80's or 90's alternative music?

Both decades have great alternative bands, but the one thing that confuses me is what exactly is alternative music? It sounds like a very vague genre name.

i got to go with the 90's on this one

i got to go with the 90's on this one

spawnassasin

What are some of your favorite 90's alternative bands? Here are some of mine.

Dinosaur Jr.

Sonic Youth

Pavement

Flaming Lips

Giant Sand

Beck

Afghan Whigs

The Breeders

Belle and Sebastian

Vic Chesnutt

Elliot Smith

The Fall

Julian Cope

Red House Painters

I've always kind of thought it was just a general term for music that didn't really fit into the limited genres we had back then. Back then(from my recollection) music was limited to oldies, rock, metal, grunge, pop, rap, country, etc... We didn't have things like post-grunge, folk pop, trance, black metal, etc. I kinda thought it was like the modern day Indie genre. I'm probably completely wrong though. More on topic, I'm voting 90s on this one. The 80s had some great and fun stuff, but didn't seem to break ground as much as some of the bands of the 90s. The 90s had The Cranberries, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Matchbox 20, and the Smashing Punkins. Granted, most of the 80s stuff that I listen to is either Glam Rock or Psychadelic Rock etc like David Bowie and Queen.guynamedbilly

Yeah I think the 90s overall had more quality and quantity. Would Prog rock count as alternative then? Brit pop doesn't im sure, but some brit pop bands changed their sound to a more alternative one later like Blur's last two albums 13, and Think Tank.

Both decades have great alternative bands, but the one thing that confuses me is what exactly is alternative music? It sounds like a very vague genre name.

Film-Guy

Its too hard to call. 80's had The Cure,Janes Addiction Depeshe Mode, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, The Smiths, New order, Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, Squeeze....ect

90's had The Smashing Pumpkins, Blur, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Oasis, Flaming Lips, Super Furry Animals, 311, The Verve...ect

I can't decide :cry:

80's.

Dead Milkmen

Dead Kennedys

Jane's Addiction

Red Hot Chili Peppers (in their prime)

Suicidal Tendencies

Violent Femmes

The Smiths

80's.

Dead Milkmen

Dead Kennedys

Jane's Addiction

Red Hot Chili Peppers (in their prime)

Suicidal Tendencies

Violent Femmes

The Smiths

br0kenrabbit

I see RHCP as more funk and punk than alt. But they were awesome durring those times.:P

mexicangordo

They went kinda bubble-gum in the 90's. "Music is my aeroplane" wtf?

[QUOTE="mexicangordo"] I see RHCP as more funk and punk than alt. But they were awesome durring those times.:P

br0kenrabbit

They went kinda bubble-gum in the 90's. "Music is my aeroplane" wtf?

[QUOTE="spawnassasin"]

i got to go with the 90's on this one

Film-Guy

What are some of your favorite 90's alternative bands? Here are some of mine.

Dinosaur Jr.

Sonic Youth

Pavement

Flaming Lips

Giant Sand

Beck

Afghan Whigs

The Breeders

Belle and Sebastian

Vic Chesnutt

Elliot Smith

The Fall

Julian Cope

Red House Painters

you named most of them:P

[QUOTE="Film-Guy"]

[QUOTE="spawnassasin"]

i got to go with the 90's on this one

spawnassasin

What are some of your favorite 90's alternative bands? Here are some of mine.

Dinosaur Jr.

Sonic Youth

Pavement

Flaming Lips

Giant Sand

Beck

Afghan Whigs

The Breeders

Belle and Sebastian

Vic Chesnutt

Elliot Smith

The Fall

Julian Cope

Red House Painters

you named most of them:P

[QUOTE="spawnassasin"]

[QUOTE="Film-Guy"]

What are some of your favorite 90's alternative bands? Here are some of mine.

Dinosaur Jr.

Sonic Youth

Pavement

Flaming Lips

Giant Sand

Beck

Afghan Whigs

The Breeders

Belle and Sebastian

Vic Chesnutt

Elliot Smith

The Fall

Julian Cope

Red House Painters

mexicangordo

you named most of them:P

hey they did release some good song in the 90s though

[QUOTE="mexicangordo"]

[QUOTE="spawnassasin"]

you named most of them:P

spawnassasin

hey they did release some good song in the 90s though

The 90s has way more alternative music than most other decades, but I still prefer the 80s overall.

80's edges out the 90's but I like music from both decades. Alternative isn't a vague label though. It's rock music that grew out of punk rock and not the older so called "classic" rock that existed.LJS9502_basic

I have to thank you good sir, you helped get me into that band The Cure. Now I am addicted to them, but for some reason I love their Pornography the most so far, though Disintegration is awesome too. On that note, I am getting more into that band the Chameleons too, what do you think of them?

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]80's edges out the 90's but I like music from both decades. Alternative isn't a vague label though. It's rock music that grew out of punk rock and not the older so called "classic" rock that existed.Film-Guy

I have to thank you good sir, you helped get me into that band The Cure. Now I am addicted to them, but for some reason I love their Pornography the most so far, though Disintegration is awesome too. On that note, I am getting more into that band the Chameleons too, what do you think of them?

[QUOTE="Film-Guy"]

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]80's edges out the 90's but I like music from both decades. Alternative isn't a vague label though. It's rock music that grew out of punk rock and not the older so called "classic" rock that existed.LJS9502_basic

I have to thank you good sir, you helped get me into that band The Cure. Now I am addicted to them, but for some reason I love their Pornography the most so far, though Disintegration is awesome too. On that note, I am getting more into that band the Chameleons too, what do you think of them?

Are there any bands like the Chameleons you can suggest? I have noticed that The Editors sound a bit similar to the chameleons, but I would love to get more into 80s post punk. I am more into 90s music so any knowledge of good 80s bands would be very welcome. Do The Fall count as post punk?

Are there any bands like the Chameleons you can suggest? I have noticed that The Editors sound a bit similar to the chameleons, but I would love to get more into 80s post punk. I am more into 90s music so any knowledge of good 80s bands would be very welcome. Do The Fall count as post punk?

Film-Guy

[QUOTE="Film-Guy"]

Are there any bands like the Chameleons you can suggest? I have noticed that The Editors sound a bit similar to the chameleons, but I would love to get more into 80s post punk. I am more into 90s music so any knowledge of good 80s bands would be very welcome. Do The Fall count as post punk?

Engrish_Major

I know echo and the bunnymen quite well, they are pretty good. I have only heard Interpol's album Antics, which seemed ok.

I know echo and the bunnymen quite well, they are pretty good. I have only heard Interpol's album Antics, which seemed ok.

Film-Guy

My favourite Alternative artists would be Jeff Buckley, Beck, Coldplay, The Flaming Lips, Placebo and Interpol

So the 90's for me.

[QUOTE="Film-Guy"]

I know echo and the bunnymen quite well, they are pretty good. I have only heard Interpol's album Antics, which seemed ok.

Engrish_Major

Yeah I like them a lot. I actually watched that film about the lead singer Control recently. Good film.

I'll go with the 90's

Sonic Youth

Film-Guy

Wouldn't they be more associated with the 80's scene?

90s. Bish bash bosh eh?

I prefer 80's music.

Tears For Fears

Micheal Jackson

Tina Turner

Phil Collins

Culture Club

Duran Duran

Depeche Mode

Kajagoogo

Howard Jones

Ah Ha

Bee Gees

Madonna

Cyndi Lauper

Nik Kershaw

The Police

Pet Shop Boys

Erasure

The 90's > 80's

Are there any bands like the Chameleons you can suggest? I have noticed that The Editors sound a bit similar to the chameleons, but I would love to get more into 80s post punk. I am more into 90s music so any knowledge of good 80s bands would be very welcome. Do The Fall count as post punk?

Film-Guy

For revival bands...Interpol, She Wants Revenge, The Killers, The Bravery, Bloc Party, The Strokes, Franz Ferninand, The Rapture, The Cribs are generally listed as influenced from the earlier bands.

Might find something you like in there.....and you may know many of those bands already.

[QUOTE="spawnassasin"]

i got to go with the 90's on this one

Film-Guy

What are some of your favorite 90's alternative bands? Here are some of mine.

Dinosaur Jr.

Sonic Youth

Pavement

Flaming Lips

Giant Sand

Beck

Afghan Whigs

The Breeders

Belle and Sebastian

Vic Chesnutt

Elliot Smith

The Fall

Julian Cope

Red House Painters

but Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, Giant Sand, The Afghan Whigs and Julian Cope started out in the 80s :?

[QUOTE="Film-Guy"]

[QUOTE="spawnassasin"]

i got to go with the 90's on this one

Forever_Changes

What are some of your favorite 90's alternative bands? Here are some of mine.

Dinosaur Jr.

Sonic Youth

Pavement

Flaming Lips

Giant Sand

Beck

Afghan Whigs

The Breeders

Belle and Sebastian

Vic Chesnutt

Elliot Smith

The Fall

Julian Cope

Red House Painters

but Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, Giant Sand, The Afghan Whigs and Julian Cope started out in the 80s :?

[QUOTE="Forever_Changes"]

[QUOTE="Film-Guy"]

What are some of your favorite 90's alternative bands? Here are some of mine.

Dinosaur Jr.

Sonic Youth

Pavement

Flaming Lips

Giant Sand

Beck

Afghan Whigs

The Breeders

Belle and Sebastian

Vic Chesnutt

Elliot Smith

The Fall

Julian Cope

Red House Painters

LJS9502_basic

but Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, Giant Sand, The Afghan Whigs and Julian Cope started out in the 80s :?

Was? 70s, 80s, 90s, 00sWolfattheDoor34

[QUOTE="Film-Guy"]

[QUOTE="spawnassasin"]

i got to go with the 90's on this one

Forever_Changes

What are some of your favorite 90's alternative bands? Here are some of mine.

Dinosaur Jr.

Sonic Youth

Pavement

Flaming Lips

Giant Sand

Beck

Afghan Whigs

The Breeders

Belle and Sebastian

Vic Chesnutt

Elliot Smith

The Fall

Julian Cope

Red House Painters

but Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, Giant Sand, The Afghan Whigs and Julian Cope started out in the 80s :?

You are right about that, but Julian Cope's best music was in the 90s, his 80s stuff was mostly just with his band the teardrop explodes.

Both decades have great alternative bands, but the one thing that confuses me is what exactly is alternative music? It sounds like a very vague genre name.

Film-Guy

So was "Punk" or what later became known as "New Wave". You'd literally have anything in that genre from the Sex Pistols to Blondie to the B-52s.

None of these genres can be easily defined, outside of being formed as a reaction to some other genre.

[QUOTE="WolfattheDoor34"] Was? 70s, 80s, 90s, 00sLJS9502_basic

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]

[QUOTE="WolfattheDoor34"] Was? 70s, 80s, 90s, 00sWolfattheDoor34

[QUOTE="WolfattheDoor34"][QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"] Generally a band is part of the decade when they get their start.

LJS9502_basic

The thread's asking whether you prefer 80's or 90's alternative rock...and that poster said '90's' and listed The Fall. So you can assume that he prefers The Fall's 90's output.

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"][QUOTE="WolfattheDoor34"] Not really, generally a band is part of the decade in which they're at their best/most productive.WolfattheDoor34

The thread's asking whether you prefer 80s or 90s alternative rock...and that poster said '90s' and listed The Fall. So you can assume that he prefers The Fall's 90s output.

90's for me. I love the grunge/alternative 90's era of music.

[QUOTE="WolfattheDoor34"]

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"] Only if they were entirely unknown at the start. The Fall was not.....LJS9502_basic

The thread's asking whether you prefer 80s or 90s alternative rock...and that poster said '90s' and listed The Fall. So you can assume that he prefers The Fall's 90s output.

But you could call The Stones a 70's band if you wanted. It's not a different matter. In a thread like this, you have to factor in what the band produced in each decade. Most would call The Fall an 80's band even though they started in 1977.

80's.

Dead Milkmen

Dead Kennedys

Jane's Addiction

Red Hot Chili Peppers (in their prime)

Suicidal Tendencies

Violent Femmes

The Smiths

br0kenrabbit

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"][QUOTE="WolfattheDoor34"]

The thread's asking whether you prefer 80s or 90s alternative rock...and that poster said '90s' and listed The Fall. So you can assume that he prefers The Fall's 90s output.

WolfattheDoor34

But you could call The Stones a 70's band if you wanted. It's not a different matter. In a thread like this, you have to factor in what the band produced in each decade. Most would call The Fall an 80's band even though they started in 1977.

I'm just saying it's odd to restrict a band to the decade they started in when the thread is about comparing the music in each...respective...decade.WolfattheDoor34

I'm just saying it's odd to restrict a band to the decade they started in when the thread is about comparing the music in each...respective...decade.WolfattheDoor34

Well I guess some bands put out their best album later on in their life, which is why I would also choose the bands Pulp, and James. They are not alternative really, but their best albums were in the 90s so as an example it works.