Beginner’s Guide To Grunge Pt. 1
Tim Vuotto ~ 08/13/2024
Grunge Music is best defined as a mixture of Punk Rock and Heavy Metal. The movement began in Seattle, Washington in the late 80’s and took the music scene by storm. It wasn't just a new sound for music, but an entire shift in pop-culture. Suddenly people traded in their leg warmers and big poofy hairstyles and began wearing ripped jeans, flannels, and combat boots. Suddenly, people stopped listening to the Glam Metal of the 80s and began following the rebellious youth bands emerging from the west coast. Grunge Music happens to have some of the most iconic frontmen in all of music History and in this article I’d like to break them down as well as the band(s) they were a part of. Giving my personal opinions on them as well and ranking them at the end. This happens to be one of my favorite music subgenres and I've spent many hours listening to and reading things about Grunge.
Andrew Wood/ Mother Love Bone/ Temple of the Dog (Honorable Mention)
I couldn't talk about the Icons of Grunge and not mention the band who pioneered the genre before meeting its dark ending. Formed in Seattle in 1984 by former members of a band called Green River who some argue is the first true grunge band, “MLB” just made it popular. MLB led by Andrew Wood, who I feel gets overlooked a lot in these discussions because of the other frontmen of the era, but he was just as talented. Unfortunately Andrew Wood struggled with a severe heroin addiction as we will see is a common theme among a lot of these frontmen. Later died in 1990 after being discovered in a coma from a heroin overdose. I believe had he lived longer “MLB” and Andrew Wood would have been household names like a lot of these other bands. After his tragic passing, MLB was left orphaned, without their frontman the future looked bleak. In 1990, the remaining members of MLB alongside Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and a man just starting his career, Eddie Vedder, formed a tribute band for their former frontman. It remains one of the most significant tribute bands of all time… Temple of The Dog.
Mother Love Bone/Best Album:
Apple (1990) - Reached #34 on the charts
Andrew Wood Best vocal Tracks:
Stargazer
Crown of Thorns - (Both uncharted)
Temple of The Dog/ Best Album:
Temple of The Dog (Self-titled) - peaked at number 5 on the charts.
Eddie Vedder & Chris Cornell Best vocal Track:
Hunger strike - landed at #5 on the charts
Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)
Picking up where I left off, Pearl Jam formed in 1990 by two original members of MLB being Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, along with Dave Krusen who auditioned, Mike Mccready who had a mutual friend with Gossard who was impressed with Mccready's guitar playing at a party, and finally Eddie Vedder who became close friends with Jeff and Stone through collaborations on Temple of the Dog. Originally the band was called “Mookie Blaylock” after professional basketball player Daron “Mookie” Blaylock. After Signing their deal with Epic Records they were forced to change their name to Pearl Jam which was inspired by the “Jam” rock style they wanted to produce and “Pearl” being a tribute to Vedder’s great grandmother. Vedder, who is often “clowned” for his mumble-monotone vocals on their earlier works, especially on songs like Yellow Ledbetter, is still one of my favorite grunge frontman. Vedder is also the only surviving original frontman of the “Big 5 of Grunge” and has been with Pearl Jam since its inception in 1990.
Pearl Jam’s Best Albums:
Ten (1991) peaking - #2 on the Charts
Vs (1993).- landing at #1
Eddie Vedder best Vocal Track:
Release (1991) - Uncharted
Black (1991) - Reached #3 on US Rock charts
Better Man (1994) - landed at #13 on US main charts and #1 on US rock charts
Layne Staley (Alice In Chains)
Formed in 1987 by vocalist Layne Staley , guitarist Jerry Cantrell , Bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney. Leaning towards a heavy metal sound they were one of the most popular bands of the grunge era. Layne is my favorite grunge frontman of all time as I believe he was the most talented overall. People are always shocked when I say that, but I simply tell them to listen to the chorus on Man in the box and tell me one other vocalist who has his vocal range. Nobody else could hit the notes that he did, he was in a league of his own. Which makes his tragic ending so much more painful, also dying from a Heroin overdose in 2005. When listening to many of Alice in Chains songs such as “Junkhead”, “Shame in you”, & “Down in a hole”, Layne’s drug abuse and depressive state is clearly the subject of these songs and many more. Throughout Alice in Chains' entire run in the 90s, he struggled even after checking himself into rehab on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, he was never able to stay clean. It became such an issue that the band stopped all tours after their release of the self-titled album in 1995 as Layne consistently wasn't able to perform from being too high.
In 1996, they did a show for the popular MTV Unplugged in which Layne made his first public appearance in a year. They believed him to be clean, only for him to relapse shortly after that show in 1996 and the tragic overdose of his girlfriend. He slipped into a dark and deep depressive state and Bassist Mike Starr was the only band member who would visit him, actually seeing him the day before his death. Reportedly, Starr threatened to call 911 due to Staleys clear physical deterioration which caused a huge argument, causing Mike Starr to storm out. A tragic ending to one of the greatest to ever grace the stage. Alice in Chains are still around today and they decided to carry on with William Duvall as their frontman. This was a weird choice for me, I would have preferred if Jerry Cantrell would’ve taken over vocals full time because he already sings on multiple of their songs. Admittedly, I know little to nothing about Duvall, I’m sure he's talented, he just isn't Layne. Maybe that was what their goal was since they knew they would never find another one.
Best AIC Albums:
Dirt (1992) Peaked at #6 on the charts
Jar of Flies (1994) Hit #1 on the charts that year on the billboard 200.
Layne Staley’s best Vocal Tracks:
Man in the box (1991) - reached #18 on the US rock charts
Nutshell (1994) - Uncharted
Rooster (1992) - Reached #7 on the US rock charts
View Part 2 Here
