When I first heard Nirvana I thought it was going to be one of those one hit wonder bands that were here one moment and a month later was a band we still wondered if they were together. I heard them on college radio in 1990. I Heard Bleach from a friend and he told me he thought they were very original. I listened with too much intent and thought they were mediocre at best. It's not till 1991 when I was 18 when they crashed all over modern radio stations and MTV that my thought changed. I thought the stuff on Nevermind was great. It was full of bold, brash and angst that no one but Kurt could belt out. Each song felt like it took Kurt a month to write and when he did he was so drained it literally took the life out of him. You could hear the pain in every song. Even the hit song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" sounds like he was listening to too much The Who's "My Generation." Each of the powerful words of Kurt go so well with the music and he uses his provocative words to create a beast in the music.
I mean yea the hype was great, but I did not follow the hype as much. I remember friends of mine asking me if I had a copy of and if I did they were sure to make me one. It was like the Beatles landed for a second time. The hit anthem to me was way over played and I really needed to hear more and more of the album. Thank god "Teen Spirit" was the first track because I could quickly fast forward the tape to the next track. I realized a few months after this boom of Nirvana that I should have bought the CD. There was a bonus track on the CD I wanted that bonus. Only first pressings got that luxury of having it. It was not the best hidden song, but at that time it was new technology and it was a unique experience if you could listen to it.
The Nevermind was played for a little more then a year. MTV milked all of it for what it was worth and created categories for Nirvana and the Seattle sound. We all know about Grunge, but was it really something that was a sound or genre or some bullshit MTV and Rolling Stone hype. Whatever it was, it tarnished my image of these bands. Yea I listened to them, but trying to explain them to an older member of the family and then hearing the type of music they played it was a little unsettling. Nirvana got the worst reputation from this because people also had the video engraved in their head. It was even spoofed by Weird Al.
Nirvana did some good things though and the second and last studio album came out and people remember how powerful the first one was. On the other hand Nirvana cause a few steers in the music world with this album. The video for the wonderful song "Heart Shaped Box" was a little controversial as well as the artwork. I never saw the problem, but when I brought home the CD, it got a little attention from my mother. Warranted or not, the CD was great. Each song from In Utero was a really great song. Major credit for making these songs so good and not as commercial as I thought. One problem was "All Apologies" did and it was more of hit for the Unplugged album then their studio counterpart. Even more credit goes to Steve Albini even though the producing went to him, they never were able to use his mix anyway, but if you have heard his version, it has great moments of Nirvana in their natural environment. There are many stories about what happened with DGC records and Steve and I leave that for you to look at and research. It sounds like a soap opera. If you have the Nirvana Box Set the demo of "Heart Shaped Box" is pretty close on what Steve wanted. Steve even said that DGC wanted a cookie cutter Nirvana that the public would want and not what Nirvana wanted.
In the end there are mixes out there of what Albini did and it's a treat and that is the one they should put out on CD. I kept that fascination with me every time that I play In Utero. All in all the CD is great, if just a little short. I am sure everyone has a copy, if not, find it, rip it, or download it. It is a great CD. Some good music is just need to be shown in a better historical context. Nirvana in their short time here made some of the best music out there. If you agree, enjoy a great time with a classic band. If your new to Nirvana then try it, but be warned it's a hard listen to some people. Have fun!!!
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Nevermind will always hold a special place in my heart. However, the more I listen to In Utero the more I would lean toward it as my favorite. I think because there are fewer singles on this album, whereas, every track on Nevermind can be heard on the radio. It is a raw, punk album and takes a lot out of you when you finish it. I remember in 8th grade, 1996 for me, my friends used to pound out the 'Scentless Apprentice' drum beat on the lunch table.
ReplyDeleteOh the memories...
-Fizz
What a great band. I go back and forth between Pavement or Nirvana as being my faovorite 90s band. Sort of like Husker Du vs. Replacements in the 80s. The difference of course is that Nirvana was gigantic and the other three were underground. But thats just a fluke of nature. Nirvana just wanted to be as big as the Melvins or Mudhoney. But they ended up doing the world a great service by slaying corporate cock rock before our very eyes. Man that was a fun time to witness, the quick death of hair metal in 1992 (don't get me wrong, I love a lot of metal, but it had gotten out of hand by the early 90s).
ReplyDeleteAt the time, Nevermind even sounded a little too raw to the average person, but it still pulled a lot of listeners kicking and screaming into the 90s. And then In Utero took the game even further left field. I think a couple of the total punk songs on Utero are almost gratioutious (sp?), but what the heck, its still in my top 100 albums of all time.
I used to be so bugged that we didn't get more music from Cobain. That the Nirvana catalog was too small. And I still am, but less so. With their studio albums, and the excellent compilation of b-sides "Incesticide" and then three excellent live albums, their catalog stands up next too Husker Du, Mats, or Pavement. The most recent live release, LIve From Reading, is really pretty terrific. It takes all their tunes, and brings that live/raw/punk energy, that makes them different listening experiences than the studio tracks. Very nice.
AKAjazzman/Rick
There are similarities to The Beatles that makes it possible to argue that Nirvana is nearly as important as the Fab Four. The band, like the Beatles, was huge with both critics and the general public. They may not have changed their sound as much (and probably wouldn't have, even if given more time), but they also never compromised for the sake of commercial success. And I believe they changed the sonic landscape, at least a bit, with the grungier sound of Grunge pushing up against the corporate shit that permeated the airwaves back then.
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