Читать книгу Things That Make You Go Hmmm: The '90s Music Party Game - Martin Joseph Quinn - Страница 3

I’m not sure how history is going to look back on the musical decade that spawned “Macarena”, “2 Legit 2 Quit”, and “Said I Loved You… But I Lied”, but hopefully 500 years from now, it’ll be remembered for the following:

•The grunge movement is mocked now for the flannel fashion and mopey vibe, but bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney and Alice In Chains kicked tired hair bands to the curb, wrote some of the best lyrics and riffs rock has ever seen, and paved the way for bands outside the mainstream to gain popularity.

•So many kinds of music of myriad quality fell under the media-created moniker “alternative music” during the ‘90s – like pensive Elliot Smith, intelligent popsmiths Pulp, post-grunge fluffy Bush and symphonic Spiritualized. But the bottom line was that more than ever, albums and songs not geared for traditional radio formats were able to find an audience due to Spin Magazine, shows like MTV’s 120 Minutes, the popularity of college radio, and record labels big and small.

•Rave culture and dance music exploded in so many different directions. Big beat, jungle, techno, trip hop, ambient, acid jazz, hardcore, garage, Italo house, Hi-NRG, trance – each subgenre spawned a huge following and laid the foundation for the worldwide explosion of beats and DJs over the next couple of decades.

•Hip hop survived mass consumption and produced some of the best music ever made. Tribe Called Quest, Jay-Z, Nas, Outkast and scores of others changed the way people think about beats, music, and life. And Tupac and Biggie are missed more every day.

•All this evolution and creativity influenced pop music purveyors. Timbaland and Missy would’ve sounded different if they never went to a techno club, and Madonna’s career may have been “Frozen” without the input of people like techno god William Orbit.

•Bubblegum pop ruled the world and was too much fun. When you’re 75, you’ll still be singing “Baby One More Time” and “MMMBop” through false teeth.

As I wrote this book, I rediscovered so many forgotten songs and artists and learned about new ones. My hope is that you do the same while playing the game. Have fun!

Martin Joseph Quinn