An old friend Jim Carroll was with Alice in Chains and passed around "08" from fast living as memorialized in The Basketball Diaries...a shame.....I haven't seen or talked with him since "01"...
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OT: Nirvana or Alice in Chains
- Thread starter bac2therac
- Start date
I saw the Melvins open for Primus at RU when I was a student there. They were very good. 93-94 there were a lot of great shows on campus, I totally got spoiled.
Cool video. Cantrell is a guitar master, IMO.
I've always enjoyed bands that use drop D tuning like Helmet, King's X, System of a Down. Probably one of the reasons that Nirvana struck a chord with me too.
AIC hands down - great harmonies great lyrics.
Saw the latest iteration twice in AC.
They are playing in Camden this summer.
Saw the latest iteration twice in AC.
They are playing in Camden this summer.
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Singles soundtrack is awesome. Dyslexic heart is a cool song and state of love and trust and breath are 2 of my favorite Pearl jam songs.
I can't believe some of you are mentioning Alice in Chains in the same breath as Nirvana.
Kurt Cobain in a class by himself.
Kurt Cobain in a class by himself.
Agree. AIC. If I had to choose btw the two. I liked nirvana but AIC had the edge in lyrics.
I have said my piece earlier in this thread so I will not reiterate my personal opinion. Instead, I suggest an exercise.
Listen to the following two songs that are similar in tone/theme back-to-back and compare them in terms of the following:
1) Musicianship
2) Lyrics
3) Vocals
Listen to the following two songs that are similar in tone/theme back-to-back and compare them in terms of the following:
1) Musicianship
2) Lyrics
3) Vocals
Did not know they had filmed or recorded anything with Crover on drums. He has such a definitive sound. I've always thought when they met Dave Grohl, they told him, "we want you to play like this guy."
so you pick nirvana's worst song, one you already said you hate, as comparison? no thanks to that challenge
While we both seem to agree it is their worst song, others would disagree with us (Ranked #90 in Kerrang! magazine's "100 Greatest Rock Tracks Ever!") and it was undeniably popular. I just don't get it, but I recognize that music is subjective. (I am a huge Prog fan, but I don't get Radiohead.)
Can you recommend a deep cut Nirvana song that a casual listener like myself may have missed?
I like them both and still listen to them. But AIC is one of the best bands from that era. In my opinion only Soundgarden is better then AIC.
Layne and the boys hands down. Cobain's voice was just grating and they were not good musicians, watered down punkish
Alice all the way, the more and more I compare the songs.
The second one Alice in Chains got me pumped up to destroy the guy on the other side of the ball. The first one Nirvana made me feel like I wanted to play paddy cake, paddy cake, baker's man with him.
Nirvana over AIC all day long. But Pearl Jam comes out on top for me.
was thinking serve the servants, too, but didn't see the point of belaboring the song v song thing. it's been almost 30 years ..think everyone's made up their minds. the most seasoned critics could make arguments either way.
Breed a good choice too.
Breed a good choice too.
Pearl Jam always seemed kind of neutered to me. Over the years, they have grown on me, maybe because key members of other Seattle bands died.
kind of purposefully neutered themselves, iirc.
have maintained on the back of incredible live performances. even the epitome of neutered songs that sucked on albums are fun to hear live the way they mix up set lists. Probably would have stopped listening to them in early 00s if i didn't see em in concert for the 1st time.
Wow. Music is amazing. That AIC song literally puts me to sleep. These bands are so different it’s really not fair to compare them. AIC is like Pearl Jam to me. Good bands, but don’t totally do it for me.
Kind of feel like I never gave them a fair shot. Eddie was a bit of a mope and douchey in the beginning iirc. Maybe I cheated myself out of some good shows.
I picked up one of their later albums. While I complained about being neutered, I think the tune Just Breathe is spectacularly beautiful and moving.
Yes it is. I never got into the teen spirit craze nor Pearl Jam. I was more Alice in Chains and Soundgarden from that grunge faze. What kids call music today, I just don't understand. Sounds like complete sh*t to me. My wife listens to current trends and it sounds like nails on a chalk board.
I liked this post simply because Screaming Trees doesn't get enough love. I must have played Sweet Oblivion 1000 times over the years. Top to bottom, there's not a song I skip on that album. Mark Lanegan's voice is one of the best out there.
I also agree with AIC over Nirvana for me personally although I fully acknowledge the outsized influence Nirvana had.
From that era I put Pearl Jam above them all, largely for their live performances. It's a bit unfair to compare catalogues since Pearl Jam has endured intact this entire time but they're still going strong.
Agree with both of you. Simply astounded there are that many people who prefer AIC over Nirvana. Alice in Chains is a perfectly fine band, but c'mon, Nirvana had a great first album (Bleach) and a top 10/20 all-time album that was a gamechanger in the rock and roll music world in Nevermind. And a pretty damn good follow-up before Kurt ended it, sadly. There's a reason they were first ballot inductees into the R&R HOF.
Couldn’t agree more, but I’m not going get to call judgement out or argue on here.
The one thing I would say about Nirvana is I think history has wrongly clumped them in with these mega bands from that period, when they really have more in common with the bands that never quite made it big. I think Kurt Cobain had such an ear for pop sensibility and catchy hooks, but his music was completely derivative of counter culture metal and punk.
It seems all of the posters on here agree that Nirvana does not sound like the other bands people are mentioning in this thread, for better or worse. For me personally, this is what makes them a true anomaly in popular music, they were a real underground punk rock band that made it big without ever selling out or softening their sound. Some people can see it, others can’t.
Irregardless, rock music was in much better shape in the early 90s than it is now. Not everything sucks now, but rock was light years better.
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R&R HOF? Is there a less meaningful accolade? This isn't about popularity or who was a bigger game changer. Layne had a very sad ending as well.
Nirvana was basically grunge rock with manufactured pop hooks for the masses..thats why they are a lesser to me
Great post. Agree with every word. There is a reason Rolling Stone wrote that article back in the late 90's that Nirvana killed rock n roll. They were so different than everyone else, no one could compare or sounded like a pretender (at least to me and probably the other Nirvana fans on this thread). I totally get why the others here love AIC, Pearl Jam, etc. As a said in an earlier post, I love music because it impacts everyone differently. It's great to see all the diverse opinions in this thread and I respect them all.
For those interested, the new AIC track is now available. Sounds good, looking forward to the new album soon.
AIC by far, not even close. Better lyrics, deeper, greater range, more authentic and truly grunge.