Where it started, where it went and how the hell did it end up there
The Cure had already acquired a reputation as the premier pusher of doom-laden gothic-rock, and its mournful albums were the stuff of legends. But then “Friday I’m in Love” gifted Robert Smith a hit the size of which nobody could have anticipated. It is one of the greatest alternative rock songs of the 90s, albeit a very pop-friendly one.
Oasis and its music meant more to 90s rock audiences than the majority of bands of the era. And while at least two of the group’s albums are celebrated as bona fide classics, the layman will always know the Gallagher brothers as the men responsible for “Wonderwall,” an overplayed, but still great alternative song of the ’90s.
“Scar Tissue” was released Red Hot Chili Peppers just as the group would reach new levels of fame, and just as they’d overcome several nearly successful acts of self-sabotage. John Frusciante’s soulful Stratocaster-lead guitar riff might help to make this one of the greatest alternative songs of the 1990s.
Rage Against the Machine may have been a successful rap-rock band signed to a major label. But the band advocated for nothing other than a Revolution across the Americas, and turned impressionable fans into left-leaning political activists. None of the band’s songs is more famous or politically charged than “Killing in the Name.” It’s one of the greatest alternative rock songs of the ’90s.
“Freak on a Leash” is a unique song released at a unique point in the history of pop culture. How can you explain an aggressive rock and hip-hop hybrid that lays bare the tortured psyche of the singer, becoming a global hit in our current era? Public expectations may have been different, but this was also a highly innovative song and one of the greatest songs of the 1990s.
Marilyn Manson was designed to be shocking, controversial and to deliver poppy industrial-rock singles. It succeeded on all counts, and nearly had his career cancelled along the way a few times. But there’s no escaping the fact that Manson is one of the most successful artists in alternative rock.
The B-52s may be known to you as either an eccentric, adventurous new-wave band or a highly successful, slightly kitschy pop group. But you’re unlikely to know or appreciate them for both these things. Still, the B-52s are one of the greatest alternative rock bands of all time.
Fountains of Wayne may have just been the best pop band of the 1990s. Passionately admired by some, and completely ignored by most, the band created some of the sweetest, most cleverly melodic guitar music ever recorded. It’s clear to me that Fountains of Wayne is one of the greatest alternative rock bands.
Kasabian picked up where Oasis had left off, and delivered to rock fans hungry for stadium-sized rock anthems a bombastic, electronica-infused sound. Clearly, in recent times, Kasabian is one of the most important alternative rock bands.
Meat Loaf, usually in collaboration with Jim Steinman, wrote the kind of rock n’ roll that Bruce Springsteen might conceive if trading New Jersey for Bayreuth and trying to register for the Richard Wagner Festival. Meat Loaf produced over-the-top odes to rebels on bikes and is one of the most important rock artists of all time.