Classic Albums: Nevermind a classic for a generation
I know I did my first classic album on the Foo Fighter's Colour and the Shape and never mentioned Nirvana in the article. I usually do that when I talk about the Foo Fighters because the two bands are different and I want people to see that Dave Grohl was more than a drummer in one of the biggest bands of all time and can stand on his own.
After writing that article, I picked up my With the Lights Out Nirvana boxed set and started reading some of the liner notes. One of the authors wrote that out of 20 teenagers that he polled only nine of them knew who Nirvana were. That was written at least three years ago and I bet that stat could be raised to at lessened to seven-out-of 20.
Nirvana
Nevermind (1991)
I was 14-years-old and I had just seen the song (and lead off track) “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on MuchMusic. My jaw had hit the floor. Not only did the song kick me in the junk, but the video was chaotic and it was a scene I wanted to be a part of. I was into metal at that age, but nothing had hit me as hard making me think that that was “MY” music. Seeing how I didn't have a license, I persuaded my mom to take a trip to the mall to pick some stuff up and then used what little money I had at that time to buy this disc. I was just blown away and so were most of my friends that I played it for.
There's so much more to this album than “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” every song on here is a classic and deserves its own light. “In Bloom's” scratchy and yelled chorus is enough to have anyone try to sing like Kurt and the same goes for the amazingly written “Lithium.” “Breed,” “Drain You,” “Territorial Pissings,” “Stay Away” and the rest all follow in the same plan: make it simple, make it catchy and make it rock.
“Come As You Are” showed a mellower side of the band without losing their heavier, rock edge and catchy songwriting ability. “Something in the Way” takes that mellower side and cranks it as the album ends, but also adds a creepy atmosphere thanks to the slightly out of tune guitars and cello being played overtop of the track. It's almost like the soundtrack to a funeral.
Yes, the songs could be written off as simple, the vocals are absurd and the band wasn't as polished live as they are on here, but that doesn't take away that this was a milestone record, not only for the dozens of bands that imitated them or the record companies looking to make money from this explosion of “grunge” music, but it was a milestone and the soundtrack to a generation. My generation. Nothing but pleasant memories come into my head when I spin this disc and I still play it regularly as if it came out this year. If you don't have it, shame on you.
After writing that article, I picked up my With the Lights Out Nirvana boxed set and started reading some of the liner notes. One of the authors wrote that out of 20 teenagers that he polled only nine of them knew who Nirvana were. That was written at least three years ago and I bet that stat could be raised to at lessened to seven-out-of 20.
Nirvana
Nevermind (1991)
I was 14-years-old and I had just seen the song (and lead off track) “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on MuchMusic. My jaw had hit the floor. Not only did the song kick me in the junk, but the video was chaotic and it was a scene I wanted to be a part of. I was into metal at that age, but nothing had hit me as hard making me think that that was “MY” music. Seeing how I didn't have a license, I persuaded my mom to take a trip to the mall to pick some stuff up and then used what little money I had at that time to buy this disc. I was just blown away and so were most of my friends that I played it for.
There's so much more to this album than “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” every song on here is a classic and deserves its own light. “In Bloom's” scratchy and yelled chorus is enough to have anyone try to sing like Kurt and the same goes for the amazingly written “Lithium.” “Breed,” “Drain You,” “Territorial Pissings,” “Stay Away” and the rest all follow in the same plan: make it simple, make it catchy and make it rock.
“Come As You Are” showed a mellower side of the band without losing their heavier, rock edge and catchy songwriting ability. “Something in the Way” takes that mellower side and cranks it as the album ends, but also adds a creepy atmosphere thanks to the slightly out of tune guitars and cello being played overtop of the track. It's almost like the soundtrack to a funeral.
Yes, the songs could be written off as simple, the vocals are absurd and the band wasn't as polished live as they are on here, but that doesn't take away that this was a milestone record, not only for the dozens of bands that imitated them or the record companies looking to make money from this explosion of “grunge” music, but it was a milestone and the soundtrack to a generation. My generation. Nothing but pleasant memories come into my head when I spin this disc and I still play it regularly as if it came out this year. If you don't have it, shame on you.
