Alternative Rock

Alternative rock on vinyl: from Dinosaur Jr. to Radiohead

In short: Alternative rock is the rock that grew up away from the big radio stations in the eighties and became the mainstream itself in the nineties. At the Vinyl Room it ranges from Dinosaur Jr. and Radiohead to the Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age and the Arctic Monkeys. You’ll currently find 283 records in this style here.

What is alternative rock?

In the eighties, American bands such as R.E.M., the Pixies, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. played mainly on college radio. With grunge from Seattle and Britpop from England the style became a worldwide success in the nineties. Radiohead took it further, up to albums such as “In Rainbows”, while the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age kept the guitars loud. From Sweden comes Kent, one of Scandinavia’s most successful bands – we have their records too. Closely related is indie rock, which is defined more by labels than by sound.

What to look for

In the nineties the CD was the main format, and some albums came out on vinyl only in small runs. Individual original editions are therefore sought after – what matters is the edition and its condition. Catalogue number, label and runout matrix together tell you whether you have a first pressing.

From our stock

First pressings

Still sealed

New in

→ Rock on vinyl · Beck · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained

FAQ

What is alternative rock? Rock that grew up away from the big radio stations in the eighties – with bands such as R.E.M., the Pixies and Sonic Youth.

What’s the difference between alternative and indie rock? Indie originally meant bands on independent labels, alternative more the sound. Today the lines are blurred.

Why are some nineties rock records expensive? Because the CD was the main format at the time and some albums came out on vinyl only in small runs. What matters is the edition and its condition.