Current Events > ITT: Waffle talks about his favorite Grunge bands, songs, albums, etc.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm bored and really, really like grunge, so I'm gonna talk about some of my favorite songs and such from grunge bands. Obviously gonna start with the Big 4, then probably do some Stone Temple Pilots, Bush, Mother Love Bone, and whoever else I feel like I've listened to enough to talk about.

I think I'm gonna go a post at a time, one band at a time, each one saying my favorite album from the band, my favorite song(s), and any other random ramblings I have at the moment.

While I'm typing up these needlessly long posts, feel free to talk about your favorite grunge and grunge-esque band, songs, albums, etc. as well. Shit, throw around some dope rock songs in general, I don't care, and I am always down to listen to new shit.

Some basic statements to start this off:
Pearl Jam > Alice In Chains > Soundgarden > Nirvana

As far as singers alone though:
Chris Cornell > Layne Staley > Eddie Vedder > Kurt Cobain
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First up, Pearl Jam, not only my favorite band, but also my favorite grunge band.

Pearl Jam:
Best Album:
Ten
Ten is definitely their strongest album, no question; it's practically a perfect album IMO, and it's the album that got me into the genre to begin with.

That being said, Vs. is fantastic as well, and Vitalogy has some amazing content; their biggest hang ups is it doesn't flow together nearly as well as Ten, although in Vitalogy's case that works given that in a lot of ways it was an excuse to play around and do some experimental, weird shit like Stupid Mop and Bugs (both are worth listening to if you're down for some weird as fuck sounding shit.)

Yield, No Code, and Riot Act are solid albums as well, and Backspacer is a lot of fun, but feels way too short. Binaural and Lightning Bolt are probably their weakest albums, but even then they each have some solid songs sprinkled in, and Binaural has slowly been growing on me lately. Pearl Jam (The Avocado Album) is solid, but the only song that really stood out to me was World Wide Suicide

Favorite Songs:
I considered doing a top 10, but that's tough as fuck, so I'm just gonna post Ten (heh, album pun) of my favorite PJ songs in a random order.

- Jeremy (Ten)
- Do The Evolution (Yield)
- Daughter (Vs.)
- Smile (No Code)
- Brother (Ten Redux)
- Rats (Vs.)
- Better Man (Vitalogy)
- Just A Girl (Ten Redux)
- Black (Ten)
- Once (Ten)

Unsurprisingly, lots of stuff off of Ten. There were a couple close calls though; Why Go, Bu$hleaguer, and Glorrified G all were typed at one point or another while I was make this list, ultimately pulled them though, but they're essentially the runner-ups.

Most Underrated Song:
Dirty Frank (Even Flow (Single) B-Side)

It's a weird as fuck song, but it's one of the only songs where it sounds like the band is just legit fucking around and having fun. They're a grunge band, of course they're gloomy and gritty a good chunk of the time, but this is just a goofy, fun song about their bus driver being a cannibal. It's great, check it out.

Overall thoughts:
I fucking love this band. I understand that they're not for everyone; Eddie Vedder's style is.... unique, to say the last. But he sings with just such raw passion and energy that it all works for me. Sure, he cant enunciate to save his life, but he doesn't need to tbh. His unique sound is what makes them stand out, and their lyricism is my favorite of the grunge bands, by far. They're the band that got me into grunge, and they're still the band I listen to the most out of all of them.
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Neat, you're kinda doing the thing I plan on doing at some point. It's not the same, but you've definitely got a love for music so I appreciate this sort of indepth geeking out over it.
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No Code and Riot Act are my favorite albums from PJ. I still can't get into Lightning Bolt. It just seems so bland despite the live versions of the songs being excellent.
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EverDownward posted...

Neat, you're kinda doing the thing I plan on doing at some point. It's not the same, but you've definitely got a love for music so I appreciate this sort of indepth geeking out over it.

lol, thanks man. IDK what it is, but ever since I discovered grunge a few years ago it just really vibed with me and I've somehow become super passionate about it lol.

What is it you plan on doing later on?
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WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

Neat, you're kinda doing the thing I plan on doing at some point. It's not the same, but you've definitely got a love for music so I appreciate this sort of indepth geeking out over it.

lol, thanks man. IDK what it is, but ever since I discovered grunge a few years ago it just really vibed with me and I've somehow become super passionate about it lol.

What is it you plan on doing later on?

So, like last year or the year before I did a "7 Days of EBM" topic where I posted a song from the EBM genre each day and posted a little snippet of info about said band. I plan on doing that with other genres relatively soon. I'd been wanting to do it for a while, but I just haven't been able to muster the enthusiasm until recently.
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BlazinBlue88 posted...

No Code and Riot Act are my favorite albums from PJ. I still can't get into Lightning Bolt. It just seems so bland despite the live versions of the songs being excellent.

They're both great albums; Riot Act is great but it has such a different vibe from the rest of their albums though that I have to be in the right mood for it. Not a lot of headbangers, and a lot of the lyrics are depressing even by Pearl Jam/Grunge standards. >_>

No Code has been growing on me a lot lately, I gave it another full listen a couple weeks ago and it really jelled with me this time around.
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Glorified G or bust
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EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

Neat, you're kinda doing the thing I plan on doing at some point. It's not the same, but you've definitely got a love for music so I appreciate this sort of indepth geeking out over it.

lol, thanks man. IDK what it is, but ever since I discovered grunge a few years ago it just really vibed with me and I've somehow become super passionate about it lol.

What is it you plan on doing later on?

So, like last year or the year before I did a "7 Days of EBM" topic where I posted a song from the EBM genre each day and posted a little snippet of info about said band. I plan on doing that with other genres relatively soon. I'd been wanting to do it for a while, but I just haven't been able to muster the enthusiasm until recently.

Ooh, that sounds like a fun time. Tag me when you start that back up, I'd be interested in reading through it.

As for this topic, up next is Alice in Chains.
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WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

Neat, you're kinda doing the thing I plan on doing at some point. It's not the same, but you've definitely got a love for music so I appreciate this sort of indepth geeking out over it.

lol, thanks man. IDK what it is, but ever since I discovered grunge a few years ago it just really vibed with me and I've somehow become super passionate about it lol.

What is it you plan on doing later on?

So, like last year or the year before I did a "7 Days of EBM" topic where I posted a song from the EBM genre each day and posted a little snippet of info about said band. I plan on doing that with other genres relatively soon. I'd been wanting to do it for a while, but I just haven't been able to muster the enthusiasm until recently.

Ooh, that sounds like a fun time. Tag me when you start that back up, I'd be interested in reading through it.

As for this topic, up next is Alice in Chains.

Will do!
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WafflehouseJK posted...

BlazinBlue88 posted...

No Code and Riot Act are my favorite albums from PJ. I still can't get into Lightning Bolt. It just seems so bland despite the live versions of the songs being excellent.

They're both great albums; Riot Act is great but it has such a different vibe from the rest of their albums though that I have to be in the right mood for it. Not a lot of headbangers, and a lot of the lyrics are depressing even by Pearl Jam/Grunge standards. >_>

No Code has been growing on me a lot lately, I gave it another full listen a couple weeks ago and it really jelled with me this time around.

I've always loved Riot Act but No Code did take me a bit to get into. It's just a nice somber album.

WafflehouseJK posted...

As for this topic, up next is Alice in Chains.

Can't wait!
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Chris Cornell may be the best overall singer IMO, but Layne Staley's voice was super fucking powerful for completely different reasons. Cornell had that deep, sultry sound combined with his power belting, while Staley just had such an edge to his sound; it's hard to describe. Dirt has some really fucking dark subject matter, yet unlike most of the other bands, Staley never sounds like he's wallowing in it. He sounds like he's just stating facts while he sings, which makes the circumstances around his death all the more depressing.

Well, now that we got into the depressing shit, let's talk favorite albums and songs.

Alice In Chains:
Best Album:
Dirt

Their first 3 albums are amazing, not to mention their Jar of Flies EP, but I have to go with Dirt for this one. If Ten is a perfect Album, Dirt is right behind it. It has some powerful fucking lyrics, riffs, and amazing vocals from Staley, as well as a very smooth, seamless transition between most of the tracks.

This is a real easy album to get lost in, it's happened a couple of times where I've been chilling somewhere with my headphones in and have just completely lost track of time and ended up listening to over half the album when I only meant to listen to a couple of songs. Facelift and Alice In Chains (Album) both deserve love too, but while they each have some amazing songs, Dirt feels like a complete package.

10 Favorite Songs:
- Down In A Hole (Dirt)
- Rain When I Die (Dirt)
- Man In The Box (Facelift)
- Godsmack (Dirt)
- Sea Of Sorrow (Facelift)
- I Stay Away (Jar Of Flies)
- Junkhead (Dirt)
- Heaven Beside You (Alice In Chains)
- Would? (Dirt)
- The One You Know (Rainier Fog)

Now I know what you're thinking; "Wow, that's a lot of Dirt.... But no Rooster or Angry Chair? Wait WTF, that's a song from one of their post-Staley albums, but no fucking Rooster or Angry Chair?!?!"

Those are both great songs, and I love them both, but as much as they were 2 of their biggest hits, I feel like they're actually 2 of the only songs that don't feel like they fit the rest of the album as well. Still fantastic songs on their own, but when you have stuff like Down In A Hole and Rain When I Die... IDK, they just don't hold up as well to me in a full album listen-through.

Also, The One You Know is actually a pretty damn great song, and for being William DuVall and Jerry Cantrell on vocals, it really feels like classic Alice In Chains to me. It's a damn good song.

A special mention also goes to Them Bones, solely for its opening. Fucking love that opening.

Most Underrated song:
God Smack

I fucking love this song; the opening quitar riff, Staley's more uncontrolled, unregulated vocals in the opening, the powerful chorus; it's a dope as fuck song and deserves more love.

Overall Thoughts:
Great band, and arguably the most distinct/different sounding of the Big 4. Soundgarden and Pearl Jam share a lot of similarity in terms of general style, at least in their early albums, and Nirvana, while being substantially different from those two, you can still hear enough similarities to at least safely classify them in the same genre. If Alice In Chains hadn't been from Seattle, they never would have been classified as grunge tbh. Stone Temple Pilots share more similarities with the other 3 than they do, and even they have their detractors saying they shouldn't count as grunge.

Also, special shout out to Mad Season, which Staley also did the vocals for; It was a one off project so IDK if there's enough there for me to make a whole separate post about, but if you like Staley's vocals absolutely check out Mad Season, he really plays around with it a ton there and it's a lot of fun to hear.
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I still think one of PJ's best tracks is their cover of Wayne Cochran's "Last Kiss." Holy shit, what an amazing fucking rendition.
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EverDownward posted...

I still think one of PJ's best tracks is their cover of Wayne Cochran's "Last Kiss." Holy shit, what an amazing fucking rendition.

Gonna be real; that's probably the only PJ track I can't stand. >_>

IDK what it is, but I just cant stand it. It's one of the only PJ songs not on my grunge playlist; I took it off because I just ended up skipping it anytime it came on.
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WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

I still think one of PJ's best tracks is their cover of Wayne Cochran's "Last Kiss." Holy shit, what an amazing fucking rendition.

Gonna be real; that's probably the only PJ track I can't stand. >_>

IDK what it is, but I just cant stand it. It's one of the only PJ songs not on my grunge playlist; I took it off because I just ended up skipping it anytime it came on.

It's definitely not grunge, but there's something about Eddie's voice that really, really lends to tragedy and he hits the emotions like a sledgehammer. I admit, it took me a few listens before I really got into it, but it's one of my favorite PJ songs now.
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EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

I still think one of PJ's best tracks is their cover of Wayne Cochran's "Last Kiss." Holy shit, what an amazing fucking rendition.

Gonna be real; that's probably the only PJ track I can't stand. >_>

IDK what it is, but I just cant stand it. It's one of the only PJ songs not on my grunge playlist; I took it off because I just ended up skipping it anytime it came on.

It's definitely not grunge, but there's something about Eddie's voice that really, really lends to tragedy and he hits the emotions like a sledgehammer. I admit, it took me a few listens before I really got into it, but it's one of my favorite PJ songs now.

THat's a fair point about Eddie's voice; I think that's why Black, Jeremy, and even to a lesser extent Daughter are such powerful songs; Eddie's voice really brings those tragic moments to life.

IDK, maybe I'll give it another shot. It's just so different from pretty much anything else they've done, and it hard core throws me off.
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I have work in the morning so I think I'm gonna stop here for tonight, will type up my thoughts for Soundgarden and hopefully Nirvana tomorrow after work, and then see who else I wanna talk about when I get to that point. (Bush and Stone Temple Pilots are almost for sure gonna happen)
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WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

I still think one of PJ's best tracks is their cover of Wayne Cochran's "Last Kiss." Holy shit, what an amazing fucking rendition.

Gonna be real; that's probably the only PJ track I can't stand. >_>

IDK what it is, but I just cant stand it. It's one of the only PJ songs not on my grunge playlist; I took it off because I just ended up skipping it anytime it came on.

It's definitely not grunge, but there's something about Eddie's voice that really, really lends to tragedy and he hits the emotions like a sledgehammer. I admit, it took me a few listens before I really got into it, but it's one of my favorite PJ songs now.

THat's a fair point about Eddie's voice; I think that's why Black, Jeremy, and even to a lesser extent Daughter are such powerful songs; Eddie's voice really brings those tragic moments to life.

IDK, maybe I'll give it another shot. It's just so different from pretty much anything else they've done, and it hard core throws me off.

The last Pearl Jam album I owned was Rearviewmirror, and I was fortunate enough that it separated the tracks into an "up" side and a "down" side - where the bangers and rockers were on the up side, and the ballads and somber tracks were on the down side. Naturally, I took to the down side much more. I was gonna ask if you're big into their more melancholic stuff, but it looks like you enjoy their heavy stuff more. I was even gonna mention "Off He Goes," but it's not even in your top ten lol.

I do like Black, though. Ten is a good album, a good watershed album for what Pearl Jam would pretty much offer in the later years - brooding heaviness tinged with the operatic tones of Eddie's booming voice. I guess I've just always associated Pearl Jam with, and as being, the 'sad' grunge group even though each of the major four were arguably 'sad.'
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EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

I still think one of PJ's best tracks is their cover of Wayne Cochran's "Last Kiss." Holy shit, what an amazing fucking rendition.

Gonna be real; that's probably the only PJ track I can't stand. >_>

IDK what it is, but I just cant stand it. It's one of the only PJ songs not on my grunge playlist; I took it off because I just ended up skipping it anytime it came on.

It's definitely not grunge, but there's something about Eddie's voice that really, really lends to tragedy and he hits the emotions like a sledgehammer. I admit, it took me a few listens before I really got into it, but it's one of my favorite PJ songs now.

THat's a fair point about Eddie's voice; I think that's why Black, Jeremy, and even to a lesser extent Daughter are such powerful songs; Eddie's voice really brings those tragic moments to life.

IDK, maybe I'll give it another shot. It's just so different from pretty much anything else they've done, and it hard core throws me off.

The last Pearl Jam album I owned was Rearviewmirror, and I was fortunate enough that it separated the tracks into an "up" side and a "down" side - where the bangers and rockers were on the up side, and the ballads and somber tracks were on the down side. Naturally, I took to the down side much more. I was gonna ask if you're big into their more melancholic stuff, but it looks like you enjoy their heavy stuff more. I was even gonna mention "Off He Goes," but it's not even in your top ten lol.

I do like Black, though. Ten is a good album, a good watershed album for what Pearl Jam would pretty much offer in the later years - brooding heaviness tinged with the operatic tones of Eddie's booming voice. I guess I've just always associated Pearl Jam with, and as being, the 'sad' grunge group even though each of the major four were arguably 'sad.'

Yeah, I like a lot of their slower and more somber tracks, but overall I think I like Pearl Jam best when they go hard. Which is interesting, cause for Alice In Chains it's almost the opposite. Sure, God Smack is a banger, but Down In A Hole and Rain When I Die are their more somber, downer songs and they're arguably my 2 favorites. I guess I prefer AiC when they go somber, but Pearl Jam I like better when they go all out and rock it.

Off He Goes is good though, but Smile is definitely my favorite off of No Code.
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WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

I still think one of PJ's best tracks is their cover of Wayne Cochran's "Last Kiss." Holy shit, what an amazing fucking rendition.

Gonna be real; that's probably the only PJ track I can't stand. >_>

IDK what it is, but I just cant stand it. It's one of the only PJ songs not on my grunge playlist; I took it off because I just ended up skipping it anytime it came on.

It's definitely not grunge, but there's something about Eddie's voice that really, really lends to tragedy and he hits the emotions like a sledgehammer. I admit, it took me a few listens before I really got into it, but it's one of my favorite PJ songs now.

THat's a fair point about Eddie's voice; I think that's why Black, Jeremy, and even to a lesser extent Daughter are such powerful songs; Eddie's voice really brings those tragic moments to life.

IDK, maybe I'll give it another shot. It's just so different from pretty much anything else they've done, and it hard core throws me off.

The last Pearl Jam album I owned was Rearviewmirror, and I was fortunate enough that it separated the tracks into an "up" side and a "down" side - where the bangers and rockers were on the up side, and the ballads and somber tracks were on the down side. Naturally, I took to the down side much more. I was gonna ask if you're big into their more melancholic stuff, but it looks like you enjoy their heavy stuff more. I was even gonna mention "Off He Goes," but it's not even in your top ten lol.

I do like Black, though. Ten is a good album, a good watershed album for what Pearl Jam would pretty much offer in the later years - brooding heaviness tinged with the operatic tones of Eddie's booming voice. I guess I've just always associated Pearl Jam with, and as being, the 'sad' grunge group even though each of the major four were arguably 'sad.'

Yeah, I like a lot of their slower and more somber tracks, but overall I think I like Pearl Jam best when they go hard. Which is interesting, cause for Alice In Chains it's almost the opposite. Sure, God Smack is a banger, but Down In A Hole and Rain When I Die are their more somber, downer songs and they're arguably my 2 favorites. I guess I prefer AiC when they go somber, but Pearl Jam I like better when they go all out and rock it.

I definitely agree on Alice when they go soft, it's really on an entirely different level. Brother (Unplugged) in particular tears me to pieces. There's a break partway through when it's just Layne and Jerry singing and it's gutwrenching. Alice in general had this air of doom about them, like they were perpetually seeing a dark, black train coming for them miles away. And their music reflected that. Jesus, what a great group.
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EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

EverDownward posted...

I still think one of PJ's best tracks is their cover of Wayne Cochran's "Last Kiss." Holy shit, what an amazing fucking rendition.

Gonna be real; that's probably the only PJ track I can't stand. >_>

IDK what it is, but I just cant stand it. It's one of the only PJ songs not on my grunge playlist; I took it off because I just ended up skipping it anytime it came on.

It's definitely not grunge, but there's something about Eddie's voice that really, really lends to tragedy and he hits the emotions like a sledgehammer. I admit, it took me a few listens before I really got into it, but it's one of my favorite PJ songs now.

THat's a fair point about Eddie's voice; I think that's why Black, Jeremy, and even to a lesser extent Daughter are such powerful songs; Eddie's voice really brings those tragic moments to life.

IDK, maybe I'll give it another shot. It's just so different from pretty much anything else they've done, and it hard core throws me off.

The last Pearl Jam album I owned was Rearviewmirror, and I was fortunate enough that it separated the tracks into an "up" side and a "down" side - where the bangers and rockers were on the up side, and the ballads and somber tracks were on the down side. Naturally, I took to the down side much more. I was gonna ask if you're big into their more melancholic stuff, but it looks like you enjoy their heavy stuff more. I was even gonna mention "Off He Goes," but it's not even in your top ten lol.

I do like Black, though. Ten is a good album, a good watershed album for what Pearl Jam would pretty much offer in the later years - brooding heaviness tinged with the operatic tones of Eddie's booming voice. I guess I've just always associated Pearl Jam with, and as being, the 'sad' grunge group even though each of the major four were arguably 'sad.'

Yeah, I like a lot of their slower and more somber tracks, but overall I think I like Pearl Jam best when they go hard. Which is interesting, cause for Alice In Chains it's almost the opposite. Sure, God Smack is a banger, but Down In A Hole and Rain When I Die are their more somber, downer songs and they're arguably my 2 favorites. I guess I prefer AiC when they go somber, but Pearl Jam I like better when they go all out and rock it.

I definitely agree on Alice when they go soft, it's really on an entirely different level. Brother (Unplugged) in particular tears me to pieces. There's a break partway through when it's just Layne and Jerry singing and it's gutwrenching. Alice in general had this air of doom about them, like they were perpetually seeing a dark, black train coming for them miles away. And their music reflected that. Jesus, what a great group.

That's a good way of putting it. Like I mentioned earlier though, despite probably having some of the darkest subject mater in their songs overall, they still didn't feel like they were ever wallowing in it as much as the other bands. Like, pearl Jam's Black in a lot of ways is a song about self pity; AiC doesn't really have songs like that. Their approach to their subject matter isn't about being sad about these miserable things, it's more of an apathy, yet is still passionate. It's such a unique and strange tone that I don't think any other band has truly captured. It's some powerful shit, man.
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WafflehouseJK posted...

That's a good way of putting it. Like I mentioned earlier though, despite probably having some of the darkest subject mater in their songs overall, they still didn't feel like they were ever wallowing in it as much as the other bands. Like, Black in a lot of ways is a song about self pity; AiC doesn't really have songs like that. Their approach to their subject matter isn't about being sad about these miserable things, it's more of an apathy, yet is still passionate. It's such a unique and strange tone that I don't think any other band has truly captured. It's some powerful shit, man,

Yeah, I can see what you're saying. Alice certainly felt more nihilistic than the other major three on the scene. They were arguably the outlier, too. Pretty sure you mentioned they were pretty different from the others, and I'd agree. They were more metal, that's for sure.

I never meant to imply they were wallowing in their misery, necessarily, just that it seemed like every grunge group was writing about subject material that was considerably heavier and somber than the metal scene of the 80s that came before it was offering.
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EverDownward posted...

WafflehouseJK posted...

That's a good way of putting it. Like I mentioned earlier though, despite probably having some of the darkest subject mater in their songs overall, they still didn't feel like they were ever wallowing in it as much as the other bands. Like, Black in a lot of ways is a song about self pity; AiC doesn't really have songs like that. Their approach to their subject matter isn't about being sad about these miserable things, it's more of an apathy, yet is still passionate. It's such a unique and strange tone that I don't think any other band has truly captured. It's some powerful shit, man,

Yeah, I can see what you're saying. Alice certainly felt more nihilistic than the other major three on the scene. They were arguably the outlier, too. Pretty sure you mentioned they were pretty different from the others, and I'd agree. They were more metal, that's for sure.

I never meant to imply they were wallowing in their misery, necessarily, just that it seemed like every grunge group was writing about subject material that was considerably heavier and somber than the metal scene of the 80s that came before it was offering.

Yeah, for sure. I feel like that was Grunge's big hook in a lot of ways, that they tackled these dark, heavy subjects with such passion and gusto, not holding back for anything or anyone. That kind of passion and straightforwardness is appealing to a lot of people, and I feel like that's a big part of why grunge became as huge as it did.

Ok, actually bed time now. More write ups tomorrow.
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Oh cool a grunge topic. I'll read all the in depth stuff later but I'll post a few random personal opinions now

Soundgarden is probably the best overall grunge band
Nirvana is super overrated
I cannot understand a word Eddie Vedder has ever sung
STP are dope but only for their softer songs
Melvins deserve more love
Chris Cornell had such a unique and amazing voice but overall Layne Staley will forever be the King, his vocals were sublime

Man so so many have passed away, sad stuff.

This topic says Grunge bands and while technically not labelled a grunge rock band I would recommend anyone whose a fan of the genre check out Acid Bath. They only released 2 albums in the 90s but it's great unique stuff. Paegan Terrorism Tactics is the best album.

https://vimeo.com/267965453

Give the first few songs a listen. Paegan love song, Bleed me an ocean, grave flower, etc
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Yao posted...

Melvins deserve more love

I've never been a big fan, but I have friends that are. I don't really have much to say on them, just that they might be a bit underrated.
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I've heard a bit of The Melvins, they're decent but never quite vibed with me like the others.

I'll be sure to check out Acid Bath later.
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Work Lunch Break Bump
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Soundgarden's up next.
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Soundgarden is the one that I've honestly probably listened to the least of the 4, but I have been trying to fix that. The only album I've listened to from beginning to end is Badmotorfinger, so there'll probably be some bias towards it on this write-up.

As I mentioned earlier though, I have so much respect for Cornell's singing ability. He had such an incredible voice and such talent and control over it. God I wish I could have seen him live.

I'm also gonna go ahead and include Chris Cornell's solo stuff in this write-up, since honestly there's only a couple of songs that really stand out from his solo career for me anyways. Audioslave though I'll save for a later write-up.

Soundgarden:
Best Album:

Badmotorfinger

As I mentioned earlier, it's the album I've listened to the most of, but in general I just love the sound of this album. This is where Soundgarden goes harder; don't get me wrong, I love Cornell's more ballad-esque songs, and I'll eat up some Black Hole Sun all day long, but I also fucking love it when the band goes hard, and Badmotorfinger is where they go all out on that. This is just a great album to get fucking hype to. Superunknown would be my runner up, and it's also great, but usually with Soundgarden I prefer when they go hard, while Cornell's solo stuff I'm more down for the slow, moody ballads, and Badmotorfinger goes hard and never stops going hard.

10 Favorite Songs:

- Jesus Christ Pose (Badmotorfinger)
- Rusty Cage (Badmotorfinger)
- Spoonman (Superunknown)
- Blackhole Sun (Superunknown)
- Burden In My Hand (Down On The Upside)
- Blow Up The Outside World (Down On The Upside)
- Pretty Noose (Down On The Upside)
- Black Rain (Telephantasm)
- By Crooked Steps (King Animal)

Special shout outs to Loud Love, Face Pollution, and Searching With My Good Eye Closed.

I was originally gonna cheat and include a couple Cornell solo songs, but looking through my playlist I realized I knew and loved more Soundgarden songs than I thought. Also I apparently really need to listen through Down On The Upside all the way seeing that I said Badmotorfinger was my favorite album, but have more favorite songs off of Down On The Upside apparently. >_>

As far as Cornell's solo stuff goes, I fucking love his cover of Billie Jean, it's powerful as fuck.

Original solo songs, Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart, Two Drink Minimum, Can't Change Me, and Silence The Voices are all really good songs. Scream is... ok. I have it on my playlist, but it's not his best work IMO.

And of course he's responsible for the best James Bond theme song, You Know My Name, which in and of itself is a fantastic track.

Overall thoughts:
I need to listen to them more. I've really only fallen completely in love with them in the past year, which really sucks for obvious reasons. >_> From what I have listened, they do have some of my all time favorite grunge songs (After I do a bunch of these write-ups, I plan on doing a final write-up specifically with my all time favorite grunge songs combined from all the different bands discussed).They're just a really damn good band, and Cornell is absolutely one of the best singes to have ever lived IMO.
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It's late, so I think I'll get to Nirvana tomorrow. Sorry dudes.
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Dam, peeps weren't feeling the Soundgarden post, huh?

I bet it's cause I forgot to do Underrated Song for them.

Clearly that's the reason
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Dirt is a great album, but honestly I think Jar of Flies is their best work.

Posting some good stuff (not necessarily grunge) to keep this alive.

Soundgarden "Holy Water"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFtFdUOIalk" data-time="

Garbage "Queer"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEy6a1WQ35U" data-time="

The Smashing Pumpkins "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adDHr1bRlM0" data-time="
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like seeing junkhead mentioned in favorite aic songs. it's my favorite.
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Junkhead is fantastic.

Nirvana tomorrow.

For realisiez this time.
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Live performances of Porch. God dayum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llOpE85bmW0" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGGd6cTXcoE" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_eDMjv0HwU" data-time="
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I've seen the SNL performance of Porch before, it was pretty fucking great. It seems like a really fucking good song live.
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I know I've been neglecting this topic, and I am so, so sorry, I want to give you All Apologies.

To make up for, here's a bold, controversial opinion:

I think I now prefer Chris Cornell's cover of Billie Jean more than Michael Jackson's original.

Yeah, I said it.
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Ayyyy, it's Nirvana time.

So, they're my least favorite of the "Big 4"; but I still love them. Being completely honest, even though Pearl Jam's what got me into the genre, I did hear and enjoy Nirvana songs first. Mostly that's because as a kid I was a big Weird Al fan, heard "Smells Like Nirvana", and then went and heard the original after that. >_>

So in a round about way, I guess you could say Weird Al introduced me to grunge. Weird.

Nirvana:
Best Album:

In Utero

Yep. You heard me. Not Nevermind.
Don't get me wrong, Nevermind is great, and honestly it's hard to explain why I like In Utero more. For all the other bands, I've been going hard on how important the album flowing well together is, but for In Utero, it's pretty eclectic and all over the place in terms of tone and sound, from some extreme, scream-riddled stuff like Scentless Apprentice to the album's more reserved, chill sounding All Apologies. And honestly? For this album, the all over the place nature of it really vibes with me. This is prime "edgy" Nirvana, like, I'd argue even more than Nevermind. I mean, considering this is the album with Rape Me on it, I think I have a pretty solid argument. >_>

Ten Favorite Songs:
All Apologies (In Utero)
Francis Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle (In Utero)
Heart Shaped Box (In Utero)
Dumb (In Utero)
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nevermind)
Drain You (Nevermind)
Come As You Are (Nevermind)
About A Girl (Bleach)
The Man Who Sold The World (MTV Unplugged In New York)
Where Did You Sleep Last Night (MTV Unplugged In New York)

Yeah, 2 of them are covers, but they're fucking great covers, and if you like Nirvana you should really check out their MTV Unplugged, it's great.

I need to re-listen to Bleach tbh, looking back over my playlist About A Girl was the only one that really stuck out to me, which doesn't seem right.

Lots of In Utero, which isn't surprising. As great and iconic as Nevermind is, I genuinely think In Utero has some of their best work.

Underrated Song:
Francis Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle. It's hard to explain why I love this song, I just kinda do. I stumbled across it while listening through In Utero one night on my way to work, and out of all of them, this is one of the ones that stuck out to me the most. I just love the sound, the chorus, all of it, it's a fucking great song that I don't hear get nearly enough love when best Nirvana songs comes up in conversation.

There we go, that's Nirvana. Next up, we'll see about doing some Stone Temple Pilots.
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Send help, I cant stop listening to Cornell's cover of Billie Jean, I think I have a problem.
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bump
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Francis Farmer is indeed a great track

i'm glad there are other people that enjoy it as much as i do
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Delirious_Beard posted...

Francis Farmer is indeed a great track

i'm glad there are other people that enjoy it as much as i do

It's a phenomenal song, I go back and forth between if it or All Apologies is my fav Nirvana Song.
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