10 Most Underrated Grunge Albums
2. Deep Six - Sub Pop Compilation
The fact that grunge exploded the way it did owes a great debt to Sub Pop Records. Despite just being a start up indie label in the Pacific Northwest, it slowly became a breeding ground for promising talent, with everyone from Soundgarden to Nirvana making some of their first records on Sub Pop. However, the biggest sign of grunge's potential didn't even come from a proper band.
Long before they really got the ball rolling, Sub Pop's initial decision to release different compilation albums gave fans a taste of what to expect from them in the future. Much like Metal Massacre had done for the thrash metal scene, Deep Six features a who's who of grunge titans, with Green River and Soundgarden being some of the forerunners on the tape. That's not to discount some of the other upstarts on here, with the Melvins featuring pretty prominently as well as Skin Yard, whose guitarist Jack Endino would become pivotal on the production side of grunge as the years went on.
All that's keeping this from topping the list is the lack of bands that are represented, with Nirvana and Pearl Jam not even being ideas when this album was released. Even though other acts like Soundgarden and Nirvana may have gotten higher praise among the masses, this is probably as grungy as a grunge album gets.