It seems like a lot of what is now mainstream was once called alternative. Anyway, when people say alternative, what is it an alternative of? Well, in the late 80s and early 90s, if you weren't into glam metal/rock or U2 or Phil Collins or Guns in Roses, maybe you preferred The Pixies, The Smiths, Nirvana, stuff like that.
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Do you feel alternative is a term that doesn't mean anything?
- Thread starter Jason
- Start date
It's always been Nirvana for me. I did enjoyed all songs by Phil Collins. This is one of my favorite song by Phil Collins - Another Day in Paradise.
It's not even an overused term but a term that shouldn't have been in existence because it doesn't add any difference to what the real rock have been about for years. They didn't need to be recognised.
Well the origins of the name is from it being "alternative to the mainstream", as all of the early bands in the movement were on independent labels and were played on college rock stations. It sort of became pointless in the 90's when it became mainstream, but the sound was already codified and the name stuck. A lot of the sound and bands have their roots in the DIY scene, and either directly or vicariously have their sound rooted out of the DIY punk scenes.
That situation would be even more extreme these days with the rise of the internet. In fact, all sorts of tools are available now for production and marketing that didn't exist in the DIY days of the 90s or earlier.
