Is Nirvana the only band that could have made "alternative" music mainstream?

Question

Some circles believe, from a talent, marketing and opportunity standpoint, that if there was no Nirvana that "alternative" music would still be that...an alternative. We never would have progressed any further from where we were in the late 80's to early 90's.

So let's take two of those out of the equation - if given the same opportunities they had, what band(s) do you think could have had the same or similar impact on rock music based solely on their talent?

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Answer 1

No
If the pixies had had the opportunities Nirvana had, I think they would have been just as big. And I can't see Black Francis chockin off like good ol' kurt; he wouldn't have married a crazy ***** or killed himself, whichever you belive.
and then there was alice n chains, Janes addiction, red hot chili peppers, not to mention the cure and the smiths were already famous.
The smashing pumpkins became very famous too, and were often compared to nirvana

but i wouldn't say kurt or nirvana could ever have been replicated or replaced- simply substituted

Answer 2

Alternative embodies a lot of different thougtht. For example Punk and New Wave were alternatives to the more popular disco and hair metal. I would say that the Talking Heads were the first alternative band and they became enormous. The Clash really doesn't fit any specific category. Blondie bridged several genres in their music. They turned over into REM and others. Nirvana was a part of the evolution of music when the current popularity becomes stale and something "new" is discovered.
I think Dave Grohl would have done something irregardless of Nirvana. He has certainly proven he can!

Answer 3

well i wouldn't call where "alternative music" is now progress. if anything it's doing the complete opposite. sure, nirvana was great but there were many other bands that came out at the same time that have just as much cred but their members are still living. if seattle never made nirvana, i'm sure pearl jam would've made up for it. i like nirvana, don't get my wrong, but i would never say they were talented from a technical standpoint. yes, they were marketable as hell, but so is My Chemical Romance and they suck, yet have one of the highes popularity ratings out of current poprock in the US. Nirvana just fit for that time period and their timing couldn't have been any better. i think their appeal far exceeded their talent, though there is talent to be had in simplistic music for sure (which is also what's popular right now). i don't really think too many othe bands from that time period would've done as well for the fact that they were more complicated and not easily digested by your average radio listener, or teenager for that matter. bands like pavement, helmet, fugazi, etc...they, for their standards and genre, are still extremely popular, but their appeal is much narrower. any kid with a guitar could learn nirvana songs, but learning ween is a whole other bag of potatoes. personally, i wouldn't have minded so much if "alternative" or "indie" music had stayed just that insted of being raped and shaped into the utter crap that's produced today under the same big label guise.

Answer 4

I honestly think "alternative" music became mainstream at the inception of groups like R.E.M., Depeche Mode, The Cure, New Order, Elvis Costello, still long before Nirvana entered the stage. I do agree that they crossed over the "grunge" genre to Top 40; soon after, other similar acts were getting heavy rotation.

Other groups that could have and should have made a similar impact: Flaming Lips, The Lemonheads, and yeah -- Janes Addiction for sure....edit: AND hello -- the Pixies! :)

Answer 5

Nope. It just worked out that way. The time was ripe for a musical revolution around 1991. It could have easily been Jane's Addiction, who would have gotten more credit for mainstream alternative had it not been for Nirvana. Also, more attention would have been paid to Alice in Chains as well as Soundgarden. Alternative becoming mainstream would have occurred with or without Nirvana.

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Answer 6

My opinion... alternative became mainstream with wave. Alternative hasn't really been an alternative since around '86. Nirvana does deserve credit for giving things a kick in the ***.

Talking Heads
...too many to mention.

{Not exactly sure what "progress" you're talking about.}

Answer 7

Oddly enough, I remember seeing Jane's Addiction, Mother Love Bone, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana on... get this... Headbanger's Ball every Saturday night.

Any of those bands would've / could've, but I think one thing that gets overlooked is label support. Nirvana had the huge advantage of being signed to Geffen at the time. Say what you will about the guy, but David Geffen was directly instrumental in getting a revamped Whitesnake, Guns N' Roses, and Nirvana into heavy rotations at MTV and on the radio. He knew how to run a record label, and he knew how to grease the wheels to get exposure for his artists.





NP: "Love Has Taken Its Toll" - Saraya

Answer 8

Pearl Jam also deserves a share of that blame. To tell you the truth though I think the shift was innevitable. If Seattle hadn't produced the movement it would have gone down somewhere else. I think that pop music just needed an overhaul and Nirvana, not to take away from them at all, was in the right place at the right time.

Answer 9

Either Red Hot Chili Peppers or R.E.M.
But I would like to think that Bad Religion or Social Distortion would have made bigger names for themselves at the time and taken music in a slightly different direction. Nirvana was good, but they were to easy to package for a commercial audience. If Social Distortion filled the void, for example, it would have been harder because they fused more Country and Classic Rock into their sound. You would have seen more fusion of genres as opposed to segregation. I suppose RHCP would have been able to do the same thing, but on a larger scale than now.

Answer 10

I think that statement could be true. But there are some other alternative bands that I think could get some credit also. I think Thursday brought attention to the alternative scene. But this is just my opinion.