Bizarrely, the first track I heard off this album was the hidden track, Endless Nameless. It's one of those moments when I can remember where I first heard it. I was standing in the old HMV in Crawley, UK, and this strange track came on the shop's sound system, I ended up having to ask who the artist was.
At the time, I had no strong interest in Nirvana, not because I was anti-grunge, but that most of the Metal/Heavy Rock magazines that I was reading seemed to be pushing Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and Soundgarden. In addition, the year that the album came out (1991), saw the release of Sepultura's 'Arise' and Metallica's bestseller. So, it was not until "In Utero", that I properly picked up on the band.
Listening back to this album for the first time in a few months, I had forgotten how polished the album sounds. Of course, all the familiar thoughts/observations come flooding back, the quiet/loud, the separation on instrument/vocal tracks, the tales of how Butch Vig would trick Cobain into doing vocal overdubs, the claims of plagiarism by Killing Joke over the riff to Come As You Are, just how pumped up Territorial Pissings makes me feel, and so on.
As I was listening to the album and reading various articles about it's recording, I noticed that The Smithereens were mentioned as having some influence on the album, along with REM and The Pixies. So I dashed off to YouTube and re-lived their appearance on the UK music show The Tube in 1987, playing 'Behind The Wall Of Sleep' which is the period that I remeber them best. I really had to control myself to avoid going off on a tangent and revisiting The Byrds. Well I suppose it won't hurt to have a little peak.
Discover Nirvana!
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Nice to see this at 98, gives me hope!
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Actually Cody, I may have failed to mention that the book which the list is taken from runs chronologically and I am working backwards through it. Why backwards, well I felt my memory of relatively recent events might help trigger other memories when I get further back in time.
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Oh, ok, now I get it. I thought it was a ranking. Fair enough. On with the show. Spice Girls aside, I thought this was the last Great Rock Hope. Truly a record all the kids grabbed onto. I remember being at a mostly hip hop dj thang in Chicago when this was out. Mixed crowd (black/white) mostly teen/college and tunes from Nevermind galvanized 'em all. I just don't think it's possible for that to happen again with a rock band.
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Now that would be an interesting list, "Bands that galvanized the kids". Oh no, Sham 69 are suddenly bouncing around my head... "If the kids are united, they will never be divided"..
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wow robin. your devotion to this round-up is magnificient. keep chuggin!
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Hey Indiepixie, It's going to be a long slog, but it's worth it just for the amount of new/re discovery that the process is kicking up.
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I dug and still dig the grunge scene. The bands in L.A. hated it though, killed that scene. Put together a metal band around that time, if we went on we probably would have ended up a nu-metal band when that scene kicked in. I did a lot of slap, flamenco style type of bass playing in that band.
"In Utero" was a great one, heard Kurt was trying to write an album that everyone would hate. Some people I know like that one better. Kurt was selling out on "Nevermind," he even admitted it from what I remember. I just got into "Bleach," it was the album I didn't like at first.
Great post!
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Thanks Ray. I think Grunge killed hairspray sales as well.
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LOL! Those 80's bands are back now with a vengeance! Motley Crue is doing pretty well with Saints of Los Angeles. The Bullet Boys got signed again after my Bass player buddy/student left the band.
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Yeah, I also heard that Lizzy Borden where back on the road.
Although, looks like they are pushing the more 'shock rock' aspect.
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Looks like old school shock rocker trying to go nu-school.
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I remember between 89 and 91, I was bored with hair metal and still waiting for Def Leppard to release Adrenalize :) So I was looking further afield for new music and started listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Sugar Cubes (to add some up-tempo stuff to my music collection which now included Sarah McLachlan's Solace and Loreena McKennitt's The Visit!) Well, Pearl Jam came along and blew me away. I guess I'm just not good at figuring out who is the voice of the current generation! I picked up on Nirvana much later.