Tbh, I'm not even really sure what this chart is supposed to represent at this point.
I largely feel the same way about the 88-93 period, though, so maybe it's true that this chart is going back to its roots. I'm tempted to vote for the 88-93 period mostly because it still seems absurd that there was a Billboard 'chart' that gave '#1' 'hits' to people like Peter Murphy and Robyn Hitchcock. The Depeche Mode and REM songs are classic, though. The 03-08 period looks grim based on the 'key #1s' that are listed above but if you include the Jimmy Eat World, White Stripes,Modest Mouse, and MCR songs that are also listed in the article, it's not as bad. I have some affection for that period.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:00 (nine years ago) link
Huh, the local modern rock station is playing Bob Marley atm.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:06 (nine years ago) link
The 88-93 period was meant to acknowledge what was playing on "modern rock" radio, which was indeed more Midnight Oily than Pearl Jammy at the time (the station i listened to at the time that hypothetically would have reported still called itself "progressive") - the degree to which the format would evolve and gain commercial weight they never could have predicted, and makes the early years look damn surreal in hindsight. The problem with the current era is billboard is taking the diminished radio input and incorporating downloads for music it arbitrarily decides qualifies
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:12 (nine years ago) link
"Hypothetically" isn't really the right word. I just mean it might have but I dunno if it did
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:13 (nine years ago) link
I moved from IU to Penn State in 1994 and the difference between the progressive station in the former and The Revolution 101.1 in the latter made the evolution of the format really pronounced for me
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:16 (nine years ago) link
Ironically the revolution 101.1 became pop and then nothing by the mid-00s, while wtts in Bloomington appears to still be adult rockin
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:19 (nine years ago) link
I largely feel the same way about the 88-93 period, though, so maybe it's true that this chart is going back to its roots. I'm tempted to vote for the 88-93 period mostly because it still seems absurd that there was a Billboard 'chart' that gave '#1' 'hits' to people like Peter Murphy and Robyn Hitchcock.
but these kind of songs were legitimately getting airplay on college stations too
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:22 (nine years ago) link
It does look hilarious though, because there's no way for the chart to acknowledge the exponential growth of its base
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:27 (nine years ago) link
That the number of stations playing "machinehead" and the number playing "what's good" we're quite different
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:28 (nine years ago) link
The Joel whitburn rock chart book I have includes the mainstream and modern chart rankings for acts side by side and its cool to see how the charts were wildly different and almost identical in the 90s, except for a few key signifying stars like Metallica and Aerosmith
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:32 (nine years ago) link
Here's an experiment: can you imagine a song like "Machinehead" in the same playlist as "What's Good" in '92? I say yes. Whereas the programming director might've been fired in '95 for playing "What's Good."
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:32 (nine years ago) link
And then identical, rather
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:33 (nine years ago) link
I'm not being nostalgic for the Robyn Hitchcock Era, just pointing out that "modern rock"-reporting stations, as croup said, had more numbers on their side in '95.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:33 (nine years ago) link
what's poor John Frusciante got to do to get a BNM?!
― campreverb, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:34 (nine years ago) link
Actually I have to disagree a little, the music on mod rock charts DID get harder, both formats moved toward each other but were quite distinct for about five years
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:34 (nine years ago) link
Xpost re bush and lou
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:35 (nine years ago) link
And c'mon alt radio still played shit like Shawn Mullins, everlast, Sheryl crow. You could still get a thoughtful shuffle on rock radio you just couldn't be old
― da croupier, Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:36 (nine years ago) link
I don't doubt "Wonderwall" got more legit play than Ned's Atomic Dustbin's #1 when the number of stations and listener responders expanded.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:37 (nine years ago) link
Female singer-songwriters got more slack than the male ones in the mid/late '90s though - just desserts.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:38 (nine years ago) link
In the early '90s we had, what, Sinead and Suzanne Vega and maybe Kate Bush? Slim pickins.
right in the middle of the 2003-2008 "Oligopoly" period I remember hearing a lot of White Stripes and Modest Mouse and the Raconteurs and Bloc Party and Gnarls Barkley and the Bravery
― example (crüt), Thursday, 19 February 2015 14:45 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, while the Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, and Incubus had the highest peaking songs of that era I tend to usually associate that time period more with bands like The White Stripes, The Killers, Modest Mouse, The Bravery, Muse and all of those emo pop acts like Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, My Chemical Romance. Also, because I'm in Canada bands like Metric, Arcade Fire, Sam Roberts, and AlexisonFire/City and Colour.
― MarkoP, Thursday, 19 February 2015 15:52 (nine years ago) link
Alfred you are talking the height of the Tori Amos era. she was huge.
― campreverb, Thursday, 19 February 2015 16:00 (nine years ago) link
Was tori amos really that huge?
― Eric Burdon & War, On Drugs (Cosmic Slop), Thursday, 19 February 2015 16:51 (nine years ago) link
Huger than the three Alfred mentioned. I think Alfred's thinking 1990-91 though.
― how's life, Thursday, 19 February 2015 16:57 (nine years ago) link
well, Little Earthquakes was '92.
― campreverb, Thursday, 19 February 2015 17:01 (nine years ago) link
1999-2002 < 1997-1999 < 2003-2008 < 1993-1996 < 2009-2013 < 1988-1993
― example (crüt), Thursday, 19 February 2015 18:08 (nine years ago) link
actually i can't really decide whether 1999-2002 or 1997-1999 is worse
― example (crüt), Thursday, 19 February 2015 18:09 (nine years ago) link
arent you supposed to be nostalgic for the music of your youth?
― Eric Burdon & War, On Drugs (Cosmic Slop), Thursday, 19 February 2015 18:13 (nine years ago) link
right now I'm jonesing for a burger
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 19 February 2015 18:16 (nine years ago) link
I listened to oldies radio so I am nostalgic for the Four Tops and the Grass Roots, not Matchbox 20 and Fuel.
― example (crüt), Thursday, 19 February 2015 18:17 (nine years ago) link
I have never heard Sweater Weather.
― Van Horn Street, Thursday, 19 February 2015 20:27 (nine years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Tuesday, 3 March 2015 00:01 (nine years ago) link
it feels weird lumping in 2003 with as far ahead as 2008. the representation listed above doesn't account for the singles during the earlier half of that era that were actually decent ("go with the flow," "minerva," "just because," "maps," "duality," "hard to explain," the darkness, etc) although audioslave had shown up by then who were both the worst and most overplayed rock band of that entire decade. but as far as i can tell, those odd minor-hits disappeared entirely by the time 2009 had arrived.
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 3 March 2015 01:45 (nine years ago) link
just as well that i am mookieproofed
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 3 March 2015 01:50 (nine years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 00:01 (nine years ago) link
hmm
― Eric Burdon & War, On Drugs (Cosmic Slop), Wednesday, 4 March 2015 10:18 (nine years ago) link