90s/Singers!

[Rousian]

I think EVERYONE is overexposed!
I think the 90s are overrated! I do not think the best music of our lifetime has come out or EVER came out in the 90s. I think the worst music ever came out of the 90s & its still here & it needs to go away to bring back music that you know will last forever & has some substance. I think if you don't want to make something that you want to last forever than you shouldn't be making music.! Even 1 hit wonders have some substance, but this was decades ago!!
No Nirvana is NOT the best band in the world!! Enough! They did not invent great music!! [& I"m not an old fogie!!]

I think singers are overexposed too. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT!!! Then maybe!,we'll listen, no matter how great your voice is! Believe me it helps!!

Roz R/Wizzzzzzzz

[froggie]

There was some good music in the '90's. Pearl Jam, Jewel (before she became whatever the heck she is now), Joan Osborne, No Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc... There were quite a few good bands, though I will agree that there were far less than in the 60's, 70's, or 80's...

Depends on what you like...

[Rousian]

Joan Osborne is the only decent thing that came out of the 90s!!!!!!! She's beyond perfect!

RHCP??? NO way!

yeah, I can't figure out Jewel either!

otherwise the only great music that that was released then was by the classic artists! Heart, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, etc....!

[cheeseburger]

I think there are people from every generation who are totally convinced that the greatest music came before their time. Someday there are gonna be people talking about good old 90s music.

[Rousian]

I could almost swear that will never happen! In fact the question they'll be asking about the 90s will be 'What the hell were we thinking?"

How anyone could think that anything incredible came out of the 90s is still shocking to me! Its not a generational issue AT ALL by the way. Every single generation, the 40s, 50s,60s 70s & 80s, ALL had incredible diverse fantastic multi-generational music & talented people! It was only in the 90s that so called 'musicians of the time' did not seem to care about anything & just released the most drab music to end all decade & really make music look horribly bad! !! the worst ever even. I love music from every single decade, so does my mom, except that one & this one!

For some reason the '90s generation' swears that music was invented in their decade! Now that's a joke! & personally I'd really like to hear what good ole' 90s music is, because I still haven't heard it!!

Rousian

[cheeseburger]

I am by no means praising all music from the 90s. I personally am a fan of late 70s to early 80s music myself, but noone can deny that there were disgruntled music lovers in every single decade. There are always people saying that their generation lacks any innovation or uniqueness, so I'm sorry to say it, but you DO sound exactly like those people. There have been "canned" and fabricated bands since the 60s, and many of those great bands (one hit wonders particularly) didn't even write their own songs. I think punk and rocknroll music is awesome, but I also think a lot of hip-hop and rap artists are great and I think what they're coming up with is refreshing and amazing.

And yes, this appreciation for the good old 90s is already happening. Haven't you read any articles on the supposed "greatness" of the early 90s punk scene and on the early grunge scene? It's all personal opinion you know. Just because you and your mother agree that the 90s suck, you've got to remember that it's all about personal opinion. I personally think that Joan Osbourne is ridiculous, but I totally respect the fact that you think she's the only decent thing from the 90s. To each her own.

[Discordia]

Here are some 90's bands that were good. Granted, some of these bands formed in the 80's, but if it wasn't for the grunge/alternative explosion, these bands might've stayed in the underground:

The Pixies
Mudhoney
L7
Babes in Toyland
Dinosaur Jr.
Nirvana (I don't care what anyone says, Nirvana was great)
Soundgarden
Alice in Chains

And I know there's more but I can't think of them now!

To say that 90's music was the worst ever is I dunno, ignorant. Yeah, there was a lot of copycat tripe, but the bands I mentioned above were very original and very talented musicians and songwriters. Even if you didn't like their music, their talent was obvious. Plus, that time was a very liberating one for music. Women rockers actually got some respect and airplay on radio and TV, and they didn't have to dress like hos either! The alt scene made it ok to experiment with music. It was a very artistic time. Maybe if you only paid attention to what was in the mainstream then sure, it all looked like crap. But if you were actually in "the scene" and took notice of what was in the underground, you were exposed to a wealth of talent. Hell, I'd take the 90's over the 80's or 2000's any day!

(Mind you, I do think after about '95 or so, the 90's really sucked!)

BTW, as far as the comment about singers go, well, a good singer is a very important part of a band. The voice IS an instrument! It takes years to develop your voice. A lot of raw power and emotion can be expressed in singing, so show some respect! They work just as hard as the musicians do.

[babesintoyland]

well said all off you! personally i love some of the 90's. babes in toyland and nirvana inparticular, i didnt really apprciate it back then because i was quite young and i wish i had of done, i missed out on a lot of great tours. i think it all comes down to opinion and taste (not, by any means, saying any of you have bad taste) because at the end of the day everyone will love and hate somthing from each generation.

as for the singing part, i totally agree that singing is an important part of a band. i am one of two female singers in my band and i love it. i love to be able to express myself through my lryics, and one of the best parts is people listen, they take more notice than if you just told them. i used to play guitar aswell (now we have two male guitarists, a male drummer and a female bassist) but i still feel just as important to the band as i did before. playing on stage with a great group behind you is one of the most thrilling things i have ever done, it just gives you a buzz that i didint find when i played guitar, i guess thats just down to opinion aswell. i know my boyfriend would be lost without his guitar and refuses to have a singer in his band which i also think is great because it works for them. i just think its down to how much you love the instrument you play and what kind of feeling you get when your up there.

[konzertmeister]

Whew, Rousian, let me open a window, t'sgettin hawt in hya!
I can see where you're coming from on the music that really was crap. Suddenly it seemed like anybody who could sling a guitar was a rock star. I think the same kind of phenomena happened in the 60's, when suddenly bands were just poppin up all over. Some were good, and others were... well, others.

Actually, I thought Bonnie Raitt finally got what was coming to her in the 90's. Mainstream finally recognized her talent and ability, and put her in a po$ition to create positive change, and elevate others, like the old blues artists that had been ripped off by the BIZ since the days of yore. I remember in 1992, jamming with this guy at his apartment and having a big "what the f*#k " conversation about how much horrible music was on the airwaves. On the other hand, there were so many good people really beginning to break out, like Joan Osbourn and Shawn Mullins, and the Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman & Melissa Etheridge and CAROLINE AIKEN (hey checkerout at carolineaiken.com -butcha gotta see her live if you really wanna flip) And I know they all started in the tail end of the 80's, but they were puttin out THE $h^t in the 90's. Good stuff!

Much of the crappy music from the 90's was just overhyped crap, and the product of the song-spinners and their cash-flinging-hyper-megalo-globo-conglomero-amalgum-nation music corporations who still barage us with all the same flavor of pooh.

We can't deny the power of the audience. And as I recall, it was thru the 80's, that the bizness of music evolved into the "how you look is WAY more important than how you sing or play." Beginning with the Mall girls, Tiffany and Debbie Gibson - not that there's anything wrong with them, please! Suddenly, music was a look, not a sound - that's how I saw it anyway.

I remember a lot of evil and cruelty being bantered about when Ann Wilson she put on some weight. Yes, the music biz/industry abandoned my hero, and when she forged onward and upward, they labeled her success a comeback. But gee, I don't remember anyone telling Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle, you better lose weight, or the teenage boys won't like you.

I agree with you that there are some people whose voices may be less impressive than others, and playing an instrument might enhance the live experience, but Annie Lennox is one of those voices who doesn't need to use her fingers to "get my attention" - if ya know whadda mean. And Toni Childs, too.

As I sat in the park at Ethnic Fest (in the 90's) watching a 300-pound woman of African descent, belt the most amazing blues I have ever heard (totally religious experience, I might add) I learned to seek sustenance outside the the musical "Happy Meal" that IS our mainstream media and chain music stores.

As I look around today at the musical(?) fembots like Jessica Simpson, Christina, Brittney, and the other one that looks just like them - oh yeah, Hillary Duff, I know this big, beltin' woman (Sheila, of The Back Porch Blues.)
will never get her "fair" share of musical opportunity. But gawed she can sing! Actually, I think Christina can too.

It is unfortunate about the bad music of the 90's, but I don't think it is all due to the music, just greedy, misguided industry fools. There was good stuff too. It's too bad that looks hafta count for more than looks in the music biz. Crap! Look at all the stupid boy bands that popped up in the 90's. That was a festering sore that morphed into an oozing, infectious lesion. Look where it has gotten us!

If we really wanna change things, we need to stop swallowing everything that the biz wants to shove down our throats. (Let's get Mikey! He won't eat it, he hates everything. He likes it. Hey, Mikey!) My brothers used to do this sort of game with farm animals, just to see what they'd actually eat. And actually, farm animals are pretty smart. It's the consumers who could take a clue; if we don't buy garbage, they can't sell it.

[TheIdeaofWyatt]

In mainstream music, the 90's were a pretty horrible time. As for lesser acknowledge music, there was still hope. Check out: www.cuneiformrecords.com Great independent label managed by Steve Feigenbaum. It was established in 1984, releasing Progressive/jazz/expirmental music over the time being. Another incredible label: www.emanemdisc.com Established in Britian in the mid-70's, releasing new & free improvised music for those with daring tastes.

So, therefore, only the mainstream world was plauged with such garbage.

[deceiverofmen]

if you're talking about the mainstream, well OF COURSE it sucked. 80s i think, was the worst for mainstream, if i hear "pour some sugar..." i go into a psychotic episode..jeez. anyway, some of my favorite music is from the 90s:

Nirvana
Hole
Heavens to Betsy
Bikini Kill
Jack Off Jill
Rasputina
Nine Inch Nails
Ani DiFranco


some of david bowie's 90s stuff is amazing (unlike his crappy 80s bullshit)

and by the way, nirvana NEVER claimed to be original. that was the fantabulous media hype that did that. If you see any interviews with them, you will see that they consider themselves to be "the 90s cheap trick" , that they "ripped off" the pixies, sonic youth, the melvins, etc etc the list goes on. they NEVER claimed to be the be-all end-all. but they said what a lot of kids felt and well...isn't that the point? to relate?

maybe you should just turn off your radio. Its useless now anyway since every station is owned by clear channel. its all one station. whats the point? turn off your radio and visit a music store- or cruise the internet.

then you'll find some worthwhile music.

[divagrrrl]

no good music in the 90's, you say?

BS.

One word: Seal.

[DrkFaery07]

you cant really say there wasno good music in teh 90's. i loved nirvana and i still love nirvana. veruca salt wasnt too bad either.

[froggie]

STP was good then. Pearl Jam was awesome. Metallica's Black album came out then, didn't it? I said Jewel earlier, I think. Joan Osbourne too. I'm not a big Nirvana fan, but I have to give them credit. Red Hot Chili Peppers were and still are good.

If you didn't like the grunge scene, I can definately see where one would think that 90's music sucked. But some good came from grunge.

[courtney]

Every generation has greatness!!