Rolling Stone Top Alternative Albums of the 90's

[MCA4ever]

August Issue

#9 Check Your Head

I never really thought of the Beasties in the alternative genre but I guess if they were in that category, this would be the one, right?

http://m.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2012/07/11/nirvana-tops-rolling-stones-list-alternative-album/

[Brass Monk]

I still have no idea what alternative music is supposed to be. Grunge? Alternative music to the mainstream?
The label of alternative music has always puzzled me

[MCA4ever]

I still have no idea what alternative music is supposed to be. Grunge? Alternative music to the mainstream?
The label of alternative music has always puzzled me

I always thought grunge too. Pearl Jam, STP, Soundgarden ... But then when you throw Smashing Pumpkins and even Green Day in there I get a little confused. But to think of the Beasties in the same category- glad it's not just me :)

[Heather_D]

Alternative music is whatever they're NOT playing on the radio. But then, how do you define an alternative radio station? I always thought Paul's Boutique was more "alternative," but that's why I'm not a professional music writer/critic.

[Brass Monk]

I always thought the song Sabotage is what the "alternative" crowd/media kinda latched onto as far as considering them to be part of that genre. Oddly enough the list doesn't contain Ill Communication

[JasonP]

Alternative music is whatever they're NOT playing on the radio. But then, how do you define an alternative radio station? I always thought Paul's Boutique was more "alternative," but that's why I'm not a professional music writer/critic.

In the 90's most mainstream music was considered 'alternative'. I agree, weridest genre created.

[Heather_D]

According to the most reliable source on the web (read: sarcasm), Wikipedia, the Beastie Boys ARE alternative. Sure, they're an alternative to Kelly Clarkson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alternative_rock_artists

The whole idea of alternative music is ridiculous. Just another way people try to put Gen X into a category.

[Headgotchecked]

I still have no idea what alternative music is supposed to be. Grunge? Alternative music to the mainstream?
The label of alternative music has always puzzled me

Agreed, it's kind of like the "electronica" genre. I always found it funny to see Aphex Twin in the same rack with David Guetta at the music shops. Whatever, genres are nothing but man's obsession with categorizing everything. Some things should just be.

[WhoMoi?]

I've literally never heard a Beastie Boys song played on my local hiphop station, and I've probably been listening to it on and off for about 15 years now. Only the alternative stations around here play them (and rarely).

It's always irked me that they've gotten no play on the major rap station around here. I don't get it...is it just because they've dabbled in other genres? Not sticking to the same old formula every time = "alternative," in some people's minds, I guess. :confused:

[Brass Monk]

I've literally never heard a Beastie Boys song played on my local hiphop station, and I've probably been listening to it on and off for about 15 years now. Only the alternative stations around here play them (and rarely).

It's always irked me that they've gotten no play on the major rap station around here. I don't get it...is it just because they've dabbled in other genres? Not sticking to the same old formula every time = "alternative," in some people's minds, I guess. :confused:

I've actually heard them on Hip Hop radio a significant amount of times. WBLS when I lived in NY comes to mind. My most recent memory is when TT5B came out, 105.9 (the main hip hop station in LA) played their stuff somewhat frequently and even had a concert event starring the BBoys themselves. BET was relatively supportive of them as well, featuring on Rap City in the CYH era and a substantial amount of airplay of the videos for Root Down & Sureshot.
(I distinctly remember them playing the original Root Down video with the old school NBA stuff before it got snatched away for copyrights, never to be seen again). But it is true that they featured more frequently on the Rock stations who for some reason considered white rap to be rock (i.e Eminem, HOP/Everlast and even obscure white rappers like Atmosphere got a lot of airplay)

[WhoMoi?]

I've actually heard them on Hip Hop radio a significant amount of times. WBLS when I lived in NY comes to mind. My most recent memory is when TT5B came out, 105.9 (the main hip hop station in LA) played their stuff somewhat frequently and even had a concert event starring the BBoys themselves. BET was relatively supportive of them as well, featuring on Rap City in the CYH era and a substantial amount of airplay of the videos for Root Down & Sureshot.
(I distinctly remember them playing the original Root Down video with the old school NBA stuff before it got snatched away for copyrights, never to be seen again). But it is true that they featured more frequently on the Rock stations who for some reason considered white rap to be rock (i.e Eminem, HOP/Everlast and even obscure white rappers like Atmosphere got a lot of airplay)

Yeah, I did eventually discover in my travels that some cities do have hip hop stations that play BBoys. Consider yourself lucky to be in one of those cities that has decent radio choices! I don't get why my local HH station doesn't play them. They do play Eminem. They pretty much just play the current Top 40 of hip hop 99% of the time...but even when BBoys had recently released TT5B and HSCP2, this local hip hop station didn't play their singles. I've disliked most Top 40 hip hop for the past few years, so I usually don't land on that station for very long these days anyway.

Wow, Brass Monk, that's really awesome that you have any local radio station that plays Atmosphere. (y)

[Brass Monk]

Wow, Brass Monk, that's really awesome that you have any local radio station that plays Atmosphere. (y)

I was just using Atmosphere as an example of Rock radio also playing some lesser known white rappers. I remember the airplay that he got specifically on the Rock stations I listened to, wasn't much (just the "trying to find a balance" song)

I think a lot of BBoys fans in the past have just assumed such & such hip hop radio station never plays the BBoys and they actually sometimes do but it is never known to that fan because they never listen anyway (I'm not saying that is you though :)).

[WhoMoi?]

I was just using Atmosphere as an example of Rock radio also playing some lesser known white rappers. I remember the airplay that he got specifically on the Rock stations I listened to, wasn't much (just the "trying to find a balance" song)

I think a lot of BBoys fans in the past have just assumed such & such hip hop radio station never plays the BBoys and they actually sometimes do but it is never known to that fan because they never listen anyway (I'm not saying that is you though :)).

Damn right that isn't me, son. I know what the eff I'm talking about. ;) Enh, can't even pretend that's nearly true, I don't always...but I am fairly certain after being here for 32 years that I live in a shitty area for radio in general. Maybe I just need to relocate. :)
Thank God for iPods!

Pandora's idea of the Beastie Boys' genre is interesting too. On the Beastie Boys Pandora station, they play Cake, RHCP, Sublime, Run DMC, RATM, Cypress Hill, Beck, Gorillaz, Black Sheep, White Stripes, Dre, Snoop. I've never heard any new rap songs on that station either, which is interesting.

I think the existence of so many different perceptions of the Beastie Boys' music genre just goes to show that their music can't all be pigeonholed into just one "type" of music, which is one of the many reasons I love them.

[JoLovesMCA]

Alternative music is a genre of rock. I am still a huge fan of it. It started in the 80’s actually… Check wiki for a bigger description…I think the name fits. There are such few bands that survived that era but it’s nice for me because they have become the alternative to everything out there now. Beastie Boys might have fallen into this category for a short period of time but I think they are more known as a hip hop act. They were inducted into the Hall of Fame as one.

I think the existence of so many different perceptions of the Beastie Boys' music genre just goes to show that their music can't all be pigeonholed into just one "type" of music, which is one of the many reasons I love them.

And I agree with this statement too!

[Heather_D]

I've literally never heard a Beastie Boys song played on my local hiphop station, and I've probably been listening to it on and off for about 15 years now. Only the alternative stations around here play them (and rarely).

It's always irked me that they've gotten no play on the major rap station around here. I don't get it...is it just because they've dabbled in other genres? Not sticking to the same old formula every time = "alternative," in some people's minds, I guess. :confused:

Do you listen to 94.5? Is that still a station up there? When I lived there it was actually the hard rock stations that played them- WBCN & WAAF. I seem to remember AAF handed on special bumper stickers for one of the tours. I don't think the "alt" station (FNX, I think?) ever played them.

Honestly, I have Sirius & they don't even play them a lot anymore. Normally, when they'd play them, it'd be the 90s staton playing Intergalatic the 90s alt station there has played Sabotage some.

[FlechaRojo]

Well Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Beck, Sonic Youth etc., are bands I still love today. Beasties are lumped in my head with them because of their epicy epicness. They certainly have transcended many genres though..

That said - where the hell is Ill Communication on that list? I love Check Your Head, but that seems surprising. Also surprised to see My Bloody Valentine so high. Might as well toss in The Tea Party or Days of the New at that rate...c'est la vie.

Quite frankly, that whole list is rather skewed.

[Brass Monk]

Damn right that isn't me, son. I know what the eff I'm talking about. ;)
I think the existence of so many different perceptions of the Beastie Boys' music genre just goes to show that their music can't all be pigeonholed into just one "type" of music, which is one of the many reasons I love them.

Beastie Boys obviously do lots of different types of music. But IMO at their core they are a Hip Hop group. All the great Hip Hop groups love all genres of music and incorporate them into their records and the Beastie are no different. Good Hip Hop by it's very nature is eclectic

[WhoMoi?]

Do you listen to 94.5? Is that still a station up there? When I lived there it was actually the hard rock stations that played them- WBCN & WAAF. I seem to remember AAF handed on special bumper stickers for one of the tours. I don't think the "alt" station (FNX, I think?) ever played them.

Honestly, I have Sirius & they don't even play them a lot anymore. Normally, when they'd play them, it'd be the 90s staton playing Intergalatic the 90s alt station there has played Sabotage some.

Yep, that's the station I'm referring to - Jam'n 94.5. Never once heard them play a Beastie song, ever.
WFNX did occasionally play them; unfortunately, as of last night, WFNX is no longer on the air. I'm very bummed about that. :( I *might* have heard them on WBOS before too, but not sure.

I've never heard BBoys on WBCN or WAAF, but I don't listen to them that often because they don't come in that great here compared to the other more local hard rock stations. Maybe I'll start trying to tune into them more. Thanks for the suggestions! :)

[Heather_D]

No problemo. I read that about FNX on Facebook this morning. So sad :(. I remember when JAMM was ZOU (equal competitor of KISS), & they never played BBoys then either. Don't feel too bad. No radio station here in Pittsburgh plays them either.