No Alternative
| No Alternative | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by various artists | ||||
| Released | October 26, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1991–1993 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 74:21 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Red Hot Benefit series chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from No Alternative | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  [2] |
| Deseret News |  [3] |
| Los Angeles Times | [4] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [5] |
No Alternative is an alternative rock compilation album produced by Paul Heck and Chris Mundy that was released in 1993. It was the third compilation put together by the Red Hot Organization, a charity dedicated to raising money for and awareness of AIDS relief.[6] The album features original tracks and cover versions from bands who went on to define the alternative rock scene of the 1990s. It was released with two different versions of album art: the standard version depicting a boy (without the Nirvana song listed on the back and liner notes),[7] and the alternate version depicting a girl (some with and some without the Nirvana song listed on the back and liner notes).
A television special hosted by MTV and a VHS home video release featured live performances, music videos, and information about AIDS.
On 20 April 2013, as part of the annual internationally celebrated Record Store Day, No Alternative was released for the first time on vinyl as a special 20th anniversary edition LP.[8] Stereogum lauded the album in a retrospective piece, saying that "it captures the American alternative scene at its commercial, cultural, and critical peak."[9] In an interview with Radio New Zealand, producer Paul Heck discussed the history of the Red Hot Organization and the anniversary of No Alternative, saying that the response from the musicians asked to contribute was "overwhelmingly positive" and that some artists even wrote songs specifically for the compilation.[10]
Album track listing
[edit]Home video track listing
[edit]| No Alternative | |
|---|---|
| Video by various artists | |
| Released | February 22, 1994 |
| Genre | Alternative rock |
| Length | 65:00 |
| Label | PolyGram Video |
| Director | various |
- Matthew Sweet – "Superdeformed"
- directed by Kevin Kerslake
- Neneh Cherry – "Athens, Georgia 1993"
- directed by Jim McKay & Michael Stipe
- Urge Overkill – "Take a Walk"
- directed by Matt Mahurin
- Hole, Luscious Jackson, Free Kitten, Huggy Bear & Bikini Kill – "No Alternative Girls"
- directed by Tamra Davis
- The Smashing Pumpkins – "Hot Heads"
- directed by Jennie Livingston
- Sarah McLachlan – "Hold On"
- directed by Nick Gomez
- The Breeders – "Iris"
- directed by Hal Hartley
- Patti Smith – "Memorial Tribute"
- directed by Derek Jarman
US live performances:
- Goo Goo Dolls – "Bitch"
- directed by Beth McCarthy
- The Smashing Pumpkins – "Glynis"
- directed by Beth McCarthy
- The Smashing Pumpkins – "Today"
- directed by Beth McCarthy
- Buffalo Tom – "For All to See"
- directed by Beth McCarthy
UK live performances:
- The Breeders – "Iris"
- directed by Neil Breakwell
- Suede – "The Next Life"
- directed by Derek Jarman
Spoken word:
- Maggie Estep – "No More Mr Nice Girl"
- Lou Reed – "Busload of Faith"
- David Wojnarowicz – "Untitled"
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1993–1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Alternative Albums (ARIA)[11] | 15 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[12] | 46 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 56 |
| US Top 100 Pop Albums (Cashbox)[14][15] | 21 |
Notes
[edit]- ^ listed on back cover as "Memorial Tribute;" in booklet as "Memorial Song."
- ^ The song is labelled as "Verse Chorus Verse", but is generally referred to by its original name of "Sappy" in order to avoid confusion with another, abandoned Nirvana song with the former name.
- ^ This track is not listed on the tracklisting.
References
[edit]- ^ No Alternative at AllMusic
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2000-10-15). "No Alternative". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 9780312245603.
- ^ Vice, Jeff (1993-12-17). "3 COMPILATIONS BY VARIOUS ARTISTS HIT THE MARKET". Deseret News. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ Hochman, Steve (1993-12-19). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times – via ProQuest.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (1993-12-10). "'No Alternative' And 'Born To Choose'". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ Gomez, Jeff (2023). There Was No Alternative. McFarland Books. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-4766-8976-0.
- ^ "Short Takes" (PDF). Music & Media. November 20, 1993. p. 17. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "No Alternative (20 anniversary edition)". Dusty Groove. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- ^ "No Alternative Turns 20". 28 October 2013.
- ^ "Red Hot - Paul Heck". 9 November 2013.
- ^ "Alternative Charts Top 20". ARIA Report. January 23, 1994. p. 12. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2353". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "Billboard 200" (PDF). Billboard. November 27, 1993. p. 126. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "US Top 100 Pop Albums" (PDF). Cashbox. November 27, 1993. p. 12. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "US Top 100 Pop Albums" (PDF). Cashbox. December 4, 1993. p. 12. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
Further reading
[edit]- Gomez, Jeff (2023). There Was No Alternative. McFarland Books. ISBN 978-1-4766-8976-0.
External links
[edit]- No Alternative at NYU's Fales Library and Special Collections' Guide to the Red Hot Organization Archive (1989–2004)
- Red Hot Organization albums
- Albums produced by Richard Dashut
- Albums produced by Paul Fox (record producer)
- Albums produced by Billy Corgan
- 1993 compilation albums
- Alternative rock compilation albums
- 1993 video albums
- 1993 live albums
- 1990s live video albums
- Music video compilation albums
- Arista Records compilation albums
- Grunge compilation albums
- Grunge video albums
- Alternative rock video albums
- Live alternative rock albums