him so much like it seems many others do as well
I dont believe kurt would have started making music that no one was interested in and faded into obscurity.i think aswell as doing more creative underground music he also had the ability to write really good simple catchy pop songs and in my opinion kurt was just starting to stractch the surface of his talent and creative depth when he died.
Yeah, no. I think Chris was right, statistically speaking, like the video mentions Billy Corgan - Exactly like that. Although it’s true that Kurt was itching to break out of the Nirvana box (recall that interview where he referenced REM‘s “automatic for the people” album, and wanting to try something like that) no matter how exploratory he would’ve gotten, the likelihood that any of it would ever become the sequel to ”Teen Spirit”, or Nirvana’s second coming, it’s just not likely to have happened. You need to consider that when a popular artist dies at the pinnacle of their prime, everything about their art, their image, their legacy, is sealed forever in a giant cube of liquid acrylic. It’s way better than cement as preservation, and most importantly exaggeration. Stuff like that just is basically adding fuel to the flame, even if the flame was, at the time, only a small leftover ember, barely staying lit.
@@chicagomick3735 smells like teen spirit was probably one of his worst songs ever as far as I'm concerned and I wasn't insinuating he was going to write number one hits for the rest of his life as much I felt he would have stayed musically relevant as a musician and creative force for years to come.its all the music that he never even released that was telling that he was far from being creatively spent when he died.of course he died at the top of his game and that sealed his legacy but that's not why I think he was capable of a longer creative legacy if he lived.its because he was talented as hell and was showing no signs of running out of good songs when he died.
I do not know, who wrote the songs for Soundgarden, but most of them are imho less memorable than Kurt's. Secondly, Soundgarden, sometimes came across like your typical macho metal band, which could never had happened with Nirvana.
@@mirawondafication5731There is an element of truth with that dissection. I liked Soundgarden since Badmotorfinger came out right after Nevermind. I was 12. I can say I know all the lyrics to all Nirvana songs. Not the same case for Soundgarden songs. Songs I heard over and over and over in my youth. I may know Rusty Cage and Pretty Noose and My Wave and Fell On… cause the videos were all over MTV so you heard them more but even great non singles I can’t remember the lyrics or melodies in Cornell’s vocals. They also looked somehow way older. Maybe it was Kim being in the band. Nirvana looked like college kids. The older I get the less I like Pearl Jam. I had their first 5 albums and then fell off. Now looking back they all come across in the 90’s as self serious frat boy rockers. Alice In Chains is something else. They have the best Unplugged of them all but they are so depressingly despondently dark to me now that it’s to be played only on certain occasions.
Cornell will always be one of my all time favorite singers!! There will never be another one with that voice! Kurt was good when he pushed his vocals to the limit! It had an eerie sad feel to it! Both great bands though!!
i saw pearl jam at a sm club right when 'alive' was starting to break. i bought eddie a beer, and all he could talk about was soundgarden. so i went out and bought badmotorfinger and knew just what he was talkin bout.
@@ignoblesavage5559 flying saxes and trombones? check. dr mad vibes climbing giant amp-stacks and diving into the crowd, all while scat-singing? check. norwood getting head onstage while playing bass solo? check. 2 hour set plus 5 encores? check. fish fucking it up? check and check. greatest. live. show. ever.
@@revminTphresh well, I never witnessed anyone getting cranium onstage, YES-- they were WILD, but still played their asses off. Crowd interaction, that frenetic energy...
@@mikearnold1322 actually you take it in another direction. Nirvana did what Led Zeppelin did with Smells like Teen Spirit they changed the whole outlook of Rock in that time. Led Zeppelin with Whole Lotta Love the way Robert Plant screamed brought singers like Quuensryche, etc screaming high pitch brought a new style. Nirvana open the mainstream media to all the grunge bands. But Soundgarden had the diversity in music in a way that for this time would be like Led Zeppelin did a versatile of music styles in one band. That's what I mean as far as Heart just because they cover Led Zeppelin doesn't make them the Led Zeppelin of today.
So, have people forgotten about Alice In Chains? Lane Staley in my opinion was just as good as a singer as Chris. I enjoyed their sound more than Nirvana, Sound Garden and Pearl Jam. Same goes for Mother Love Bone. I considered Nirvana more punk sounding. Sound Garden and Alice In Chains had a heavy metal sound. Pearl Jam and Mother Love Bone had more of a rock/blues groovy feeling. And The Melvins were the founders of grunge in my opinion. Just something to think about.
I think the reason SG never had the volcanic success of Nirvana was that their subject matter and musical complexity was too complicated for the average Joe-not to demean Nirvana;whom I love,but it's like comparing Basquiat with Dali....
Kurt seemed to offer up his soul with every performance. Nivana was incredibly powerful for a 3 piece with thta fuzz distortion and kurts voice. Soundgarden on the hand wrote interesting lyrics, interesting music, and had Chris Cornell with so much range and power. Luckily we can listen to and love both for what they were/are
It is sad these dudes are gone. With Chris I got to see them in Vancouver on the king animal tour. I was going through a rough time at that point but they blew the roof off and I honestly learned a lot about myself and mental health care. I finally learned how to just disconnect from real life for a bit and it’s something I’ll never forget. It was very sad when he left, I did not see that coming when I saw them it really looked like they were back his death hit me very hard. Rest in paradise king Chris 🤟you did more than you’ll ever know
His death hit me so damn hard. Chris's death hit me harder than my own family members passing away, I saw them in Minneapolis in 2013 I believe it was, and it was basically the best show I'd ever seen. They ended the set with slaves and bulldozers and it was an extended version, they ended it with this insane feedback jam in which ever member of Soundgarden was basically making feedback on their respective instrument, which all made this one huge feedback chord together, that everyone's making slight alterations to one by one so it's this sick feedback composition. And after a few minutes of this, one by one (after like 30 seconds to a minute apart) each member set down their instrument and walked off stage, but they left the instruments ringing it's feedback, it was the most brilliant end to a set I've ever experienced. The venue left the feedback ringing for a few minutes and everyone just stood there in awe because it was basically like a meditative experience, it was incredible. I'd never experienced anything like that from a well known rock band, it's the kind of thing you'd expect from an underground noise rock band or something, I found it to be extremely daring but really psychedelic in the best way possible. I saw them again on my birthday at northern invasion, and it was Chris's 2nd to last show. They were good at northern invasion but Chris was very clearly not as enthusiastic about the show, and he died 2 days later, i really can't express how much his passing hit me because I mean I literally saw him, my personal hero, on a stage 2 nights prior. He was like 20 feet away from me at the northern invasion performance, it's all just crazy man. We lost a great man that day.
Part of the reason Nevermind was so successful was because of the simplicity of the songs. The simpler and more digestible the song is, the more people that are going to be able to latch onto it. Obviously that wouldn't have worked without the excellent songwriting; this album is full of actual classics. Plus, like Cornell said, there was the intensity. Finally, there was the style, As much as Kurt is said to have "not cared," he certainly had a marketable style that was in stark contrast to the types of mainstream stadium bands mentioned in the video. Nirvana was relatable -- they were the everyman, with a style one could emulate, and songs a newbie could play on his first or second day after picking up the guitar.
Catchy, accessible pop tunes with good hooks & choruses and Kurt’s great, gritty voice. A little overproduced by Butch Vig but still a great album. In Utero was a lot darker and most of those songs were performed live in the studio with only a couple takes. Then Albini would add Kurt’s vocals.
Olympia WA is my hometown, and Kurt lived just a few blocks over from my apoartment building. While I didn't see this particular show, I did see both Nirvana and Soundgarden here in Olympia. At their show Soundgarden merged 'Slaves and Bulldozers' with 'Stranglehold' by Ted Nugent. It sounded pretty cool. The Nirvana show was at the Evergreen State college. This was as the first Gulf war was starting, and Krist Novoselic stood up and made a speech against the war that lasted longer than Nirvana's set. Kurt had purple powder smashed into his hair and face. About 30 minutes into their set someone handed Kurt a hammer and he demolished his guitar and it was over. This must have been fairly soon after Dave Grohl joined because none of us had any idea who the new guy was. Skin Yard was playing when we first got there and I was surprised to see Barrett Martin, who I went to high school with, playing drums for them. He went on to drum for The Screaming Trees and Mad Season.
I’d fact check some of these quotes from Chris. Also, saying Soundgarden didn’t break until 94 is incorrect. Bad motor finger was successful and we can all remember seeing the outshined video on MTV’s rotation.
The beautiful thing is, we dont have to pick. I do agree though. When I found out Chris died it was very hurtful tbh. Robert Plant, Freddy Mercury and Chris Cornell - the best voices in rock n roll history (imho).
@@donaldmack2307 This was so true. I really mourned Chris Cornell, he was my first dive into Grunge and I compared the whole genre to him, I fell in love with his voice on Temple of the Dog, that was my first Grunge-LP. But when one of my best friends told me back then 'Kurt shot himself', I remember telling her rather insensibly: 'The front-screamer of that noise-pit? No wonder. His only merit was perhaps being pretty, if he cared to, and nothing else.' I'm highly embarassed now, because we started to quarrel about him and almost fell out. Only last Christmas I belatedly had to apologize to both her and his shadow. Thirty years late I realized Nirvana had indeed merit. Switching radio-station because of christmas-overkill I listened in because of the odd tuning and chord-choice I recognized as the somewhat contorted progression of a funerary march and went: 'Wait a moment, that's interesting... who's that, again?' - Surprise, it was 'the noise-pit': Nirvana. Even if he didn't really know what he was doing musically, somebody has to come up with these chords, first, if it isn't skill, it's talent. (I forgot the name of the song, but I think I found it featured as one of Rick Beato's 'most underrated song' or 'what makes that song great' - videos: He's definitively right about it.)
Soundgarden is an amazing band. The songwriting is of an exceptional quality and intricacy. I feel like every band member was a true specialist at their instrument and were properly musically educated. They strongly correlate with the band Queen.
I love both bands, but would have to give Soundgarden the edge looking back from 2023. I was huge into Nirvana first but fell hard for Superunknown when it came out and then went through SG's entire catalogue. I never saw Kurt and the boys, but was lucky enough to see SoundGarden twice when they came around in the 2000-teens and they were fantastic. In fact I has tickets to see them a 3rd time just a week after Chris died. I saw them in Grand Prarie Texas first, they closed with Slaves and Bulldozers, Kim left his guitar leaning against one of the monitors when he walked off stage, the entire venue was shaking.............it was incredible.
It was that Punk ethos that DIY and not about marrying a supermodel and demeaning females. They tended to have girlfriends who looked like the ones I likes: nerdy, smart girls with glasses, in the retro clothing and combat boots!
The reason why Nirvana got mega popular and Soundgarden did not is quite simple: Kurt had pop sensibility. He wrote big catchy hooks. Chris, on the other hand, favored quirky prog rock time signatures. In an interview with Rick Beato, Kim Thayil compared watching kids bopping around at a Soundgarden show to a “box of ping pong balls.” They could not find the beat. Simply put, Nirvana’s music was more danceable.
@endokrin7897, that’s not at all the same thing. Even if I happen to agree with you (with the idea that one group might be “better” than the other), what she’s talking about with time signatures and danceability is an absolutely valid point. At the same time, I’ll never consider King Crimson or Pink Floyd to be “not as good” because of their time signatures.
Umm, Soundgarden did have a number 1 record as did Audioslave, and Cornell was more diverse in his career. Yes, Cobain died very early and never got to explore but he couldn’t write a record like Temple of the Dog or sing like Cornell.
@@babywah3290 I think if we're comparing NIRVANA's catalog to Soundgarden's, they're pretty evenly matched, but every NIRVANA album is better than that Temple of the Dog release. Singing like Chris Cornell would be antithetical to NIRVANA's aesthetic. Cornell had the perfect voice for what Soundgarden did, and Cobain had the perfect voice for what NIRVANA did.
Chris Cornell. Love the range of his voice. I really came to initially know about them with the Bad Motor Finger album which I still love to this day. By then Chris had a little more rasp in his voice and I remember thinking his singing was just a very controlled scream at times. Awesome. He could do it all like Bruce Dickinson said. I also became more impressed when I found out he could play guitar. And the band he was in, Soundgarden, has been one of my favorites for their very tuned down deep sound with both Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin influences; I think a little more Black Sabbath, and influences like Black Flag. And I love the Indian influence that Kim had.
I remember hating grunge because overnight my favorite hair metal bands were filing bankruptcy overnight. Now I'm 51 and realize now how special that moment in time was and that hair metal had its time and had to go and the strongest bands survived the grunge wave aka Metallica, AcDc and few others. Music is due for another "disco,grunge" change. Btw I love grunge since 2010 lol.
Looking back It wasn’t an organic shift in styles or else both genres would have coexisted without issue, like it was in the 80’s with literally dozens of various sounds sharing airtime. If you follow the concept of social engineering then consider that time to be the moment when the next phase kicked off
I go to a friends house one day and he's listening to the new Soundgarden album (Superunknown) with a friend of his named Ben. We finish the album and chat about for 15 minutes or so and Ben takes off. After he leaves my friend tells me that was Ben Shepherd the bass player. Nice guy, really quiet and I probably annoyed him. I saw Chad Channing at the Pizza Factory a lot around that time as well. Never spoke with him but he seemed cool too. Chris Cornell once bummed me a cigarette on a ferry. Apparently I partied with a bunch of local rockstars and never knew it until after they left the party or I watched a video on RUclips and said "Wait i hung out with that guy". Shoutout to 1990's Bainbridge Island!
Back in the day, I was definitely more crazy for Soundgarden. Nirvana broke into such success because Kurt's song crafting had more of a pop sensibility. That's not a knock. It was essential to their appeal.. riotous noise, intensity of emotion, irreverence, Kurt's incredible voice, harrowing and intense writing ..all contained within the catchy melodies of a 3 minute pop song, But I for one was more interested in the unconventional heaviness and impeccable musicianship of Soundgarden's adrenaline soaked metal forged riffage and Chris's unparalleled voice during those years. Nirvana was equally incredible and Kurt was singular. I do wish that bands like Sonic Youth, Fugazi, even the Pixies had experienced the amount of acclaim that Nirvana did. There were piles of bands, North Carolina and Minnesota were chock-o-block with precursors to Nirvana's title. It just sucks that these two contemporaries of my generation so successfully synthesized so much incredible music that came before them, but emotionally and mentally, I guess spiritually... Kurt and Chris were suffering and too desperately chose a way out rather than finding peace in this life. I do have to listen in moderation anymore. The intensity of sadness and darkness conveyed in the music is still so profound. Brilliant artist's; I wish they had found a way to keep on and keep gifting us with their remarkable talents.
One of the reasons Geffen let them get on with it is the fact that they were introduced to the label by Sonic Youth who had recently signed to Geffen themselves, much to the despair of most of their fanbase who in understandably thought that they were selling out. Little did they know that SY had managed to bag one of the most unique major label deals ever. Such was Geffen’s respect for SY they were allowed to release music on other labels if they wished, had free reign creatively but also were encouraged to bring new bands to the label. One of the first was Nirvana.
Indeed. Even more than their music, Sonic Youth's biggest contribution to music as a whole was the way they took that major label money and made it work for bands and musicians that might never have been given the chance. They used to cut into their own set time to let a band play that wasn't actually supposed to be on the roster for the evening. They collaborated with such a huge range of artists, too! Musicians, actors, writers... Sonic Youth was all about spreading the art, no matter the medium.
I saw Nirvana right when Nevermind broke at a small club in Houston called The Vatican. I saw Soundgarden on the Badmotorfinger tour at a club in Houston called The Unicorn. Even though the Nirvana show was more memorable and factored into my divorce (x-wife got kicked in the head), Soundgarden was always my band. In the Soundgarden show, one of the dudes from the pit made it on stage and started wrestling with Cornell. Chris did almost all of Beyond the Wheel, belting out that crazy chorus (never missed a note). Finally he was able to swing the dude back into the crowd (the pit took him). When the song was over Chris asks "who was that friendly hormone?". RIP to both.
My favorite artist? An underground punk legend from Jacksonville, Thommy Berlin. I love both Sound Garden and Nirvana, though they both broke my heart.
They were never enemies, they both had mutual respect, they all knew each other very well from the scene, but they were never great friends. Nirvana was on the other side of the fence even though they were from Seattle. Maybe also the fact that Nirvana was on another record label didn't bring them as close as to Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains. In fact, Chris said he felt very affected after Kurt Cobain's suicide and admitted that the Seattle music scene was never the same after that.
I know that Superunknown was really what garnered Soundgarden's mainstream success, but it bothers me when posts regarding the grunge era and particularly Soundgarden fail to acknowledge just how great the BADMOTORFINGER album was. Sure Black Hole Sun was the radio darling, but I personally found Rusty Cage, Outshined and Jesus Christ Pose to be better songs.
Fun Fact: LoL! The bands here at Seattle back then and pre back then were very very supportive of each other even if they didn't actually get along with each other that well, it was more like it appeared that they didn't really get along with each other that well, but they did! Of course there were differences sometimes but they all would always make it a point to attend one another's shows quite frequently and one band would often come out of the crowd and join another band on stage as I assume it also happens in lots of towns! Seattle is kind of like Reno in a sense "the biggest little city in the world"! Chris Cornell would run into Jimi Hendrix's little brother Leon quite often as he was ascending up the Seattle music scene 🪜 and one of the places Leon & A very young Chris Cornell would first start crossing paths at was at Sir Mr. Jimi's Memorial just outside of Downtown Seattle at a city/town named Renton, Cornell would be with friends riding a skateboard and would tell Leon "I'm gonna be a rockstar and travel the world like your big brother one day Leon!" Then as Chris got older he & Leon would see each other at shows and Leon was always supportive of all of the bands from that moment in, on, and at time here at Seattle! Chris and many other members of the bands here affectionately called and referred to Leon as Uncle! ✌️💜🎶~206
I was saddened beyond words when Kurt Cobain passed away 4 days before my 13th birthday. Nirvana was my favorite band in the world and I wanted to learn how to play guitar and be in a band and Kurt Cobain was one of influences on the sound I play on guitar now. I remember I cried when I saw the news on MTV, I was young and naive and innocent still and when he died it seemed like a bad dream.
Kurt would've been a superstar for the rest of his life, if he wouldn't have died. That kind of talent never fades. Also, the Smashing Pumkins still play stadiums, so not sure what the reference to Billy being this has-been is all about. Also, Cornell was worth $40million at the time of his death, so I think it's kind of hilarious how this video makes it seem like Soundgarden was just this band that barely became famous, and couldn't hold a candle to Nirvana's success. Lol
They weren’t super famous until 94 when Superunknown exploded. Yes they were a big band but they didn’t get classified as grunge until Pearl Jam and nirvana took off.
@@crysylis5093 not in my world they weren’t. That’s why I specified the Tiffany fans. Lol They were “grunge”. The sluggish of them all, save the Melvin’s.
@@crysylis5093they werent what i call "pop famous," but they were ROCK famous. Anyone who ever watched MTVs Headbangers Ball knew about them and probably loved them as early as 1988 but no later than about 1991 (Badmotorfinger was a successful album, with a couple of successful videos). Pop famous came in 94, of course.
Funny, I kind of remember Soundgarden as in the same league even at the time (prior super unknown). Sure, admittedly, they were in 3rd place or whatever but it still felt like 'the big 3' (... or 4 if you include Alice in chains - which at the time didn't quite feel like grunge, but sort of rock with grunge influence ... or whatever), with others trailing quite a way behind (screaming trees or whatever)
I think both bands are awesome and I loved them equally. How could anyone not enjoy each one as much as the other? I dunno, hard to say but what can anyone do to dispute either one... The world may never know. ❣️
I personally didn’t like Soundgarden. I know Cornell had mad range but I didn’t like his voice or their music. I just didn’t get the hype. Same as Foo Fighters… just don’t get it. I don’t think they would have made it if it weren’t for Grohl being from Nirvana. Now, Nirvana, I love the music on every album from Bleach to En Utero! I have the first pressing vinyls of all their albums besides Unplugged, kept in very good plus condition, all framed to preserve them.
Answering the question. Soundgarden did not reach the same level of success because they were more technically proficient as a group with their instruments. Chris actually sings and hits different octaves. Kurt was skilled at more poppy hum along tunes and Dave Grohl has a very commanding drum sound. I have always been a Soundgarden fan more than Nirvana. Completely different feels. Soundgarden should not be compared to Nirvana and vice versa because they are so different imo.
Chris is right: Soundgarden did put Seattle on the map. Hands all Over was the first grunge song to receive regular airplay on MTV, followed by Alice in Chains’ Man in the Box. This after the success of Janes Addiction primed hard rock fans to accept Nirvana. History remembers it like music trends changed overnight, but that was not the case. I would even argue than Guns and Roses had more to do with ending the glam metal era than Nirvana did.
Wait what? We were all listening to Soundgarden since “Badmotorfinger” was released. “Superunknowm” was when Chris cut his hair and everyone was accusing them of selling out. I looked at them a more of a metal band back them. Same with with Alice In Chains before “Jar of Flies”
There's one reason that Nirvana left Soundgarden in the dirt in terms of commercial success; Nevermind. Sort of like The Ramones on Rocket To Russia, Nevermind was a virtual Greatest Hits record. With their catchiest tunes all piled onto one LP and a killer single in Smells Like Teen Spirit, the world took notice. It might be a shame that The Ramones didn't get the accolades and sales that Nirvana did with Nevermind, but maybe this sort of success would have destroyed Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee just as quickly. I think people can appreciate both Soundgarden and Nirvana without having to compare or choose. That said, it's all good to have your faves and preferences and state them clearly!
This is the 2nd time I heard Jason Everman paid for the Bleach demo yet Chris goes around telling people Kurt had to work a janitor job to pay for Bleach. I wonder which ones the truth.
I always could tell Kurt was incredibly media-savvy. He was much like his hero, John Lennon, who always knew what to say to get the media just the proper amount of riled-up. (And, likewise, sometimes went too far. Toward the end, though, when he had to speak for-and often defend-his new family, he’d begin to lose purchase on the reigns.
Nirvana wrote simple, palpable, catchy, aggressive, totally irreverent songs. Soundgarden was more straight up, conventional rock (sounding, looking and acting). My two cents.
Honestly, I can’t choose between Nirvana and Soundgarden. I watched only Soundgarden live on a metal festival here before Chris passed away sadly. I found them out of place on a real metal festival but the sound of his voice during the show made my skin crawl (in a very positive way, goose bumps). Little did I know what was to happen later … I was on a high school trip when Kurt shot himself … I will never forget that day. We were on a school trip on a leased bus when the news hit us. I have never seen my pears so quiete, but most didn’t know why I fell silent and continued after that day. Nirvana was the stuff of my generation and unfortunately we lost Chris Cornell, Chester Benningfield, Taylor Hawkins, Lemmy, ‘the animal’ … a lot of great artists and musicians have left us in the most recent years
Kurt was a fan it's well known. Not that Nirvana aped SG or followed their specific path.soundgarden I heard of as early as 86/87. Nirvana didnt break til ...you know. Mudhoney was pretty well known as well as Tad came to my town of Buffalo @88. Everyone hip knew of them. I avoided anything in the top 40 at all costs.
Chris may have written more sophisticated music, but Kurt's music was a sound that resounded with a whole generation, especially poor, rural kids, living in the dreary nothingness of the Midwest United States. Nirvana put Seattle on the map, musically.
I think Nirvana wrote hard pop songs, which really helped their commercial appeal. Wheras Soundgarden was just a harder band without the tight verse chorus, verse composition and repetition. Plus while both frontmen where alluring in their own right, Kurt was just more magnetic. He had more star power.
I disagree about Kurt having more "star power." What I would say is that Kurt reacted more viscerally and antagonistically to the commercialization of his art, and of himself as a commodity. Chris generally kept it to the level of scathing sarcasm for interviews, while I remember Kurt being blatantly belligerent. That's not to say Kurt was more impacted by it, because obviously I'm not either of them and wouldn't really know; I'm talking about how it felt seeing it from the outside. So was the attitude part of why they were the bigger deal for a while? Who knows, or cares, really. It was never a contest amongst their fans or them, far as I know. Got to love them all, never had to choose. Eternally grateful.
@@vegan.atheist.weirdo My favorite musician from that era is hands down Layne Staley & even so I think Kurt had more star power. I think he had that rare quality like Marilyn Monroe that just made him an eternal icon. Was it his face? Those piercing blue eyes? Was it the aloofness that made you long to get close to him? The vulnerability in his voice, the scream? The inimitable sense of non-fashion style? I don’t know. Maybe all of the above. But I stand by my statement that Kurt Cobain had the most star power of that era. & yes his music was addictively catchy in its raw, rough simplicity.
That's awesome I wish I could have seen both of them in the hay day never seen Nirvana seen Soundgarden in 2013 it was awesome rest in peace to both they're still missed and loved forever rest easy brothers 😎🤘🤟🤘🤟❤
I never really got into Soundgarden to much as i feel they were too blatantly heavy and covered up Chris’s amazing voice to much (Audio slave was a better fit for chris i feel). Nirvana just seemed to have all the elements in one perfect little package, and i think Kirk Cobain is one of the greatest song writers ever. And chris is one of the greatest singers ever, his acoustic stuff is out of this world. And for what its worth i truly believe neither of them committed suicide, there is a ton of evidence to suggest this.
Soundgarden has held up better for me. Yeah, i lived in a small Vermont town when grunge hit the mainstream. Nevermind was EVERYWHERE. It was refreshing. I was so sick of LA hairspray bands. Grunge was like all the depressing 80's bands i was into. The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Depeche Mode, New Order, etc. But they played guitar like punks. Black Flag, TSOL, Sonic Youth, Circle Jerks, etc. Frankly, my constantly stoned mind was blown. That being said, lyrics about being on heroin (Nirvana, Alice in Chains) didn't resonate with me as much as Cornell grappling with christianity and corporate slavery. Plus they played in weird time signatures and you couldn't even tell because the groove was so, so heavy. Grunge happened because something had to break for the page to turn. Nirvana turned me on but Soundgarden still keeps me tuned in.
The gig at Manchester Free Trade Club in 1976, where the Sex Pistols played, there were only about 40 people there, yet half of the UK claims they were there! I remember the late John Peel lamenting after Kurt's suicide, 'If only he had given me a ring, he could have stayed with me and the Pig, and the kids would love having him, he wouldn't have to make records or record anything, just stay with us and watch TV [sic]' It was a shock a few years later when Chris Cornel was suicided. I personally believe there was some malicious intervention there!
I can answer the last question as to why Soundgarden didn't reach the success level of Nirvana. Soundgarden's music was as good but they broke up after Super Unknown for a pretty long time. At that time I think they were climbing in popularity and in my opinion, their tunes were becoming more accessible. Had they not broken up when they did and instead followed up with another record with a few hits in that time frame, I think they could have matched or eclipsed Nirvana's heights. But in the crazy world of music and rock band's, it's unrealistic for them to have stayed together for that reason. Bands don't operate that way in reality and at the point when they broke up, they had been together for quite a long time as compared to many bands. As well as compared to Nirvana that you stated as well. So it wasn't to be.
Never liked Soundgarden, but always loved Nirvana. I saw Nirvana live twice. Once in Atlanta, once in Los Angeles. To be honest, they sounded like shit both times, but the energy in the room was unbelievable, and Nevermind is easily one of the greatest albums ever recorded.
I loved those cornell screams..I remember seeing soundgarden live for the first time 94 and I was in the restroom which was in the back end of this 10,000 capacity venue and they were performing superunknown and I remember chris' voice penetrating those walls all the way from the back of the venue...so powerful
Soundgarden and Nirvana are both awesome groups,i remember in 1990, when I was 23.Chris Cornell awesome Singer and Kurt Cobain awesome singer, love them both.Sad they passed away,was near my age may Kurt Cobain RIP and Chris Cornell RIP 💐🙏
I grew up in the Seattle area and was on average 4-5 yrs younger than most of these guys. I was friends with Andy Wood and Mike Starr in the way that they were like older protective brothers to me. All these guys truly loved each other's music and got on with each other well. They collectively hated the glam metal bands. None of them would ever admit to going to any of the Glam metal shows but they did. They use to bum rush the doors at concert's frequently lol. I can honestly say they never paid to see a show. They called Glam mental band members Posers. Looking back on all these Seattle bands had more fun and enjoyed their lives more before money and fame. The only band I can remember that really wanted success was Alice in Chains and singularly Andy Wood. It seemed like Andy was destined to be famous. Sadly he is but for the wrong reason. I'm finding this video very accurate to the way I remember things from being on the frings of the Grunge scene.
It must've been an incredible time to be on the fringes of the Grunge scene. Your perspective adds depth to the culture surrounding these bands. Thank you for sharing your experiences! 🤘
@@jfiery I think it was a member of Catt Butt who mentioned seeing fellow Seattleite Duff McKagan in LA before Guns N Roses hit it big and telling others back in Seattle that Duff joined a “butt rock band.”
Nirvana blew up because they were with an "Elite" record label Geffan Records. David Geffan is part of the powerful elite who used musicians as influencers and push them to the top. SG tried to keep it indie and UG. It was when CC went solo from SG and started working with Hollywood soundtracks and being around "powerful elite" people that used him in such ways that he just couldn't take it anymore. Or CC was killed. He was truly a prophet. His songs told stories that resonated with so many. Nirvana rocked but was alot of screaming phrases over amazing drums and distorted melodies. 2 completely different great bands. Music will never be the same
People still listen to the Pumpkins with love and reverence. As of this moment, they receive over 10M listens per month on Spotify. Meaning: still very relevant.
I never saw Nirvana as being bigger than Soundgarden although I was always aware they were more mainstream popular. To me Nirvana is like a PoP Heavy Rock Band. Soundgarden is the ultimate heavy band an evolution of the foundationsSabbath, Zep, Purple, etc but so different at the same time. Everything was so odd with SG but worked so perfectly. To me their music was much higher level the Nirvana which was usually 4 chords and a good hook. Just different styles of bands.
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Cornell
Both they are two animals with their own strengths
Well, that's a very, very hard question😅
Cornell
kurt cobain is the best
Imagine being one of the 40 people to watch both nirvana and soundgarden perform back to back
Right? they were incredibly fortunate! Such an intimate setting must've amplified the intensity of the shows.
@@SoundscapesRock😂
@@SoundscapesRockI work with a guy that did with AIC and soundgarden
Go see local bands in your area... You never know who you might see!
I got to see them just once a month before he passed away.
Nirvana & Soundgarden were everything for me as a teen in the 90s, but Soundgarden made much more sense as I got older.
Agreed. There’s a philosophical aspect to Soundgarden’s lyrics that Nirvana doesn’t have.
“Looking California and feeling Minnesota.” Kurt’s lyrics are great don’t get me wrong but, soundgarden’s is intense.
Exactly.
Amen
The only thing that still keeps me amazed is the power that Nirvana had considering it was a 3 piece too much power.
I put Alice In Chains up there with those two as well
I'm an adult and I've always loved nirvana and I love sound garden too. For some reason as a 37-year-old I just recalled my interest in Kurt and Nirvana. I think as an adult I appreciate it more. I'm really truly in love with grunge. It's very very comforting. Like I feel accepted. To me it's like listening to RAW unfiltered emotions. It's so beautiful in its pain.
Same! I’m 43. I’m so glad I wasn’t a fan as a kid because I can listen to it now without feeling like I’m back in high school.
Man picking between sound garden and Nirvana is like asking apples or cars. Two completely different things.
Cars (Soundgarden), obviously
Any friend who gives you a car/apple ultimatum aint no friend at all. When he aint got a car and needs a ride to go apple picking, then he'll call and pretend that nothin happened but dont answer man, trust me.
Wait, when did cars replace orangutans? Apples Nirvana, obviously.
Chris Cornell had more talent in one finger than cobain ever had.
Chris is my favorite. I just dig the odd time signatures, heaviness, and prog sensibilities of Soundgarden. The lyrics were poetic and Chris' vocals were among the best ever. I still love Kurt, though. He was punk rock at heart, but definitely had some indie in him.
Based on your second sentence I'm guessing you must also love Tool.
Prog sensibilities. Well said. Very sad how few bands today have this level of imagination + musical competence with time signatures and complexity.
Badmotorfinger was the album that broke Soundgarden...not Superunknown.When Superunknown came out most if not all the music magazines talking about it were using the phrase "The Death of Grunge" to usher in the beginning of their articles about Superunknown.Badmotorfinger was THE grunge album before "Nevermind",maybe not for long but those two records are very different and represent separate representations of the "grunge" sound.Though not mentioned here let's not forget yet another piece of the grunge sound...Alice In Chains.
You are absolutely right.
BADMOTORFINGER was the breakout album. Wierd. that she didnt know this. The hype and expectation for SUPERUNKNOWN was huge, with Rolling Stone giving plenty of coverage.
I got to see them in 96.
A huge rain cloud descended over the stage and concert ground as Kim and Chris were kicking into the first notes of " Black hole sun", It was a very cool moment.
Chains were undeniably a cornerstone as well.
Great points man. Everytime I see or hear, "Soundgarden's break came in '94 with Superunknown ." I think , 'what are they talking about, Badmotorfinger '91." Even had a mega-single "Outshined".
Also , your point about AIC is spot on . Right there with Soundgarden as the "old heads of grunge".
Just wanted to say I felt the same as you. Great points my friend!!!☮️☮️☮️!!!!
@@ThomasDowning-ud6fz Thank you Tom,it's really cool that you also remember how things actually went down.Unfortunately most people don't remember the actual details about these things because they weren't there/didn't live through it like you and I.They are doing a disappointing disservice to history and to the fans that weren't old enough to experience it or weren't born yet and that's a shame especially in a world where fewer and fewer people depend on reading actual facts in books and instead counting on videos for their history.Glad there's people like you on earth.Take good care and have a great day!!!!!🙂🎸🎶🤘🎵☮️
I remember a lot more word of mouth about Soundgarden than there was about Nirvana circa 1990-91. There were those Sub Pop tours in 1988 and 89 where Soundgarden, Afghan Whigs, Mudhoney, Nirvana, the Fuel would go on these runs through the Midwest. Soundgarden was hands down the KING of those tours in the underground clubs and I remember people being completely excited when Badmotorfinger came out, at least in Milwaukee.
Screaming Life was one of those recommended records people talked about and "you gotta hear Badmotorfinger" was a thing in 1991, much much moreso than Bleach, which really wasn't all that impressive really. I kinda thought Nirvana was just another band!! But then blew up.
Ultramega OK, too, their first SST record. I mean SST couldn't "break" anybody and they had acquired the whole Sonic Youth catelogue up to and not including Goo -- yet all those years were pretty hit or miss about what you were able to find in the record stores. So some of Soundgarden's timing issue had to have something to do with the resources Sub Pop and SST had ... it's not like you could just find these albums at a walmart or kmart.
Chris Cornell had the vocal chops. Makes him my fave...Plus he was from my part of Seattle.. We knew him as a kid.. Great Person..I miss him terribly..
That's really cool that you grew up around Chris Cornell!
Could you share some of your memories of him as a kid?
He washed dishes at Ray's Boathouse in Ballard..That was after he dropped out of high school.. Just another wayward kid till he found music..His dad messed him up unfortunately...Another abusive parent so I was told.
Chris' voice wasn't only beautiful and soulful, the lyrics and music that came from deep inside him still serve as voice for the millions of people who struggle with severe depression every day. I miss him so much like it seems many others do as well
Chris for sure.
I dont believe kurt would have started making music that no one was interested in and faded into obscurity.i think aswell as doing more creative underground music he also had the ability to write really good simple catchy pop songs and in my opinion kurt was just starting to stractch the surface of his talent and creative depth when he died.
When Chris said nobody, he didn’t mean literally nobody. I think he meant, like 10,000 copies
Yeah, no. I think Chris was right, statistically speaking, like the video mentions Billy Corgan - Exactly like that. Although it’s true that Kurt was itching to break out of the Nirvana box (recall that interview where he referenced REM‘s “automatic for the people” album, and wanting to try something like that) no matter how exploratory he would’ve gotten, the likelihood that any of it would ever become the sequel to ”Teen Spirit”, or Nirvana’s second coming, it’s just not likely to have happened. You need to consider that when a popular artist dies at the pinnacle of their prime, everything about their art, their image, their legacy, is sealed forever in a giant cube of liquid acrylic. It’s way better than cement as preservation, and most importantly exaggeration. Stuff like that just is basically adding fuel to the flame, even if the flame was, at the time, only a small leftover ember, barely staying lit.
By far. Their Unplugged performance was the tell-tale sign of that.
@@chicagomick3735 smells like teen spirit was probably one of his worst songs ever as far as I'm concerned and I wasn't insinuating he was going to write number one hits for the rest of his life as much I felt he would have stayed musically relevant as a musician and creative force for years to come.its all the music that he never even released that was telling that he was far from being creatively spent when he died.of course he died at the top of his game and that sealed his legacy but that's not why I think he was capable of a longer creative legacy if he lived.its because he was talented as hell and was showing no signs of running out of good songs when he died.
YES! AND HE WAS MURDERED DR. CERIL WECHT with over 4,000 autopsies in his career said he was convinced it was NOT suicide.
Kurt himself was what made the difference. I think Kurt s image and personality made the difference why they had wider appeal. A fan of both.
And because he died back in the 90s at the height of his fame, if we’re gonna be honest
I do not know, who wrote the songs for Soundgarden, but most of them are imho less memorable than Kurt's. Secondly, Soundgarden, sometimes came across like your typical macho metal band, which could never had happened with Nirvana.
@@mirawondafication5731There is an element of truth with that dissection. I liked Soundgarden since Badmotorfinger came out right after Nevermind. I was 12. I can say I know all the lyrics to all Nirvana songs. Not the same case for Soundgarden songs. Songs I heard over and over and over in my youth. I may know Rusty Cage and Pretty Noose and My Wave and Fell On… cause the videos were all over MTV so you heard them more but even great non singles I can’t remember the lyrics or melodies in Cornell’s vocals. They also looked somehow way older. Maybe it was Kim being in the band. Nirvana looked like college kids. The older I get the less I like Pearl Jam. I had their first 5 albums and then fell off. Now looking back they all come across in the 90’s as self serious frat boy rockers. Alice In Chains is something else. They have the best Unplugged of them all but they are so depressingly despondently dark to me now that it’s to be played only on certain occasions.
@@mirawondafication5731 Chris Cornell would be the talent who wrote most of the songs. .
Cornell will always be one of my all time favorite singers!! There will never be another one with that voice! Kurt was good when he pushed his vocals to the limit! It had an eerie sad feel to it! Both great bands though!!
i saw pearl jam at a sm club right when 'alive' was starting to break. i bought eddie a beer, and all he could talk about was soundgarden. so i went out and bought badmotorfinger and knew just what he was talkin bout.
You indeed were at the right place at the right time. How lucky.. Thank you for sharing!
next to fishbone 'reality of my surroundings' tour, it was the best show ive seen. PJ that is.
@@revminTphresh odd. Another vote here for Fishbone as my all-time favorite live act.
@@ignoblesavage5559 flying saxes and trombones? check. dr mad vibes climbing giant amp-stacks and diving into the crowd, all while scat-singing? check. norwood getting head onstage while playing bass solo? check. 2 hour set plus 5 encores? check. fish fucking it up? check and check. greatest. live. show. ever.
@@revminTphresh well, I never witnessed anyone getting cranium onstage, YES-- they were WILD, but still played their asses off. Crowd interaction, that frenetic energy...
It took me Decades to figure out that Soundgarden is the best band ever to come out from the Seattle Scene. They are my Led Zeppelin of my time.
Agree and CC is the greatest Rock vocalist in history (considering singing and songwriting ability
Hmm, Led Zeppelin eh? Then Heart should be that band then since they were the greatest Zeppelin cover band ever
@@mikearnold1322 actually you take it in another direction. Nirvana did what Led Zeppelin did with Smells like Teen Spirit they changed the whole outlook of Rock in that time. Led Zeppelin with Whole Lotta Love the way Robert Plant screamed brought singers like Quuensryche, etc screaming high pitch brought a new style. Nirvana open the mainstream media to all the grunge bands. But Soundgarden had the diversity in music in a way that for this time would be like Led Zeppelin did a versatile of music styles in one band. That's what I mean as far as Heart just because they cover Led Zeppelin doesn't make them the Led Zeppelin of today.
@@mikearnold1322he's not tlking about cover bands tho.
So, have people forgotten about Alice In Chains? Lane Staley in my opinion was just as good as a singer as Chris. I enjoyed their sound more than Nirvana, Sound Garden and Pearl Jam. Same goes for Mother Love Bone. I considered Nirvana more punk sounding. Sound Garden and Alice In Chains had a heavy metal sound. Pearl Jam and Mother Love Bone had more of a rock/blues groovy feeling. And The Melvins were the founders of grunge in my opinion. Just something to think about.
I think the reason SG never had the volcanic success of Nirvana was that their subject matter and musical complexity was too complicated for the average Joe-not to demean Nirvana;whom I love,but it's like comparing Basquiat with Dali....
Kurt seemed to offer up his soul with every performance. Nivana was incredibly powerful for a 3 piece with thta fuzz distortion and kurts voice. Soundgarden on the hand wrote interesting lyrics, interesting music, and had Chris Cornell with so much range and power. Luckily we can listen to and love both for what they were/are
That's exactly what I feel about Nirvana how a 3 piece band sounds so heavy. When I was I a band we too were a 3 piece guitar vocals, bass and drums.
Yes I agree love Nirvana and sound Garden, Chris Cornell awesome singer and Kurt Cobain,sad they passed away was near my age may they RIP
Kurt was singing his poetry. It's why he couldn't ever produce on demand.
If she says “nirvanna” one more time!!!!!
i know right
Seriously. I'm waiting for it... second time and this is a serious thumbs down.
Okay, it happened. I can't do this. Thumbs down. I'm out.
😂😂😂
It is sad these dudes are gone. With Chris I got to see them in Vancouver on the king animal tour. I was going through a rough time at that point but they blew the roof off and I honestly learned a lot about myself and mental health care. I finally learned how to just disconnect from real life for a bit and it’s something I’ll never forget. It was very sad when he left, I did not see that coming when I saw them it really looked like they were back his death hit me very hard. Rest in paradise king Chris 🤟you did more than you’ll ever know
His death hit me so damn hard. Chris's death hit me harder than my own family members passing away, I saw them in Minneapolis in 2013 I believe it was, and it was basically the best show I'd ever seen. They ended the set with slaves and bulldozers and it was an extended version, they ended it with this insane feedback jam in which ever member of Soundgarden was basically making feedback on their respective instrument, which all made this one huge feedback chord together, that everyone's making slight alterations to one by one so it's this sick feedback composition. And after a few minutes of this, one by one (after like 30 seconds to a minute apart) each member set down their instrument and walked off stage, but they left the instruments ringing it's feedback, it was the most brilliant end to a set I've ever experienced. The venue left the feedback ringing for a few minutes and everyone just stood there in awe because it was basically like a meditative experience, it was incredible. I'd never experienced anything like that from a well known rock band, it's the kind of thing you'd expect from an underground noise rock band or something, I found it to be extremely daring but really psychedelic in the best way possible. I saw them again on my birthday at northern invasion, and it was Chris's 2nd to last show. They were good at northern invasion but Chris was very clearly not as enthusiastic about the show, and he died 2 days later, i really can't express how much his passing hit me because I mean I literally saw him, my personal hero, on a stage 2 nights prior. He was like 20 feet away from me at the northern invasion performance, it's all just crazy man. We lost a great man that day.
Murder sucks
@@StoicNature444 The only way you can say murder is that
all their supposedly friends never saw it coming,, Death
Part of the reason Nevermind was so successful was because of the simplicity of the songs. The simpler and more digestible the song is, the more people that are going to be able to latch onto it. Obviously that wouldn't have worked without the excellent songwriting; this album is full of actual classics. Plus, like Cornell said, there was the intensity. Finally, there was the style, As much as Kurt is said to have "not cared," he certainly had a marketable style that was in stark contrast to the types of mainstream stadium bands mentioned in the video. Nirvana was relatable -- they were the everyman, with a style one could emulate, and songs a newbie could play on his first or second day after picking up the guitar.
Catchy, accessible pop tunes with good hooks & choruses and Kurt’s great, gritty voice. A little overproduced by Butch Vig but still a great album. In Utero was a lot darker and most of those songs were performed live in the studio with only a couple takes. Then Albini would add Kurt’s vocals.
Olympia WA is my hometown, and Kurt lived just a few blocks over from my apoartment building. While I didn't see this particular show, I did see both Nirvana and Soundgarden here in Olympia. At their show Soundgarden merged 'Slaves and Bulldozers' with 'Stranglehold' by Ted Nugent. It sounded pretty cool. The Nirvana show was at the Evergreen State college. This was as the first Gulf war was starting, and Krist Novoselic stood up and made a speech against the war that lasted longer than Nirvana's set. Kurt had purple powder smashed into his hair and face. About 30 minutes into their set someone handed Kurt a hammer and he demolished his guitar and it was over. This must have been fairly soon after Dave Grohl joined because none of us had any idea who the new guy was. Skin Yard was playing when we first got there and I was surprised to see Barrett Martin, who I went to high school with, playing drums for them. He went on to drum for The Screaming Trees and Mad Season.
I'm Australian but Seattle's the one place id love to visit in USA ,is Seattle a great place
These losses will hurt me till my dying day .Music will never be the same and the world will be forever missing what could have been.
I’d fact check some of these quotes from Chris. Also, saying Soundgarden didn’t break until 94 is incorrect. Bad motor finger was successful and we can all remember seeing the outshined video on MTV’s rotation.
If I had to pick between the two: Soundgarden any day all day.
The beautiful thing is, we dont have to pick. I do agree though. When I found out Chris died it was very hurtful tbh. Robert Plant, Freddy Mercury and Chris Cornell - the best voices in rock n roll history (imho).
@@donaldmack2307 This was so true. I really mourned Chris Cornell, he was my first dive into Grunge and I compared the whole genre to him, I fell in love with his voice on Temple of the Dog, that was my first Grunge-LP.
But when one of my best friends told me back then 'Kurt shot himself', I remember telling her rather insensibly: 'The front-screamer of that noise-pit? No wonder. His only merit was perhaps being pretty, if he cared to, and nothing else.' I'm highly embarassed now, because we started to quarrel about him and almost fell out. Only last Christmas I belatedly had to apologize to both her and his shadow. Thirty years late I realized Nirvana had indeed merit. Switching radio-station because of christmas-overkill I listened in because of the odd tuning and chord-choice I recognized as the somewhat contorted progression of a funerary march and went: 'Wait a moment, that's interesting... who's that, again?' - Surprise, it was 'the noise-pit': Nirvana. Even if he didn't really know what he was doing musically, somebody has to come up with these chords, first, if it isn't skill, it's talent. (I forgot the name of the song, but I think I found it featured as one of Rick Beato's 'most underrated song' or 'what makes that song great' - videos: He's definitively right about it.)
Sound garden much better on a technical level nirvana makes better music
@@MagnaMater2Load of guff
Soundgarden is an amazing band. The songwriting is of an exceptional quality and intricacy. I feel like every band member was a true specialist at their instrument and were properly musically educated. They strongly correlate with the band Queen.
I love both bands, but would have to give Soundgarden the edge looking back from 2023. I was huge into Nirvana first but fell hard for Superunknown when it came out and then went through SG's entire catalogue. I never saw Kurt and the boys, but was lucky enough to see SoundGarden twice when they came around in the 2000-teens and they were fantastic. In fact I has tickets to see them a 3rd time just a week after Chris died. I saw them in Grand Prarie Texas first, they closed with Slaves and Bulldozers, Kim left his guitar leaning against one of the monitors when he walked off stage, the entire venue was shaking.............it was incredible.
Love both bands, and it’s cool to see they got along pretty well
It was that Punk ethos that DIY and not about marrying a supermodel and demeaning females. They tended to have girlfriends who looked like the ones I likes: nerdy, smart girls with glasses, in the retro clothing and combat boots!
Absolutely! They were refreshingly genuine, relatable, and humble, a stark contrast to the glamorous and stereotypical rockstar image!
They're dope
The reason why Nirvana got mega popular and Soundgarden did not is quite simple: Kurt had pop sensibility. He wrote big catchy hooks. Chris, on the other hand, favored quirky prog rock time signatures. In an interview with Rick Beato, Kim Thayil compared watching kids bopping around at a Soundgarden show to a “box of ping pong balls.” They could not find the beat. Simply put, Nirvana’s music was more danceable.
Aka "Better"
@endokrin7897, that’s not at all the same thing. Even if I happen to agree with you (with the idea that one group might be “better” than the other), what she’s talking about with time signatures and danceability is an absolutely valid point. At the same time, I’ll never consider King Crimson or Pink Floyd to be “not as good” because of their time signatures.
Umm, Soundgarden did have a number 1 record as did Audioslave, and Cornell was more diverse in his career.
Yes, Cobain died very early and never got to explore but he couldn’t write a record like Temple of the Dog or sing like Cornell.
@@babywah3290 I think if we're comparing NIRVANA's catalog to Soundgarden's, they're pretty evenly matched, but every NIRVANA album is better than that Temple of the Dog release. Singing like Chris Cornell would be antithetical to NIRVANA's aesthetic. Cornell had the perfect voice for what Soundgarden did, and Cobain had the perfect voice for what NIRVANA did.
@@WaitingtoHit Ok, explain Audioslave and his record with Timbaland.
Chris Cornell. Love the range of his voice. I really came to initially know about them with the Bad Motor Finger album which I still love to this day. By then Chris had a little more rasp in his voice and I remember thinking his singing was just a very controlled scream at times. Awesome. He could do it all like Bruce Dickinson said. I also became more impressed when I found out he could play guitar. And the band he was in, Soundgarden, has been one of my favorites for their very tuned down deep sound with both Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin influences; I think a little more Black Sabbath, and influences like Black Flag. And I love the Indian influence that Kim had.
I miss drooling over these beautiful artists , so re-runs it is , 💔
I remember hating grunge because overnight my favorite hair metal bands were filing bankruptcy overnight. Now I'm 51 and realize now how special that moment in time was and that hair metal had its time and had to go and the strongest bands survived the grunge wave aka Metallica, AcDc and few others. Music is due for another "disco,grunge" change. Btw I love grunge since 2010 lol.
Looking back It wasn’t an organic shift in styles or else both genres would have coexisted without issue, like it was in the 80’s with literally dozens of various sounds sharing airtime. If you follow the concept of social engineering then consider that time to be the moment when the next phase kicked off
I go to a friends house one day and he's listening to the new Soundgarden album (Superunknown) with a friend of his named Ben. We finish the album and chat about for 15 minutes or so and Ben takes off. After he leaves my friend tells me that was Ben Shepherd the bass player. Nice guy, really quiet and I probably annoyed him. I saw Chad Channing at the Pizza Factory a lot around that time as well. Never spoke with him but he seemed cool too. Chris Cornell once bummed me a cigarette on a ferry. Apparently I partied with a bunch of local rockstars and never knew it until after they left the party or I watched a video on RUclips and said "Wait i hung out with that guy". Shoutout to 1990's Bainbridge Island!
Back in the day, I was definitely more crazy for Soundgarden. Nirvana broke into such success because Kurt's song crafting had more of a pop sensibility. That's not a knock. It was essential to their appeal.. riotous noise, intensity of emotion, irreverence, Kurt's incredible voice, harrowing and intense writing ..all contained within the catchy melodies of a 3 minute pop song, But I for one was more interested in the unconventional heaviness and impeccable musicianship of Soundgarden's adrenaline soaked metal forged riffage and Chris's unparalleled voice during those years. Nirvana was equally incredible and Kurt was singular. I do wish that bands like Sonic Youth, Fugazi, even the Pixies had experienced the amount of acclaim that Nirvana did. There were piles of bands, North Carolina and Minnesota were chock-o-block with precursors to Nirvana's title. It just sucks that these two contemporaries of my generation so successfully synthesized so much incredible music that came before them, but emotionally and mentally, I guess spiritually... Kurt and Chris were suffering and too desperately chose a way out rather than finding peace in this life. I do have to listen in moderation anymore. The intensity of sadness and darkness conveyed in the music is still so profound. Brilliant artist's; I wish they had found a way to keep on and keep gifting us with their remarkable talents.
One of the reasons Geffen let them get on with it is the fact that they were introduced to the label by Sonic Youth who had recently signed to Geffen themselves, much to the despair of most of their fanbase who in understandably thought that they were selling out. Little did they know that SY had managed to bag one of the most unique major label deals ever. Such was Geffen’s respect for SY they were allowed to release music on other labels if they wished, had free reign creatively but also were encouraged to bring new bands to the label. One of the first was Nirvana.
Indeed. Even more than their music, Sonic Youth's biggest contribution to music as a whole was the way they took that major label money and made it work for bands and musicians that might never have been given the chance. They used to cut into their own set time to let a band play that wasn't actually supposed to be on the roster for the evening. They collaborated with such a huge range of artists, too! Musicians, actors, writers... Sonic Youth was all about spreading the art, no matter the medium.
It was all about Mother Love Bone and Soundgarden.
Kurt was such a epic character overall and each vocal and guitar riff was hook that stuck in your head. Kurt had hooks.
Epic Character's don't ( cant) do 5 grams of heroin and still have the ability to shoot themselves.
@@jussitikkuri6991 And is it true that he emptied both barrels?!
The epicenter of my grunge fandom was definitely Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger.
They say don’t meet your hero’s but the more I hear and learn about Chris and Kurt the more I have come to respect them as human beings
I saw Nirvana right when Nevermind broke at a small club in Houston called The Vatican. I saw Soundgarden on the Badmotorfinger tour at a club in Houston called The Unicorn. Even though the Nirvana show was more memorable and factored into my divorce (x-wife got kicked in the head), Soundgarden was always my band.
In the Soundgarden show, one of the dudes from the pit made it on stage and started wrestling with Cornell. Chris did almost all of Beyond the Wheel, belting out that crazy chorus (never missed a note). Finally he was able to swing the dude back into the crowd (the pit took him). When the song was over Chris asks "who was that friendly hormone?". RIP to both.
I always saw Chris as a big brother. Now I know why.
My favorite artist? An underground punk legend from Jacksonville, Thommy Berlin. I love both Sound Garden and Nirvana, though they both broke my heart.
💔
Kings-x baby. Greatest rock band never known
They were never enemies, they both had mutual respect, they all knew each other very well from the scene, but they were never great friends. Nirvana was on the other side of the fence even though they were from Seattle. Maybe also the fact that Nirvana was on another record label didn't bring them as close as to Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains. In fact, Chris said he felt very affected after Kurt Cobain's suicide and admitted that the Seattle music scene was never the same after that.
I know that Superunknown was really what garnered Soundgarden's mainstream success, but it bothers me when posts regarding the grunge era and particularly Soundgarden fail to acknowledge just how great the BADMOTORFINGER album was. Sure Black Hole Sun was the radio darling, but I personally found Rusty Cage, Outshined and Jesus Christ Pose to be better songs.
I prefer black days even to black hole sun
Fun Fact: LoL! The bands here at Seattle back then and pre back then were very very supportive of each other even if they didn't actually get along with each other that well, it was more like it appeared that they didn't really get along with each other that well, but they did! Of course there were differences sometimes but they all would always make it a point to attend one another's shows quite frequently and one band would often come out of the crowd and join another band on stage as I assume it also happens in lots of towns! Seattle is kind of like Reno in a sense "the biggest little city in the world"! Chris Cornell would run into Jimi Hendrix's little brother Leon quite often as he was ascending up the Seattle music scene 🪜 and one of the places Leon & A very young Chris Cornell would first start crossing paths at was at Sir Mr. Jimi's Memorial just outside of Downtown Seattle at a city/town named Renton, Cornell would be with friends riding a skateboard and would tell Leon "I'm gonna be a rockstar and travel the world like your big brother one day Leon!" Then as Chris got older he & Leon would see each other at shows and Leon was always supportive of all of the bands from that moment in, on, and at time here at Seattle! Chris and many other members of the bands here affectionately called and referred to Leon as Uncle! ✌️💜🎶~206
I was saddened beyond words when Kurt Cobain passed away 4 days before my 13th birthday. Nirvana was my favorite band in the world and I wanted to learn how to play guitar and be in a band and Kurt Cobain was one of influences on the sound I play on guitar now. I remember I cried when I saw the news on MTV, I was young and naive and innocent still and when he died it seemed like a bad dream.
I saw the newspaper on the passenger seat while I was pumping gas.
Kurt would've been a superstar for the rest of his life, if he wouldn't have died. That kind of talent never fades. Also, the Smashing Pumkins still play stadiums, so not sure what the reference to Billy being this has-been is all about. Also, Cornell was worth $40million at the time of his death, so I think it's kind of hilarious how this video makes it seem like Soundgarden was just this band that barely became famous, and couldn't hold a candle to Nirvana's success. Lol
Hard to believe either one of them killed themselves. Maybe Kurt. I have heard other things about Chris and Chester.
Both artists legendary. Glad they came out in my generation🤘🙌👍
You mention soundgarden broke in 1994. For anyone not Tiffany fans, louder than love and badmotorfinger were it. So much earlier than 1994.
They weren’t super famous until 94 when Superunknown exploded. Yes they were a big band but they didn’t get classified as grunge until Pearl Jam and nirvana took off.
@@crysylis5093 not in my world they weren’t. That’s why I specified the Tiffany fans. Lol
They were “grunge”. The sluggish of them all, save the Melvin’s.
@@crysylis5093they werent what i call "pop famous," but they were ROCK famous. Anyone who ever watched MTVs Headbangers Ball knew about them and probably loved them as early as 1988 but no later than about 1991 (Badmotorfinger was a successful album, with a couple of successful videos).
Pop famous came in 94, of course.
I mean, they didn’t break into the mainstream until Blackhole Sun came out. You can be as musically elite as you want, but the statement is true.
@@HorganBlatt hmmmm. Strange how large Outshined was.
Hell Jason went onto be a bad ass. He became a Green Beret and served many combat tours. He is a certified, decorated bad ass, lol.
Funny, I kind of remember Soundgarden as in the same league even at the time (prior super unknown). Sure, admittedly, they were in 3rd place or whatever but it still felt like 'the big 3' (... or 4 if you include Alice in chains - which at the time didn't quite feel like grunge, but sort of rock with grunge influence ... or whatever), with others trailing quite a way behind (screaming trees or whatever)
Ditto
I think both bands are awesome and I loved them equally. How could anyone not enjoy each one as much as the other? I dunno, hard to say but what can anyone do to dispute either one... The world may never know. ❣️
I personally didn’t like Soundgarden. I know Cornell had mad range but I didn’t like his voice or their music. I just didn’t get the hype. Same as Foo Fighters… just don’t get it. I don’t think they would have made it if it weren’t for Grohl being from Nirvana. Now, Nirvana, I love the music on every album from Bleach to En Utero! I have the first pressing vinyls of all their albums besides Unplugged, kept in very good plus condition, all framed to preserve them.
Answering the question. Soundgarden did not reach the same level of success because they were more technically proficient as a group with their instruments. Chris actually sings and hits different octaves. Kurt was skilled at more poppy hum along tunes and Dave Grohl has a very commanding drum sound. I have always been a Soundgarden fan more than Nirvana. Completely different feels. Soundgarden should not be compared to Nirvana and vice versa because they are so different imo.
Soundgarden was the best musical outfit from the Seattle area since Hendrix.
I think if Kurt was around now he would be playing acoustic music, but unlike Corgan he has a good voice.
I agree, Kurt Cobain's distinct voice would likely have aged well and fit an acoustic style beautifully like Johnny Cash.
@@SoundscapesRock He said when he got old He would play the guitar like Johnny Cash on his front porch.
Nice to hear a little about Jason Everman. He was a real talent too!
Chris is right: Soundgarden did put Seattle on the map. Hands all Over was the first grunge song to receive regular airplay on MTV, followed by Alice in Chains’ Man in the Box. This after the success of Janes Addiction primed hard rock fans to accept Nirvana. History remembers it like music trends changed overnight, but that was not the case. I would even argue than Guns and Roses had more to do with ending the glam metal era than Nirvana did.
Soundgarden for me. I love Cornell’s voice, and I like my
Music a little on the harder side. That being said, they were both good:)
The person narrating this video totally sounds like one of the DJ's from Toronto's CFNY 102.1 from 80's/90's Era.
Badmotorfinger broke Soundgarden before superuknown .
Pretty crazy how you overlooked the fact that Jason was in special forces. Like dude played in two of the biggest bands ever then did tours overseas.
Chris and kurt had a different approach,no one was better.
Wait what? We were all listening to Soundgarden since “Badmotorfinger” was released. “Superunknowm” was when Chris cut his hair and everyone was accusing them of selling out. I looked at them a more of a metal band back them. Same with with Alice In Chains before “Jar of Flies”
Rest In Peace to both of them.
There's one reason that Nirvana left Soundgarden in the dirt in terms of commercial success; Nevermind. Sort of like The Ramones on Rocket To Russia, Nevermind was a virtual Greatest Hits record. With their catchiest tunes all piled onto one LP and a killer single in Smells Like Teen Spirit, the world took notice. It might be a shame that The Ramones didn't get the accolades and sales that Nirvana did with Nevermind, but maybe this sort of success would have destroyed Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee just as quickly.
I think people can appreciate both Soundgarden and Nirvana without having to compare or choose. That said, it's all good to have your faves and preferences and state them clearly!
This is the 2nd time I heard Jason Everman paid for the Bleach demo yet Chris goes around telling people Kurt had to work a janitor job to pay for Bleach. I wonder which ones the truth.
Kurt himself said that Jason paid for it lol.
Anything Chris says needs to be taken with a grain of sand because he was a jokester. Bleach-janitor makes sense 😂😂
I always could tell Kurt was incredibly media-savvy. He was much like his hero, John Lennon, who always knew what to say to get the media just the proper amount of riled-up. (And, likewise, sometimes went too far. Toward the end, though, when he had to speak for-and often defend-his new family, he’d begin to lose purchase on the reigns.
Nirvana wrote simple, palpable, catchy, aggressive, totally irreverent songs. Soundgarden was more straight up, conventional rock (sounding, looking and acting). My two cents.
Loving 4:35... Just a shame that they are all gone except Eddie Vedder. Keep rocking Eddie!
Great video! Have mayor respect for both of them .
Thank you glad you enjoyed it!
Sorry but Soundgarden didn't break through with Superunknown. Badmotorfinger was huge when Nevermind and Ten came out.
No comparison. You just can’t. Both bands were fkn perfect in their own way.
That's the best comment.
Honestly, I can’t choose between Nirvana and Soundgarden. I watched only Soundgarden live on a metal festival here before Chris passed away sadly. I found them out of place on a real metal festival but the sound of his voice during the show made my skin crawl (in a very positive way, goose bumps). Little did I know what was to happen later … I was on a high school trip when Kurt shot himself … I will never forget that day. We were on a school trip on a leased bus when the news hit us. I have never seen my pears so quiete, but most didn’t know why I fell silent and continued after that day. Nirvana was the stuff of my generation and unfortunately we lost Chris Cornell, Chester Benningfield, Taylor Hawkins, Lemmy, ‘the animal’ … a lot of great artists and musicians have left us in the most recent years
Kurt was a fan it's well known. Not that Nirvana aped SG or followed their specific path.soundgarden I heard of as early as 86/87. Nirvana didnt break til ...you know. Mudhoney was pretty well known as well as Tad came to my town of Buffalo @88. Everyone hip knew of them. I avoided anything in the top 40 at all costs.
I definitely don't believe Chris killed himself.
Or Kurt
@@rickstalentedtongue910 Yeah, I'm strongly leaning toward foul play in Kurt's death, too!
Chris may have written more sophisticated music, but Kurt's music was a sound that resounded with a whole generation, especially poor, rural kids, living in the dreary nothingness of the Midwest United States.
Nirvana put Seattle on the map, musically.
I think Nirvana wrote hard pop songs, which really helped their commercial appeal. Wheras Soundgarden was just a harder band without the tight verse chorus, verse composition and repetition. Plus while both frontmen where alluring in their own right, Kurt was just more magnetic. He had more star power.
I disagree about Kurt having more "star power." What I would say is that Kurt reacted more viscerally and antagonistically to the commercialization of his art, and of himself as a commodity. Chris generally kept it to the level of scathing sarcasm for interviews, while I remember Kurt being blatantly belligerent. That's not to say Kurt was more impacted by it, because obviously I'm not either of them and wouldn't really know; I'm talking about how it felt seeing it from the outside. So was the attitude part of why they were the bigger deal for a while? Who knows, or cares, really. It was never a contest amongst their fans or them, far as I know. Got to love them all, never had to choose. Eternally grateful.
@@vegan.atheist.weirdo My favorite musician from that era is hands down Layne Staley & even so I think Kurt had more star power. I think he had that rare quality like Marilyn Monroe that just made him an eternal icon. Was it his face? Those piercing blue eyes? Was it the aloofness that made you long to get close to him? The vulnerability in his voice, the scream? The inimitable sense of non-fashion style? I don’t know. Maybe all of the above. But I stand by my statement that Kurt Cobain had the most star power of that era. & yes his
music was addictively catchy in its raw, rough simplicity.
So much of my life listening to both bands , thank you both
Girl: are you the blonde dj who interviewed Daniel Johns (silverchair) last year in the docuseries? You sound exactly like her.
That's awesome I wish I could have seen both of them in the hay day never seen Nirvana seen Soundgarden in 2013 it was awesome rest in peace to both they're still missed and loved forever rest easy brothers 😎🤘🤟🤘🤟❤
The real goat here is Jason Everman: played with Nirvana & Soundgarden ánd a member of the Special Forces. He should write a book.
I never really got into Soundgarden to much as i feel they were too blatantly heavy and covered up Chris’s amazing voice to much (Audio slave was a better fit for chris i feel). Nirvana just seemed to have all the elements in one perfect little package, and i think Kirk Cobain is one of the greatest song writers ever. And chris is one of the greatest singers ever, his acoustic stuff is out of this world. And for what its worth i truly believe neither of them committed suicide, there is a ton of evidence to suggest this.
That's KURT COBAIN... NOT KIRK!
@@waianaesara I know, damn spell check thank you!
Kirk is Kurt's cousin. Not a musician.
@markinwa5884 it was a spell check mistake. Calm down know it all. 😆
Soundgarden has held up better for me. Yeah, i lived in a small Vermont town when grunge hit the mainstream. Nevermind was EVERYWHERE. It was refreshing. I was so sick of LA hairspray bands. Grunge was like all the depressing 80's bands i was into. The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Depeche Mode, New Order, etc. But they played guitar like punks. Black Flag, TSOL, Sonic Youth, Circle Jerks, etc. Frankly, my constantly stoned mind was blown. That being said, lyrics about being on heroin (Nirvana, Alice in Chains) didn't resonate with me as much as Cornell grappling with christianity and corporate slavery. Plus they played in weird time signatures and you couldn't even tell because the groove was so, so heavy. Grunge happened because something had to break for the page to turn. Nirvana turned me on but Soundgarden still keeps me tuned in.
Chris Cornell is the best!
Never got into Nirvana, but got into SG in 1991 and so glad I did
The gig at Manchester Free Trade Club in 1976, where the Sex Pistols played, there were only about 40 people there, yet half of the UK claims they were there!
I remember the late John Peel lamenting after Kurt's suicide, 'If only he had given me a ring, he could have stayed with me and the Pig, and the kids would love having him, he wouldn't have to make records or record anything, just stay with us and watch TV [sic]'
It was a shock a few years later when Chris Cornel was suicided.
I personally believe there was some malicious intervention there!
These are 2 totally different dudes. There's no comparison.
I can answer the last question as to why Soundgarden didn't reach the success level of Nirvana. Soundgarden's music was as good but they broke up after Super Unknown for a pretty long time. At that time I think they were climbing in popularity and in my opinion, their tunes were becoming more accessible. Had they not broken up when they did and instead followed up with another record with a few hits in that time frame, I think they could have matched or eclipsed Nirvana's heights. But in the crazy world of music and rock band's, it's unrealistic for them to have stayed together for that reason. Bands don't operate that way in reality and at the point when they broke up, they had been together for quite a long time as compared to many bands. As well as compared to Nirvana that you stated as well. So it wasn't to be.
Kurt or Chris DID NOT kill themselves.
I saw Soundgarden open for Danzig back in 89 and then again in 1991 for the Badmotorfinger tour…👍👍👍
Definitely Soundgarden over Nirvana, but neither of them could touch SP's "Siamese Dream".
SP?
Smashing Pumpkins.
There’s both legends in the best era of music of our generation 💔
Kurts hair around 7mins, was done with KOOL LAID!!
Never liked Soundgarden, but always loved Nirvana. I saw Nirvana live twice. Once in Atlanta, once in Los Angeles. To be honest, they sounded like shit both times, but the energy in the room was unbelievable, and Nevermind is easily one of the greatest albums ever recorded.
If you don't like soundgarden you don't know good music
@@Will324ppl like what ppl like
@@michaelwills1926 3 people agree with my comment, 0 with yours.
Pearl Jam was my favorite
Soundgarden had more screams while Nirvana had more hooks
I loved those cornell screams..I remember seeing soundgarden live for the first time 94 and I was in the restroom which was in the back end of this 10,000 capacity venue and they were performing superunknown and I remember chris' voice penetrating those walls all the way from the back of the venue...so powerful
Fact ❤
Soundgarden and Nirvana are both awesome groups,i remember in 1990, when I was 23.Chris Cornell awesome Singer and Kurt Cobain awesome singer, love them both.Sad they passed away,was near my age may Kurt Cobain RIP and Chris Cornell RIP 💐🙏
I grew up in the Seattle area and was on average 4-5 yrs younger than most of these guys. I was friends with Andy Wood and Mike Starr in the way that they were like older protective brothers to me. All these guys truly loved each other's music and got on with each other well. They collectively hated the glam metal bands. None of them would ever admit to going to any of the Glam metal shows but they did. They use to bum rush the doors at concert's frequently lol. I can honestly say they never paid to see a show. They called Glam mental band members Posers. Looking back on all these Seattle bands had more fun and enjoyed their lives more before money and fame. The only band I can remember that really wanted success was Alice in Chains and singularly Andy Wood. It seemed like Andy was destined to be famous. Sadly he is but for the wrong reason. I'm finding this video very accurate to the way I remember things from being on the frings of the Grunge scene.
It must've been an incredible time to be on the fringes of the Grunge scene. Your perspective adds depth to the culture surrounding these bands. Thank you for sharing your experiences! 🤘
Weren’t glam metal bands referred to as “butt rock” by the Seattle crowd back then?
Lies
@@babywah3290butt rock came from FM radio in the mid/late 90s. "Nothin but rock" and then you knew Creed was coming on.
@@jfiery I think it was a member of Catt Butt who mentioned seeing fellow Seattleite Duff McKagan in LA before Guns N Roses hit it big and telling others back in Seattle that Duff joined a “butt rock band.”
They both rocked the world.
Nirvana blew up because they were with an "Elite" record label Geffan Records. David Geffan is part of the powerful elite who used musicians as influencers and push them to the top. SG tried to keep it indie and UG. It was when CC went solo from SG and started working with Hollywood soundtracks and being around "powerful elite" people that used him in such ways that he just couldn't take it anymore. Or CC was killed. He was truly a prophet. His songs told stories that resonated with so many. Nirvana rocked but was alot of screaming phrases over amazing drums and distorted melodies. 2 completely different great bands. Music will never be the same
ok, you are smart, do you know what nirvana/cobain/ghrol REALLY ARE????
People still listen to the Pumpkins with love and reverence. As of this moment, they receive over 10M listens per month on Spotify. Meaning: still very relevant.
I never saw Nirvana as being bigger than Soundgarden although I was always aware they were more mainstream popular. To me Nirvana is like a PoP Heavy Rock Band. Soundgarden is the ultimate heavy band an evolution of the foundationsSabbath, Zep, Purple, etc but so different at the same time. Everything was so odd with SG but worked so perfectly. To me their music was much higher level the Nirvana which was usually 4 chords and a good hook. Just different styles of bands.