ASNN

Heh. I have at least a few grunge tapes I made during the grunge heyday, and you've got some of the good ones. You'd really have to make a few grunge albums to really get a good taste- but you've got a good start.

* adamb reminisces ...

Great stuff. I would have left off 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' since even though your friend didn't get into that scene, she probably knows that song. And probably got sick of it. ;-)

Also -- if you have any Screaming Trees or Mudhoney, they would be a fantastic not-so-famous addition to your mix.

Jonathan: I included SLTS for the same reason I included Jeremy, even though it was on MTV approximately 53 times per day in its heyday. Neither is among my particular favorites, but they were seminal moments in the movement.

Lamentably, my exposure to Screaming Trees and Mudhoney is limited to the Singles soundtrack. I should probably do something about that.

Great list!

I might replace "Nothingman" with either "Corduroy" or "Once". "Nothingman" doesn't really scream "grunge" to me.

And I might also replace one of the AiC tunes with "Rooster," although it also get the played-50-times-a-day treatment.

Bands like Cracker ("I Hate My Generation") and Catherine Wheel ("Waydown"), while definitely in the alternative category, have a lot of tunes that strike me as grungy in both style and spirit.

pcg - I hear ya. I actually heard 'Jeremy' on the radio the other day and ENJOYED it. Possibly because it had been 5 years since I'd heard it last, and not 5 minutes.

I'm with Andy on 'Rooster' - just don't get rid of "Would?" That's one of my favorites from the grunge era. Oh, you already made the CD, didn't you? What are we arguing about? :-)

Andy: Ooh, dang, I forgot about "Rooster". I'll have to include that in the next round. Ditto for both "Corduroy" AND "Once", both of which were last-minute cuts. As for "Nothingman", blame bcp. He got me hooked.

Cracker... weren't they the "Low" people (to cite one of their poppy songs, perhaps)? I never heard of Catherine Wheel.

Jonathan: already burned the CD, but there's always room for another. :-)

And I wouldn't get rid of "Would?" for anything - that's one of my favorite songs from any era. Tremendous energy, chunky guitars (before chunky was cool), thundering drums, classic Staley/Cantrell vocals, just a really stellar song.

Very Nice list. Especially like the inclusion of Rearview Mirror and Rape Me. (Obviously, Jeremy, Black, and Release get thumbs up as well.. along with every other song on the list)
A few songs I would add for consideration:

Pearl Jam - Breathe, Animal, State of Love and Trust, and Porch
Smashing Pumpkins - Zero
Nirvana - Dumb, In Bloom

Oddly enough, "Rape Me" was by request. I never would have thought to include it, as much as I like it; the message is just a little raw. (Same reason I didn't include "Sex Type Thing" by STP.)

I appreciate your additions. "Porch" in particular is another one of those crazy, high-energy songs. Listening to the final 1:10 or so, Vedder's lyrics growing in intensity in competition with the frenetic drums and buzzing guitars. And all the while, the real intensity happens in the arpeggiating lead guitar, quietly at first, slowly pushing louder into the mix. Everything finally breaks down and collapses into a sweaty, exhausted heap. So beautiful, so painful.