EARLY 90S ALTERNATIVE: Kim Deal vs. Billy C.

The early 90s may seem like only yesterday, but the musical possibilities that once existed are surely a thing of the past. Popular music got a taste of punk-flavored outfits and female artists had more say than ever. Lots of punk rawk chicks. Cool.

Could there possibly have been a cooler band than The Breeders in the early 90s? What started as a goofy side project for Pixies’ bassist Kim Deal — the most intriguing and talented chick bass player around (sorry, Tina Weymouth and D’Arcy) — quickly morphed into an indie-pop powerhouse. In 1993, The Breeders quickly rose to the top of their alterna-class when they dropped their idiosyncratic masterpiece Last Splash. With the success of “Cannonball” (one of the most rocking, rollicking mistakes Billboard’s Hot 100 ever made), Kim Deal and her ragtag rock team landed a spot on 1994’s Lollapalooza tour and stood poised to save music after the implosion of grunge.

And then, too-much, too-soon success, drug abuse and in-house fighting led to the gradual disintegration of one of rock’s most promising bands. Almost a decade later, these visionaries have reunited and released their most impressive work to-date with 2002’s Title TK. Filled with biting in-jokes and bluesy, deconstructed rock, this stunner saw the Sisters Deal make good on the promises of a time long, long ago.

Number of studio albums proper: Four. Professional musician since: 1988 Top ranking album: Last Splash (1994, No. 33) Top ranking single: “Cannonball” (1994, No. 44)

I never thought I’d be championing the ex-Smashing Pumpkins singer for his lasting appeal. Based on looks and logistics alone, who would’ve thought that a bald, elfin man with the whiniest voice on the early ‘90s grunge scene would have persevered past “1979”? But thankfully, the times called for intelligent, angst-filled music and Corgan complied— Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was/is an artistic, aching album, perhaps one of the most innovative and well crafted discs of the past 50 years. Of course he had a hell of a backing band, but Corgan was the one who turned wounded alienation into poetry.

But sadly, following many incendiary early-90s bands before them, the Smashing Pumpkins met their demise in 2000. Luckily, Corgan again found the music, forming all-star group Zwan in 2001. Its 2003 effort, Mary Star of the Sea, gracefully resurrects Corgan’s arty style. People might criticize Zwan for its imitative sound — but if you really think about it, Corgan was so far ahead of his musical peers during Pumpkins time that the world is now finally catching up with Zwan.

Number of studio albums proper: One with Zwan; five with the Pumpkins Professional musician since: 1988 Top ranking album: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995, No. 1) Top ranking single: “1979” (1996, No. 1)