Is This Classic Rock?

As well they should -- and I love both of those bands.

But their body of work isn't ever going to hold up to PJ's. Hell, they've got more platinum albums than some of those bands have albums, period. And that's after deliberately trying to drive down their audience.

They carried the torch for a good long while -- say, 1994-2002 -- when there just wasn't much else out there.

 

mudhoney > pearl jam

 

Ohhhhh, Immmma go to Lukin's...

 

A couple of better-than-average classic rock stations in S. Miss have been playing the likes of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains for years, along with the requisite Beatles, Stones, Who, ZZ Top, Grateful Dead, Doors, etc.

No Stooges or Ramones (or for that matter no Zappa, either), but you can't always get what you want.

 

Green Day, Foo Fighters, U2, Beastie Boys and Radiohead are all in the discussion for the 1990s, but I think Pearl Jam stands on top.

 

I put the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters right there with Pearl Jam. Actually, I put the Chili Peppers at the top and those other two just below.

 

I thought the same thing. I was in eighth grade cranking that on cassette on the bus.

 

I've never understood why classic rock just beats the same old warhorses all the time: "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "A Day In The Life", "Roxanne", "Born To Run", "Money" whatever. You have artists with deep, deep catalogues and that's all they can find to play....

 

I like the Peppers plenty, I guess I just don't consider them of the same generation.

Their first album came out in 1984 (granted, no one heard it). Mother's Milk came out in 1989. Blood Sugar came out in 1991.

But then, they go dormant until, what, 1999?

They definitely belong in the conversation, though.

 

I put them in that category since, as you say, they didn't really take off until the late-80s, early 90s. Also, I think that since the late-90s they've put out the best work of those three groups and that longevity means a lot in the argument.

 

Because they have the format down to a "science" and they believe that's what draws their audience. It's why I listen to college stations for music in the car.

 

That doesn't say much about its generation.