90s Alternative Rock: the Best B-Sides and Rarities

The 90s gave us some of the purest rock music ever, and it’s a testament to the quality of those bands that they were able to record dozens of solid albums and still have plenty of great rare material lying around. What follows is a list of some of the best B-sides, rarities, obscure tracks, and special releases from eight definitive 90s rock bands. Enjoy the flashback.

8. “Get Born Again” by Alice in Chains

Recorded late in the band’s career and originally released on the boxed set Music Bank, “Get Born Again” highlights Layne Staley’s incomparably creepy vocal style. While it lacks some of the punch of songs like “Man in the Box,” it makes up for it with atmosphere.

7. “Cold Bitch” by Soundgarden

Available on the single for “Spoonman,” “Cold Bitch” sounds like Black Sabbath’s self-titled track via the mind of an acid-tripping madman. Kim Thayil’s doom and gloom guitar tones complement Chris Cornell’s unparalleled vocal range. That “rare, unreleased track” that they recently slapped on their greatest hits album was a fluke; they have a lot of lesser-known material that’s just as good as the classics.

6. “So What!” by Jane’s Addiction

Recorded specifically for the compilation release Kettle Whistle, “So What!” is an obscure Jane’s Addiction tune that is notable for featuring the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Flea on bass duties. His seductive rhythms provide the groove, while Dave Navarro’s psychedelic guitar tones and Eastern melodies ensure that Perry’s lyrics—“Life is for pleasure”—sound very, very appropriate.

5. “Fatal” by Pearl Jam

Of all the 90s alternative rock bands, Pearl Jam has had some of the greatest success when it comes to staying relevant, and when you write enough material to release a B-sides album, Lost Dogs, that consists of two discs, it’s pretty easy to see why. “Fatal,” an outtake from the Binaural era, sounds simultaneously defiant and resigned, gentle and brutal. In strictly Pearl Jam terms, it is the middle ground between “Jeremy” and “Daughter,” featuring dark lyrics, acoustic guitars, heavy rhythms, and some of the most haunting vocal work Eddie Vedder has ever delivered.

4. “Search and Destroy” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Found on the “Give it Away” single, this cover of “Search and Destroy,” originally written and performed by Iggy and the Stooges, highlights the punk rock intensity that characterized the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s early years while maintaining their unique funk sound. The rough sound of the recording makes perfect sense for the song choice.

3. “The Ghost of Tom Joad” by Rage Against the Machine

Bruce Springsteen was inspired by The Grapes of Wrath to pen this tune on economic inequality, and Rage Against the Machine was inspired by his socially conscious lyrics to cover it in their distinct rap-rock style. They did such a good job with it that, although originally released as a rare single, it ended up charting anyway. Zack de la Rocha’s voice is as angry as ever, and Tom Morello runs his guitar through so many effects pedals that you wonder how he made sense of what he was doing. Either way, it works, and the song was popular enough that another recording of it was made available on the band’s post-breakup cover album, Renegades.

2. “Molly’s Lips” by Nirvana

Found on the Incesticide collection, “Molly’s Lips” is a cover of a song originally performed by The Vaselines. While the original recording features shimmering guitars, it’s a slow, forgettable tune that sounds a little too hollow to love. The aggressive approach that Cobain and company took with the song transforms it into a classic and represents what made Nirvana so successful: they played catchy tunes while sacrificing none of the ferocity of their punk rock roots. Not only was Cobain a superb songwriter, but he could pick out an already decent song—“The Man Who Sold the World” also comes to mind—and make it much, much better.

1. “Starla” by Smashing Pumpkins

Originally released on the “I Am One” single and made widely available on Pisces Iscariot, a collection of B-sides, demos and covers that kept fans pacified during the recording of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, “Starla” is a monster of a song, clocking in at just about eleven minutes in length.

Prior to branching out with arrangements, electronic beats, and synthesizers, frontman Billy Corgan was all about creating the trippiest guitar sounds he could. The result is a track that begins with a gentle, clean riff and culminates in a five minute long solo featuring layers upon layers of fuzzed out electric guitars. It’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” for the slacker generation.

Announcement from Billy Corgan about the new Smashing Pumpkins album

Billy's promised announcement is here and oh yes, it is good:

I'm happy to finally announce the plans for the new Smashing Pumpkins album.

Recording began yesterday, September 15th, 2009 on the new record which will be entitled 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope'. The album will feature 44 songs, 4 of which are now being recorded. My desire is to release a song at a time beginning around Halloween of this year, with each new release coming shortly after until all 44 are out. Each song will be made available absolutely for free, to anyone anywhere. There will be no strings attached. Free will mean free, which means you won't have to sign up for anything, give an email address, or jump through a hoop. You will be able to go and take the song or songs as you wish, as many times as you wish.

We will however sell highly limited edition EP's (of 4 songs each times 11), and details of how those EP's will be made available are still being worked out. Because the songs themselves will be free, the EP's will be more like collectors items for the discerning fan who will want the art itself, along with the highest possible audio quality available. The EP's will be more like mini-box sets rather than your normal cd single. We may also offer other variations for sale, say for example a digital single with a demo version of a song. The commitment that is most important is the one I'm making to you: that the music of 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope' will be available for free to everyone. All 44 songs: free for ALL.

When the entire album is finished, it will be compiled into a deluxe box set which will also be made available for sale. Those who have bought the EP's need not worry, as the box set will not be a recompilation of the limited edition pieces.

The story of the album is based on 'The Fool's Journey', as signified in the progress of the Tarot. It is my intention to approach this by breaking down the journey of our life here into four phases as made by these different characters; the Child, the Fool, the Skeptic, and the Mystic.

The music of 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope' harkens back to the original psychedelic roots of The Smashing Pumpkins: atmospheric, melodic, heavy, and pretty.

I already have 53 songs written for the record, so I am quite confident that I already have much of the material that I would need to undertake such an extensive project. I am very committed to seeing this album through to its completion and very, very excited about the prospect of delivering new Smashing Pumpkins music to you in a unique and exciting way.

Billy Corgan wants broadcast radio to pay performers

by Greg Sandoval

Billy Corgan, founder of the band Smashing Pumpkins, speaks before Congress.

(Credit: Smashingpumpkins.com)

Update 3:29 p.m. PDT: Added quotes from the National Association of Broadcasters.

Internet radio has to pay performance rights but broadcast stations get a free pass.

Billy Corgan, founder of the rock band Smashing Pumpkins, told Congress on Tuesday that must change.

"This issue is one of fundamental fairness," Corgan told lawmakers. "If the performance of a song has value to a particular terrestrial radio station in its airing, I believe it is only right to compensate those performers who have created this work.

"Simply put, if a station plays a song, both the author and the performer should be paid," he continued. "These particular performances must have value to the stations or they wouldn't be playing them."

Corgan was testifying on behalf of the Performance Rights Act, which "would close a loophole in copyright law that allows music radio stations to earn billions every year without compensating the artists and musicians," according to a statement from the legislation's backers.

The National Association of Broadcasters does compensate songwriters and music publishers and has for decades. It does not, however, pay record labels or the artists. The thinking has always been that free airplay promotes the sale of music which benefits those groups.

"We think this performance tax would decimate the radio business," said Dennis Wharton, an NAB spokesman. "The reality is record labels have used artists as a shield in this debate. We welcome a discussion on who has been more fair to artists: The foreign-owned record labels (Universal Music, Sony and EMI) or America's hometown radio broadcasters."

Web radio stations have complained for a long time that they are made to pay performance fees, when traditional broadcasters pay nothing. It should be noted that online services have said they believe in compensating music performers.

Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. He is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg.