Best Band of the 90s?

MendotoManteo

MendotoManteo

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Generally speaking, Nirvana seems often considered the best band of the 90s. Or at least the most iconic. There are two reasons for this:

1. Nirvana was, objectively, a great band.
2. The cult of Cobain

For my part, however, I offer Alice in Chains as the best band of the 90s, despite almost seeming like an afterthought these days. I'm not a musician and don't understand music like musicians do, obviously. But I do know what sounds good and know enough about technical intricacy when I hear it. I think these features are what make Alice the best:

1. The harmonizing between Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell is almost without parallel.
2. Brought what I will call "outside elements" and accompaniments (again, not a musician so don't know technical terms) like other support vocalists or symphonic elements at certain points in their songs. I call their sound a "symphony of calamity" for this reason. I don't recall Nirvana ever doing this but could be wrong.
3. I believe they had more range than most other bands of the era.
4. "Jar of Flies" is, in my opinion, the greatest album of the 90s (well, at least rock; aka, what we would consider a "band"). Technically, an LP but whatever.

What do you all think? Any other contenders?
 
Bobfripp said:
Radiohead and Soundgarden
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Those are good contenders, no doubt. I could listen to "Karma Police" for hours on replay. Could be wrong but I think Radiohead's oeuvre spans into the early 00s, however. So, I think we need to limit ourselves to what was produced exclusively in the 90s.

And regarding Soundgarden, while I understand them as a truly great band, I've never really liked them that much. Now, that's getting into personal taste and not necessarily what is objectively good. But just my opinion. I do, however, love Chris Cornell. His work with Temple of the Dog ("Hunger Strike" one of my all-time favorites) and later with Audioslave is incredible. He could perhaps be in contention for greatest frontman of the 90s (although, again, we're getting into the 00s with him).
 
Ramrouser said:
Smashing Pumpkins
REM
Pixies

REM and Pixies are hurt since they straddle the 80s/90s.
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"Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" certainly one of the best albums of the 90s. Hadn't thought about it before now but may well be the best. Maybe even better than "Jar of Flies," which I posited earlier.

As you bring up here with REM and the Pixies (and as others have done with Beastie Boys, etc.), we're getting outside the decade if taken as a whole. May as well bring in The Cure or Depeche Mode. Certainly all great bands, but I guess we need to determine this based off of what was made merely in the decade.
 
Born in 85. My favorite album of all time is Ten. Second is What’s the Story Morning Glory. Thus, Pearl Jam and Oasis are two of my favorite bands of all time.

Nirvana was always overrated.
 
Regarding Alice in Chains, just sort of a personal aside here. I remember riding around in the car as a boy with my mom at the time. She would let me listen to 106.5 The End, out of Charlotte. Whenever "Rooster" came on, she would turn it off. It's admittedly a very uncomfortable song. But her doing that made me think it was a bad song. Despite loving Alice for a longtime, I would often not listen to "Rooster" just because of her having done that. Even recently. And I'm 40 now!

It's about their dads/stepdads in Vietnam. I listen to it now and am amazed. It's such a good song. Maybe not for everyone's personal liking, obviously, but it's a darn good song. Not my favorite of theirs but still. Glad I finally confronted it again.

And as far as turning the radio channel at the time went, whenever Marilyn Manson came on, I would automatically turn it. "Tourniquet" is a good song but not Christian mom-son riding around in a car in the 90s appropriate. Lol.
 
Rock said:
Born in 85. My favorite album of all time is Ten. Second is What’s the Story Morning Glory. Thus, Pearl Jam and Oasis are two of my favorite bands of all time.

Nirvana was always overrated.
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Oh, my god! Oasis! How could I forget! Probably not the technical difficulty of some of the others mentioned here but certainly sounded as good as anyone. Love Oasis!
 
For me, based on my own personal preference, I’m going with Archers of Loaf, with The Sea and Cake a close second, and Pavement, PJ Harvey, and getting some strong consideration.

Archers of Loaf put out music that consisted of some of that quintessential 1990s post-punk indie-pop sound but also had a distinctive sound with the way Eric Johnson utilized his lead guitar playing. Frontman Eric Bachmann had (and still has) a commanding voice that grabs your attention. They absolutely rocked and put on a great live show. They put out four full length albums in the 1990s, three of which were fantastic and the last of which was solid, though not on the level of the first three IMO. They also put out a brilliant EP between their first and second albums and a really good collection of b-sides and unreleased tracks.

The Sea and Cake put out great album after great album over the course of 25 years between 1993 and 2018 (not sure if they have more to come), and may be the most under-appreciated band ever. And the four albums they put out in the 90s were great. The Biz, released in 1995, may be my all-time favorite album. They put out some very chill rock with jazz-influenced guitar that I could listen to all the time.

Pavement was sort of the quintessential indie rock band that influenced so much music of the era (and beyond). Though their sound was always recognizable, they evolved from each album to the next, putting out five full-length albums between 1992 and 1999.

PJ Harvey has been constantly reinventing herself with each album and has been doing it for nearly 35 years now. Her output in the 90s was consistently great, while also being dynamic, and after the drastic shift in both sound and image in 1995’s To Bring You My Love, it was exciting to wonder where she would take us next.
 
Ben Folds Five (NC band): Underground, My Philosophy, Boxing, Uncle Walter, Brick, Kate, Battle of Who Could Care Less, Magic, Don't Change your Plans Evaporated.



Jellyfish - Spilt Milk is a masterpiece

Cranberries

Early 90s = U2 Achtung Baby is epic.

REM

Whatever bands Chris Cornell was in (Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog)

Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, Blur - although each had issues for me.

Radiohead - they stole/borrowed well from 80s chameleon band Talk Talk (electro to post rock/avant garde jazz)

Nirvana/Foo Fighters. Nirvana had one revolutionary, great album. Foo Fighters as a band are more consistent for me.

Crowded House - Woodface and Together Alone are two of the best albums of the 90s. They broke up in 1996 until 2007 with solid albums in 2.0, technically 3.0... but no masterpieces like Woodface and Together Alone.
 
Icky Mettle said:
For me, based on my own personal preference, I’m going with Archers of Loaf, with The Sea and Cake a close second, and Pavement, PJ Harvey, and getting some strong consideration.

Archers of Loaf put out music that consisted of some of that quintessential 1990s post-punk indie-pop sound but also had a distinctive sound with the way Eric Johnson utilized his lead guitar playing. Frontman Eric Bachmann had (and still has) a commanding voice that grabs your attention. They absolutely rocked and put on a great live show. They put out four full length albums in the 1990s, three of which were fantastic and the last of which was solid, though not on the level of the first three IMO. They also put out a brilliant EP between their first and second albums and a really good collection of b-sides and unreleased tracks.

The Sea and Cake put out great album after great album over the course of 25 years between 1993 and 2018 (not sure if they have more to come), and may be the most under-appreciated band ever. And the four albums they put out in the 90s were great. The Biz, released in 1995, may be my all-time favorite album. They put out some very chill rock with jazz-influenced guitar that I could listen to all the time.

Pavement was sort of the quintessential indie rock band that influenced so much music of the era (and beyond). Though their sound was always recognizable, they evolved from each album to the next, putting out five full-length albums between 1992 and 1999.

PJ Harvey has been constantly reinventing herself with each album and has been doing it for nearly 35 years now. Her output in the 90s was consistently great, while also being dynamic, and after the drastic shift in both sound and image in 1995’s To Bring You My Love, it was exciting to wonder where she would take us next.
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Wow, Archers of Loaf. Didn't see that coming from you.
 
Duke Mu said:
Ben Folds Five (NC band): Underground, My Philosophy, Boxing, Uncle Walter, Brick, Kate, Battle of Who Could Care Less, Magic, Don't Change your Plans Evaporated.

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Do yourself a favor and put this playlist on repeat. It's probably the best recording of BFF at their peak. Sledge is a bass playing god in this concert too.

 
On a side note, U2's Achtung Baby is one of the greatest single albums ever made....

But they formed in the 70s and were well known in the 80s.
 
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