shelster, I think that "alternative" is kind of a punk/grunge style. The Ramones were a big influence in the early 70's. They are STILL hot even today! (Unfortunately, a couple of the original band members have since died!)
Take a look at THIS site. You can hear some of the music!
Posts: 5146 | Location: Not of this planet | Registered: 06-16-02
It's meaning used to be clearer when it was anything that wasn't trendy and top 40. But once alternative made it huge with Nirvana (grunge started more underground), it's definition messed up and is better known as the different styles that it formed into while it was still lesser known. Now it's more split up into other more distinguishable categories instead of alternative. Many influences of Nirvana and other such earlier alternative bands, no matter how different they may sound, can still sound similar enough to all be called alternative though I'd say. When I think of alternative, I think of a little less obvious marketing and usually less showiness than top 40 sometimes has.
Posts: 6525 | Location: Grayson, Georgia, USA | Registered: 06-03-02
Agree with T-I-E that "alternative" blankets just about any music that ISN'T pop or metal. Back in DA DAY, "alternative" also included rap, hip hop, and such, but since those genre's now dominate pop radio stations, they have fallen out of the "alternative" designation. There's a TON of room for argument with this though - so many genre's overlap anymore, I think it's time to dump the term "alternative" altogether - it's gone by the wayside, same way the terms "college radio" and "new wave" did years ago. Kind of elitist to use any of the aforementioned terms to describe a kind of music anyway, eh?
Posts: 1372 | Location: Lawrence, KS USA | Registered: 06-27-02
I remember back before there was such a thing as "Alternative Radio". The local "college rock" station played all of this odd Frank Zappa and Lou Reed stuff that really was the first music I think was alternative rock.
