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No Alternative

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For the political slogan, see There is no alternative.
No Alternative
Compilation album by
various artists
ReleasedOctober 26, 1993
Recorded1991–1993
Genre
Length74:21
LabelArista
Producer
Red Hot Benefit series chronology
Red Hot + Dance
(1992) 		No Alternative
(1993) 		Red Hot + Country
(1994)
Singles from No Alternative
  1. "Hold On"
    Released: February 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(choice cut)[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]
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Superdeformed"Matthew SweetMatthew Sweet3:58
2."For All to See"Buffalo TomBuffalo Tom3:36
3."Sexual Healing"Odell Brown, Marvin Gaye, David RitzSoul Asylum4:45
4."Take a Walk"Urge OverkillUrge Overkill4:39
5."All Your Jeans Were Too Tight"Mark EitzelAmerican Music Club3:33
6."Bitch"Mick Jagger, Keith RichardsGoo Goo Dolls with Lance Diamond3:17
7."Unseen Power of the Picket Fence"Scott Kannberg, Stephen MalkmusPavement3:53
8."Glynis"Billy CorganThe Smashing Pumpkins4:53
9."Can’t Fight It"Bob MouldBob Mould3:49
10."Hold On"Sarah McLachlanSarah McLachlan4:23
11."Show Me"Ben ShepherdSoundgarden2:48
12."Brittle"Shayne Carter, Straitjacket FitsStraitjacket Fits3:24
13."Joed Out"Graeme DownesBarbara Manning and the San Francisco Seals3:52
14."Heavy 33"Graeme DownesThe Verlaines4:21
15."Effigy"John FogertyUncle Tupelo5:59
16."It's the New Style" (Live)Beastie Boys, Rick RubinBeastie Boys and DJ Hurricane2:20
17."Iris" (Live)Kim DealThe Breeders3:44
18."Memorial Song" (Live)Patti SmithPatti Smith3:33
Hidden track
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
19."Verse Chorus Verse" (*Note[a])Kurt CobainNirvana3:24
Cassette track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Superdeformed"Matthew SweetMatthew Sweet 
2."For All to See"Buffalo TomBuffalo Tom 
3."Sexual Healing"Odell Brown, Marvin Gaye, David RitzSoul Asylum 
4."Take a Walk"Urge OverkillUrge Overkill 
5."All Your Jeans Were Too Tight"Mark EitzelAmerican Music Club 
6."Bitch"Mick Jagger, Keith RichardsGoo Goo Dolls with Lance Diamond 
7."Unseen Power of the Picket Fence"Scott Kannberg, Stephen MalkmusPavement 
8."Glynis"Billy CorganThe Smashing Pumpkins 
9."Can’t Fight It"Bob MouldBob Mould 
10."Hold On"Sarah McLachlanSarah McLachlan 
11."Show Me"Ben ShepherdSoundgarden 
12."Brittle"Shayne Carter, Straitjacket FitsStraitjacket Fits 
13."Joed Out"Graeme DownesBarbara Manning and the San Francisco Seals 
14."Heavy 33"Graeme DownesThe Verlaines 
15."Effigy"John FogertyUncle Tupelo 
16."It's the New Style" (Live)Beastie Boys, Rick RubinBeastie Boys and DJ Hurricane 
17."Iris" (Live)Kim DealThe Breeders 
18."Burning Spear" (Live)Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Richard EdsonSonic Youth 
19."Hot Nights" (Live)Jonathan RichmanJonathan Richman 
20."Memorial Tribute" (Live)Patti SmithPatti Smith 
21."Verse Chorus Verse" ([b])Kurt CobainNirvana 

Home video track listing

[edit]
No Alternative
Video by
various artists
ReleasedFebruary 22, 1994
GenreAlternative rock
Length65:00
LabelPolyGram Video
Directorvarious
  1. Matthew Sweet – "Superdeformed"
  2. Neneh Cherry – "Athens, Georgia 1993"
  3. Urge Overkill – "Take a Walk"
  4. Hole, Luscious Jackson, Free Kitten, Huggy Bear & Bikini Kill – "No Alternative Girls"
  5. The Smashing Pumpkins – "Hot Heads"
  6. Sarah McLachlan – "Hold On"
  7. The Breeders – "Iris"
  8. Patti Smith – "Memorial Tribute"

US live performances:

  2. Goo Goo Dolls – "Bitch"
  3. The Smashing Pumpkins – "Glynis"
    • directed by Beth McCarthy
  4. The Smashing Pumpkins – "Today"
    • directed by Beth McCarthy
  5. Buffalo Tom – "For All to See"
    • directed by Beth McCarthy

UK live performances:

  2. The Breeders – "Iris"
    • directed by Neil Breakwell
  3. Suede – "The Next Life"
    • directed by Derek Jarman

Spoken word:

  2. Maggie Estep – "No More Mr Nice Girl"
  3. Lou Reed – "Busload of Faith"
  4. 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]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ This track is not listed on the tracklisting.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ No Alternative at AllMusic
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000-10-15). "No Alternative". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 9780312245603.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Hochman, Steve (1993-12-19). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ Gettelman, Parry (1993-12-10). "'No Alternative' And 'Born To Choose'". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  6. ^ Gomez, Jeff (2023). There Was No Alternative. McFarland Books. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-4766-8976-0.
  7. ^ "Short Takes" (PDF). Music & Media. November 20, 1993. p. 17. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  8. ^ "No Alternative (20 anniversary edition)". Dusty Groove. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  9. ^ "No Alternative Turns 20". 28 October 2013.
  10. ^ "Red Hot - Paul Heck". 9 November 2013.
  11. ^ "Alternative Charts Top 20". ARIA Report. January 23, 1994. p. 12. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2353". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  13. ^ "Billboard 200" (PDF). Billboard. November 27, 1993. p. 126. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  14. ^ "US Top 100 Pop Albums" (PDF). Cashbox. November 27, 1993. p. 12. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  15. ^ "US Top 100 Pop Albums" (PDF). Cashbox. December 4, 1993. p. 12. Retrieved July 3, 2022.

Further reading

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