100 Greatest Alternative Artists *NEW UPDATE*

Avery_Island · **Posted:** Thu Oct 21, 2010 6:47 pm

Yeah, post-punk has to count imo.

420 Bro · **Joined:** Mon Oct 11, 2010 7:49 am **Posts:** 633

Just realized Big Star need to move up massively.

Negative Creep · **Joined:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:21 pm **Posts:** 12299

How can you justify having Mudhoney and Alice In Chains so low??!
Mudhoney was probably more responsible than anyone else for the 'grunge sound'. Their influence on many bands, even Nirvana, is pretty immense.
And Alice In Chains are pretty much the definitive alternative band to just about everyone.

piper · **Posted:** Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:29 pm

I'm going to be re-doing this list. I'll be removing any "pre-Alternative" artists to an "Alternative Influences" sidebar (it will include Bowie, Velvets, MC5, Scott Walker, proto punk, garage rockers, punk artists, experimental artists (Television, Branca, Silver Apples) and artists like Pere Ubu and Suicide who had a "post-punk" sound contemporaneous with actual punk music).

EDIT (See the first post for the New List)

pauldrach · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:41 am

U2 at #9? Do you only factor in popularity/influence/acclaim in alternative rock circles?

Avery_Island · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:50 am

I think that makes sense. It seems a bit odd to use mainstream popularity on an Alternative artist's list, but not sure on Piper's take.

pauldrach · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:52 am

I'm not against it either. Just thought it should be clarified.

Avery_Island · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:56 am

I think Pavement and The Fall both look a little low compared to some of the artists ahead of them. I reckon they could both beat The Jam and Nick Cave on influence and musical impact by a fair amount.

piper · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:41 am

I bumped U2 up to #8 and Pavement and The Fall to #22 and #23.

I've posted a rough Top 75 as well.

piper · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:37 pm

I have finished a new Top 100. Thoughts? Who should be moved up or down? What bands should be included at the expense of others?

Zach · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:20 pm

I'm happy to see this list is being redone, and with R.E.M. at #1.

Zach · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 8:32 pm

Personally, Elvis Costello seems a bit out of place on this list. Wouldn't he be closer to punk/new wave than alternative?

piper · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:06 pm

Zach wrote:

Personally, Elvis Costello seems a bit out of place on this list. Wouldn't he be closer to punk/new wave than alternative?

I'm actually including alternative oriented new wave and post-punk bands on this list (that's why Squeeze, The Fall and XTC, among others, are on the list too). Costello debuted the same time as British punk, but i've never really seen him as a "punk rock" artist.

Brett Alan · **Joined:** Thu Oct 07, 2010 2:17 pm **Posts:** 2915

I don't think of Phish as alternative at all. The whole jam-band thing seems to me much more roted in classic rock than alternative.

all the young trains · **Joined:** Wed Oct 13, 2010 8:19 pm **Posts:** 1202

What are the criteria? I can't see Coldplay topping Beat Happening or Big Black as an "alternative artist"—yet they are fairly low, with most of the names ahead of them losing in popularity. So I'd like to know just how you're going about this. Obviously, there is no magic equation.

REM at #1 seems off but I couldn't tell you enough about them, their influence, impact and so forth to get into a discussion. Just not really into them at all. I'd probably put The Smiths in that spot. w/e

100 Greatest Alternative Artists NEW UPDATE

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