Sooo, the Jeep that I drive is on loan to my mother in law, and I’m driving my wife’s Prius in the intern (yuck) with the Sirus satellite 900 channel radio (yay) and I find one channel that’s called “Classic Alternative/1st Wave” (Channel 33 if you have Sirus). Mostly 80’s to early 90’s music, directly focused on the “alternative” radio scene (or so they say).

And, ashamedly, I kind of like it… :-[

But that’s my issue, I always HATED the term “Classic” as it applied to Classic Rock (what the hell defines something as classic? What is the timeframe some track has to be before its considered “classic” anyway)…and I feel like some sort of sell out being a mid 40’s guy listening to “Classic Alternative” now, i.e. what the heck is alternative thought of now and what the hell is “Classic Alternative” supposed to be today?

My main issue is that I spend about an hour and a half in the car each day, and no matter what, what I usually hear each hour is, one track from The Police, one from U2 and one from INXS. None of these bands I would have considered being “alternative” back in the day and getting a little tired of hearing them every fourth or fifth song on that channel. And I’m jonesing for a more diverse selection of bands/songs on the channel for the “alternative 80’s” era they claim to represent.
Don’t get me wrong, I hear REM, The Cure, and The Smiths pretty regularly too, but that’s just the tip of the music and bands that were making music back then and I’m certainly not hearing them all on this “Classic Alternative” channel. A lot of bands & music is missing.

I’m wondering if I’m being just a music snob and an old curmudgeon (as I was a music store clerk back in the 80’s-90’s) and would of given you s**t for asking for the “alternative” section (alternative to “what”?).

So now I’m listening to “classic alternative” in 2012 in a super techy hybrid car and not living up to my roots, so to speak.
<end rant>

Question submitted:
What was/is “alternative” in the 80’s, and what band’s artists can be considered “Classic Alternative” now?  Note, if you’re from the UK, Australia or Canada, never mind, as your radio wasn’t as restrictive to have a “alternative” designated as genre as it was in the US back then.

I think 80s and alternative rock and I think of R.E.M, Husker Du, The Replacements, Sonic Youth, The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr. etc. Stuff that couldn't really be classified as pop or arena rock. U2 and INXS kind of straddle the line there, The Police meanwhile are more of a pop/new wave band all the way.

What was/is “alternative” in the 80’s, and what band’s artists can be considered “Classic Alternative” now?  Note, if you’re from the UK, Australia or Canada, never mind, as your radio wasn’t as restrictive to have a “alternative” designated as genre as it was in the US back then.


I'll take a stab at it.  "Anything that didn't fit clearly-defined genres of rock, metal, or pop, but not rap/hip-hop, which existed, but hardly anyone aired it."

That left Way everything from New Wave to thrash/punk.

Loosely, AC/DC?  Rock.  Judas Priest?  Metal.  Cyndi Lauper?  Pop. 

Everything else?  Nobody had a category for it, so it became alternative.

Depeche Mode/New Order were the alternatives that became the mainstream new-wave/synthpop sound.  REM/Cure/Smiths were the alternatives that became the mainstream alt-rock sound. 

What was/is “alternative” in the 80’s, and what band’s artists can be considered “Classic Alternative” now? 

Alternative in the 80s: Music that was not played on the radio and MTV wouldn't touch with a 10 foot cattleprod.

Classic Alternative now: Anything that my children do not recognize from the myriad of "retro" shows dedicated to the 80s in our culture. Example: my children know Cyndi Lauper, ACDC, etc. My children did not know Dead Milkmen, Smiths, The Sparks, Black Flag, Love and Rockets.

Well, my teenagers know them now  :)

On my local rock station, "Classic" Alternative used to be defined as any Alternative song that came out before Smells Like Teen Spirit in '91. That was regardless of popularity, so they played bands that actually had some pre SLTS chart success like R.E.M. and Faith No More, as well as some of the lesser known acts already mentioned here (like Dinosaur Jr, Mudhoney, etc.) U2 and INXS were not on the playlist.

Today, the first wave Grunge acts are now considered "classic" as well. I suppose because they're now all at least 20 years old.

I think 80s and alternative rock and I think of R.E.M, Husker Du, The Replacements, Sonic Youth, The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr. etc. Stuff that couldn't really be classified as pop or arena rock. U2 and INXS kind of straddle the line there, The Police meanwhile are more of a pop/new wave band all the way.


Exactly, I’m not thinking any sort of U2 after the album WAR or ANY INXS should be on this channel. The Police have a "pass" but after a certain point, they just weren't in the same category.
They are also playing Billy Idol a lot which isn’t alternative at any time (after Generation X), now or then.

I’ve heard the Replacements on the playlist, but not the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Husker Du or Dinosaur Jr, no XTC and missing a lot of other bands. They play a bit of English Beat, but no Specials. New Order, but no Joy Division. Bauhaus but no Love & Rockets or Tones on Tail. It’s weird.


Alternative in the 80s: Music that was not played on the radio and MTV wouldn't touch with a 10 foot cattleprod.

Classic Alternative now: Anything that my children do not recognize from the myriad of "retro" shows dedicated to the 80s in our culture. Example: my children know Cyndi Lauper, ACDC, etc. My children did not know Dead Milkmen, Smiths, The Sparks, Black Flag, Love and Rockets.


Well yes, you fairly well nailed it, except MTV’s 120 Minutes did try to play some “alternative” videos of some of these bands, albeit only late on Sunday nights if I remember correctly.

I’ve NEVER seen a video of Black Flag except for stuff they put out themselves or live at a show, which is not surprising, and I don’t expect to find a Sirus channel or radio station that would play music of REAL hardcore punk (though it would be nice) nowadays.

Imagine firing up the super techy hybrid/Prius and tooling down the road listening to Bad Brains and SST label tunes from the satellite… For “them” to capsulate and make a satellite radio channel of hardcore punk would be flying in the face of the definition of punk and an oxymoron within itself…not going to happen, or it shouldn’t happen.

And I’d be more embarrassed admitting I'm listening to that on satellite radio in a Prius than I am “Classic Alternative” now.  :-\\