Nevermind

by Nirvana

Product Description:

Nirvana: Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar); Chris Novoselic (vocals, bass); David Grohl (vocals, drums).

Additional personnel: Kirk Canning (cello).

Recorded at Sound City, Van Nuys, California.

Nirvana: Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar); Chris Novoselic (vocals, bass); David Grohl (vocals, drums).

Additional personnel: Kirk Canning (cello).

Recorded at Sound City, Van Nuys, California.

NEVERMIND raised groundbreaking Seattle grunge trio Nirvana to the status of Godhead, forever changing the face of the pop music market. Punk energy and aesthetic ("Territorial Pissings," "Drain You") are its lifeblood; pop melody, harmony, and structure ("Something In The Way," "Come As You Are") its selling points; Kurt Cobain's roaring guitars and subconscious intellect ("Smells Like Teen Spirit," "In Bloom") its heart and soul. Nobody had come up with an album like NEVERMIND before, because no one could conceive of an album like it--not since Husker Du had broken up, anyway.

But the place where NEVERMIND struck the most firmly and personally was in the gut. Cobain's throaty roar, mumbled speech, and fumbled appearance all confirmed to his audience that he was of and for them, even as his gift for combining unforgettable melodies with acerbic insights showed that he was utterly unique. "Here we are now, entertain us" may have come and gone as a catch-phrase, but as an insight into a generation's bitterly restless tide, it ranks right up there with "I can't get no satisfaction."

A few years after the matter, even the album cover appears vaguely symbolic: an innocent babe, braving the hazards, lunging for the seductive prize at the end of a hook. Few would've given good odds that the youngster would actually be able to snatch the green, swim back to shore, and laugh triumphantly in the fisherman's face; and history has made fools of those who thought it couldn't be done. NEVERMIND not only gave Nirvana the prize the band had reached out for, it included some epic consequences in the bargain--raising the Seattle grunge trio to the status of Godhead, and forever changing the face of the pop music market.

As ground-breaking albums go, NEVERMIND seemed expressly designed for a post-modern existence. The punk energy and aesthetic ("Territorial Pissings," "Drain You") were its lifeblood; melody, harmony and structure ("Something In The Way," "Come As You Are") were its selling points; the roaring guitars and sub-conscious intellect ("Smells Like Teen Spirit," "In Bloom") were its heart and soul. Nobody had come up with an album like NEVERMIND before, because no one could conceive of an album like it--not since Husker Du had broken up, anyway.

But the place where NEVERMIND struck the most firmly and personally was in the gut. Cobain's throaty roar, mumbled speech, fumbled appearance all confirmed that he was of us, with us, and for us; his gift for combining melodies with acerbic insights showed that he was unlike us. "Here we are now, entertain us" may have come and gone as a catch-phrase, but as an insight into a generation's bitterly restless tide, it ranks right up there with "I can't get no satisfaction."