Alternative Rock- Winter games
This is how I think of Alternative music: mainstream you >transplanted. You feel the same but something edgy and slightly frightening is going on. You can see a world others can’t.
You are in a different club.
Maybe you start to dress with more swag and maybe you let your mouth form words that seem alien and leave a weird aftertaste.
But I am getting ahead of myself because it might not take.
There is more to being cool than finding a different band or two, but coming to the Cave for a visit is always a good place to start!
Bronze:
Squeeze.Pulling Muscles from a shell.
I just love this happy song. In fact, I love the whole record.
I am way behind picking my 10 favorite records of all time. {Spoiler Alert} ArgyBargy is one of them.
You could classify this as pop, but wait minute—–pop stations did not and will not play this.
Pop radio did love it when Paul Carrack joined:
This is another great song- just in the other universe.
The Silver:
The Pixies.Where is my mind
They invented grunge as far as I am concerned. I will throw grunge in with alternative because it came from there and returned there after a little brush with mainstream.
The Gold:
New Order. Blue Monday
This one holds up well.
If I did this next week –this list would be different….Hell, if I did this again IN 15 MINUTES –this list would be different.
In fact I am changing the bronze right now.
In the words of Paul Westerberg when I saw him play this as a warm up band for a Tom Petty tour-
“Here’s one more, if anybody cares”
The Replacements.I’ll be you
Would anybody argue if I made this the gold?
And some of us do care Paul.
Cave of Fame 
Yes, ‘Blue Monday’ – one of a kind, an amazing track. What a band New Order were then.
I had a brief 3 week stint on college radio, this song had just come out and we were told to put in in heavy rotation—-Once an hour!….I am sure all 2 people listening in that 2am – 5am time slot appreciated it. So it holds a special place in my heart.
I loved the transplanted mainstream you!! Haha A great selection of music. Respect.
Thank you! The reason we become a fan of any type of music fascinates me.
Love that simple guitar pattern in where is my mind – Pixies are an acquired taste that I’ve since embraced, stuff from Doolittle/Bossanova especially.