Casting a Wider Net to List Key ‘80s Influences on ‘90s Pop Music Saturday Letters

Regarding the article “It Was ‘80s Indie-Label Groups That Most Influenced Big Acts of the ‘90s” (John Roos, Oct. 28):

Mr. Roos forgot to mention two of the most influential “late-’80s” bands that crossed over to the ‘90s before both breaking up: the Pixies and Throwing Muses.

Mr. Roos also forgot to mention probably the most influential label of the ‘80s that is still going strong: 4AD, home to not only Throwing Muses but also Cocteau Twins and Bauhaus (among others, too many to list here).

Maybe the oversight of 4AD is due to the fact that it’s a British label, but still, without 4AD, many of the most influential bands of the era would never have gotten their sound heard, since even the most independent of domestic labels were wary of promoting these bands.

To put a finer point on it: Without the Pixies, the music of the mid- to late-’90s would be vastly different (imagine American popular music without Nirvana or Nine Inch Nails), and the dearth of creativity and innovation would be staggering.

CHRISTIAN F. HOKENSON

Burbank