Grunge music is certainly of a certain time. Born in the mid-to-late-80s in the Pacific Northwest, the sound would go on to change the world in a matter of years, birthing giant, marquee names like Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam, and Chris Cornell and Soundgarden.
But just because the term was coined in the ’80s and ’90s doesn’t mean that the gooey, gloopy, dark, sludgy, depressive sound that defined grunge didn’t exist years earlier in some fashion. Indeed, if you traveled back to the ’70s, rock songs that could easily fit in the grunge demarcation today wouldn’t be difficult to find.
Here, we wanted to highlight three such examples. A trio of tracks from the ’70s that, if transported via a time machine, could easily be part of the grunge pastiche a decade or two later. These are three rock songs from the ’70s that could have been considered grunge in the ’80s and ’90s.
“Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath from Black Sabbath (1970)
This song sounds like a dank, dreary Sunday morning. It’s funny, in many ways the climate of Seattle, where grunge was born, is very similar to that of the U.K. So much so that Seattle rock legend Nancy Wilson has compared her hometown to that of Liverpool, England.
Both areas are grey and often sunless, rainy, and dreary. So, perhaps it’s no wonder that the regions can produce similar-sounding songs. The British-born band Black Sabbath helped popularize brooding tunes. As a result, their music could easily slide right into grunge designations today.
“Barracuda” by Heart from Little Queen (1977)
Speaking of Nancy Wilson, her Seattle-born rock band Heart helped showcase the Pacific Northwest and prove to the world that it could be a hub of hard, buzzing songs. In the ’60s, it was groups like the Sonics who showed rock music was alive and well in the region. But Heart brought it the following decade, thanks to Nancy’s thick guitar riffs and sister Anne’s soaring vocals.
While tracks like “Barracuda” punch and push, they may have a bit too much melody to be fully considered grunge today. But they surely helped pave the way. So, this track, if nothing else, can be an honorary grunge song. Just listen to that guitar rumble.
“School’s Out” by Alice Cooper from School’s Out (1972)
Alice Cooper knew how to showcase a dark, dramatic character. He would have fit into the Pacific Northwest landscape seamlessly. Just listen to him howl on this buzzy song from 1972. While the lyrics might be a bit too cute for a more modern grunge song, the music and the delivery are chef’s kiss.
The track punches you in the gut and the heart. Cooper might as well be wearing flannel and ripped jeans as he sings about school ending and the thrilling relief that provides millions of young people. This song has weighty heft, and that’s what grunge was all about in its heyday.
The post 3 Rock Songs From the ’70s That Could Have Been Considered Grunge appeared first on VICE.
