The Alt Vault Music Collection is a group of CDs that can serve as a history timeline for those who wish to relive the 90s. Every song is a recognizable hit from that time era.

Alternative rock has its roots in the punk movement of the late 70s. Punk brought music back to basics with a raw and minimalist sound that was different than the popular music of the time. Then throughout the 80s an underground group of bands who were played mostly on college radio and inspired by punk music started to be labeled as the alternative choice. But it wasn’t until the 90s that alternative music would become a recognizable catch phrase and by the mid 90s almost all music on the radio was considered alternative music.

Alternative music of the 90s was guitar-driven with poetic, angst-driven lyrics and melodic riffs. With it’s more social driven themes, alternative music arose as a backlash against the frivolous materialism of the 80s.

One of the bands who led the alternative music scene in the 90s was Jane’s Addiction. The band can be found on Disc 2 with their hit "Been Caught Stealing" which was a hit in the United States and played frequently on MTV. Jane’s Addiction emerged from Los Angeles, California in 1985 breaking up in 1991, just as the alternative scene was expanding. Perry Farrell, Jane’s Addiction’s flamboyant front man founded Lollapalooza, a music festival held around the country and boasted the hottest alternative bands of the year.

Another important band of the era was Radiohead, a true alternative rock band formed in England. "Creep" was their first single which was released in 1992 and wasn’t to become a hit in the United States until a year later. This song can be found on the Alt Vault collection on Disc 2. Part of Radiohead’s appeal comes from it’s lead singer Thom Yorke’s somber falsetto.

The Lemonheads were on a regular rotation on college radio in the late 80s and early 90s and finally hit mainstream popularity in America with "It’s a Shame about Ray" in 1992, off the album with the same name. The song can be found on Disc 2 on Alt Vault, http://www.asseenontvofficialsite.com/The-ALT-Vault-3-CD-Music-Set-p/music01.htm

Another important group from the 90s, Marcy Playground, emerged in the late 90s and came out with a self titled album in 1997. Their hit "Sex and Candy" is on the Alt Vault disc 3. The song lasted 15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Although they were influenced by Kurt Cobain’s Nirvana, they have an unusual sound, which varies from song to song. Their lyrics reveal poetic images and emotional story lines with a British inspired psychedelia edge. The group hails from Minneapolis.

Many people when thinking of alternative music think of Seattle and the so called "Grunge" era, but alternative music evolved along many different roads throughout the 90s with bands from many different cities and different flavors of sound. Bands like the Gin Blossoms, Ben Folds Five and Porno For Pyros are included in the Alt Vault collection which provides a nostalgic reminder of the days when Bill Clinton was president and technologies like the internet and compact cell phones were emerging technologies.