Interesting how each of the Big 4 was a mix of different things:

AiC was sludge/hard rock
SG was sludge/punk
Nirv was punk/post-punk
PJ was post-punk/hard rock

The grunge scene was weird indeed.

Album Rating: 2.0

I literally have only heard this album along with some singles, but punk? I don’t really hear any punk at all.

Not punk, but I do think they may have had some post-punk influence.

Then again, I haven't listened much to proto-alt bands (the early alt-rock movement of the 80s). Maybe some REM.

I'm prob confusing terms as well, since post-punk and alternative weren't exactly the same.

Album Rating: 4.5

@Wildcard, no offense but I don't think what you hear holds any value anyway since you rated this as a 2.

Album Rating: 5.0

Going to see these guys live again in June - eye watering ticket prices but they put on a great show

Album Rating: 4.5

‘not punk, but I do think they may have had some post-punk influence.’



To me PJ was predominantly classic rock /hard rock with an alternative twist

Album Rating: 4.0

Saw them in 2022, definitely classic rock, not even with a twist. All I took home was the really intense performance of “Black”, the rest was boredom.

Album Rating: 2.0

“@Wildcard, no offense but I don't think what you hear holds any value anyway since you rated this as a 2.”



just now seeing this. Chief… I’ve listened to the record a bunch throughout my life. Just because I think it sucks, that means Im not qualified or whatever to talk about it? Idk what your point really is tbh



Agreed with Doof, this is wayyyyy more like 70’s rock than punk. Like, just listen to the guitar leads all over this thing. There’s nothing here that’s even remotely “punk”, which is fine. That has nothing to do with why I dislike it.



It’s not even an original observation, like at all, but if you’re gonna call any grunge band punk that band is without a doubt Nirvana. Mudhoney or Melvins too if we’re looking for bands that are a little more obscure.

Album Rating: 4.0

Honestly, I never understood what the essence of grunge is, apart from “early 90s bands from Seattle being fond of guitars and choruses”. Which is fine, but PJ for punk? No way. “Ten” is a great record (along with Vs), I just don’t think it has any resemblance with the band’s approach to music these days. Maybe they had similar shows back in the day, and I’m just dumb. I think I’m dumb.

Album Rating: 2.0

Yeah that’s literally what it is. And why I’m kinda indifferent with the term. Even just talking about the “big four” of grunge (Nirvana, PJ, Soundgarden, Alice), they sound nothing alike. Aside from being depressing rock music these bands have nothing in common.



Alice and Soundgarden are probably closest, but even then their similarities are just that they’re closer to metal than the other two. Alice went heavier and sludgier and Soundgarden themselves got closer to classic rock and flirted with psychedelic/stoner rock.



So yeah to me at least, grunge is just a name for 90’s alt rock bands that are typically depressing and usually from Seattle or the greater PNW. And even that is kinda shaky considering people will call STP or Smashing Pumpkins grunge, but not Sunny Day Real Estate, who check all of the boxes but no one in their right mind would call them grunge

Album Rating: 4.4

Grunge was a lot more of a movement than it was a clearly-defined genre of music. There are loose ties to punk/heavy metal that you can pick out to varying degrees (or no degree whatsoever) but comparisons start and end there. It was just a blanket term for the underground Seattle alt scene at the time, which then included other bands on the west coast and abroad that had an aesthetic comparable to any of the 'Big 4,' either sonically or lyrically.



It definitely left a mark on the music industry as a generalized movement in rock circles to make depressive/introspective, moody (sometimes psychedelic) rock normalized. But I'd argue the overall impression was made in terms of how it affected culture, maybe less so music.



I say this as someone with a relatively minimal knowledge of grunge so take it as or less than a grain of salt

Album Rating: 4.4

Far as I'm concerned, prime AiC were the kings of the movement in terms of creativity, but as Wildcard said, they were pretty sludgy compared to peers.

Album Rating: 2.0

yeah I completely agree. Alice have always been peak grunge, and I would honestly argue that they were responsible for how popular the grunge movement became.



Man in the Box was already a huge hit before Pearl Jam even released Ten, before Soundgarden ever had any kind of appeal outside of Washington, and almost a full year before Nevermind dropped.



Nevermind really made grunge into what we know it as today, but the Seattle scene never would’ve had national attention without Man in the Box.

Album Rating: 4.4

Layne Staley was something... there's a great live recording of him nailing that song and it's breathtaking (not sure if you've seen--it's relatively well known I think?)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDEtFIyKit0&ab_channel=DaleGribble

Album Rating: 4.4

Forgive me PJ fans I'm derailing lol



Do like this alb fwiw

Album Rating: 2.0

I have that concert on vinyl < 3



Layne was always my favorite. Even by 95-96, when his vocals seriously started to get shaky. But man, in his prime… just can’t even fuck with him. Seriously one of the greatest rock frontmen of all time, and don’t get me wrong, Alice obviously has plenty of mainstream attention. But I don’t think Layne gets his due.

Album Rating: 4.5

Damn, I wasn't expecting a 2 from you lol

Album Rating: 2.0

I know man. I really, really just do not fuck with Pearl Jam. Alice, Soundgarden, Nirvana? Love em, but I always had a hard time getting into Pearl Jam. For years I thought it was just me and maybe they’d eventually click, but no. I just think they’re an average at best rock band that were extremely lucky to be in a band, in Seattle, in 1990.



Im no drummer but the rhythm work here seems competent, and I think some of the guitar work here is decent. Mike McCready knows what he’s doing. But this doesn’t touch his work with Mad Season, and it really doesn’t have anything to do with Layne. I think he really grew as a songwriter between this record and the Mad Season one.

Black is a good song, and there’s bits and pieces of other tracks on this record that I think are fine, but god Eddie Vedder is dreadful. The difference between him and Chris on Hunger Strike is just insane, Its honestly hard to believe anyone left the studio thinking that was good. As far as huge rock bands go, I really only think Anthony Kiedis is worse.

Album Rating: 5.0

I've always thought Eddie's got a great voice but each to their own - he doesn't touch Cornell but nobody really does or ever will.



In terms of huge/popular rock band vocals, Billy Corgan, Mark and Tom from Blink, Dave Grohl etc are all 'worse' than Eddie.

Album Rating: 4.0

Don't know about Blink, but hell yeah, both Corgan and Grohl produce quite terrible vocals. Eddie's great, even nowadays his voice is powerful and on-pitch. As far as I heard, Kiedis' performance is awful these days, my pals nearly left the gig because of secondhand shame.