When Alanis Morrisette and Smashing Pumpkins ruled the charts, they were complemented by Jewel and even, Lord help me, Tori Amos! Green Day was excellent, and Oasis wasn't yet considered a Beatles rip-off, so you could just enjoy them without worrying about liking a "sell-out" band. Hootie and the Blowfish, Spacehog(who I think did "The World I Know"), and that song "Closer to Me".
It was real diversity. Now we have diverse sh*t.
It's like the music of the early-to-mid 90s turned around and crapped on us. Who's with me on this?

: When Alanis Morrisette and Smashing Pumpkins
: ruled the charts, they were complemented by
: Jewel and even, Lord help me, Tori Amos!
: Green Day was excellent, and Oasis wasn't
: yet considered a Beatles rip-off, so you
: could just enjoy them without worrying about
: liking a "sell-out" band. Hootie
: and the Blowfish, Spacehog(who I think did
: "The World I Know"), and that song
: "Closer to Me".
: It was real diversity. Now we have diverse
: sh*t.
: It's like the music of the early-to-mid 90s
: turned around and crapped on us. Who's with
: me on this?

I agree with you that the early to mid-90s was the best part of the decade, much like the early to mid 80s was the best part of that decade - then from the middle to the end of the decade you see a decay in musical talent and style (this is in my opinion and is to be taken with a large block of salt). Actually, the bands and singers that you mentioned (with the exception of Oasis), I consider part of this trend of decay of the 90s.
Again, this is in my opinion...The bands I consider to be exemplary of the 90s are for the most part defunct or are in obscurity (making REAL music). Here are some of them:

Rialto
Kent
Soul Asylum
Urge Overkill
Inspiral Carpets
Suede
James
The Stereo MCs
The Stone Temple Pilots (still quite famous)
Radiohead (ditto)
VNV Nation
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

...etc, etc, etc. I'll take the Pepsi challenge any day that says I can find plenty of awesome 90s bands that are equivalent in talent to almost any 80s band/singers.

T B

: I agree with you that the early to mid-90s was
: the best part of the decade, much like the
: early to mid 80s was the best part of that
: decade - then from the middle to the end of
: the decade you see a decay in musical talent
: and style (this is in my opinion and is to
: be taken with a large block of salt).
: Actually, the bands and singers that you
: mentioned (with the exception of Oasis), I
: consider part of this trend of decay of the
: 90s.
: Again, this is in my opinion...The bands I
: consider to be exemplary of the 90s are for
: the most part defunct or are in obscurity
: (making REAL music). Here are some of them:
: Rialto
: Kent
: Soul Asylum
: Urge Overkill
: Inspiral Carpets
: Suede
: James
: The Stereo MCs
: The Stone Temple Pilots (still quite famous)
: Radiohead (ditto)
: VNV Nation
: My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult

: ...etc, etc, etc. I'll take the Pepsi challenge
: any day that says I can find plenty of
: awesome 90s bands that are equivalent in
: talent to almost any 80s band/singers.

: T B
Unfortunately, I disagree. The best music of the 90's was the Country boom later bust & a.c. music was like magic like Jim Brickman, Garth Brooks, etc along with the Latin explosion & Teen explosion as well (I know, most of them didn't write or played their own instruments, so what)? look back @ the 60's to the 80's and see that wasn't new. I did like some of the artists of that decade like Hootie & The Blowfish, Savage Garden among others but like said I went the other road. I'll get butchered for my response, but like you all said, that's my opinion.

No one's going to HATE you! As for me, I'm a pop addict. I certainly like Soul Asylum and Radiohead. I just miss the times when ANYTHING you heard on the radio was great, whether it was pop, rock, country, or even rap. Now the market is a massive packaging project, with plastic smiles and pledge allegiance to the slog.

: No one's going to HATE you! As for me, I'm a
: pop addict. I certainly like Soul Asylum and
: Radiohead. I just miss the times when
: ANYTHING you heard on the radio was great,
: whether it was pop, rock, country, or even
: rap. Now the market is a massive packaging
: project, with plastic smiles and pledge
: allegiance to the slog.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Again, you name an 80s, or 70s, band/singer and I can name a 90s conterpart that is just as good. Savage Garden is OK, but INXS came out with some excellent music in the 90s (too bad about the lead singer). I see that people nowadays judge 90s music by what we have now (i.e. Savage Garden, Dido, Sarah McLachlan, Jewel, Kid Rock, Emminem, etc.), but in the 1990-1998 timespan there were some of the best bands I have heard since the 80s - or 80s bands that came out with material that can probably outdo what they did before (i.e. INXS, Matthew Sweet, New Order, Morrissey, Tears For Fears, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aimee Mann, Alphaville - I could go on naming bands for the whole night...)
So,I disagree with anyone that would say the 90s was an uneventful decade filled with mediocre music - I wouldn't even go as far as to say only Country and Latin Pop music had success. Rock (alternative, glam, et al) was very good in this decade - just listen to The Stone Temple Pilots and Suede (probably two of the best bands of the 90s that could definitely rival anything from the 70s and 80s). The only complaint that I have about the 90s is Woodstock 99 (anything related to the year 1999 - which I blame for the low opinions people have about this, otherwise, wonderful decade).

Tarzan Boy

Sheryl Crow! I wish she'd do another album!I know hard-core rock fans who fell over backwards for Sheryl Crow. Jeez, how'd I forget her?

Sarah Maclachlan, absolutely. I just find it odd that "Building a Mystery" and "Adia" sound identical. As a matter of fact, they BOTH sound exactly like "Save Tonight", except a little bit slower. That Bm-G-D-A chord progression really got around(and annoying) in the Nineties. I think that was part of the problem--there WERE at times low points in creativity, but you're right, it didn't really set in until 1999, although I think the stink started in 1998. Another question: where did the Cranberries(Say that You Love Me) and Natalie Imbrughlia (Torn) go? I miss them! Are they with all the world's missing left socks?

: Sheryl Crow! I wish she'd do another album!I
: know hard-core rock fans who fell over
: backwards for Sheryl Crow. Jeez, how'd I
: forget her?

: Sarah Maclachlan, absolutely. I just find it
: odd that "Building a Mystery" and
: "Adia" sound identical. As a
: matter of fact, they BOTH sound exactly like
: "Save Tonight", except a little
: bit slower. That Bm-G-D-A chord progression
: really got around(and annoying) in the
: Nineties. I think that was part of the
: problem--there WERE at times low points in
: creativity, but you're right, it didn't
: really set in until 1999, although I think
: the stink started in 1998. Another question:
: where did the Cranberries(Say that You Love
: Me) and Natalie Imbrughlia (Torn) go? I miss
: them! Are they with all the world's missing
: left socks?

I did like The Cranberries, but Natalie Imbruglia is what I consider part of this "new wave" of female artists that sing about malcontent - badly.
In this same category, I would include Alanis Morrissette, Hole, Sixpence None The Richer, Dido, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, and pretty much anything having to do with that Lillith Fair thing. The REAL female artists came around long before this lillith group - for example: Garbage (although their 2nd album fell far short of their first), L7, Luscious Jackson, The Breeders, Aimee Mann, Liz Phair, Frente, Lydia Lunch, Belly, Mono, The Cardigans, Ace Of Base - God, those were the good ol' days of female rock and pop! The lillith artists couldn't be more famous though (obviously, they strike a chord with the masses - except mine), so, again, this is in my opinion and not meant to be taken seriously - just something to think about and consider. As for The Cranberries, I've been wondering that myself...

T B