davidvanwert.com

So here’s a weird thing… there’s these two songs by two different bands, right? Both songs have been in my music library for years and years, but it wasn’t until last weekend that, thanks to one of my very rare uses “Shuffle Mode” in iTunes, I ever heard them back-to-back. I’ve probably never even heard them on the same day before.

Both songs (both of which are 5 minutes long) appeared as first track on their respective albums and both were the first single released from each album. Both albums were recorded in 1990 and released in 1991. Both bands have have charted more than one top-ten hit, at least one platinum album, and would be recognizable by name for anyone who’s spent much time listening to “alternative” (a misnomer now, but it was once alternative…) rock radio.

Here’s the first 30 seconds or so of each song. The album (fifth for the band) that Riff 1 comes from languished (and languishes still) in obscurity and the band broke up. The album Riff 2 comes from was that band’s major label debut, an international sensation, and catapulted them to rawk supa-stardom.

Riff 1:

Riff 2:

Both albums were recorded at more or less the same time in opposite corners of the U.S. (Riff 1 in upstate NY; Riff 2 in L.A.) so I’m not making any sort of accusation — I’m just observing this opening riff mini-zeitgeist of the early 90’s that signaled one band’s unnoticed swan song and another’s bottle rocket rise.

But so anway… ten points for anyone who can name the band that did Riff 1 (which, for the record, came out first). Anyone care to guess?