Grungies, enter.

[Death Before Dishonor]

After having little to no luck with this, there is a simple question I need to ask. Who got the popularity break first? Soundgarden or Nirvana? I'm also told Soundgarden was an influence for Nirvana signing with Sub Pop. I need to know if this is true, and when both broke out onto the scene and got publically noticed.

Cheers.

[Liam]

Mainstream wise, I think Nirvana got the break first.

However, Soundgarden were around before Nirvana, and probably were bigger on the Seattle scene then Nirvana initially, until Nirvana had thier big break into the mainstream.

I may be wrong though, so don't take what I say as gospel truth.

[Blehschmidt]

Soundgarden had already released albums (though not well known) before Nirvana ever recorded Bleach.

I don't know anything about them getting Nirvana onto Sub-Pop.

Teen Spirit hit and got huge, which prompted MTV and various radio stations to start playing other Grunge music.

It was during this that "Outshined" from Soundgarden's Bad Motor Finger album started getting air time.

Even at that point I wouldn't say that Soundgarden got big, it was more during the release of the album Super Unknown with songs like "Spoon Man" and "Black Hole Sun" getting massive airplay.

[Malenko]

Nirvana got mainstream popularity first.

Soundgarden had released one album in 88 before Nirvana released Bleach in 89 none of them getting a big mainstream exposure. In 1990 soundgarden releases another one, not very successful either (and also worse in what concernes to the music itself IMO), Alice in Chains also releases an album this year which is equally not very successful. Then in 91 comes Nevermind, it's a big commercial hit, Grunge gets noticed, Pearl Jam releases Ten in the same year but its singles only start getting a lot of media atention afterwards. The album's singles get high rotation. Grunge was in its 3 year spell that every alternative style eventually gets on the mainstream radio. Alice In Chains release Dirt in 92. This album also gets high rotation on mainstream radios. A huge amount of grunge bands are formed and get medium rotation in radios during this period despite not being around for long, and regardless of talent (not in all cases obviously). Sound Garden gets its true break in the mainstream after all of the rest with Super Unknown in 94, although Bad Motor Finger had also get decent playtime. Even so Bad Motor Finger was also released in 91, and its singles such as outshined like Raistlin mentioned saw their biggest impact during the period that followed Nevermind's release.

To end this, Soundgarden were there the longest, but to be fair they didn't release many albums before bleach, they released ONE, and a bunch of EPs and PromoTapes. Nirvana were the Grunge band that got the genre into the mainstream, and Nevermind was the album that accomplished it.

Not that that's a good thing or anything, it just did.

EDIT: by the way, about the sub-pop thingy, I don't know about that. If that's true, Kobain probably says it in his book, but it can be. Soundgarden were in subPop back then.

Edited March 31, 2005 by Malenko

[Guest DynamicJeremyS]

Soundgarden had the underground fan following first. They were Subpop's first big band to do something, and later Nirvana signed with them but eventually became famous.

So Soundgarden had the underground following first, but Nirvana had the global fan following. Soundgarden was one of the first grunge bands, them and the Melvins anyway. As a note, Jason Everman, Nirvana's second guitarist for a while, eventually was in Soundgarden for like 3 months before being replcaed by Ben Sheppard, the guy Nirvana wanted to be their second guitarist in the first place.

Anyway, both bands are great, Nirvana slightly better in my opinion, but the Pixies smokes them both. Pixies own your ass.

[Kaney]

Dude, I told you this last night, Nirvana got mainstream first. But Soundgarden are better than Nirvana, so it doesn't matter.

[Liam]

Dude, I told you this last night, Nirvana got mainstream first.  But Soundgarden are better than Nirvana, so it doesn't matter.

←

Hey, I'm a Cornell fan, but Nirvana > Soundgarden.

Both subsequently are owned by Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains though....

[Death Before Dishonor]

Dude, I told you this last night, Nirvana got mainstream first.  But Soundgarden are better than Nirvana, so it doesn't matter.

←

[Kaney]

Dude, I told you this last night, Nirvana got mainstream first.  But Soundgarden are better than Nirvana, so it doesn't matter.

←

Dude, I posted this when you couldn't confirm anything so I figured I'd ask.

←

Dude, where's my...never mind. And drv, Nirvana are grossly overrated.

[tristy]

And drv, Nirvana are grossly overrated.

←

[Kaney]

And drv, Nirvana are grossly overrated.

←

But Soundgarden are better than Nirvana, so it doesn't matter.

Heh.

←

Nope, not one trace of irony in my post at all, no siree.

[tristy]

I've come to the conclusion that Grunge sucks.

[Liam]

Whether Nirvana are over-rated or not, they had a bigger impact on the music industry than Soundgarden, and Soundgarden and the surrounding grunge bands probably wouldn't be as big without Nirvana's mainstream breakthrough.

Now, whether the impact of Nirvana has more postive or negative points is another argument....

EDIT: Tristof, you suck....

Edited April 1, 2005 by ebannawdvr

[Kaney]

Whether Nirvana are over-rated or not, they had a bigger impact on the music industry than Soundgarden, and Soundgarden and the surrounding grunge bands probably wouldn't be as big without Nirvana's mainstream breakthrough.

←

Just because they had a bigger impact doesn't necessarily mean they were better :\ I think Soundgarden made better music, and I could listen to Cornells singing all day, but to each his own I guess.

[Liam]

Whether Nirvana are over-rated or not, they had a bigger impact on the music industry than Soundgarden, and Soundgarden and the surrounding grunge bands probably wouldn't be as big without Nirvana's mainstream breakthrough.

←

Just because they had a bigger impact doesn't necessarily mean they were better :\ I think Soundgarden made better music, and I could listen to Cornells singing all day, but to each his own I guess.

←

Didn't say it made them better. I'm just saying that whether they were over-rated as musicians, they made a massive impact on the industry.

[tristy]

It's all about the emotion, baby.

[Kaney]

It's all about the emotion, baby.

←

stfu emo-fag.

>_>

[tristy]

I WILL MOVE AWAY FROM HERE

YOU WON'T BE AFRAID OF FEAR

[Herr Matzat]

all hail pearl jam (and their new song Crapshoot !)

[DMN in the House]

Alice in Chains > All other grunge bands.

Of course, grunge sucked, and killed rock music for a time, but thats another story for another time.