Musical Comparison
Punk
Introduction to punk
Punk; like a saw thumb- stuck out from the other genres (bands coming to light) in more ways the one. This “one-for-all, all-for-one” anti-establishment. All about being rebellious and going against the ways of government/ politics and law. Punk was not just another genre, it was an entirely new movement, thriving in fashion, theater, visual art, dance and literature as well as its soul center (music itself). Punk, was also a very straight edge genre, meaning they ever rarely took any forms of drugs or alcohol.
Birth of Punk
The Punk genre arose around the time of the British recession of ‘75 summertime, characterized and raised by the 60’s excessive freedom flowing nature. The time in which Margaret Thatcher became representative of the conservatives, there had been a 45% inflation, and fear had been written out across the nation about, Vandalism, sexuality, pornography, education and such. As a result, many of the rebellious punk rockers that came over the few years that passed from this British recession usually came from poor working class families and urban rural areas and so on. Furthermore, this newly bred culture being ravished in a political and further social upbringing meant having this mixture of feelings from angst(y) confusion to being frustrated from boredom. This resulting tide of resentful teens soon brought together a new foundation now more commonly and further justly known as the “Punk” genre.
Target Audience
Teens & people in their 20’s near to roughly their 40’s mirroring the punk image itself, who also felt the same misplaced anger and believed themselves to be outcast from normal society. Their beliefs and views were very dimmed by past events, they were pessimistic and believed that a third and final war might out-break at any moment, so in the mean time they’re environments would be flats or caravans, settlements under bridges and so on were they would live. Thier activities consisted that around the lines of sniffing glue and generally being “out there”.
Later on when musical became available to them, punk bands were soon being formed, punk art was born and there become known a magazine based around the punk origin, basically marking that punk had settled down.
Fashion
Punk fashion consisted solely on anything rebellious and outlandish fashion (the type of fashion that causes people to stare in disbelief you could say) basically basing itself around ripped jeans, differently coloured stripy jeans, leather jackets, mohawks (also hair dyed various colours), piercings, chains hanging from trousers etc. Anything that was unique to the individual and the punk scene. Studded variables like studded chokers and clothing such as jackets and boots were also highly fashionable amongst punk. zips and various places, paint spatters, burnt clothing ripped clothing and any striped coloured jeans were all part of the “big thing” in those times for punk culture.
Influences
Influences were anything short from books and films such as clockwork orange (clockwork orange partly with fashion and how the gangs lived and messages and so on), bands who were influences being anything from iggy pop and the stooges to The Ramones themselves and anything really outlandish towards society basically appealed to punk, anything different from the norm was friend and family to punk rockers.
Bands, Band Structure and Messages and More..
Punk bands themselves are usually a 4 piece band (drummer, bassist, vocalist (who may also be the 2nd/ rhythm guitarist) and a main guitarist. Music made up usually around pentatonics and in a 4/4 drum beat and anywhere around 115 bpm. Guitar usually a edgy distortion, vocals in your face, london pub football game kind of vocals- overall very in your face rebellious edgy kind o of style- Lyrical content talks about politics and government, boredom and parodies of love/ sexual with a type of “Freedom-of-Speech” kind of vibe throughout- with the occasional off topic sound on something such as romance or partying etc. The vocals themselves are very angsty, Londoner “Have-a-beer-and-watch-the-footy-down-the-pub-with-the-lads” kind of tone. The music itself however was seen refreshing for those who loved punk as it was different from the music that had come from the 60’s and early 70’s, structures of bands were the same and time signatures were all the same. the songs themselves were shot powerfully straightforward and energetic bursts of music lasting a few minutes,
So in its own abrupt, crazy style- punk soon took off any various places, making itself known around the world, centering itself in mainly \England and America where bands like; The Ramones, The Clash, Sex pistols, and the Damned etc.
Messages that these bands sent out, were just that of being yourself, standing out from everyone else, being wild and free. It was a “Do it yourself” kind of vibe. Punk life was seen to be life changing for those who became a part of it.
’-The Ramones’
Punk & Technology
It was an apparent that Punk Rockers back in those times, were “anti-technology”. They didn’t agree with the ways of science, or any other futuristic invision brought out in that fashion. They never used synthesizers or any other effects, they tried to keep their music as basic and as raw as possible.
Media Representation of Punk
In the start Punk was never really seen as such a problem to anyone in particular really, but when major Punk bands such as “The Sex Pistols” were realised and interviewed on some of the top papers, and media broadcasts like BBC1, where the true nature of punk then boiled above the surface of the water with swearing and their anarchy based views, which sent media flying with headlines such as “The Foul-Mouthed Yobs” and “The Filth and The Fury”, trying to embed this imposed view and terror amongst the people, deluding and indulging the notion that the Punk genre were intoxicating the younger generations, causing them to possibly be rebellious against British rule.
Alas, the Punk genre were seen to come across very aggressive in perhaps their fashion and especially the music in which they devoted their lives too. However that did not necessarily mean that they themselves were that of their music- aggressive and angsty. But their music was very rebellious, with a “I don’t care what you think tone” fuelled by anger and angst etc. For example “Anti-Nowhere League- So What” clues in the name for this song, a song with very scurrilous words, lyrics and general imagery.
Grunge
Introduction to Grunge
The Punk and heavy metal hybrid from late 70s’ to mid 90’s is the ironically quaint Grunge genre. With its casual “Come As You Are” fashion style and very gloomy “Seattle Sound”- the Seattle sound came from the first main grunge band “The Melvins” with their lengthy wall of fuzzy guitar tones, and powerful compositions paved the way for the more lyrically based bands, bands like; Alice in Chains, Sound Garden, Nirvana, MudHoney and Pearl Jam to be the main Overlord-representatives for this sound of music. With very mono-tone singing, soft verses to heavier choruses and crazy screeching however, simplistic solos. The topic of alcohol and drugs, it wasn’t common in every band, and its not what would make the grunge genre, but it was there.
Origin of Grunge
Grunge properly evolved around the early 1990’s from american punk and heavy metal genres, starting roughly in Seattle. The vocalist of MudHoney and Green River “coined” the genre the name Grunge, and described it from the western american, indie and heavy metal styles of music.
Target Audience
There was a more male based audience over female fans, not to say that they didn’t like the genre either and further not implementing that there were none at all, just the ratio was that there were more males than females that and the fact the near enough to all of the grunge bands had male musicians, there weren’t really any female grunge musicians. These would of been from their early 20’s to mid 30’s roughly. Roughly the same age as the band members themselves.
Grunge Clothing Style
The Grunge fashion was very casual, you didn’t necessarily have to wear a certain piece of clothing, you just came as yourself in whatever gloomy, plain clothing you wanted to wear- clothing on the lines of ripped jeans, cardigans, shirts, plaid, leather jackets. checkered shirts, ¾ lengths whatever really. shoulder length to longer hear- kind of untidy/ casual really. Their fashion went against the (at the time) current “predecessors” with their very outlandish, bright kind of clothing.
Influences
Main Influences for Grunge if there were any, were the punk genre and band the Sex Pistols with lead singer Johnny Rotten. If not then a form of american heavy metal. Overall, the Grunge genre came in with their own sounds.
Band, Band Structure, Messages within Music
Bands usually consisted of 3 to 4 piece bands (occasionally 5 piece bands, but they were rare); lead singer (who also played guitar (usually) another rhythm or lead guitarist, bassist, a Drummer (maybe a keyboard player or there were two guitarists and the singer just stood alone with vocals and so on) also the rest of the band may often give an input of backing vocals.
The messages and lyrical content pretty much matched the genre and clothing, in that it was quite sullen and negative, very pessimistic and nihilistic, with a hint of irony intwined. Soft verses followed by heavy choruses, distorted guitar tone, never usually to upbeat. vocals were fairly monotone, with growls and shouts at points, simple solos, and simple time signatures, and the songs structures themselves were usually very simple 4/4 beats. The messages themselves talked about drugs, alcohol, sex, society and just being yourself, like seeing in an ironic fashion that you shouldn't have to be someone you’re not, to please another- as an example in Nirvana’s-Come As You Are in the first verse it says “Take your time, hurry up, the choice is yours, don't be late” resembling their view of how society works in its judgemental ways. Grunge was slower genre other than its older more upbeat brother, the punk genre.
There would also be a lot of stage diving, mosh pits, and people braking and wrecking their instruments whence performing live to an audience.
Technology used
Very few Grunge bands will of used small amounts of technology such as effects pedals, or perhaps a synthesizer, rather than that there wasn’t much technology being used.
Grunge and the Media
Led by Nirvana with Nevermind, Grunge music led a storm through MTV forces, changing culture through west, converting English rockers, and reprogramming their love for this new found sound. Nirvana’s Nevermind in 1992 hit top of the charts surpassing Michael Jackson’s massive selling “Dangerous” resulting in a variety of new roots to new genres like alternative rock and so on. Pearl Jam’s debut “Ten” sold around 10 million copies around the same time.
Conjecture
Grunge technically existing from the existence of Punk therefore, perceiving it to be a hybrid spawn of Punk and Heavy Metal, hypothesising that it may perhaps have more in common with its elder predecessor over having any less. Fashion style, was basically the same, however, Punk purposefully dressed out of place and outlandishly to the rest of the world, whereas time went on, the fashion sense became quite the norm in which grunge grew into, and it became a more casual look, Grunge took to just being itself.
Bands are the same basic layout; a drummer, bassist, lead singer (who also may be rhythm or lead guitarist) and a rhythm or lead guitarist. However, as Grunge has evolved, they grew to the concept of using technology to their advantage, for instance; there might be a keyboard used, or they may use effect pedals, or general sound effects in their music. Whereas Punk were “anti-technology”, so they didn’t use any special effects or any as such.
topic of discussion, is quite different, partly a result in different points in history, Punk spoke more about politics, government and overall Totalitarianism, and basically being rebellious in their nature and in their song-writing, whereas Grunge spoke more about society itself and general controversial and sometimes superfluous topics in relation to their music that they wrote. Structure of the songs were the same basic 4/4 structure. Punk on one hand is fairly energetic, powerful and angry all the way through their music, whereas Grunge on the other hand is more soft in verse and top heavy in chorus. Grunge bands are usually more likely to have a solo in their music as well as punk. punk is usually straightforward power chords, Grunge will have more riff based and intricate chords.
They both have usually a very distorted setting on guitar's, standard tuning, the singing isn’t necessarily melodic, and they both shout throughout a lot of their tracks.
