Redd Kross,Afghan Whigs,Screaming Trees. Worth checking out?

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What are the best albums by these bands?
My mate says its music for teenagers and shouldnt be listened to past the age of 16. Its sad grunge he says.
I ignore such close mindedness. So please help me!

― Ian, Tuesday, 27 August 2002 23:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Afghan Whigs = Gentlemen or the last Sub Pop one
Screaming Trees = Sweet Oblivion
Redd Kross = dunno, but the "Trance" / "Byrds and Fleas" single is a total classic.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 03:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Beyond their early hardcore, which formed the blueprint for the Circle Jerks, Redd Kross always struck me as a great live experience that didn't quite translate on CD. I'd be happy to be relieved of illusions, though.

Their part in The Spirit of '76 movie was funny. Sofia Coppola designed the costumes for that.

― Pete Scholtes, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 04:02 (twenty-three years ago)

all excellent bands. your mate's talkin' nonsense. try the following:

afghan whigs - 'up in it' (with the bonus tracks, if you can find that copy). the major label stuff is solid, if a little unspectacular.
screaming trees - the last two records. 'dust', especially, is a killer. early stuff's inconsistent, imho.
redd kross - 'neurotica' and 'show world' are probably the picks, though i don't think there's too much dross in their catalogue having said that.

great rock albums, all. however, i'd also recommend mark lanegan's (screaming trees vocalist) album of cover versions 'i'll take care of you' - mainly torch songs sung with more than a little soul. and not at all rock, oddly enough, but better for it.

― angelo (angelo), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 04:42 (twenty-three years ago)

For the Afghan Whigs I like the "Uptown Avondale" ep and "Congregation" best.

Screaming Trees are a bit boring overall.

Redd Kross, one of their albums was good, "phaseshifter" or something like that.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 07:40 (twenty-three years ago)

"Born Innocent" by Redd Kross is the only album of theirs that I've heard and liked, sort of West Coast brat punk. I've heard "Switchblade Sister" and "Phaseshifter" but I thought they were both complete crap.

Screaming Trees are an awesome rock band, truly underated. Both "Dust" adnd "Sweet Oblivion" are worth trying to track down in the bargain bins they nowadays frequent.

I've never really liked Afghan Whigs.

― Stephen Burrows (steveeeeeeeee), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 09:18 (twenty-three years ago)

The Screaming Tree's album that I would search out is "Buzz Factory". I think it is by far their best record and one of the underated ones of that time. It may be out of print as it was on SST, I'm not sure. They seemed to lose alot of their edge after they signed up to the biggies, broke up and then later reformed. "Buzz Factory" has a much more dirtier sound with none of the pop gloss of their later music.

I've always liked "Gentleman" and "Congregation" by the Afghan Whigs.

The one time I saw Redd Kross opening for Sonic Youth, they were fun, but their records never did much for me. Perhaps if someone puts together a good compilation it would be better, I don't know.

― earlnash, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 09:45 (twenty-three years ago)

I always preferred the Whigs' "1965," myself.

― My name is Kenny, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 12:47 (twenty-three years ago)

I always think that those three bands are really overrated, especially the Afghan Whigs - Greg Dulli's like a bad white soul singer and ironically the Twilight Singers album would've been excellent if it didn;t have his wailing all over it.

― Nick N, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 12:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Has no one mentioned Black Love yet? My favourite Whigs album by a mile.

I think they split at the right time though - Greg Dulli only really had one trick vocally and that was starting to get tiring.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 13:35 (twenty-three years ago)

For Redd Cross I like the record Born Innocent and the one with "Ghandi Is Dead (I'm The Cartoon Man)" which is Neurotica.

Screaming Trees I still listen to "Change Has Come" and "Invisible Lantern" The split/colabiration record with Beat Happening is also good at showing their more stripped down side.

I haven't heard much from the Afghan Wigs. I do remeber that "Turn on the Water" song and video where they are drowning.

― brg30 (brg30), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 13:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Afghan Whigs albums in order of priority:

Black Love
Gentlemen
Congregation
Big Top Halloween
Tied for last place, Up In It and 1965.

― j.lu (j.lu), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 14:33 (twenty-three years ago)

The first Screaming Trees album, Clairvoyance, remains a NW garage-rock epoch matched by few (Dead Moon, Mudhoney, any other contenders?). "Orange Airplane" still rocks but good. The first couple of Screaming Trees SST albums all have their moments, "Transfiguration" being one of my favorites. And "Nearly Lost You" remains one of the few '90s grunge hits I can still happily listen to.

True story: the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit," I thought it was a new Screaming Trees track.

― mike a, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 14:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Redd Fross-Havent heard much I'm afraid.

Afghan Whigs-Yeah, I think they're very overwrought. "Congregation" has the odd good track though esp. "Conjure me".

Screaming Trees-"Sweet Oblivion" is their best album. Classic.

― Michael Bourke, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 15:24 (twenty-three years ago)

Redd Kross is a great band, but I feel like they haven't dated as well as I would like to say they did. Good rock-pop stuff though.

― Manny Parsons, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 15:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Seek ye TEEN BABES FROM MONSANTO by Redd Kross (still criminally unavailable on CD, I believe), but *AVOID* NEUROTICA.

Afghan Whigs never really impressed me too much. Neither the `Trees.

― Alex in NYC, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 16:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Another vote for Gentlemen on the Whigs score. Yes, they do have a certain over-the-top angsty-ness that is best appreciated when your teenaged, but the music holds up. When they got away from angst and toward "music-to-fuck-to," they lost it, more or less. Great live band though, too.

How anyone lumps Redd Kross as grunge is beyond me.

― wl, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Yet another vote for Gentlemen for the Whigs, though Black Love can be fun if you want a 70's spy/cop show atmosphere thrown on top of things.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Christ. "...when you're teenaged."

― wl, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:17 (twenty-three years ago)

nineteen years pass...

So the lead singer of one band just passed, the other one just put out a new song and is on a small tour in May, don't know what's going on with the third band.

― Solaris Ocean Blue (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 22 February 2022 21:26 (four years ago)

The other band bumped their 2020 European tour to 2021, then to 2022, then cancelled and said they’ll try and book new dates in 2023. So probably not getting together in small rooms and rehearsing right now.

― bad luck banging, or Lorna Doone (sic), Tuesday, 22 February 2022 22:47 (four years ago)

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