The document provides an overview of the genre of alternative rock music. It discusses the origins and development of alternative rock in the 1980s as an underground genre. It outlines some key characteristics of alternative rock bands and sounds. The document also profiles several influential alternative rock artists and bands that achieved mainstream success, including R.E.M., Nirvana, Radiohead, The White Stripes, and Coldplay. It discusses the rising popularity of alternative rock in the 1990s and some factors that led to a decline in popularity towards the end of that decade.

1. Genre Research
Rock

2. Rock
 Rock is a popular type of music and is short for
„Rock and Roll‟. It originated in American during
the 1950s and developed into a range of
different styles during the 1960s, one of these
being Alternative Rock.
 Musically Rock centered around the Electric
guitar, a Rock group would normally also have a
Bass guitar and a Drum kit. Rock places a higher
degree of emphasis on musicianship, live
performance, and an ideology of authenticity
than Pop music.

3. Rock
 The late 1960s was referred to as the „golden
age‟ or „classic rock‟. This is when I period of
distinct rock sub-genres had emerged, including
hybrids like blues rock, folk rock, country rock and
jazz rock fusion. One of the most recent sub-
genres that has emerged has been Alternative
rock.

4. Alternative Rock
 Alternative rock, also known as Alt rock or
Alternative is a Sub-genre of rock that emerged
from the independent music underground of the
1980s. It went on to become widely popular in
the 1990s and 2000s.
 At times „alternative‟ has been used as catch-all
description for music from underground rock
artists that receive mainstream recognition, or for
any music that has descended from Punk Rock.
 Most sub-genres achieved minor mainstream
status however a few bands such as R.E.M and
Husker Du signed to major record labels.

5. What is Alternative Rock?
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, 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
scenes

6. Popularity
 The next alternative rock band to become
commercially successful was Nirvana.
 Most alternative rock bands were limited in terms of
commercial success in comparison to other genres
such as pop and other genres of rock.
 Many acts remained signed to independent record
labels (record label operating without the funding
of or outside the organization or the major record
labels) and received little attention from
mainstream media.
 Alternative rock entered the musical mainstream in
the 1990s. Many alternative rock bands went on to
become commercially successful.

7. Decline of Popularity
 Popularity began to decline towards the end of the
decade due to a number of factors…
 Kurt Cobains death in 1994
 Pearl Jams lawsuit against Ticketmaster which lead
to the group being barred from playing many major
venues.
 Despite the decline some artists managed to retain
mainstream relevance. Bands such as Radiohead
achieved success with its third album onwards .
 Radiohead along with post-Britpop groups like Travis
and Coldplay, were major forces in British rock in
the Subsequent years.

8. Generic features
 Tend to avoid mainstream limelight in the past.
 Sign to independent record labels.
 Have a standard rock set-up, including Guitar,
Bass guitar, Drums and lead singer.
 Talented musicians. Members in the band tend to
be talented and are skilled in there musical field.
 Sounds often relied on dynamic contrasts, often
between quit verses and loud, heavy choruses.

9. 1980s
 Throughout the 1980s alternative rock was very
much an underground phenomenon.
 Occasionally songs would become a
commercial hit or albums would see success.
 Bands built followings by touring constantly and
releasing low budget albums.
 By 1898 the genre had become popular enough
so that bands such as New Order and The
Sugarcubes toured the arena circuit in the United
States

10. 1990s
 Music industry was enticed by alternative rock.
 Major labels courted bands such as Jane‟s
addiction, Firehose and Nirvana.
 Success shown by R.E.M had become a staple
for many alternative bands as they had outlasted
many bands and become famous world wide.
 Nirvana also had a breakthrough with the release
of “smells like teen spirit”. Constant air play on
MTV lead to Nevermind selling 400,000 copies a
week by 1991.

11. Continued
 In 1993 the New York times said
"Alternative rock doesn't seem so alternative
anymore. Every major label has a handful of guitar-
driven bands in shapeless shirts and threadbare
jeans, bands with bad posture and good riffs who
cultivate the oblique and the evasive, who conceal
catchy tunes with noise and hide craftsmanship
behind nonchalance."

12. 21st Century
 Many new alternative rock bands emerged.
 Bands such as The White Stripes emerged during the late
90s, proceeded by
 The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol and The Rapture, in the early
2000s. These drew inspiration from other genres such as post-punk and
New Wave
 Many other Alternative rock bands found success during the early
2000s such as The Killers Modest Mouse and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
 In 2004 Entertainment Weekly declared “After almost a decade of
domination by rap-rock and nu-metal bands, mainstream alt-rock in
finally good again”.
 Few albums charted in the top 10 from 2005-10 and those that did
were from headline acts such as Muse, Radiohead and The Killers. This
was down to media focusing on R&B and Pop, changes in industry
and declining sales.

13. Britpop
 Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that
originated in the UK.
 Emerged during 1990s
 Characterised by bands influenced by British guitar
pop music of the 60s and 70s.
 New British groups such as Suede and Blur launched
the movement by positioning themselves as
opposing musical forces.
 Britpop groups brought British alternative rock into
the mainstream and formed the backbone of a
larger British cultural movement.

14. Grunge
 Sometimes referred to as Seattle sound.
 Sub genre of alternative rock. Lasted from 1980s to
mid 90s.
 Generally characterized by heavily distorted
electric guitars and contrasting song dynamics.
 Lyrics are often angst-filled, often addressing
themes such as social
alienation, apathy, frustration, sadness, fear and
depression.
 Although most grunge bands had faded by the
1990s they still continue to influence modern music.

15. R.E.M
 R.E.M was an American alternative rock band from
Athens, Georgia. They formed in 1980 by Michael
stripe (noted and occasionally parodied for the
„mumbling‟ style of his early career), guitarist Peter
Buck, bassist Mike Mills (credited as being chief
composer behind many of R.E.M‟s songs such as
„Nightswimming‟ and „Find the river‟) and finally
drummer Bill Berry.
 R.E.M where one of the first popular Alternative rock
bands, they gained early attention due to Buck‟s
ringing, arpeggiated guitar style (a musical
technique were notes in a chord are played or
sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than
ringing out simultaneously) and Stripes unclear
vocals.

16. Continued
 R.E.M released its first single, „Radio Free Europe‟, in
1981 on the independent record label Hib tone.
 In 1983 the group released a critically acclaimed
debut album „Mumur‟ and built its reputation over
the next few years through subsequent
releases, constant touring, and the support of
college radio.
 Following these successful years R.E.M eventually
achieved a mainstream hit in 1987 with the hit „The
one I love‟
 The group eventually signed to Warner Bros in 1988
and went down the route of promoting political
and environmental concerns while playing large
arenas world wide.

17. Radiohead
 Formed in 1985 and are from Oxfordshire.
 Band consists of Thorn Yorke (lead vocals, guitar and
piano), Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards and
other instruments), Colin Greenwood (bass), Phil Selway
(drums and percussion and Ed O‟Brien (guitar and
backing vocals).
 Released their debut single „Creep‟ in 1992 – was initially
unsuccessful but became a worldwide hit after several
months after the release of the debut album – Pablo
Honey.
 Popularity rose in 1995 after release of their second album.
 Third album propelled them into great international fame
in 1997 with Ok computer.

18. Nirvana
 Nirvana is an alternative rock band formed by
Singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain in 1985.
 Nirvana are known for going through a succession
of drummers, the longest lasting being Dave
Grohl, who joined in 1990.
 Nirvana were originally part of the Seattle grunge
scene, they release there first album „Bleach‟ for the
independent record label Sub Pop in 1989.
However the band eventually had alternative rock
mainstream success unexpectedly with the release
of there album „smells like teen spirit‟ in 1991. This
was part of the album „Nevermind‟.

19.  After the release of Nevermind in 1991 Nirvana
had sudden success.
 The media began to refer to Cobain and the
„spokesman of the generation‟ with Nirvana
being the „Flagship band‟
 Nirvanas third album „in utero‟ also saw success
but not as greatly as Nevermind as In utero
challenged the groups audience
 Nirvanas success was short lived as the lead
man Cobain died in 1994.

20. Kurt Cobain
 Cobain was an American singer-song writer, most
known for his success with the band Nirvana.
 During the last years of his life Cobain struggles
with a heroin addiction, illness and depression.
He also struggled to deal with his fame and
public image.
 At the age of 27 Cobain supposedly shot himself
in the head with a shotgun after selling over 25
million albums in the US and over 50 million
worldwide.

21. The White Stripes
 American alternative rock band formed in 1997.
 Group consisted of Songwriter Jack White
(vocals, guitar and keyboards) and drummer
Meg White (drums and occasional vocals).
 Albums White Blood Cells and Elephant drew
attention from a large variety of media outlets in
the US and UK.
 The duo was noted for their fashioned and
designed aesthetic which featured a simple
colour scheme of Red, White and Blue.

22. Oasis
 Oasis were an English alternative rock band from Manchester
that formed in 1991.
 The group was formed by Liam Gallagher (vocals and
tambourine), Paul Arthurs and Paul McGuigan. They were
later joined by older brother Noel Gallagher (lead guitarist
and vocals).
 They had 8 number one singles and 8 UK number one albums.
 Won fifteen NME awards, nine Q awards, four MTV Europe
Music awards and six Brit awards.
 As of 2009 the band had sold an estimated 70 million records
worldwide.
 The Gallagher brothers featured regularly in the media for
there wild lifestyles and sibling disputes.

23. Continued
 In 2009 Noel Gallagher announced his departure
from the band after a back stage dispute with
brother Liam at a festival.
 The bands remaining members continued
working together however they changed the
bands name to Beady Eye.
 Noel went on a solo project and released Noel
Gallagher‟s High Flying Birds.

24. Foo Fighters
 Foo Fighters are an American alternative rock band
formed in Seattle in 1994.
 Founded by Nirvana drummer David Grohl as a one
man project following Kurt Cobain‟s death.
 Grohl recruited two members from Sunny Day Real
Estate, bassist Nate Mendal and drummer William
Goldsmith. He also recruited band mate Pat Smear
from Nirvana.
 Over the course of the bands career, four of its
albums have won 11 Grammy awards winning Best
Rock Album four times.
 To this day they have released 7 albums.

25. You Me At Six
 You Me At Six is a British rock band from
Weybridge, Surrey. It formed in 2004.
 The group rose to success in 2008 with “save it for
the bedroom”, “finders keepers” and “kiss and
tell”
 They were nominated for Best British Band in the
2008, 2009 and 2010 Kerrang! Awards, they
eventually won it in 2011.

26. Coldplay
 Coldplay are a British alternative rock band that vocalist Chris Martin
formed in 1996. He was joined by Jonny Buckland and Guy Berryman.
 Originally named Starfish but changed it to Coldplay in 1999.
 In 2000 they released the single Yellow which saw them sore to
worldwide success. This was followed by there first album Parachutes
which was nominated for the Mercury prize
 The bands second album A Rush Of Blood To The Head won multiple
awards including NME‟s Album of the year.
 Although there third album X&Y was the most sold album in 2005 some
critics thought it was inferior to its predecessors.
 Viva la Vida or Death and all his friends was released in 2008 it was yet
again largely favorable and received many nominations.
 MyloXyloto also received positive views and received UKs Best selling
rock album of 2011.

27. Facts
 After Coldplay‟s release of “A Rush Of Blood To
The Head” they planted a tree for every album
they sold.
 Muse track „cave‟ was featured on Adam
Sandler‟s comedy „little nicky‟
 Coldplay give 15% of bands profit to charity
 Matt Bellamy‟s (frontman of muse) father was
part of the 60s group The Tornados.