RHCP Question

I'm not saying I like the genre-tag of alt. rock, because I don't. But seeing as we have no choice here as to whether there is an alternative section, we have to use it. And I've justified why I think RHCP could be classified as an alt. rock band.

Yes, alternative rock is a very broad category. That's why I sort my modern rock (i.e. not classic rock) into grunge, stoner, funk, ska, singer/songwriter, pop rock etc... and chuck the rest in alternative. There are certain banRAB that can't be described in many other ways other than 'alternative rock', i.e. Smashing Pumpkins. And there are banRAB that can be justified as being alternative rock, even though they could fit in other categories, i.e. RHCP.

You're absolutely right. Mainstream doesn't have a definable sound... it's an adjective relating to how popular something is. And as Boo Boo explained, RHCP can be mainstream, yet have an alternative rock sound.
 
Uh you were just comparing them in the same manner you'd compare opposites, in fact this is the same argument you used when discussing independent labels and major labels, two opposites.
 
Well, I think RHCP could be classed as an alternative rock band.

Hillel Slovak was a huge influence on John Frusciante, along with Hendrix. I often feel that Frusciante channels Hendrix better than almost anyone.

Frusciante took over on guitar duties for Mother's Milk and did a great job. Just listen to the nice fruity-sounding riff at 2:10 in Magic Johnson... awesome.
 
What are some good JF guitar solos? I heard this YouTube - solo inspired by John Frusciante and I was amazed. It is so classic yet so contemporary.


Anyways, I was listening to the 1999-present portion of the RHCP dicography two days ago, until Around the World came up. It was a decent and soulful ballad, until he started speaking mock-Chinese. Funniest. Song. Ever.
 
I dont know why this is even being argued. Around the World is not soulfull or passionate, its simply about sex, and not the romantic kind. (just like there early music)
 
To me, alternative has more to do with how they sound rather than how popular they are.

By your logic, an alternative rock band releases one album which is underground for a period, then suddenly changes genre once that album becomes popular.
 
If "mainstream" and "alternative" are not the same thing, and furthermore are not antithetical, how could you come to this conclusion? You're making it out to sound like they have some marked effect on each other. They don't.

Basically, here's how I see it:

"Alternative rock" is a notably vague term, yes, but it can certainly still be used as somewhat of a vignette - an expression to connote unusual instrumentation, uncommon time signatures, things along those lines.

"Mainstream", on the other hand, really cannot be used as any kind of illustrator. The term evinces nothing other than the fact that the band in question has received wide recognition. It doesn't even do so much as allude to what the band might sound like.
 
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