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What qualifies as classic alternative?

Most people would argue that Alternative music originated with the punk/ska/new wave movements of the late 1970's, but I would start with the Velvet Underground as the progenitor of the Alt music genre.
 
In sort of a timeline--

Velvet Underground/Lou Reed
The Stooges/Iggy Pop
David Bowie
Roxy Music
Some may say T. Rex and Mott the Hoople
Bob Marley & the Wailers
The Ramones
Talking Heads
The Clash
The Sex Pistols
New York Dolls
Elvis Costello
Joe Jackson
Joy Division
The Cure
The Police
The B-52s
The Cars
Husker Du
The Specials
Boomtown Rats
The Pretenders
Human League
Depeche Mode
The Alarm
U2
INXS
R.E.M.
Echo & the Bunnymen
Modern English
The Smiths/Morissey
Midnight Oil
Siouxsie & the Banshees
They Might Be Giants
The Pixies
The Church
Love And Rockets

...just a partial list, in sort of chronological order (I know I missed a lot)

Jacko
 
Alrighty then. I figured that the 80s would make a good portion of classic alternative. With that in mind, I would like to add more to the list:

New Order
Janes Addiction
The Sundays
Nine Inch Nails (Pretty Hate Machine)
Ministry
The English Beat
Fishbone
Tears For Fears
Squeeze
Bryan Ferry
Ultravoxx/Midge Ure
Cocteau Twins
Blondie
Devo
Patti Smith Group
Violent Femmes - "Do you like American Music?"
Tom Waits
Peter Gabriel
Crowded House
A Flock of Seagulls
Gary Numan/Tubeway Army
Icicle Works
The Jam (should I include The Style Council too?)
Duran Duran
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Kate Bush
Michael Penn
The Ocean Blue
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Ric Ocasek
Romeo Void
Talk Talk
The Rain Parade
Wall of Voodoo
Alphaville
The Art of Noise
Del Amitri
The Dream Academy
Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians


Some too obscure? Too pop? Let me know.
 
Psycedelic Furs
OMD
Angels and Airwaves
Thomas Dolby.
Porno for pyros
The Waterboys
 
We have quite a list going on here, although I have to disagree with Angels and Airwaves. At current, I consider classic alternative anything that was considered alternative prior to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which debuted on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart on 9/21/1991. I'm not saying this date is THE definitive line, but sort of a benchmark. Established bands like U2, R.E.M., Duran Duran, The Cure, and The B-52s still had releases going into '92 or '93 that could easily fit into the classic alternative mold because it's not grungy sounding. However, kind of like how the definition of "classic rock" has changed over time, "classic alternative" could easily incorporate the grunge (Nirvana, AIC, Pearl Jam) and funk/psychedelic (RHCP, Jane's Addiction) music that was popular from '91 to '95. I lived through the explosion of grunge music and feel that there should be some kind of dividing line at around 1991. The Sirius XM alternative station, for the most part, have it right in their programming of those channels (First Wave, Lithium), although I think they tend to leave out the folkier alternative tracks (Edie Brickell, Indigo Girls) and Bob Marley & the Wailers has always been a progressive/alternative staple, but doesn't get recognized on 1st Wave either, although I know they're getting played elsewhere.

Jacko
 
Here's a few more
After The Fire.
Falco
The Fixx
The Motels
Missing persons
Howard Jones
Naked Eyes
Berlin
The Buggles
ABC
Soft Cell
Madness
Art of Noise
Til' Tuesday
Bronski Beat
Scritti Politti
Bow WowWow
Haircut One Hundred
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
The Damned
Smashing Pumpkins
The Cranberries
Billy Idol
The Vapors
Nena
Cutting Crue
Oingo Boingo
Split Enz
General Public
The Knack
Scandal
Planet P
The Waiteress

I hope I didn't repeat any from prievious post, I'll have more later.
 
What a fun thread.


Dead Kennedys
Sonic Youth (SHOCKED no one's mentioned them yet!!?)
The Replacements (also can't believe this omission)
Dinosaur Jr.
Mission of Burma
Black Flag
Bad Brains
Minor Threat
The Descendents
Tom Tom Club
Electronic (side project with Bernard Sumner from New Order and Johnny Marr from The Smiths...'89-'92 were the best years)
Killing Joke
The Dead Milkmen
Meat Puppets
Billy Bragg
Big Audio Dynamite
XTC
Sisters of Mercy
Peter Murphy / Bauhaus
World Party
The Sugarcubes
Robyn Hitchcock
Faith No More
The Lyres
The Thompson Twins
Public Image Ltd. (PiL)
The Stone Roses (yes, they may only have put out those two albums but man that first album is just CLASSIC and essential!)
Happy Mondays
The Charlatans UK
The Chameleons UK
The Inspiral Carpets
The The
Sam Phillips
The Feelies
Erasure
Dead Can Dance
The Pogues
Sinead O'Connor
Throwing Muses
Julian Cope
Robbie Robertson
Big Dipper
Fine Young Cannibals
The Smithereens


I honestly could keep going for days but I'll stop here.
 
Peter Schilling-Major Tom/Coming Home.
Giffirea-I must be dreaming
 
kenrayc said:
Peter Schilling-Major Tom/Coming Home.
Giffirea-I must be dreaming
Click to expand...

Giuffria had a lot of synthesizers, but they were more of a pop metal band.

I think the actual dawn of alternative probably began in 1966 with "Tomorrow Never Knows" The Beatles. That song changed the rules of making pop music and influenced countless "art rock" artists/bands, like David Bowie, Brian Eno and The Velvet Underground, from which came the "modern music" movement which begat "new wave" and in a later generation, alternative.

The Doors occasionally get an honorary spin on some alternative stations.....Same with Big Star and Love.....
 

I love the classic alternative music.
I love the older stuff,but I think it truly sprouted out in the 80's.
Now I know that each station should have lots of David Bowie and Velvet Underground,but we dont
want to sound like a classic rock station.
Would love to hear a bigger mixture of the older stuff,and less pop.
Less knew pop to.Alternative was always underground,not pop like Green Day and the Killers.
The Alternative I heard in the 80's was done in the Album rock style,less hits,more quality tunes.
 
Since the Alternative format is not (or wasn't in the past) an exclusively Rock format, you could add Hip Hop acts like De La Soul and RUN-DMC to the mix, as well as some Reggae and even some dance.
 
Here's a few more

Heaven 17
Freur
The Kings
Adam Ant/Adam and the Ants
Flash and the Pan
The Cult
The Monroes
The Suburbs
The Flying Lizards
Re-Flex
Men Without Hats
A-HA
Translator
Red Rockers
Queen is not normally considered,but the exception is with David Bowie-Under Pressure.
 
Here's what sucks ,I can't here any of these great Classic alternative songs in my market any more, first Peak got rid of JACK-FM for News-Talk,then the station that has ,or did have Alternative KFRR 104.1 decided to compete with KRZR 103.7 for Active Rock. now all I get is AC/DC and Metallica on 4 stations including both Classic Rock stations, no more AOR, NO more New wave, It sucks,now I will depend on Internet radio to get my ALTERNATIVE fix.
 
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