90's Grunge lead singers
 

Seeing is we've now lost a majority of the greatness which was filled with some of the greatest vocalists EVER since the 60's/70's. I thought I'd start this thread.

I thought about it today after the death of Weiland and Staley and Cobain. That really all that's left (popular 90's is Vedder and Cornell).

1. Who was your top 5 for 90's rock singers??
a. Layne Staley
b. Chris Cornell
c. Mark Lanegan
d. Scott Weiland
e. Kurt Cobain


2. Who captured the most feeling while singing??
a. Layne Staley
b. Kurt Kobain
c. Mark Lanegan
d. Chris Cornell
e. Scott Weiland

3. Who had the best range of vocals??
a. Chris Cornell
b. Layne Staley
c. Scott Weiland
d. Kurt Cobain
e. Mark Lanegan

4. Who were your personal favorites???
a. Layne Staley
b. Marke Lanegan
c. Chris Cornell
d. Scott Weiland
e. Kurt Cobain

Chris Cornell would be my answer for all four questions.

The other four singers were talented, but they didn't have the power that Cornell effortlessly had.

Having experienced much of the grunge madness first-hand in various Seattle/Ellensburg punk bands, my favorite top 5 "grunge" singers:

1) Mark Lanegan
2) Andrew Wood, Mother Love Bone
3) Mike Patton, Faith No More
4) Chris Cornell
5) Maynard, TOOL

Captured most feeling in vocals:
Hands down Mark Lanegan, if you love the blues almost all of his solo albums are brilliant, and the last two Screaming Trees albums (Sweet Oblivion and Dust) are WAY underrated. And not a bad QB for Ellensburg High School.

Best Range:
Mike Patton, or Chris Cornell to close to call

Personal Favorites:
The absolute Godfather of Grunge, no not Kurt Cobain or Neil Young, but Mark Arm from Mudhoney. If it were not for "Touch Me I'm Sick", there'd be no SubPop, no garage rock revival in Seattle, and thus no grunge. Arm is the only singer crass enough to dedicate the song "She's Drinking for Two" to his pregnant wife!

Most Wasted Potential:
A four way tie between Cobain, Wood, Layne Staley, and Shannon Hoon (before anyone piles on, no not really "grunge")

It's always been Staley for me.

As for Shannon Hoon, it's a shame we did not get more Blind Melon albums. I really dug the first one.

One of the most underrated vocalists of the 1990's, he and Shawn Smith from Brad/Satchell were just incredible in the falsetto range (unfortunately Smith was a terrible lyricist IMO). I always thought Blind Melon's second album "Soup" was meant to be cathartic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V8BD-e75TI

SHOCKED there's another Lanegan fan here!!! It seems almost nobody I've ever known knows who he is. I'll have to check out the vocalists you listed below they don't ring a bell at all!!!

Fan of his music, but Lanegan the man is a total ass. Admittedly he could sing the phone book, incredible vocals. FYI There were other scenes in Seattle besides "grunge" in the late 80's-early 90's. A lot of punk rockers derisively referred to the genre as "trail mix metal", or "patchouli rock".

Ever wonder where Green Day was inspired? They ripped off almost every chop from Seattle's Rusty Willoughby and Flop who borrowed a thing or two from Cheap Trick, who were inspired by the three guitar attack of Australian surf-rockers Radio Birdman. Originally in Pure Joy (good luck finding that album) this was one of Flop's last efforts The Fall of the Mopsqueezers from 1992, I especially recommend Sister Anne:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KksM_jQoArA

If we're including Tool, I'd vote for MJK for all the categories, especially #3 (range).

I know they weren't from Seattle, but would Smashing Pumpkins be considered grunge?

I never knew that about Lanegan, that's quite disappointing. Then again we're all in ass in some ways or another :rolleyes:

I've never been into punk much and I know there's lots of bands I could have also listed for the "Grunge" scene or so they were dubbed.

Green Day .......... Not a fan.

I think Tool should have their own category they're not grunge they're Tool!

Smashing Pumpkins not sure if they were ever labeled Grunge or not. I admit that I do like Siamese Dream and most of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. I always thought of them as an "Alt-Emo" group haha.

I really think the grunge label is overused. It originally only referred to Seattle bands. I like to refer to the music as "early nineties rock". That's all it was really. Bands like Collective Soul, Space Hog, Smashing Pumpkins, STP, Toadies...they were all of the era and could be heard on the same radio stations as the Seattle bands. Same for the "hair bands". It was really just 1980's hard rock.

I do agree about Tool. They are in a category all by themselves :)

Grunge vocalist who was not heard enough to truly appreciate: Mia Zapata RIP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Yh...NvzwAk&index=3

I've never thought of Alice in Chains as a grunge band, and neither have my friends. They're a metal band.