GRUNGE

In the late 1980s, a handful of Seattle-area bands, by taking post-punk music back in the direction of traditional hard rock, laid the foundation for what became known as “grunge”—a genre that would become a major force in pop music in the early 1990s.

The roots of grunge lie in the recordings of Green River, an early 1980s Seattle-based band, whose songs fused hardcore punk with heavy metal—the quintessential grunge sound. The band split up after a couple of low-profile releases on the small, but highly influential label Sub Pop. However, the group’s members continued to be active on Seattle’s burgeoning music scene: guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament eventually formed Pearl Jam, while singer Mark Arm joined up with original Green River guitarist Steve Turner to create Mudhoney.

Within a year, Mudhoney had brought the Seattle sound to the attention of the world’s rock audience. Their explosive 1989 mini-album, Superfuzz Bigmuff was a cult hit around the world, and had critics scouring the state of Washington for similar acts. Among those they found were Alice in Chains, Tad, and Soundgarden. As all the acts sported soiled clothes and produced rough and raw sounding records, the critics dubbed the new movement “grunge.”

Chris Cornell, lead singer and guitarist of Soundgarden, one of several grunge bands to emerge from Seattle.

Grunge might have remained only a cult interest if it hadn’t been for one band: NIRVANA. Formed in 1986, Nirvana spent most of the late 1980s playing the same tiny venues as Tad and Mudhoney. Their debut album, Bleach (1989), gained favourable reviews but sold moderately. Against all expectations, however, their follow-up, Nevermind (1991), topped the album charts. Nirvana’s members were now worldwide superstars, and grunge a global phenomenon. Other acts quickly followed in Nirvana’s footsteps: Pearl Jam released the bestselling Ten in 1991, while Soundgarden and Soul Asylum also gained superstar status.

In spite of the apparent success, not all of grunge’s leading participants were happy with the way the movement was going. Many of the musicians, used to recording for cult labels, were uncomfortable with being pawns in a multimillion-dollar industry. In particular, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana’s singer/guitarist, hated his new-found status as “the spokesperson for a generation.” During the early 1990s, Cobain became increasingly depressed and in 1994, took his own life. Cobain’s suicide marked the beginning of the end of grunge’s golden era.

Even though grunge was primarily an early 1990s phenomenon, its influence was felt throughout the rest of the decade. Nirvana’s drummer, Dave Grohl, went on to form the Foo Fighters, while the band’s producer, Butch Vig, found success of his own with Garbage. Despite its humble origins, grunge had an enormous impact on the course of rock music in the 1990s.

Nick Grish