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Grex > Music1 > #113: Why the term "alternative" suxxx | |
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matts
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Why the term "alternative" suxxx
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Apr 27 02:49 UTC 1994 |
everytime I hear the word "alternative" , I piss on my Doc Martin's. Ever
simce the evolution of "the buzz clip", or the most recently famed,
"ALternative - nation", alternative has become a new style of music. I
remember the old skool there was no name for it, besides different. Now, to be
alternative has become like country, or rock. Now while college musis,
industrial, and techno had alw always been different, they have now been
grouped togather, as one. Alternative literally meants Alter-Native, but when
millions now think it is kool, is it really alter-native. It hink not.
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| 39 responses total. |
gerund
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response 1 of 39:
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Apr 27 02:58 UTC 1994 |
alternative only sprang up as a term when the music got to be 'pop'.
when it was obscure and unknown by the masses the term 'alternative'
wasn't arround.
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robh
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response 2 of 39:
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Apr 27 05:14 UTC 1994 |
Somebody shoot me, I agree with something matts said!
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kimba
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response 3 of 39:
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Apr 27 05:46 UTC 1994 |
What is now "alternative" was what we called "New Wave" back in the 80s, isn't
it? And groups that were so-called "alternative" (The Cure, U2) are now sold-
out pop.
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robh
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response 4 of 39:
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Apr 27 12:41 UTC 1994 |
And remember, there was a period in the late 80's when the performers
now called "alternative" were called "college radio", not a perfect
term, but much better than its replacement.
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kimba
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response 5 of 39:
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Apr 27 18:07 UTC 1994 |
I agree Robh, of course, what has college radio become? mainstream itself!
Do you remember a time when you could actually see _good_ music on MTV? Or
how about 12" singles? Or imports...on vinyl! Music isn't progressing at
all...so maybe the only thing alternative is alternative to is variety?!?!
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dwarf
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response 6 of 39:
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Apr 27 18:49 UTC 1994 |
i couldn't agree more with all of you. Alternatuve does suck, and it has
destroyed alot of good bands. it broke out and now another alternative
'revoloution' went on, this being that a group of previously alternative
bands became pop. now we must find new alternative bands, or face the
suckyness of the old alternative ones. we can only sit anfd wait and hope
that the ones we cling to now do not fall victim to MTV and it's culture
,.
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randall
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response 7 of 39:
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Apr 28 01:57 UTC 1994 |
re #2 You can have the gun after me <BLAM!>
X)
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davidtg
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response 8 of 39:
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Apr 28 11:02 UTC 1994 |
WHO CARES! Be it pop, alternative, or "underground", it sounds like
crap anyway! Changing its name will not make it sound better!
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krj
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response 9 of 39:
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Apr 28 22:21 UTC 1994 |
A bunch of guys develop a sound that's different in some way.
It gets marketed by small labels until the major labels decide they
want to own the market. The majors sweep in and cherry pick the
best bands. The majors don't really understand how encourage
artists to make good music any more, so they screw up a lot of the
bands. Meanwhile, in some overlooked corner, there's a new bunch
of guys... I've seen this cycle plenty of times already: rock&roll
(ok, I just read about that one in books, I was a kid), disco,
punk/new wave, rap, now "alternative". Welcome to late capitalism.
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kimba
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response 10 of 39:
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Apr 28 23:42 UTC 1994 |
Re#8: all music at some point has fallen into a category, so do you just
hate music altogether?
Re#9: I agree the record companies are at fault in the marketing and can
truly screw over a band, but its not up to them to tell the bands what to
make. If a band decides to sell-out musically, that's their choice. A record
company can only make them more commerically out there. I think a great
example is the B52s, they had a sound all their own, but the record companies
didn't promote them...until they chose to change to a more radio-accessable
(sell-out) sound. Then BOOM! PR everywhere. Record companies are in it for
the money only. They don't care about an artist or their integrity. And
unfortunately most bands are only in it for the money too. That's why it's
such a crock when bands like Nirvana, for example, say "we didn't want to be
famous, we just wanted to be a club band"...then they never should have signed
the record contracts!
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matts
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response 11 of 39:
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Apr 29 02:46 UTC 1994 |
the thing that pisses me off the most is when someone sses a band
on MTV for the first time, and buys there album, just because of the video.
For instance....I purchased the Nirvan album "Nevermind" about 4 months before
they broke out. People thought is really sucked. Until it became popular.
The sam thing goes with another band, Rage Against the Machine. I played
this at a party, and peopel hated it, yet what happens, about 5 months later?
Peole People are playing Freedom, the worst song on the album, but the only one
with a video, beacuese it only says "shit" once. Now, some bands don't start
sold out, it just happens. Can you blame them for accepting money? But there
are many bands wich start out "sold out" Can you really see Chris Cross, (and
every other RB group ) on a label like Cherry Disk? Hell NO! Bands like
MInistry, NIN, Helmet, Tool, KMFDM, are really just now being recignized, and I
have been lising since 1989.
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kimba
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response 12 of 39:
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Apr 29 04:32 UTC 1994 |
Just because groups like Ministry and NIN are just getting recognized, does
this make them "sold-out"? I think so to some extent, I mean old NIN was
much better than the new stuff, but I think they have fallen prey to the
"Alternative as Mainstream" situation. And yes, while people are now buying
groups just because of one video, you have to understand we did that also way
back in the early 80s. Only difference is MTV used to play _variety_, you
could see one video, buy and album, and it would still be something different.
Today its all the same. Same videos over and over. Same sound over and over.
I too used to listen to groups long before they were anything (usually imports)
but I had to watch them eventually sell-out, and that's the sad point of it
all.
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davidtg
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response 13 of 39:
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Apr 30 16:24 UTC 1994 |
re #10: I didn't say I hated all music, as a matter of fact music is a
vital part of my life. Nor do I have anything against classifying music.
What I am saying is that changing the classification of a band will not
change the way the band sounds. You could call Mozart and Beethoven "old
school" instead of "classical" but their music would not sound any different.
I do not like "alternative" music. Thus, I couldn't care less what people
call it. I still will not like it. I didn't like it when it was unpopular,
and I don't like it now. As a matter of fact, the selling-out of alternative
is overrated. As early as the 80's, "alternative" bands were already making
hits on college campuses and Billboard charts. Matts mentioned that he was
listening to NIN, helmet, etc. in 1989. I hate to be cynical, but in order
for him to have heard these bands, they would already have had to be "sold
out", unless he saw them locally. Matts also complains about people who see
a video and buy an album. I would be interested in seeing how mister smith
found out about these bands. Probably not from a video, but the point is,
you have to hear/see something in order to be interested in a band, so what
is wrong with someone seeing a video, liking the music, and buying the album.
Nothing, except that in my opinion the music bears a striking resemblance to
noise.
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vishnu
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response 14 of 39:
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May 1 02:49 UTC 1994 |
Uh... re#11: I like 'Bombtrack'
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carson
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response 15 of 39:
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May 1 04:38 UTC 1994 |
I used to watch MTV (back in the early days) because I liked the music,
and even bought some music becuase I'd seen it on MTV, but almost all of
the stuff I buy now is stuff that I either hear on the radio, hear word of
mouth, or recognize as the product of an artist I already like. Videos
don't make me buy music anymore.
I also think "alternative" is a backlash reaction to the once-upon-a-time
Top 40 stations. It's nearly impossible to find any true Top 40 stations
anymore, but there are a lot of so-called stations that MAKE Top 40 songs.
I think "alternative" was originally a way to describe music from people
that had started out either live or on small labels before hitting the
"big time". Nowadays it seems just as manufactured. "fronti nulla fides",
I guess.
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orinoco
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response 16 of 39:
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May 4 23:45 UTC 1994 |
I don't care what *category* to put it in, I just *listen* to it!
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primus
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response 17 of 39:
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May 30 18:34 UTC 1994 |
alternative" is an insult. If I were to have a different sounding band, I
would probably classify it in classical.
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rickverm
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response 18 of 39:
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Nov 9 16:34 UTC 1994 |
help
the pros and cons of the term alternative:
a: in Holland alternative means you are a hippie, and we don't want that, do
we? b: in holland people use the term underground, which isn't correct either.
text
Pro: people need to identify themselves from the masses, particilarly when they
are "alternative". So, as long there isn't an alternative (hardehar) to the
term, we might as well use it.
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carson
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response 19 of 39:
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Nov 9 17:12 UTC 1994 |
"inventive" "daring" "innovative" "music"
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gerund
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response 20 of 39:
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Nov 19 11:21 UTC 1994 |
"What I listen to"
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nephi
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response 21 of 39:
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Nov 21 13:47 UTC 1994 |
My favorite CD's?
Concrete Blonde... Bloodletting
Concrete Blonde... Mexican Moon
Cracker... Kerosene Hat
Deep Forest... Deep Forest
Depeche Mode... Catching Up With Depeche Mode
Enigma... MCMXC a.D.
Enya... Watermark
James... Laid
The KLF... The White Room
LaTour... LaTour
Madonna... The Immaculate Collection
Metallica... Metallica
Nirvana... In Utero
R.E.M. ... Automatic for the People
The Shamen... En-tact
The Shamen... Boss Drum
Technotronic... Pump Up The Jam: the album
Thompson Twins... Queer
U2... War
U2... Boy
U2... The Joshua Tree
Nine Inch Nails... Pretty Hate Machine
Living In Oblivion, volumes 1, 2, and 3
Technorave, volumes 1, 2, and 3
the _Sliver_ Soundrack
the _Crow_ Soundtrack
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anne
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response 22 of 39:
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Nov 22 21:49 UTC 1994 |
wow, nephi- we have a number of favorite albums in common!
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peacefrg
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response 23 of 39:
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Nov 23 04:18 UTC 1994 |
What kind of music is on the sliver album?
And what is the shaman?
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gerund
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response 24 of 39:
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Nov 26 12:13 UTC 1994 |
The sliver Soundtrack has a few good tracks... not many though.
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