Top 10 Grunge Alternative Rock Albums of the 90s

Choosing the top ten grunge alternative rock albums of the 90s isn't that easy. First of all, there has to be a definitive meaning of alternative, (which, it seems, everyone has a different definition of), and two, it must be decided what the criteria of top ten alternative rock albums of the 90s actually means; whether it is the biggest sellers of the 90s, the most played then, the most played now, or the most influential grunge alternative rock albums of the 90s.
So, with that in mind, here is the criteria that this top ten list will follow;

1. The definition of grunge alternative rock in this list is defined as: an alternative-pop music style, built on distorted guitars and rooted in generational discontent, that dominated and changed rock between 1991 and 1996. Many of these alternative rock bands were very much inspired by such bands as Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Velvet Underground, The Cure, Jane's Addiction (especially with their Nothing's Shocking -1988 album),The Stooges, Patti Smith, Replacements, REM, and Hüsker Dü, as well as garage bands, and the college bands of the 80s and the like. This style has come to also be referred to as alt-rock or "grunge", where ripped jeans, old Doc Martin boots and flannel shirts ruled the fashion world, and where big hair and flashy guitar solos were a thing of the past.
2. This top ten list will be based on the hottest, or best selling grunge alternative rock albums of the 90s.
3 . Last but not least of the criteria is this; there will be no repetition of band names in this list, otherwise it might have been entirely made up of just a few bands, and we really wouldn't even be able to call it a top ten list with only a scant few included, now could we?
Alrighty then, with that in mind, let's get to it, shall we?

Top 10 Grunge Alternative Rock Albums of the 90s

10. Candlebox- Candlebox -1993 Ok, some may argue that Candlebox really aren't a grunge band at all, but coming out of Seattle during the whole grunge-alternative scene put them right in the middle of it and for me, it warranted them a spot in this list. Their self-titled album hit the charts and wound their way into mainstream grunge-alt scene like a virus, and their fame petered out almost as fast. In their own words, "It's a miraculous yet familiar tale. Group of friends form a band, works their asses off gigging around town, cuts some demos, secures a recording contract, writes a hit or two, emerges from local obscurity to global touring and sales success, hits a creative and interpersonal wall, disbands, wanders in individual obscurity for a few years, gets back together, older, wiser, produces the best effort of their career and does it all over again with " Into the Sun ". Okay, granted, it's a grand simplification but a fairly accurate depiction of Candlebox, whose 1993 self-titled debut - released in the midst of the northwest existential musical, cultural maelstrom known as 'grunge' - rose above the grey Seattle mist to global notoriety.... Read more . -This biography was provided by the artist or their representative.

9. Garbage- Garbage - 1995 Grunge and Garbage just go together; the hair, the clothes, the attitudes....with this self-titled album, they hit it big, and people raved for the stench of it. The only band on this list with a female lead vocalist, (and one which paved the way for such acts as Evanescence , and Paramore .) According to SoundUnwound, "Garbage were formed in 1993, a Scottish/American fusion of the talents of Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig. Vig had been the producer on the hugely successful alt-rock albums Nevermind and Siamese Dream , but when he decided he wanted to play in a band again, he gathered fellow producers Marker and Erikson, with whom he had played before. A year later, in 1994, Manson was asked to join on the basis of auditions and her performances in previous band Angelfish. Success soon followed, with the single "Stupid Girl" preceding the release of the debut album Garbage in 1996. Read more . Garbage was a must on this list, I mean, c'mon, you can't have a grunge alternative music list without Garbage, right?

8. Live - Throwing Copper -1994 Another band that some may question the how and why of being on this list, but I believe, with the string of gritty and meaningful hits that topped the charts in the 90s, they deserved every bit of the number eight spot. Live is one of those bands that survived the grunge scene and came out smelling clean, (well, partially). Though in 2009, Live front man Edward Kowalczyk parted ways with the band, so they remain on hiatus. I've attended more than my fair share of concerts, and can honestly say I've never been so impressed by a live performance (other than seeing U2 and a few other greats) such as Live gave back in the mid-90s. Ed took the crowd down low and waaay up, and moved us with a spark that I've not seen many times in a live performance. It was one of those "I'll never forget this for as long as I live" kind of moments. Live consists of; Ed Kowalczyk - Vocals & Guitar, Chad Taylor - Guitar & Vocals, Patrick Dahlheimer - Bass, and Chad Gracey - Drums. Amazon states, "The band formed whilst the members were still at school and after a number of name changes and a couple of EPs, their debut, Mental Jewelry was released in 1991. It reached No.73 on the Billboard charts. Throwing Copper (1995) hit the top of the Billboard charts and spawned several hit singles including "Lightning Crashes", "I Alone" and "Selling the Drama"... Read more .
Side note: After a concert at The Palazzo in Las Vegas in June 2009, Live announced that the band would take a two-year "hiatus" to work on other projects. Kowalczyk recorded his solo album Alive and the other band members formed a group with Kevin Martin and Sean Hennessy of Candlebox called The Gracious Few. That band proceeded to record a self-titled debut album in California for release in September 2010. Read more about their hiatus, split and court case here .

7. Smashing Pumpkins- Siamese Dream -1993 With Billy Corgan's one-of-a-kind voice, Jimmy Chamberlain's drums, and the buzzing guitars of James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky completed the line-up of of this eclectic-grunge-alt-genre-bending-experimental-rock band, they had to be included in the top ten grunge-alternative 90s music list. SoundUnwound talks about their beginning with, "Smashing Pumpkins recorded a series of demos in 1991. Their debut album was 1991's Gish , which was moderately successful and they toured, opening for Jane's Addiction (with whom they were often compared) and Red Hot Chili Peppers, among others." The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the most popular alternative rock bands of the 1990s, mostly thanks to the success of second and third albums Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness ." And a great review by Beth Bessmer, she describes the album, "An introductory drum roll drops out and is replaced by a single suspended electric guitar, which is then paralleled by a snare, filled in with the bass, and--crash!--"Cherub Rock," the opening track, is enveloped in an explosion of metal guitar. So the journey begins. This album is pre-experimentation vintage Pumpkins. Produced by Butch Vig (Garbage, Sonic Youth, Nirvana's Nevermind ), Siamese Dream is first about guitars. Lots and lots of guitars. A very close second is Jimmy Chamberlain's unquestionably excellent power drumming. Throughout each song, Billy Corgan delivers angsty lyrics in his signature breathy whine. "Disarm" is a nice intermission halfway though the album. As the title of the song suggests, it throws the listener into a different mood with its full string arrangements and radiant orchestral chimes. But then it is back to the aural masochism--a pain that rarely sounds so sweet." Even if the Smashing Pumpkins aren't really considered grunge necessarily, they still deserved a spot on this list as their sound is so unique and inspired so many other bands of today.

6. Bush - Sixteen Stone -1994 Grungy, gritty, sexy, and guitar-leaden tracks led Gavin Rossdale's band to the top of the grunge-alt. rock scene in a short time. I think Kevin Davis' review of Sixteen Stone says just what everyone felt about them , "When this album came out in 1994, you either loved it or hated it. Most of those who hated it did so because they sounded too much like Nirvana (and Nirvana at this time were gods). Regardless of the criticisms, it didn't seem to hurt the album's success. "Everything Zen," "Machinehead", "Little Things," "Comedown," and "Glycerine" were huge hits -- all over the radio. I still hear these songs today on the local modern rock radio station. This is because of one good reason -- the songs are incredible, regardless of their supposed lack of originality. Bush (along with Collective Soul, Live, Foo Fighters, and others) created what would be called post-grunge rock, which is basically a more polished grunge sound with greater pop-sensibility. This sound dominated the rest of the 90's (for example, Third Eye Blind in the late 90's) until the rise of various metal groups (such as Linkin Park) and emo-punk groups (such as Taking Back Sunday) that dominate modern rock radio today. This debut album from Bush will forever be considered as one of the greatest albums of the 90's (certainly in terms of success). For those of us who grew-up in that decade, it will forever form the soundtrack of our lives at that time and indubitably will bring back fond memories. Bush was a great band for a simple reason -- they had great songs which nearly everybody loved." Yes-sir, I couldn't have said it better myself, and Bush's lead singer Gavin Rossdale surely didn't hurt their popularity either, with his steamy good looks and gravely/sexy voice they were sure to be on top of the charts whether grungy, alternative or otherwise.

5. Stone Temple Pilots - Core -1992 ; a.k.a. STP is- Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Robert DeLeo (bass guitar, vocals) and Dean DeLeo (guitar), and Eric Kretz (drums, percussion). Even with all the controversy and gossip around Scott Weiland's drug use and stints in and out of rehab STP went on to become one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 1990s, and according to Wikipedia, "selling nearly 40 million records worldwide, including 17.5 million units in the United States, before their dissolution in 2003. The band has had 16 top ten singles on the Billboard rock charts, eight of which peaked at #1,and one #1 album for Purple in 1994 . That same year, the band won a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Plush" from the album Core . After Weiland's five-year stint as the frontman of Velvet Revolver and the DeLeo brothers' involvement with the Army of Anyone project, Stone Temple Pilots reunited in 2008 with a successful 75-date tour and the band's sixth studio album Stone Temple Pilots was released in 2010." I had to include STP in this list if not only for their ability to sell out stadiums in their hey-days, but for their gritty, powerful riffs that stuck in your head long after the songs were over. Their grungy/alternative flavor was just the taste fans were looking for.

4. Soundgarden - Superunknown -1994 ; Arguably one of the best grunge sounds of the 90s, Soundgarden's sound ruled and influenced many of today's alt-rock performers. With Chris Cornell's unmistakable howl, they were destined for stardom. Here's a snippet about them from SoundUnwound, "Along with Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Soundgarden were one of the Seattle-based grunge bands who dominated American rock music in the first half of the 1990s. Their 1994 album Superunknown is a classic of 90s rock. Soundgarden were formed in 1984 by Chris Cornell (drums, vocals), Kim Thayil (guitar) and Hiro Yamamoto (bass). After an EP, Screaming Life (1987), they released their debut album Ultramega OK in 1988, which earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. Louder Than Love was released in 1989 before the previous EP was re-released with a further EP, Fopp , which had been released initially in 1988. After a short detour for Cornell and Cameron to record as Temple of the Dog with members of Pearl Jam (formed to honor their friend, Mother Love Bone's Andy Wood who had died of an overdose), Badmotorfinger was released in 1991. This release was overshadowed by the worldwide success of Nirvana's Nevermind . However, Soundgarden was able to bask in some reflected glory as Nirvana's new fans began to pay attention to Soundgarden's similar sound.They had only to wait until their next release, Superunknown (1994) for the spotlight to turn to them fully. The single "Black Hole Sun" was particularly successful, hitting the higher reaches of the US and UK charts, and Superunknown became widely regarded as a landmark of the grunge era." Read the rest of SoundUnwound's piece about them here .

3. Alice In Chains - Dirt -1992 ; Some say that AlC paved the way for bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, (and I would have to agree) as when they came out with their gritty-grungy Facelift in 1990, (and were formed in 1987, by guitarist Jerry Cantrell bassist Mike Starr, drummer Sean Kinney and Vocalist Layne Staley) they led their way up the charts and into American hearts. They were definitely one of the most influential American alternative / grunge rock bands of the early 90's, and remain one of my favorite bands. I just adore Layne Staley's vocals! That deep voice mixed with amazing harmonies made their grunge sound unique as well as infectious. SoundUnwound stated, "(Alice in Chains) Drawing equally from the heavy riffing of metal and the gloomy strains of post-punk, the band developed a bleak sound that balanced grinding metal riffs with subtly textured acoustic numbers. They were hard enough for metal fans than their dark subject and punky attack placed them among the front ranks of the best Seattle-based grunge bands. By combining the unique voice and intense delivery of Layne Staley with evocative songwriting and vocal harmonies of Cantrell, Alice in Chains created an immediately identifiable sound that also proved to be quite diverse as their repertoire grew to include both driving angry rock songs and mellow acoustic compositions."

2. Pearl Jam - Ten -1991 This wouldn't be a grunge alternative rock list of the 90s without the addition of Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder's entire makeup; from lyrics, his hair, clothes, attitude and political beliefs were all about the 90s grunge alternative rock scene and people picked up on their intense passions for what they believed. They were destined for greatness, and have made such a name for themselves as to be just as popular now as they were in the 90s. Here's a piece of what SoundUnwound said about them, "Pearl Jam were one of the forerunners of the Seattle grunge explosion, joining contemporaries Nirvana and Alice in Chains in pioneering the rough, pared-down sound and emotionally barren, or alternatively anguished lyrics, that defined Generation X and proved pervasive through the next decade of alternative rock. Pearl Jam, created in 1990 from the remains of Mother Love Bone following the heroin overdose of lead singer Andrew Wood. Rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard (b. 1966) and bassist Jeff Ament (b. 1963) joined Mike McCready (b. 1966 lead guitar) in creating a demo tape. At a loss for a singer but with a five song demo, they sent the tape to Jack Irons, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers who passed it on to a Southern California surfer and poet he knew named Eddie Vedder. According to an interview Cameron Crowe did for Rolling Stone Magazine , Vedder listened to the tape and went surfing, where the lyrics immediately came to him. He recorded the vocal tracks and returned the tape to Godssard, Ament, and McCready and they were impressed enough to fly him to Seattle for a jam session. The three had recently added drummer Dave Krusen, and within a week Vedder (b.1964) was on board to round out the group. During the recording of their debut release Ten , the drummer changed twice; from Krusen to Matt Chamberlain and subsequently to Dave Abbruzzese. Ten album was released in 1991 and was a slow burn that eventually caught on like wildfire. It is considered a totemic album of the grunge era and the "Seattle sound."
Though initially criticized for being "too mainstream," Pearl Jam continues 20 years later, to demonstrate an indie spirit and adherence to ethics that many of their predecessors began and many of their cohorts proved unable to sustain. More than many others, Pearl Jam has demonstrated... Read more
Pearl Jam's "Ten" is known as a huge achievement in the grunge genre. It features fantastic rock tracks including "Jeremy" and "Even Flow", and its influence still echoes in today's alternative rock scene. It's no wonder they are at the number two spot on this list, it is most deserving!

1. Nirvana- Nevermind -1991 With the criteria of this top ten list being what it is, we couldn't have any other album at the number one spot, in fact, I'm betting you guessed it from the get-go. Every other band that can call themselves a grunge-alternative rock band is compared to them. As James Hunter so aptly stated, "It (alternative rock) burst into the mainstream when " Smells Like Teen Spirit "-the first major-label single from Nirvana, (a trio based in Seattle, Washington, U.S.)-became a national hit. Suddenly, older, difficult, and even anarchic movements, as well as a previous decade of do-it-yourself college rock, acquired a flashy beachhead on pop radio." Nirvana was fully formed in 1990, with guitarist Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic, and drummer Dave Grohl. Nirvana broke into mainstream music, and changed the consciousness of 'Generation X,' and took the masses by storm when " Smells Like Teen Spirit " hit the airwaves. Nick from epionions said it all, "Beyond all the hype, " Nevermind " truly is what it never set out to be: A groundbreaking album that changed the musical landscape. Kurt Cobain's manic-depressive lyrics combined with heavy guitars and drums broke the floodgates for bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins and so many more. And it doesn't matter who had an album out first, we all know " Nevermind " set the standard. FYI: "Nevermind" may be the only album of all time to reach Number 1 on Billboard not because of direct sales, but because of exchanges of other albums for it." Yup, Nirvana's Nevermind was the best selling (one of the most influential) and hottest alternative rock album of the 90s, in fact, in my opinion, there wouldn't even be a grunge category without them.

So that's it folks, your top ten grunge alternative rock albums of the 90s. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more top ten lists.

Resources;
James Hunter from Brittanca ; http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/17678/alternative-rock
Nick from epionions
SoundUnwound (at Amazon); http://www.amazon.com/Soundgarden/e/B000APWNEQ/ref=ac_dpt_sa_bio
Kevin Davis' review of Sixteen Stone at Amazon.com
SoundUnwound, Garbage
Live; wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_%28band%29