1990s

1990s Fashion

1990s Part two

Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE (pronounced /ˈkaɪliː mɨˈnoʊɡ/ KYE-lee mə-NOHG; born 28 May 1968), is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing her career as a recording artist in 1987. Her first single, "Locomotion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart and became the highest selling single of the decade. This led to a contract with songwriters and producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Her debut album, Kylie (1988), and the single "I Should Be So Lucky", each reached number one in the United Kingdom, and over the next two years, her first 13 singles reached the British top ten. Her debut film, The Delinquents (1989) was a box-office hit in Australia and the UK despite negative reviews. Initially presented as a "girl next door", Minogue attempted to convey a more mature style in her music and public image. Her singles were well received, but after four albums her record sales were declining, and she left Stock, Aitken & Waterman in 1992 to establish herself as an independent performer. Her next single, "Confide in Me", reached number one in Australia and was a hit in several European countries in 1994, and a duet with Nick Cave, "Where the Wild Roses Grow", brought Minogue a greater degree of artistic credibility. Drawing inspiration from a range of musical styles and artists, Minogue took creative control over the songwriting for her next album, Impossible Princess (1997). It failed to attract strong reviews or sales in the UK, but was successful in Australia and Israel where it reached the number 1 position. Minogue returned to prominence in 2000 with the single "Spinning Around" and the dance-oriented album Light Years, and she performed during the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her music videos showed a more sexually provocative and flirtatious personality and several hit singles followed. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" reached number one in more than 40 countries, and the album Fever (2001) was a hit throughout the world, including the United States, a market in which Minogue had previously received little recognition. Minogue embarked on a concert tour but cancelled it when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. After surgery and chemotherapy treatment, she resumed her career in 2006 with Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. Her tenth studio album X was released in 2007 and was followed by the KylieX2008 tour. In 2009, she embarked upon her For You, For Me Tour, her first concert tour of the US and Canada. Although she was dismissed by some critics, especially during the early years of her career, she has achieved worldwide record sales of more than 60 million, and has received notable music awards, including multiple ARIA and Brit Awards and a Grammy Award. She has mounted several successful concert tours and received a Mo Award for "Australian Entertainer of the Year" for her live performances. She was awarded the Order of the British Empire "for services to music", and an Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2008. How old are you? I know, I know, not the most appropriate question for two people who don't know each other, but I have a point. If you are somewhere in your early to mid thirties you probably remember music from the 90's. From the early sounds of Paula Abdul to MC Hammer and Boyz II Men and Britney Spears, the 90's were ruled by smooth pop and R&B. Whether you look back on that scene with love or hate, get ready to hear more of these oldies on your local radio dial. From 1990 to 1992 the pop contemporary charts were ruled by the likes of Paula Abdul, Bryan Adams, Madonna, Vanessa Williams and Mariah Carey. Compared to the late-80's sound of beat box pop these artists held a distinctly more adult sound. But even so, the original, somewhat juvenile sound of performers like Kris Kross and Vanilla Ice snuck into heavy radio airplay as well. In late 1992 a new name appeared on the stage of popular music. A smooth sounding quartet from Washington DC that went by the name of Boyz II Men first appeared on the Eddie Murphy movie soundtrack, "Boomerang" with the groups first huge hit, "End Of The Road". From 1992 to 1995 multiple new artists joined the ranks of "heavy hitters"; Jade, Ace of Base, Jodeci, PM Dawn and Arrested Development among them. The late 90's was the strongest time for true pop music. With the decline in popularity of grunge and alternative rock sounds, and the resurgence of Mariah Carey, Madonna and Celine Dion, pop ruled the airwaves. Also lending support, and starting huge careers, were new boy bands like *NSYNC, 98 Degrees and Backstreet Boys. Punk rock also became popular again in the last decade of the twentieth century and a band from Berkeley, California called Green Day were at the front of that trend. Green Day are typically attributed with helping along the movement of a subset of punk music called pop punk. Pop punk is a very apt title because the style combines the lyrics and rhythm of pop music with the guitar and general tough attitude of punk music. Other pop punk bands that were popular in the 1990s were Blink 182 and The Offspring, each with their own specific style within the genre of pop punk.   Rap was also an important part of the 1990s music revolution. Rap was a young genre at the time and there were not many established rappers that most of the country would be able to recognize. However, that all changed in the nineties. Tupac and Notorious BIG started a rivalry in rap music that would turn into an all out war between the East and West coasts with the casualties being the rappers themselves. Nobody really knows how the fighting started but the two rap moguls began taunting each other, with each rap basically daring the other to do them one better. The rivalry caught the attention of the country and after a while even most of suburban America had chosen a side in the east coast versus west coast scuffle. Despite what some critics may say, the 1990s were one of the most important and revolutionary eras in modern music. The last part of the last century paved the way for music of this century. Metropolis Records Not only just a record label, Metropolis Records is also a distributor and mail-order music store. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Metropolis is one of the largest and most influential record labels in the world specializing in industrial music and its many subgenres. The label started out as the Digital Underground, a music store, and began signing bands and releasing music in 1995. To date, some of their most successful bands and artists have included Gary Numan, KMFDM, VNV Nation and Apoptygma Berzerk. Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records made a new for itself in the 1990s by releasing an array of tribute albums featuring cover versions of songs by artists ranging from The Smashing Pumpkins to Depeche Mode. The label was founded in 1992 in Los Angeles and has been the home for a variety of goth, industrial, electronic and rock bands over the years.  Besides releasing original music by their own artists, Cleopatra has also acquired licensing rights to a number of out-of-print releases from prominent artists such as Kraftwerk, which have subsequently been re-released on Cleopatra. Influential industrial rock bands such as Godhead, Pig and Die Krupps have all released albums on Cleopatra. TVT Records In 1984 TVT Records started out as 'TeeVee Toons'  and was run by Steve Gottlieb out of his own apartment in New York City. TVT soon grew into the largest independent record label in the United States and has released several multi-platinum albums. Ranging in style from hip-hop to rock and industrial, TVT's most prominent contribution to industrial rock was without question its "discovery" of Nine Inch Nails and the release of their first album, Pretty Hate Machine in 1989. Industrial rock legends Gravity Kills and KMFDM have also been signed to TVT Records. Wax Trax! Records Originally a music shop in Denver, Colorado, Wax Trax soon relocated to Chicago in 1978. The store's owners, Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher, released a number of limited edition records at the shop, which eventually led to the first official Wax Trax release, 'Immediate Action' by the band Strike Under in 1980. During the 1980s Wax Trax later grew to become a leading industrial music record label in the United States and released music by artists such as Ministry, Front 242, Meat Beat Manifesto, KMFDM and Front Line Assembly. Every time you walk into a popular club, there is a good chance that music will be blasting through the sound system. When people go to the clubs, they want to dance and have a good time - house music provides the perfect atmosphere for this. But, where did it get its start, and how did it become so popular? It made its arrival on the club scene sometime during the early 1980's in Chicago. The DJs at these clubs got tired of playing the same songs over and over again, and wanted to try and put their personal spin on some of these songs. They started mixing them together and adding in other instrumental tracks to make the songs their own. The people in the club loved it! Before anyone knew what was going on, DJs were releasing completely original music that they composed themselves through the combination of other artist's beats. As time went on and house music spread to different parts of the country and the world, different DJs from different cultures put their own spin on this musical genre, introducing distinctive sounds and instruments from their local area. House music spread from Chicago to Detroit, and then made the jump over the pond to the UK. This all happened before the 1990's. House music had become an international phenomena. One thing that has been true of it all throughout it's history is the fact that it mirrors the current music style that is popular with the general population. As rap and hip-hop started to become more popular in the early 1990's in the United States, DJs started incorporating more hip-hop style beats into their house mixes. The same thing happened when pop was the predominate musical genre in the late 1990's. As the 21st century came around, the popularity of it was at an all time high. DJs began touring like rock stars or traditional musical artists, performing in different clubs all around the world and getting paid quite a bit of money for it. Now, they are commonly accepted as traditional musicians - but instead of playing the drums, the guitar or the bass, they play with turntables and electronic mixers. In a relatively short period of time, it has gone from an underground genre of music to one of the most popular forms of music around the world, both inside and outside of dance clubs. No one knows what the future holds, but one thing is certain - house music will be one of the most popular musical genres for generations to come. Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer-songwriter, composer and pianist. He has worked with his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date. In his four-decade career John has sold more than 250 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time His single "Candle in the Wind 1997" has sold over 33 million copies worldwide, and is the best selling single in Billboard history. He has more than 50 Top 40 hits, including seven consecutive No. 1 US albums, 56 Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10, four No. 2 hits, and nine No. 1 hits. He has won five Grammy awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him Number 49 on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s, and was knighted in 1998. He entered into a civil partnership with David Furnish on 21 December 2005 and continues to be a champion for LGBT social movements. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him as the most successful male solo artist on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists" (third overall, behind only The Beatles and Madonna). Who was the best alternative rock band from the 1990s? Isn't it amazing that the 1990s were just about two decades ago? It seems like they were just yesterday, but time obviously flies. Now that we have a full decade sandwiched in between, it's easy to be a bit more retrospective about the 1990s. Let's look at the alternative rock scene to see who the best 1990s alternative rock band was. Here are a few contenders. The first one we'll look at is Nirvana. Kurt Cobain and crew were said to have spearheaded the whole alternative revolution, as their roots were in Seattle and they were huge in the music scene there. Nirvana achieved huge levels of success nationwide, but Kurt Cobain's tragic suicide ended up cutting the band short of its full potential. Then, there's Pearl Jam. Also from Seattle, their hits were arguably just as big, if not bigger. Eddie Vedder and crew produced some phenomenal music through most of the decade, and they're still going strong today. Some would argue that Pearl Jam was the most consistent through the 1990s. Others might say that Weezer was their favorite. A different breed of alternative rock, these catchy, poppy tunes were much akin to the indie music that's popular today. Rivers Cuomo and crew were wildly successful during the 1990s. Then, of course, there was Radiohead. Still just as big today as they've ever been, The Bends and OK Computer were both enormous hits in the music world and made huge impacts. I loved the music of the 90's and still do today. It was the decade that saw the arrival of so many bands that became huge successes such as Radiohead and Green Day, which are still huge even today. But, there were those bands that after having wowed us with their number one hit, suddenly disappeared into the abyss quicker than they had first emerged, like the saying goes, they entered in like a bolt of lightning but flew out like the wind. Having a look back at some of those 'one hit wonders' of the 90's most people can 'name that song' and even the year it came out but no one ever remembers the name of the bands that sung them. Breakfast At Tiffany's, everyone loved that song and it has been played again and again ever since. It was near the top end of the charts for some time but who can remember the band that sung it? Don't worry if you don't remember, not many people do for the simple reason that this band never had the same success with any other song after that one. They were called Deep Blue Something and they, as a band, were one of the more famous one hit wonders of the 90's. Try another one, this one had been released towards the end of the 90's and called The Way, do you remember? So many people really liked this song and even now it is still played a lot, but the band that released it never managed to make another song as successful as that one. There is another band that have a hit song, The Rembrandts, who? I hear you asking. Their hit is listened to by many people every day and no one even remembers who sang it or realizes that it was a hit from the 90's. That song, I'll Be There For You, no not Bon Jovi but the one that was used as the theme song in Friends. It was really popular at the time but the band faded out not long after that hit was released. Now that the 2000's have ended there shall be a new list of one hit wonders emerging, but who will be on it? The 90s saw a tremendous shift in popular music. From the hair metal, over the top bands of the late 80s, the decade gave way to grittier, more angsty music - now called 'grunge music'. In this article, we take a look at some of the best bands of the 90s and their best songs. 1. Nirvana No article about 90s music can begin without mentioning Nirvana. Nirvana pretty much created the grunge music genre with their monster hit, "Smells Like Teen Spirit". With charismatic lead singer, Kurt Cobain at the helm, Nirvana was easily the biggest band of the 90s, surpassing all other acts by a huge margin. Some great songs are: "All Apologies", "Come As You Are", "In Bloom". 2. Pearl Jam This band from Seattle was one of the biggest successes of the 90s, and is still going strong after more than 15 years. Led by Eddie Vedder, the band had a huge hit with the album "Ten". Some great songs are: "Even Flow", "Jeremy", "Alive", "Yellow Ledbetter", "Man of the Hour". 3. Alice in Chains A band that pretty much captured all the values of the grunge scene, Alice in Chains had haunting lyrics, moody music, and a lead singer hell bent on self-destruction. Some great songs include: "Rain When I Die", "Them Bones", "Nutshell", "Dirt". 4. Stone Temple Pilots Not quite as popular or well known as their contemporaries, the Stone Temple Pilots were nonetheless, a very important and influential grunge band. Some must listen songs are: "Plush", and "Interstate Love Song". 5. Soundgarden Soundgarden, led by Chris Cornell, was a great grunge band that incorporated elements of heavy metal in its music. Strong vocals backed by amazing guitar work gave the band distinct sound. Some of their best songs include: "Jesus Christ Pose", "Black Hole Sun", "Spoonman", and "The Day I Tried to Live". The first year of the 1990s saw a total of 17 singles top the chart. The first was "Hangin' Tough" by the boyband New Kids on the Block, which became the group's second chart-topper. The single set the record for lowest first-week sales for a number 1, with only 28,000 copies sold. Although January is usually a low sales month due to it being post-Christmas season, the vinyl single was in severe decline in the UK at this time and had been so since the late 1980s. The year was very active for the boyband. They released a total of 3 albums and 6 singles (not including "Hangin' Tough") during the course of the year. Although their third album Step by Step topped the charts, their follow-up debut eponymous album was re-released and made only number six. The six singles released after their chart-topper in January all failed to top the charts, however four did make the Top 5. "Step By Step" was the most successful of these singles, reaching number two. The next #1 was Kylie Minogue's cover of the Little Anthony & the Imperials song "Tears on My Pillow", taken from the film The Delinquents, which became her fourth number one single in the UK and the final number one for production team Stock Aitken Waterman. Her album release for the year Rhythm of Love made number 9 on the UK Albums Chart with the lead single "Better the Devil You Know" making number two. Madonna scored her 7th number 1 single with "Vogue", from her hit album I'm Breathless which made #2, charting in the same position as her follow-up single "Hanky Panky". Her album success did not end there, however, with The Immaculate Collection (greatest hits release) becoming her most successful album ever, topping the UK albums chart for 9 weeks and selling 3.6 million copies in the UK (10th best selling album of all-time) and promotional single "Justify My Love" giving her a second #2 hit, whose video caused some controversy and was banned from MTV. Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, keyboardist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for English progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist. Collins sang the lead vocals on several chart hits in the United Kingdom and the United States between 1978 and 1994, either as a solo artist or with Genesis. His singles, often dealing with lost love, ranged from the drum-heavy "In the Air Tonight", dance pop of "Sussudio", piano-driven "Against All Odds", to the political statements of "Another Day in Paradise". His international popularity transformed Genesis from a progressive rock group to a regular on the pop charts and an early MTV mainstay. Collins's professional music career began as a drummer, first with obscure rock group Flaming Youth and then more famously with Genesis. In Genesis, Collins originally supplied backing vocals for front man Peter Gabriel, singing lead on only two songs: "For Absent Friends" from 1971's Nursery Cryme album and "More Fool Me" from Selling England by the Pound, which was released in 1973. Following Gabriel's departure in 1975, Collins became the group's lead singer. As the decade closed, Genesis's first international hit, "Follow You, Follow Me", demonstrated a drastic change from the band's early years. His concurrent solo career, heavily influenced by his personal life, brought both him and Genesis commercial success. According to Atlantic Records, Collins's total worldwide sales as a solo artist, as of 2002, were 150 million. He has won seven Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and two Golden Globes for his solo work. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010. Collins is one of only three recording artists (along with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson) who have sold over 100 million albums worldwide both as solo artists and (separately) as principal members of a band. According to Billboard magazine, when his work with Genesis, his work with other artists, as well as his solo career is totalled, Collins has the most top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the 1980s.  In 2008, Collins was ranked the 22nd most successful artist on the "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists". Some of the most innovative, original and inventive music has come about in the recent past. The 1990's were an era of musical experimentation, and many of those experiments worked well and changed the music scene for today. However, much like with any musicians in the modern era, these pioneers of the 1990s were influenced by sitting on a piano stool or piano bench cushions. Yes, nearly all musicians are influenced by classical music. The 1990s was the start of the grunge trend and brought in a new era for punk music in which punk attitude, lifestyle and music went mainstream for the first time. Lastly, the 1990s were an important era for rap music, and essentially when rap was brought to the fore as a mainstream and universally accepted genre. As mentioned previously, grunge was a big music genre at the start of the decade. Some of the most famous bands from that time period were classified as grunge when they first came out. Kurt Cobain and his band Nirvana started this trend. Later they were followed by other bands such as Pearl Jam and the Smashing Pumpkins. According to music experts, grunge is characterized by heavy fuzz used as a sound effect and lots of distortion of the guitars sound. Also, there is a certain style associated with grunge that generally includes flannel shirts and a typically deadpan stage presence, devoid of the theatrics of the hair bands of the 1980s such as Van Halen and Kiss. When I think of the 1990's, several memories come to mind: the Tech Boom, the Gulf War, the era of Michael Jordan and the beginning of alternative music as we know it today. The 90's founded the grunge scene, and with it came bands that will never be forgotten (although others already have been). But like every decade, the 90's possessed tragedy and misfortune. This article is dedicated to exactly that; the tragedies and misfortunes of 90's rock and roll. 10. Metallica visits Supercuts It would be an understatement to say "...And Justice for All" and "Master of Puppets" are exceptional albums. But unfortunately, in 1996 Metallica unleashed their fresh, more polished do's, which was accompanied by their new conservative sound. Although "Load" and "Reload" may have some redeeming qualities, we wish these albums were released by a band other then the "Godfather's of Metal". Metallica may be back on track with their latest release, Death Magnetic, but the bands attempt to create a more mature sound in the 90's may have led metal into an immature era (see Nu Metal). 9. The Toadies Remain Underwater We were first introduced to this Texas based alternative band in 1994 with the release of "Possum Kingdom". The bands edgy lyrics and muddy guitars influenced many of us to dash to the stores and purchase their debut album Rubberneck. From start to finish, Rubberneck exuded a fiery energy that perfectly complimented the alternative sound and left the listener yearning for more. Unfortunately our anticipation was never fully satisfied, as Interscope records put the axe on the Toadies second album Feeler (which was scheduled for release in 1998, therefore earning them a spot on our list). We were left empty handed until 2001 when the Toadies finally came out with the very under appreciated Hell Below/Stars Above. The seven year wait caused many to move on, and left a record label to blame for a talented band's demise. Maybe Interscope was right and the Toadies second album would have been utter garbage, but it is fair to say that this band deserved a timely second release. Imagine if Nirvana's career ended after Bleach or Radiohead's with Pablo Honey! Instead Interscope dedicated its time and energy to a band that would eventually popularize the Shrek soundtrack- thanks guys! 8. Refused Are Dead We're certainly not experts when it comes to Swedish Hardcore, but when we got our hands on the record, The Shape of Punk to Come by Refused, our thoughts of what music could encompass changed forever. This LP was beautifully crafted for such an aggressive sounding collection. Dennis Lyxzen's vocals/screams can compete with any in the genre, and the arrangements were unlike any hardcore album before it. Unfortunately this album would be their last effort, for the band disbanded shortly after completing this work of art. Unless you were deep into the hardcore scene of the 90s, you probably missed out on seeing Refused live. Even though they have influenced many bands after them (and are one of the main catalysts of progressive music as we know it today), most of this bands fame has come after their breakup. If you prefer the louder side of rock music, chances are you will love this band and this album... that is if you don't already. 7. The Emergence of Rap Rock We're all aware that Aerosmith and Run DMC first mixed rap and rock in the mid 80s, but this was more of a novelty act at the time. It wasn't until the 90s that rap rock truly came to be. Even bands like The Offspring succumbed to the pressure of trying to please the hip hop crowd. Not to say that "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" is literally rap rock, or loved by hip hop fans for that matter, but it definitely can be viewed as a spineless attempt at expanding their fan base. Now, we can't fault Rage Against the Machine for this, because they were outright excellent. Our qualm lies with most of those that followed in their footsteps. Rap & Rock? How about we keep the two separate until someone (other than Rage or perhaps Linkin Park) figures out what the heck they're doing. 6. Nu Metal If you know someone that really loves music, there's a good chance that they hate the music and bands that are topping the charts. Why is this? We don't really know who lead to the start of the new metal sound, and quite frankly we don't care that much either. However we do know that since its inception, this genre has been polluting the airwaves. When you look back on it, some of nu metal's forefathers were actually solid (Korn, Tool, maybe even Pearl Jam & Soundgarden). Much like our problems with rap rock, it's how people interpreted this style, and what they then decided to do with the sound that's gotten under our skin. Radio rock of today is typically lazy and weak (partially due to the rise of nu metal), and that's why most of the best bands lurk in the underground or stay undiscovered. 5. Hoon's Demise Once upon a time, when MTV wasn't just a dating/reality network, a band released a memorable music video that featured psychedelic colors and dancing bumblebees. Of course, who could forget the "No Rain" video. But Blind Melon was so much more than this bizarre outcast's anthem. They released their self-titled debut in 1993, which showcased an eclectic array of excellent songs. Shannon Hoon's vocal stylings were like no other, and it's hard to pinpoint a more distinct rock vocalist. This is why Hoon's overdose in 1995 was such a brutal blow to rock music as we know it. 6. Nu Metal If you know someone that really loves music, there's a good chance that they hate the music and bands that are topping the charts. Why is this? We don't really know who lead to the start of the new metal sound, and quite frankly we don't care that much either. However we do know that since its inception, this genre has been polluting the airwaves. When you look back on it, some of nu metal's forefathers were actually solid (Korn, Tool, maybe even Pearl Jam & Soundgarden). Much like our problems with rap rock, it's how people interpreted this style, and what they then decided to do with the sound that's gotten under our skin. Radio rock of today is typically lazy and weak (partially due to the rise of nu metal), and that's why most of the best bands lurk in the underground or stay undiscovered. 5. Hoon's Demise Once upon a time, when MTV wasn't just a dating/reality network, a band released a memorable music video that featured psychedelic colors and dancing bumblebees. Of course, who could forget the "No Rain" video. But Blind Melon was so much more than this bizarre outcast's anthem. They released their self-titled debut in 1993, which showcased an eclectic array of excellent songs. Shannon Hoon's vocal stylings were like no other, and it's hard to pinpoint a more distinct rock vocalist. This is why Hoon's overdose in 1995 was such a brutal blow to rock music as we know it. 4. NKOTB Pave the Way For Boy Bands & Pop's Reign: We'd be lying if we claimed to never tap our toes to MC Hammer or Vanilla Ice, but in the early to mid 90s we were forced to take a stance against pop music. During this time, pop dealt a serious blow to rock n' roll, and one group in particular stands out as the reason: the New Kids on the Block. NKOTB are one of those groups that we can love to hate... girls went wild for them, they didn't play instruments, they were accused of lip syncing; you get the idea. Now, we're not saying they're all bad (we've actually come to enjoy Donnie Wahlberg as an actor; check out Band of Brothers and tell us he's not respectable), but there's no denying that they can be faulted with the partial collapse of good music radio. The rise of the New Kids on the Block has forever shifted the charts and fans away from rock music in favor of pop. We can further link this to the popularity of shows like American Idol, which help discover talented singers, but don't necessarily help further the rock band community. 3. The Death of Brad Nowell From "40 oz to freedom" to "Boss DJ", many of us grew to love this Long Beach based band. Often categorized as one of the most innovative groups of the 90's, Sublime used hints of reggae & ska to liberate the sounds of punk. Saturated in drug abuse, we know Sublime's story to be ill fated and tragic. On May 25th 1996, singer/guitarist Bradley Nowell was found dead in a San Francisco Hotel Room from a heroin, valium and alcohol overdose. Nowell's death occurred only (almost one year after the birth of his son) & two months prior to the release of the band's self-titled third album, which would soon lead to multi platinum sales and the pinnacle of the group's success. 2. The For Squirrels Accident For Squirrels were a grunge band that many of us remember and miss, and others never heard. In 1995, the band released their first and last major label album titled, Example. Example was a powerful album showcasing the raw vocals of John Vigliatura, and a diverse lineup of songs that make this album enjoyable from cover to cover. The album featured a track titled "Mighty K.C.", which ended up being the only single ever released by the band. On September 8, 1995, while returning home from a show in NYC at the highly regarded venue C.B.G.B., the band was in a tragic accident killing frontman Jack Vigliatura, bassist Bill White and tour manager Tim Bender. The end of this bands music career was certainly premature, but we are just thankful that when the quench for some good old fashion 90's rock strikes, we can turn to tracks like "Stark Pretty", "Under Smithville" and "Disenchanted". 1. Kurt This wouldn't be a legitimate list without the inclusion of Kurt Cobain's passing. The Foo Fighters are making "decent" music these days, but our minds are too busy envisioning what else Nirvana could have done. Need we say more? With roots in both traditional rock music and electronica, industrial rock grew from relative obscurity in the 1970s and 1980s into an established genre of alternative music from the 1990s and afterward. While bands themselves along with their fans were largely responsible for this rise in popularity, a number of independent record labels were also crucial in every stage of the development of industrial rock. Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone; August 16, 1958) is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983. She followed it with a series of albums in which she found immense popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Throughout her career, many of her songs have hit number one on the record charts, including "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes". Madonna has been praised by critics for her diverse musical productions while at the same time serving as a lightning rod for religious controversy. Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in 1979, despite mixed commentary. She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita (1996), but has received harsh feedback for other film roles. Madonna's other ventures include being a fashion designer, children's book author, film director and producer, and owner of her own recording company Maverick corporation, as a joint venture with Time Warner. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, and in 2007, she signed an unprecedented US $120 million contract with Live Nation. Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States, behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Considered to be one of the most influential figures in contemporary music, Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry. She is recognized as an inspiration among numerous music artists. The NU-Metal trend was for the first time introduced in the early 1990s on the peak of formation of new hard music mainstream. The NU-Metal is also called agro metal, or NU-Metal using the traditional heavy metal umlaut. It typically fuses influences from the grunge and alternative metal of the early 1990s with hip hop, electronic music and other metal genres, most often thrash metal and groove metal. The popularity and perceived vast commercialization of such music in the late 1990s and early 2000s led to widespread negative associations with the term NU-Metal, which in turn led to many fans and artists rejecting it. The trend claims to have been existing for 12 years, which is also the age of founders of NU-Metal - the Korn. Dreads, tattoos, long hair were coined to represent NU-Metal among wide fan-base. They served indicators of new subcultures of the Metal. Speaking about peculiar features of NU-Metal, I'd like to point out vocal as the leading one. It should be a kind of extraordinary. For instance, not everyone understands a term to sing growl, and yet just a few have succeeded in doing this. Those musicians, who managed to represent their vocal skills at the golden age of alternative boom in the USA were beneficial of being acclaimed well-known representatives of NU-Metal. For example, front man of Korn John David is hard to mimic. The trend also envisages shifting to different tones. After arranging front man, the band plaid experimental guitars, following NU-Metal. Its ether distortion digital effects or acoustics, they applied. This was initially represented by Korn. Twelve years of their activity faced a mix of dazzling innovations, perplexing and meeting fans' needs. The band remained at the peak though the music scene saw increase of bands, following the trend. The best CD album, released by Korn "Follow The Leader" promoted NU-Metal abroad. NU-Metal requested certain images. They say, descent music requires descent appearance. Their followers strived to display brand new images, different from those of Korn. The NU-Metal is promoted by Limp Bizkit, Linking Park, Slipknot, P.O.D., Papa Roach and others. At its best rap is a powerful indictment of racism, oppression, and violence that calls our attention to the crises of the inner cities and vividly describes the plight of African-Americans... At its worst, G-Rap is itself racist, sexist and glorifies violence, being little but a money-making vehicle that is part of the problem rather than the solution. Looking to move on from the block-party atmosphere of old school rap and eager to vent their frustrations with the 80s version of the inner-city blues, a select few hip-hop groups merged deft rhymes with political philosophy to create a new style of rap… rappers have addressed a wide variety of social and political topics – everything from gang violence, AIDS, drug addiction, racism, domestic violence, and prostitution… Gangsta Rap developed in the late 80s. Evolving out of hardcore rap, gangsta rap had an edgy, noisy sound. Lyrically, it was just as abrasive, as the rappers spun profane, gritty tales about urban crime... gangsta rappers rhyme in the first person about the lives of thugs, felons, gang members, pimps and crack dealers. Gangsta rappers portray the thugs theyre rapping about… Roxette is surely one of the most successful new Euro-bands to arrive in recent years. Sales of the 1988 album ‘Look Sharp’ are over 6 million units, while the 1991 album ‘Joyride’ has already surpassed that mark making it one of the biggest selling albums of the year around the world. Still Roxette has a long way to go before reaching the hundreds of millions its Swedish predecessor Abba sold over their twelve-year-long career. While Roxette are dressed for success into the nineties they most certainly learned their career moves from Abba.