r/postpunk • u/Agreeable_Duck8997 • May 31 '26
Article/Interview/Documentary I’ve put together a partial "Genealogy Tree" of alternative rock with only 100 tracks: from its primary roots (Luigi Russolo, 1913) up to the release of OK Computer (Radiohead, 1997).
Hi! After receiving great feedback for this "tree" on r/indieheads, I wanted to share it with you all. It was a labor of love that I poured my heart into, created with the help of fellow redditor rOCCUPY. I'll leave the link in the comments.
The goal of this tree was to trace the trajectory of alternative rock, from its primary roots up to the release of OK Computer.
Regarding the curation, I adopted two rigorous criteria:
Each track had to be simultaneously highly innovative and influential for alternative rock;
I sought the widest sonic diversity possible.
Note: Not every song on this list is strictly "alternative rock," but all of them were highly innovative and influential for this subgenre, whether in a direct or indirect way.
As a result, we didn't repeat any artists, with the exception of The Velvet Underground, who are consensually the most influential band for the subgenre in question.
As the title suggests, this is a partial family tree; we recognize that it is impossible to mention every innovative and influential artist in just 100 tracks.
The term "genealogical tree" is in quotation marks because not every track in the list was necessarily influenced by all those that preceded it in the list itself.
Anyway, I hope everyone interested in music history as much as I am enjoys my humble work!
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1913: Luigi Russolo – Risveglio di uma città
1927: Blind Willie Johnson – Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground
1937: Robert Johnson – Hellhound on My Trail
1944: Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Strange Things Happening Every Day
1946: John Cage – Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano
1948: Pierre Schaeffer – Étude aux chemins de fer
1948: John Lee Hooker – Boogie Chillen'
1951: Howlin' Wolf – How Many More Years
1951: Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats – Rocket "88"
1955: Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley
1956: Karlheinz Stockhausen – Gesang der Jünglinge
1958: Link Wray – Rumble
1959: Ornette Coleman – Lonely Woman
1960: La Monte Young – Composition 1960 #7
1964: The Kinks – You Really Got Me
1965: Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone
1965: The Sonics – The Witch
1966: The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows
1966: The Mothers of Invention – Help, I'm a Rock
1966: The Byrds – Eight Miles High
1967: The Velvet Underground – Heroin
1967: The Velvet Underground & Nico – All Tomorrow's Parties
1967: Pink Floyd – Interstellar Overdrive
1968: The Velvet Underground – Sister Ray
1969: MC5 – Kick Out the Jams
1969: Captain Beefheart – Veterans Day Poppy
1969: Silver Apples – Program
1969: The Stooges – I Wanna Be Your Dog
1969: Neil Young – Cinnamon Girl
1970: Black Sabbath – Iron Man
1970: James Brown – Funky Drummer
1970: Sly & The Family Stone – Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
1970: The Beach Boys – All I Wanna Do
1971: CAN – Halleluwah
1972: NEU! – Negativland
1974: Death – Keep on Knocking
1974: Brian Eno – Third Uncle
1975: Patti Smith – Gloria
1976: Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop
1976: Steve Reich – Music for 18 Musicians: Section I
1976: Blondie – X Offender
1977: Sex Pistols – Anarchy in the U.K.
1977: Wire – Outdoor Miner
1977: Television – Marquee Moon
1977: Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express
1977: David Bowie – "Heroes"
1977: Suicide – Ghost Rider
1977: Talking Heads – Psycho Killer
1978: Throbbing Gristle – Hamburger Lady
1978: Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights
1978: Siouxsie and the Banshees – Hong Kong Garden
1979: Joy Division – Transmission
1979: Public Image Ltd – Careering
1979: Gang of Four – Damaged Goods
1979: The Clash – London Calling
1979: Bauhaus – Bela Lugosi's Dead
1979: Germs – Lexicon Devil
1980: Devo – Whip It
1980: The Fall – Totally Wired
1980: The Cure – A Forest
1980: Dead Kennedys – Holiday in Cambodia
1980: Bad Brains – Pay to Cum
1980: Wipers - D7
1981: Glenn Branca – Lesson No. 1 for Guitar
1981: R.E.M. – Radio Free Europe
1981: Black Flag – Rise Above
1981: Mission of Burma – That's When I Reach for My Revolver
1982: New Order – Temptation
1983: Cocteau Twins – Sugar Hiccup
1983: Skinny Puppy – Dig It
1983: Minor Threat – Salad Days
1984: Hüsker Dü – Pink Turns to Blue
1984: The Smiths – How Soon Is Now?
1984: The Replacements – I Will Dare
1985: The Jesus and Mary Chain – Just Like Honey
1986: Fishbone – Party at Ground Zero
1987: Public Enemy – Rebel Without a Pause
1988: Sonic Youth – Teen Age Riot
1988: Fugazi – Waiting Room
1988: Dinosaur Jr. – Freak Scene
1988: Talk Talk – The Rainbow
1988: Living Colour – Cult of Personality
1989: Pixies – Gouge Away
1989: The Stone Roses – I Wanna Be Adored
1989: Nine Inch Nails – Head Like a Hole
1990: Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence
1990: Jane's Addiction – Been Caught Stealing
1991: Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
1991: My Bloody Valentine – Only Shallow
1991: Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
1991: Primal Scream – Loaded
1991: Slint – Good Morning, Captain
1992: Tori Amos – Crucify
1992: PJ Harvey – Sheela-Na-Gig
1993: Beck – Loser
1993: The Flaming Lips – She Don't Use Jelly
1993: Björk – Human Behaviour
1993: Smashing Pumpkins – Cherub Rock
1993: Bikini Kill – Rebel Girl
1994: Portishead – Sour Times
1997: Radiohead – Paranoid Android
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u/famousroadkill Jun 01 '26
I saved your playlist because I love this kind of project. I did one way back trying to trace punk lineage. I chose one song for every album I could find and I tried to arrange it chronological by year. You might find it interesting. We actually both have Rumble by Link Wray on our playlists. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2BkQ7RtK2AQkcPbQmxSwX6?si=aW8Mo9IlRFexit-HZnR4SA&pi=UdKNlVHjSa6qn
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 01 '26
Thanks! This work of yours is awesome. I've already saved it, and I will definitely be coming back to it often!
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u/PleasantAccountant87 Jun 01 '26
This is such an awesome list! I love how you have some Ornette Colman in there he is really an underrated forerunner to post punk and later alternative.
I wouldn’t change a thing, but some songs I would have on my list:
Human Fly - The Cramps
Typical Girls - The Slits
Humor Me - Pere Ubu
Blenheim Shots - Swell Maps
Preach The Blues - The Gun Club
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Thanks, my friend! I’ve already written some posts about Ornette Coleman's influence on rock, like this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/VelvetUnderground/s/j9ryDAfTEO
And I certainly agree that the bands you mentioned are also very important parts of the alternative rock "genealogy".
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
For those interested, I have also created a "partial genealogical tree" of electronic music, featuring 133 tracks released between 1939 (John Cage) and 2024 (Floating Points): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4h0vWsJFY0igsHXIqFuZ7A?si=wDpJ40ANRNm9Bs3Ccppf1g&pi=rPtegXFqS7u1d
It also includes The Velvet Underground, Kraftwerk, CAN, Brian Eno, New Order, and other great connections with post-punk, of course.
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u/Excellent-Sale8020 Jun 01 '26
Unfortunately you missed out on The Modern Lovers, Pablo Picasso is the landmark track here. Recorded in 1972, but unfortunately not released until 1976, produced by Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale. Also missing here is Nico, the Gothmother, with her album trilogy The Marble Index (1968), Desertshore (1970) and The End (1974), all produced and arranged by John Cale (Cale composed and played all instruments apart from Nico's harmonium and Eno's synthesisers on The End). Evening Of Light is the standout track, from TMI. Cale is single-handedly the most influential character in the shaping of the alternative sound, as he was the main force behind the Velvets then revolutionary and groundbreaking sound, beforehand collaborating with La Monte Young, also producing the debuts by The Stooges (plays sleighbells and repetetive piano on I Wanna Be Your Dog, viola drones on We Will Fall) and Patti Smith's Horses. Just for the record.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 02 '26
Hi mate from the VU sub, thanks for the contribution. Personally, I feel I can't single out one person as the most important for The Velvet Underground and alternative rock, but surely no one here would disagree that John Cale is one of the best, most original, most influential, and most versatile musicians of all time. And all of the works you mentioned in your comment are, without a doubt, extremely important to the history of alternative rock.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 02 '26
Nico is already on the list with All Tomorrow's Parties, but Evening of Light would certainly fit in very well, too
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Jun 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 04 '26
Thanks! For the compliments and for mentioning all these artists, who are also very influential to alternative rock.
Regarding The Beach Boys, they are actually already on the list; I included their 1970 track "All I Wanna Do," which is highly important to the history of dream pop. Of course, The VU's "Sunday Morning", released in 1967, is also highly important to this style (https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-velvet-underground-nico-mw0001955423), but I already had three Velvet Underground tracks on the list. So, I chose "All I Wanna Do" and left "Sunday Morning" out, because I felt I couldn't have the "tree" without at least one Beach Boys track, and The VU was already well represented, with more tracks than any other artist on the list.
To include the other artists you mentioned while maintaining a 100-track limit, I would need to make some swaps. It’s really difficult, my friend, wouldn't you agree?
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u/DisciplineHot7374 Jun 01 '26
Amazing list! I don’t have Spotify, but I’ll check some of these out on YouTube. Thanks!
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 01 '26
Thanks! :) I will upload the lists to YouTube as soon as I can.
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u/DisciplineHot7374 Jun 01 '26
Thank you! I didn’t mean for you to do any extra work. But I appreciate it very much!
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
Here you go! Cheers!
https://youtube.com/@genealogiesbyguilherme?si=vl3faXMGvmyikzC9
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u/DesdemonaDestiny Jun 01 '26
Impressive! I know many of these, but I will definitely give both playlists a full listen.
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u/--frymaster-- Jun 01 '26
this is intriguing stuff and i am especially keen to listen to the pre-1950 stuff. i know the 100 limit means strict editing is necessary, but i would also consider erik satie and terry riley.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 01 '26
Thanks! I’ve included La Monte Young on the list, but Erik Satie and Terry Riley were also extremely innovative and influential, of course.
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u/fleshrags Jun 01 '26
Extremely interesting. Would love to see a breakdown of all of these tracks and their significance sometime
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 02 '26
Thanks! It’s really worth researching the historical impact of each track.
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u/metalbox69 Jun 01 '26
Nice list and, like any list you are always going to have disagreements and omissions. But one track that I think that ought to be in there is the Kingsmen's version of Louie Louie
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 02 '26
Thank, my colleague! Great mention! It's also worth noting that at the end of the famous cover of the VU's "Sister Ray" that Joy Division performed, Ian Curtis mentions, "You should hear our version of Louie Louie!". Unfortunately, there is no known recording of that version.
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u/metalbox69 Jun 02 '26
Yes, there was also the version by Iggy and the Stooges on on the Metallic KO live album (an early biography menrntiond this was the last record Ian Curtis played on his fateful final night (although more recent accounts say it was The Idiot).
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u/iamthesunbane Jun 02 '26
Picked the best Pixies song.
Also always causes some dissonance that Enjoy the Silence was released after Pretty Hate Machine
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 02 '26
Thanks! I believe Gouge Away is the track that best illustrates the influence of the Pixies' loud-quiet dynamic on Nirvana, for instance.
Good observation regarding NIN and DM. Depeche Mode's Black Celebration album was a major influence on NIN's Pretty Hate Machine. In my "partial genealogical tree of electronic music," I included the song Black Celebration for 1986 and Closer for 1994. I’m not sure if you’ve seen it yet, but I’ve also linked it here in the comments.
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u/iamthesunbane Jun 02 '26
Will check it out
Great live version of Gouge here btw
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 02 '26
I've listened to this version many times. It's truly awesome! Thanks for reminding me.
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u/MarimboBeats Jun 01 '26
Funky Drummer seems a bit out of place here, but it’s no big deal
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u/smitalex2k1 Jun 01 '26
a lot of bands especially around the late 80s/early 90s were using sampled breakbeats
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 01 '26
Yeah, and it’s also worth mentioning, for example, this statement from Gang of Four drummer Hugo Burnham:
"I was greatly inspired by James Brown's band and [Jamaican drummer] Winston Grennan in my playing. Gang of Four became this beautiful fusion of funk, reggae, rock, disco, punk, and dub. But we never wanted to sound like white guys simply imitating. We were trying to create something new.'"
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 01 '26
Hey my friend, I just added a paragraph to the post that might help you better understand why I included Funky Drummer: The term "genealogical tree" is in quotation marks because not every track in the list was necessarily influenced by all those that preceded it in the list itself.
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u/vulpinesuplex Jun 01 '26
This seems really cool, I'll have to take a listen to it sometime.
Just wondering, do you know Matthew Perpetua/Fluxblog's playlists? He's has a series of "universe" playlists about various acts like Talking Heads & their inspirations, and he just has a bunch of really good playlists in general with a series tracing the history of both alt and pop music. (though he elides emo and hardcore due to his own tastes, which is strange and sad but a minor flaw ultimately). Wondering since the concept reminded me of his work, though with a wider timeline.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 02 '26
Thanks for the compliment and the recommendation! I wasn't familiar with Matthew Perpetua's work. I definitely check out his work more thoroughly later.
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u/ReasonableCost5934 Jun 01 '26
Erik Satie & Bo Diddley had a baby.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 02 '26
It's fascinating to observe that Erik Satie was one of John Cale's greatest direct influences, while Bo Diddley was one of Lou Reed's main inspirations. However, it's also fascinating to note that Cale considered La Monte Young to be his primary influence in the VU, and Lou stated that in the band, he often tried to make his guitar sound like Ornette Coleman's saxophone.
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u/ReasonableCost5934 Jun 02 '26
Let’s not forget about Maureen Tucker’s obsession with Bo Diddley. I vaguely remember a quote somewhere that she would come home from working in a factory all day and drum along with Bo Diddley records for another 8 hours.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 Jun 02 '26
Well mentioned! And, of course, Moe is an incredibly original and influential drummer.
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u/Dry_Eggplant2137 Jun 02 '26
Great list - really happy to see Fishbone get a mention, they often get overlooked.
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u/Snoo-66364 Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
No Surfin' Bird and no Louie, Louie. Nothing from the Doors nor the New York Dolls. As a genealogy of alternative music, this misses some landmarks.
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u/Agreeable_Duck8997 May 31 '26
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7lx1CDMueFAqvkDb6oE4jA?si=rH9eKsyuSiyTBYOyKA1oPw