In '66, what was better than Revolver, and how was it better? Can you do the same with '67 and Sgt. Pepper? I'm honestly curious to know who was putting out much better music.
I don't think that's true. Most people heard about Nirvana with Nevermind. That came out in the fall of 1991. By then, Jane's Addiction had already put out Nothing's Shocking (had "Jane Says" and "Mountain Song") in 1988 and Ritual (had "Stop!" and "Been Caught Stealing") 1990. They were already a well-known, which is why people cared about Lollapalooza in the first place.
At the time Nirvana hit it big, Facelift (had "Man in the Box" and "Sea of Sorrow") had been out for a year. They weren't big stars they, but they had commercial success.
It does stand in its own, but as I think you'd acknowledge, in the music industry, excellence doesn't mean record deals, airplay, or success, nor does the absence of excellence mean the absence of record deals, airplay, or success. They may not have been dependent on the Beatles for people to recognize their excellence, but outside of England, who would have heard them to know they were excellent? It took record companies recognizing the marketing opportunities of British bands for that to happen, and that didn't happen until Vee Jay records humiliated Capitol Records by putting out the Beatles.
And that's ok. I always thought Nirvana kinda sucked balls.
Last edited: Feb 13, 2022