11 Alternative Rock (1982-1987)

Small, local labels such as Minneapolis' TwinTone helped alternative rock bands like the Replacements get their starts.

HOW DID ALTERNATIVE ROCK GET THE WORD OUT?

• Alternative rock stemmed from three basic trajectories: punk, college rock, and the indie networking system.
• Ireland’s U2 and the United States’ R.E.M. brought alternative rock to the mainstream. Unlike earlier generations of rock stars, however, alternative music bands were ambivalent about what fame and major labels could offer. Some of them looked to Bruce Springsteen, who shared their concerns about preserving his integrity and maintaining artistic control.

HOW DID THE ROCK UNDERGROUND INFLUENCE ROCK DURING THE 1980s?

• While R.E.M. and U2 were marching to the tops of their respective charts, the American rock underground was shaking things up. Bands such as New York City’s Sonic Youth cultivated a sophisticated relationship between art and music, taking from influences as diverse as John Cage and Minor Threat. Bad Brains incorporated reggae and jazz in their version of hardcore, setting the template for rock & roll that was both fast and technically sophisticated.
• The Washington, D.C., hardcore scene was a thriving one. Bands such as Minor Threat challenged the accepted wisdom about the so-called rock & roll lifestyle and used independent Dischord Records to distribute music from the American underground. Minor Threat singer Ian MacKaye later formed Fugazi.
• California also had an energetic scene. The uncompromising, angry, and nihilistic Black Flag was among California’s hardcore groups. Henry Rollins took over as the group’s singer in 1981 and became a long-standing influential alternative figure. The Minutemen used a low-cost, working class mentality to spread their eclectic, interesting version of alternative rock.
• Minneapolis’s Husker DŸ and the Replacements were among the first indie bands to leap to the major labels, although both groups had limited success.
• During the same era, Britain produced alternative bands releasing music laden with Goth and literary references. The Cure, Bauhaus, and Kate Bush each formulated tightly controlled musical visions.

HOW DID ALTERNATIVE ROCK TRY TO CHANGE THE WORLD?

• After George Harrison set a precedent in 1971 with his Concert for Bangladesh, the 1980s saw a proliferation of massive benefit concerts such as Live Aid and Farm Aid.

The former, organized by Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats in 1985, raised tens of millions for Ethiopian refugees. The latter, organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young, became a long-standing festival to help struggling American farmers.

• Like alternative rock, these benefit concerts seem to indicate that rock & roll has a larger purpose than mere entertainment.

Key Terms

The Joshua Tree

Irish group U2’s epochal fifth album that came to define the mission and restlessness at the core of alternative music

U2

an Irish alternative rock band

The Edge

U2 guitarist who developed a textured, reverb-laden guitar sound

R.E.M.

an American alternative rock band that started out as a garage band

Michael Stipe

R.E.M.’s enigmatic and influential lead singer

John Cage

minimalist American composer whose experimentalism influenced Sonic Youth

Bad Brains

D.C.-based band that helped define the hardcore sound

Dischord Records

Washington, D.C., hard-core record label started by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson of Minor Threat

slam dancing

a violent dance style that became popular at early 1980s hardcore shows

stage diving

a jump from stage to crowd made by performers that became common at early 1980s hardcore shows

Black Flag

Hermosa, California-based hard-core band that became a powerful force in American alternative rock

Henry Garfield

D.C.-based singer for S.O.A. who, as Henry Rollins, became the singer for Black Flag and, later, the Henry Rollins Band

Husker Dü

Minneapolis-based hardcore band that incorporated a poppier, more accessible sound than most of their contemporaries

Paul Westerberg

front man for popular American hardcore band The Replacements

Kate Bush

English singer-songwriter whose influential incorporation of performance art, music, and literary influences created a musical form all its own

Goth rock

bleak atmospheric rock pioneered by Bauhaus

Live Aid

international music festival organized in 1985 to raise funds for Ethiopian refugees

Sample Test Questions

1. Who of the following was NOT an influential guitarist of the alternative era?

a. The Edge

b. Greg Ginn

c. Keith Richards

d. Lee Ranaldo

2. Which of these bands did NOT record on a major label?

a. R.E.M.

b. Fugazi

c. Husker Dü

d. The Replacements

3. Which of these statements is correct?

a. The Replacements were from New York City.

b. The Cure was a reggae band.

c. The Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime was recorded in England.

d. Fugazi refused to play venues that charged more than $5 per ticket.

4. Which of the following about Bob Geldof is NOT true?

a. He was a singer.

b. He was knighted.

c. He won the Nobel Peace prize.

d. He is a published writer.

5. Which of the following bands was based in the United States?

a. The Cure

b. The Boomtown Rats

c. Kate Bush

d. R.E.M.

Essay

6. Discuss the impact that alternative music had on rock & roll.

7. Did alternative music of 1980s have a mission?

8. What factors contributed to the alternative phenomenon in the United States?

9. Why did many alternative bands originate in Athens, Georgia?

10. Discuss how several major American alternative bands reflected the social and political climate of 1980s United States.

ANSWERS: 1. c; 2. b; 3.a; 4. c; 5. d

WHERE TO START YOUR RESEARCH PAPER

For an overview of the alternative era in rock, go to http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/80244/Alternative-rock

For an in-depth biography of U2, go to http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/U2/biography

For an in-depth biography of R.E.M., go to http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/R.E.M./biography

For more information about the music history of Athens, Georgia, go to http://athensmusic.net/

To research past and present Billboard 100 charts, go to http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/index.jsp

To learn more about individual record albums, go to http://www.allmusic.com

For an overview of the history of rock music, go to http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761558548/rock_music.html

Remember to check http://www.thethinkspot.com for additional information, downloadable flashcards, and other helpful resources.