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Originally Posted by Lilja
I think it all depends on where you wer at the time..melodic hard rock/heavy metall was still going strong here in Sweden. In the US, I can't think of any bands that topped the popular charts at the time but I don't think that anyone really cared at the time. And I don't think that anyone who really listened to bands like Jane's Addiction really cared if their music was placing higher than "Heart Shaped Box".
You are right that Cobain was no music genius..but he wasn't bad. I think it is a shame he died so young and that did effect his fame. But that always happens and he did have a different sound at the time. I don't care if little kids are walking around with Nirvana shirts.
The whole grunge scene to me just seemed like a bit of a phase. Just people who wanted to listen to something they deemed "alternative" from the mainstream. These bands that were declared "alternative" from the mainstream were opening up for mainstream bands (Such as Pearl Jam opening for U2 on their Zooropa tour) .And then it got big and all of a sudden, it wasn't as cool to listen to as before. But alot of good bands came out of it such as Bush and Live. And their music led to other such music.
The whole Britney, Backstreet Boys boyband phase was just an evolution of NKOTB and Tiffany. That kind of crap had been going on for a looong time and was / is always popular.
I wish the swing band fad of the 90s hadn't peetered out personally..that was a really fun thing. But then it always did continue, just not as mainstream. Who really cares right?
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The "Hair Metal" era, roughly '83 to '92 or so, represents the last time Heavy Metal was truly relevant. It represents the last time rock was culturally 'dangerous' and also fun as a genre - when rockstars still roamed the Earth. I can see the negative thoughts people have about it - being too corporate and gimmicky. But It was a period when rock was good (for me anyway) and then by like 93 and on rock became depressing sounding with snarling growling singers who were depressed. What really separates Led Zeppelin, say, from "Hair Metal"?
Both had long hair. Both had over-the-top stage shows and self indulgent music videos. Both wore flashy costumes. Both sang about sex, drugs and rock n' roll and groupies.
Or for that matter, the 70s Stones. What separates them in any real way from Warrant? Basically "Hair Metal" became a term used by angry Gen X-ers to describe fun rock while they wallowed in self hating grunge nonsense.