Chapter 11 Rock in the 1990s: Alternative Becomes the Mainstream

1. Home recording a. Many bands rejected the “slickness” of outlets like MTV b. Cassette-based four-track recorders introduced by Tascam in 1979 allowed for more production options by bands c. Home recording allowed bands to avoid being indebted to record companies for recording costs d. Mediocre quality of self-produced music became a marker of artistic integrity 2. “Alternative” music a. By the end of the 1990s, every major label had an alternative subcategory b. Alternative genres included: alternative dance, alternative country, alternative contemporary Christian music, and alternative metal c. The term alternative advanced two agendas i. The term was used to valorize music that challenges the status quo ii. The music industry(especially large record companies and their subsidiaries) used to term to denote choice in the marketplace 3. Nirvana a. Achieved commercial breakthrough in 1992 b. Hailed from the Pacific Northwest c. Centered on guitarist Kurt Cobain (1967–1994) and bassist Krist Novoselic (b. 1965), later joined by Dave Grohl (drums) d. In 1991 signed with a major label (DGC) and released Nevermind, selling over ten million copies e. Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994; he is viewed by some as a martyr and by others as self-indulgent and hypocritical 4. Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” a. #6 pop hit b. Combined heavy metal instrumental textures and pop songwriting techniques c. Built on a four-chord harmonic progression d. Emphasized textural shifts 5. The “Seattle sound” a. Part of a long tradition of regional sounds in rock music b. Emerged in the Pacific Northwest, an important region for garage bands of the 1960s c. Exemplified by bands like Green River, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden 6. “Jeremy” by Pearl Jam a. From the breakthrough album Ten (1991), one of the most commercially successful albums of the decade b. Composed by singer Eddie Vedder and bassist Jeff Ament c. Inspired by a fifteen-year-old Texan who committed suicide in front of his classmates d. Promoted by a controversial video aired on MTV including rapid-fire montages, childlike fonts, and biblical quotations, ending with Jeremy shooting himself 7. Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill a. Intensely personal and autobiographical b. Best-selling rock album of the ’90s c. Included the scathing, sexually explicit “You Ought to Know” about abandonment d. Danceability of the music likely contributed to success 8. Phish a. Created loyal following by modeling the approach of the Grateful Dead b. Incorporated collective improvisation c. Embraced eclectic tastes including rock, folk, jazz, country, bluegrass, and pop d. Success as a touring act did not translate into massive record sales 9. MC Hammer a. Recorded the best-selling rap album of all time, Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ’Em, in 1990 b. Celebrity boosted by his skills as a dancer c. Pushed rap into the mainstream d. Criticized for lack of skill as a rapper and pandering to a mass audience 10. Vanilla Ice a. Commercially successful white rapper b. Recorded To the Extreme in 1990 c. Derided by the hip-hop community for his lack of “street knowledge” and misrepresenting himself 11. N.W.A. (Niggaz with Attitude) a. Heralded nationwide emergence of West Coast gangsta rap with the album Straight Outa Compton (1989) b. Nucleus of the group included O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, Eric “Eazy-E” Wright c. Attitude, sensibility, and sound were influenced by Public Enemy d. Recorded violent, menacing songs like “F___ the Police” and “Gangsta Gangsta” e. Acrimonious breakup disseminated the group’s influence over wider territory 12. “What’s My Name?” a. Million-selling single (in bowdlerized form) from the album Doggystyle (1993) b. Features Snoop’s soft drawl and laidback-but-lethal gangster persona c. Includes rapid-fire, percussively articulated, tongue-twisting wordplay d. Samples heavily from George Clinton e. Includes references to country and western music, allusions to sexual potency, and references to Snoop’s mentor, Dr. Dre 13. Gangsta rap conflicts a. Mid-1990s saw eruption of violent conflicts between East and West Coast factions within the hip-hop business community b. Marion “Suge” Knight represented Los Angeles-based Death Row Records and its up-and-coming star, Tupac (2Pac) Shakur c. Sean “Puffy” Combs (a.k.a. Puff Daddy, P. Diddy) represented New York independent label Bad Boy Records and up-and-coming star, Notorious B.I.G. d. Resulted in the killing of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. and reincarceration of Marion “Suge” Knight e. Both Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. recorded prophetic raps ending with the narrator speaking from the grave, which sold extremely well after the performers’ death f. Gangsta raps often present highly stylized images combining a survivalist outlook with a celebration of the gangster lifestyle g. Gangsta rap frequently criticized for treating women as sex objects characterized as “bitches” and “whores” 14. Queen Latifah a. Debut album All Hail the Queen (1989) reached #6 on the R&B album charts b. First hit single, “Ladies First,” challenged supremacy of male rappers c. Her third album was released by Motown and included her biggest hit and Grammy winning single “U.N.I.T.Y.” d. Influenced by R&B and reggae e. Appeared on television and films f. Recorded diverse material, including Tin Pan Alley and soul repertoire 15. Queen Latifah’s “U.N.I.T.Y.” a. Influenced by reggae (Jamacian patois) and R&B (saxophone) b. Features digitized snare drum backbeat c. Critiques misogyny and the use of terms like bitches and ho d. Supports the idea that black men and women need to treat each other with respect e. Balances indignation over abuse of women by men with optimistic approach 16. Ry Cooder’s Talking Timbuktu a. Influenced by the music of West African guitarist and singer Ali Farka Touré b. Reflects Cooder’s diverse musical background as a session musician and bandleader c. Included songs like “Diaraby” i. Sung in the Bambara language ii. American audiences are likely to hear close affinities with the blues iii. Features contributions by the blues guitarist and fiddler Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown d. Included songs like “The Face of Love” i. Involved collaboration between Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Pakistani musician Nursat Fateh Ali Khan ii. Kahn was featured in the soundtrack to the films The Last Temptation of Christ, Dead Man Walking, and Natural Born Killers iii. Based on a simple melody sung in English and Urdu iv. Musical sound and mysticism of Sufi poetry resonate a transcendental, contemplative mood