TOL Alternative Radio...

Town Heretic

Town Heretic

Out of Order
Hall of Fame
Tambora said:
Just what is the criteria for deeming music "alternative"?
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For me it's popular radio play/focus, though the lines blur easily enough as some things start out there and then become immensely popular.

I was mostly being tongue in cheek when I started since the thread was an alternative to others. Then I decided to go a little off the beaten trail with my first post. I'm not really beating people up for going populist and a couple of mine are fairly mainstream, but it would be fun/different to treat us to less well known gems.

I hope that's what Isakov was for a few of you.

:idunno: All I ultimately want the thread to be about is good music.
 
Angel4Truth

Angel4Truth

New member
Hall of Fame
Tambora said:
Just what is the criteria for deeming music "alternative"?
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Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt rock or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s. Although the term was most commonly associated in its commercial heyday with a loud, distorted guitar sound, its original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style, or simply the independent, D.I.Y. ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music.[2] At times, "alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk rock (including some examples of punk itself, as well as new wave, and post-punk).

Alternative rock is a broad umbrella term consisting of music that differs greatly in terms of its sound, its social context, and its regional roots. By the end of the 1980s magazines and zines, college radio airplay, and word of mouth had increased the prominence and highlighted the diversity of alternative rock, helping to define a number of distinct styles such as gothic rock, jangle pop, noise pop, C86, Madchester, industrial rock, and shoegazing. Most of these subgenres had achieved minor mainstream notice and a few bands representing them, such as Hüsker Dü and R.E.M., had even signed to major labels. But most alternative bands' commercial success was limited in comparison to other genres of rock and pop music at the time, and most acts remained signed to independent labels and received relatively little attention from mainstream radio, television, or newspapers. With the breakthrough of Nirvana and the popularity of the grunge and Britpop movements in the 1990s, alternative rock entered the musical mainstream and many alternative bands became commercially successful.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock

I don't consider nirvana alternative rock though, I dislike nirvana completely and (grunge rock bands) altogether, even though i do like a lot of hard rock, grunge is just ick to me. (which is a lot of 90s maintstream rock which to me is why college rock became popular then, as an alternative to nirvanna and junk like that)

Thats my opinion anyway.

In general its out of the mainstream stuff (meaning outside of the top 40 or general radio play)
 
zoo22

zoo22

Well-known member
Tambora said:
Just what is the criteria for deeming music "alternative"?
Click to expand...

"Alternative" music is a category of music in music shops that starts with the letter "A." That's the primary way to recognize it.

It's also a term that's used so that people can believe that the mainstream music they listen to is "special," similar to the way that 98% of parents have "gifted" children.

It had actual meaning for a short period in the '80's before being co-opted by the record companies and Rolling Stone Magazine, when they realized they had absolutely no idea what had been happening with music for about 15 years.

However, "Alternative Music" at TOL is known elsewhere as "hip hop."
 
Town Heretic

Town Heretic

Out of Order
Hall of Fame
zoo22 said:
"Alternative" music is a category of music in music shops that starts with the letter "A." That's the primary way to recognize it.
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Nah. I suppose it could be that for some. To me it's definable. I did it a number of posts ago. At least that's the working definition for some of what I'm posting, though the larger point was...well, I set that out a couple of posts ago and you half guessed it earlier.

It's also a term that's used so that people can believe that the mainstream music they listen to is "special," similar to the way that 98% of parents have "gifted" children.
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Sort of a "look how cool and subversive my tastes are" bit? That's too cynical for my blood.
 
Town Heretic

Town Heretic

Out of Order
Hall of Fame
I don't know...but the older Paul Simon gets the more he looks like the Marx Brother who played at being Italian...it's odd.

And Bob Dylan looks more and more like Vincent Price.

Life is funny that way.

Cecilia - Paul Simon
 
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