Prof Hunt's Rock 'n' Roll Fallout Shelter

EPILOGUE: Neil Young singing “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black” with Crazy Horse in 1991.  The spirit of Rock and Roll will always live on!

EPILOGUE: If you get a chance, check out this short documentary titled FOR THE RECORD (2015), on the resurgence of the vinyl collecting craze in the 2000s and 2010s. Vinyl has made an epic comeback in the last decade or so, and this documentary captures the excitement within the subculture of vinyl collectors. The documentary, which focuses more on the UK, is only about 15 minutes long, and well worth watching. Check it out!

EPILOGUE: Every term I get lots of RUSH fans in HISTORY 105, and at the end of the term they justifiably pose the question: “What about Rush???”  Rush, founded in Toronto in 1968, consisting of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, don’t necessarily fit neatly anywhere in rock history, primarily because they were such a genre-defying band. Were the hard rock? Metal? Prog rock? Post-progressive? (Whatever in the hell that means!?!?) Fact is, they’re almost impossible to classify. But they are a magnificent band, and they’re giants in the rock world who happen to be from Canada, and Prof. Hunt agrees they should at least make a cameo in History 105 at the very end of the course with this music video of “Tom Sawyer,” off their mega-successful Moving Pictures album (release date: February 12, 1981). ROCK ON FOREVER!!!

Lecture 21: Dazed and Confused (1993) - Movie Trailer: Even though it was about young people in the 1970s, Richard Linklater’s 1993 masterpiece Dazed and Confused really struck a chord with Generation Xers.  Dazed and Confused offers a realistic expose of youth culture in the early 70s. It's also one of Dr. Hunt's favourite movies, and features Matthew McConaughey's breakout role as David Wooderson, a sleazy a twenty something year old who still hangs out with high school kids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdiCJUysIT0

Lecture 21: "Downtown" - Neil Young with Pearl Jam: Neil Young's musical experimentation with distortion and feedback during the 1980s would help inspire the Grunge sound that emerged in the late 80s. In fact, Young would go on to make an album with one of the signature Grunge bands, Pearl Jam. His 1995 album Mirror Ball (featuring Pearl Jam) went on to earn a few Grammy nominations and produced the top ten single "Downtown." Young's influence on the genre has earned him the title "Godfather of Grunge."

Lecture 21:  "Stardog Champion" - Mother Love Bone (Live @ Club with No Name, 1989): While they only produced one album, Apple (1990), Mother Love Bone was an influential early grunge band founded  in 1988 by Andrew Wood (formerly of Malfunkshun), Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Bruce Fairweather (formerly of Green River), and Greg Gilmore (formerly of Ten Minute Warning). Wood's death in March of 1990, just days before the expected release of Apple, would spell the end of the band. Gossard and Ament would, along with Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder and Dave Krusen, go on to found Pearl Jam in 1990.

Lecture 21: "Suck You Dry" – Mudhoney: After the dissolution of the punk/early grunge band Green River in 1988, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament would go on to co-found Mother Love Bone, play with Temple of the Dog (1990-1992) and co-found Pearl Jam (1990-present). Two other Green River alum, Mark Arm (who coined the term "grunge") and Steve Turner, would form Mudhoney (1988-present) along with Dan Peters and Matt Luckin (formerly of the Melvins). "Suck You Dry" is from Mudhoney's third studio album Piece of Cake (1992).

Lecture 21: "Matt-Alec" - Melvins (live-in-the-studio, circa 1984): The Melvins (1983-present) was one of the first and most influential grunge bands. Formed in 1983 by buddies Buzz Osborne (a.k.a., King Buzzo) (guitar/vocals), Matt Lukin (bass), and Mike Dillard (drums), and later Dale Crover (who took over on drums), the Melvins were a little bit of everything: metal, punk, experimental, noise, stoner music. Despite their importance, they never achieved the success that others who followed in their wake, such as Nirvana and Soundgarden, thought they heavily influenced both of these bands. Kurt Cobain, who would later go on to found Nirvana, was a huge fan, who frequently attended their shows.

Lecture 21: "About a Girl" – Nirvana: Nirvana's debut album Bleach, released in June 1989 on the Sub Pop label, was full of the sort of agonizingly bleak lyrics and distortion that would characterize the band's music on subsequent albums. The album was recorded for a rock-bottom total cost of $606.17, and featured early songs such as “School,” “Blew,” and a cover of Shocking Blue’s “Love Buzz.”  The real standout song was Cobain’s ballad “About a Girl.” While the grunge scene owes it core roots to punk and metal, "About a Girl" reflects some of the more mainstream pop music that also influenced Kurt Cobain, the creative force behind Nirvana.    

Lecture 21: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – Nirvana: Without question, the most influential of the Seattle bands – and the one many critics consider the greatest – is Nirvana. To this day, Nirvana is also considered to be one of the most important bands in rock history. The first single released from their second album Nevermind (1991) reached #6 in the Billboard Hot 100, but the impact of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" went beyond the music charts. Considered one of the best songs of all time, it came to symbolize not just an entire genre but an entire generation - Generation X.

Lecture 21: "Heart-Shaped Box" – Nirvana: In Utero, Nirvana's third and last album, was released on September 13, 1993 - almost exactly two years after the release of the band's groundbreaking album Nevermind (September 24, 1991). It was a critical and commercial success. Upon release, it entered the number one spot in the Billboard 200. Songs on the album such as “Rape Me,” “All Apologies,” and “Heart-Shaped Box” received ample airplay. "Heart-Shaped Box" reached #1 in the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

Lecture 21: "Hunger Strike" - Temple of the Dog: Temple of the Dog was the brainchild of the multi-talented Chris Cornell (lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Soundgarden) and intended as a tribute to his close friend, the late singer Andrew Wood (Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone). The band was something of an early grunge super-group - consisting of Cornell and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden along with four of the founding members of Pearl Jam (Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Eddie Vedder, and Mike McCready).  Temple of the Dog released one self-titled studio album in 1991. It went to #5 in the Billboard 200 and produced the hit single "Hunger Strike" which climbed to the #4 spot in the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks. The dual vocals by Cornell and Vedder are amazing!

You can view the video for "Outshined" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNh-iw7gsuI

Lecture 21: "Spoonman" – Soundgarden: Already an established grunge band, Soundgarden found international mainstream success with their fourth  album Superunknown (1994). It hit #1 in the Billboard 200 and produced hits such as "Fell on Black Days," "My Wave," "Black Hole Sun," and "Spoonman," the first single released off the album. "Spoonman," the band's first big mainstream hit, went on to win Soundgarden the 1995 Grammy for Best Metal Performance

Lecture 21: "Man in the Box"  - Alice In Chains (Official Video): From Alice In Chains' debut album Facelift (1990), "Man in the Box" was the band's breakout song. Released as a single in March of 1991, it charted in the top 20 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and earned Alice In Chains a Grammy nomination in 1992. "Man in the Box" is not just one the band's signature songs, it's also widely recognized as one of the songs most associated with the grunge sound.

Lecture 21: "Would?" - Alice In Chains: Along with Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains was one of the "big four" grunge bands to come out of Seattle.  Formed in 1982 by guitarist Jerry Cantrell, singer Layne Staley, drummer Mike Starr, and bassist Sean Kinney, Alice In Chains released four albums in the '90s, Facelift in 1990, Dirt in '92, Jar of Flies in '94, and Alice In Chains in '95.  They produced a number of hits including "Man in the Box," "Rooster," "No Excuses," "Heaven Beside You" and "Would?" (from Dirt).  "Would?" was written by Cantrell in memory of his good friend Andrew Wood, lead singer for Mother Love Bone, who overdosed in 1990.