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Nirvana
Formed in Aberdeen by singer and guitarist, Kurt Cobain, alongside bassist Krist Novoselic, Nirvana is widely considered one of the most influential rock bands of all time, despite having cycled through various drummers and only releasing three albums.
The band established itself in Seattle, 1989 with their first album, 'Bleach' for Sub Pop. Their sound was dynamic, with quiet verses and loud choruses, which helped set itself apart from mundane music.
Nirvana's second album, 'Nevermind' (1991) was their best-selling, with the popular single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', which popularised Alternative Rock and grunge music. Two years later, a third album. 'In Utero', was released. Another commercial success, although not as popular as its predecessor, due to a less mainstream sound overall.
Unfortunately, Nirvana's short-lived career ended with the suicide of Cobain in 1994. On the bright side, the band was loved by many and had released 75 million records, so saying that they surpassed their collective goals is an understatement.
Linkin Park
Hailing from Agoura Hills, three students; Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson founded Xero in 1996, two years after the end of Nirvana. The trio along with a few friends started recording in Shinoda's bedroom, but tension rose as they found no success, and members began to leave.
After the lead vocalist's departure, Shinoda searched for a replacement. He was eventually lead to Chester Bennington, the vocalist of a post-grunge band named Grey Daze. His unique style inspired the band, and at this point, the band renamed itself from Xero to Hybrid Theory, due to the chemistry between Shinoda and Bennington. Upon releasing new music to the internet in 1999 and striving for professionalism, the band was again renamed, this time from Hybrid Theory to Linkin Park. This was a play on 'Lincoln Park', and was misspelled so that the band could own the website domain 'linkinpark.com'. After the band received several rejections, Jeff Blue - who helped Shinoda find a lead vocalist in the first place - eventually managed to get the band signed to Warner Bros. Records.
Linkin Park has since shifted aside its grunge roots to make space for (and fuse its style with) Nu Metal, Hip-Hop and Electronic music. They stick to their alternative style while borrowing from other genres, and it has worked well for them, having sold over 60 million albums and gaining two Grammy Awards in the process.
Linkin Park
After the lead vocalist's departure, Shinoda searched for a replacement. He was eventually lead to Chester Bennington, the vocalist of a post-grunge band named Grey Daze. His unique style inspired the band, and at this point, the band renamed itself from Xero to Hybrid Theory, due to the chemistry between Shinoda and Bennington. Upon releasing new music to the internet in 1999 and striving for professionalism, the band was again renamed, this time from Hybrid Theory to Linkin Park. This was a play on 'Lincoln Park', and was misspelled so that the band could own the website domain 'linkinpark.com'. After the band received several rejections, Jeff Blue - who helped Shinoda find a lead vocalist in the first place - eventually managed to get the band signed to Warner Bros. Records.
Linkin Park has since shifted aside its grunge roots to make space for (and fuse its style with) Nu Metal, Hip-Hop and Electronic music. They stick to their alternative style while borrowing from other genres, and it has worked well for them, having sold over 60 million albums and gaining two Grammy Awards in the process.
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