The year in question — 1994 — was incredibly varied. It was a year of discovery and tragedy, innovation and resurrection.
It was the year when rock's long-festering underground finally collided full force with the mainstream. Though Nirvana had broken through in a massive way in 1992 with Nevermind, they (along with Pearl Jam) were the only punk-rooted bands to find big-time mainstream success during the first few years of the decade.
But with Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, Soundgarden's Superunknown, Stone Temple Pilot's Purple and Smashing Pumpkins' Pisces Iscariot, the hazy, vague anger of grunge exploded into the mainstream. Rock was no longer about having a great time; it was about wallowing in confusion and self-doubt, looking inside yourself and seeing a muddy pit of emotions rather than simple rebellion or hooliganism.
Hair metal, for so long rock's dominant force, seemed entirely stale and out of date. Bon Jovi moved to adult contemporary, Guns N' Roses were still successful but found themselves battling with intra-band turmoil, while Motley Crue dealt with extensive drug abuse within their ranks. Hair metal had virtually died, and in its place battled numerous, increasingly small metal sub-genres.
The emergence of black metal showed the genre's more extreme side, while "alternative metal" used elements of progressive rock that formed interesting musical hybrids.
But all of these disciples of harder rock achieved increasingly great commercial success, mostly on the back of one artist, who lost his life in 1994. Kurt Cobain changed rock forever, a frontman with incredible charisma and a unique vision that would change America's musical taste buds forever.
Meanwhile, guitar heroes of old were still a force to be reckoned with in 1994. The list below features contributions from Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton. Keith Richards, David Gilmour, Tony Iommi — plus Texans Dimebag Darrell and Jimmie Vaughan, not to mention Yngwie Malmsteen and Richard Thompson.
Nineteen hundred and ninety-four was a year of transition, but much of the music made during this period continues to stand the test of time.
Poll Results
Option | Votes |
Pavement | Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain | 9 |
Soundgarden | Superunknown | 9 |
Nine Inch Nails | The Downward Spiral | 8 |
Guided by Voices | Bee Thousand | 5 |
Hole | Live Through This | 5 |
Yngwie Malmsteem | The Seventh Sign | 5 |
The Smashing Pumpkins | Pisces Iscariot | 4 |
Nirvana | MTV Unplugged in New York | 4 |
Ween | Chocolate & Cheese | 4 |
Weezer | Weezer (Blue Album) | 3 |
Emperor | In the Nightside Eclipse | 3 |
Beastie Boys | Ill Communication | 3 |
The Cranberries | No Need to Argue | 2 |
Suede | Dog Man Star | 2 |
Dinosaur Jr. | Without a Sound | 2 |
Tom Petty | Wildflowers | 2 |
Oasis | Definitely Maybe | 2 |
Beck | Mellow Gold | 2 |
Pink Floyd | The Division Bell | 1 |
Queensrÿche | Promised Land | 1 |
Sebadoh | Bakesale | 1 |
The Rolling Stones | Voodoo Lounge | 1 |
The Black Crowes | Amorica | 1 |
Jeff Buckley | Grace | 1 |
Dream Theater | Awake | 1 |
Marilyn Manson | Portrait of an American Family | 1 |
Meat Puppets | Too High to Die | 1 |
Bush | Sixteen Stone | 1 |
Stone Temple Pilots | Purple | 0 |
Green Day | Dookie | 0 |
Testament | Low | 0 |
Eric Clapton | From the Cradle | 0 |
Edge of Sanity | Purgatory Afterglow | 0 |
Alice in Chains | Jar of Flies | 0 |
Blur | Parklife | 0 |
Black Sabbath | Cross Purposes | 0 |
Bad Religion | Stranger Than Fiction | 0 |
Mötley Crüe | Motley Crue | 0 |
Sonic Youth | Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star | 0 |
Megadeth | Youthanasia | 0 |
P.O.D. | Snuff the Punk | 0 |
Pantera | Far Beyond Driven | 0 |
Korn | Korn | 0 |
Pearl Jam | Vitalogy | 0 |
NOFX | Punk in Drublic | 0 |
Johnny Cash | American Recordings | 0 |
R.E.M. | Monster | 0 |
Richard Thompson | Mirror Blue | 0 |
Jimmy Page & Robert Plant | No Quarter: Unledded | 0 |
The Offspring | Smash | 0 |
― omar little, Monday, 2 December 2019 19:42 (four years ago) link