No Alternative

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]

  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.