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MEMORIES:
kendra remembers...I guess I'm going to be one of the negative memories.(lol) I just never understood the fuss about this band.It ... More »
Posted on 08/28/08
PHOTOS:
Release History:
24 Sep 1991 - Nevermind
15 Dec 1992 - Incesticide
14 Sep 1993 - In Utero
25 Oct 1994 - MTV Unplugged in New York
19 Oct 1996 - From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
Members:
Krist "Chris" Novoselic...bass
Dave Grohl...drums
Although uncomfortable with the attention, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain became the “flagship band” for a generation (X, for those who aren’t sure what I’m talking about). Prior to Nirvana’s breakthrough, alternative rock was shoved off to the side of record stores, and labels dismissed it almost entirely. 1991’s Nevermind changed minds and the landscape of rock, bringing new sounds to the American mainstream like never before.
Kurt Cobain met Krist Novoselic in 1985 in Aberdeen, Washington, about 100 miles from Seattle, the soon-to-be-hotbed for the rough and unpolished grunge sound pioneered by bands like the Melvins. Nirvana’s first official release was the single “Love Buzz/Big Cheese” in 1988, and 1989 saw Nirvana releasing their first album, Bleach. The record had a limited pressing of only one-thousand white vinyl records that were sold at a music festival. The album became a college radio station favorite, though it didn’t give an accurate preview of where the band’s sound would be going.
In early 1990, Nirvana began working with Butch Vig (who in the mid-90s would become the drummer for Garbage) on their follow-up to Bleach. During these sessions, Kurt and Krist realized that their drummer wasn’t the ‘right one’ and Chad Channing was let go. After a few weeks of going through drummer after drummer, they were eventually introduced to Dave Grohl, who was looking for a new band following the sudden breakup of his band, the D.C. hardcore punk outfit, Scream. The same year, they also were signed by David Geffen to DGC Records, and continued to work with Vig on the album. Eventually also working with Slayer producer, Andy Wallace, Nirvana found themselves tempered by an album ready for mainstream rock, Nevermind.
Initially, DGC Records was hoping to sell 250,000 copies of the album, which is what they were able to get with Sonic Youth, but Nevermind went just a little bit further, selling over three-million copies (certified triple-platinum!) in less than six months after it’s initial release. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” got them heavy play on the radio and on MTV with it’s anarchic high school pep rally we all wished would break out at our high school. Music lovers discovered the melodic head banging potential with songs like “Come As You Are,” “In Bloom,” “Lithium” and “Drain You.” Big hard rock hair bands like Poison, Warrant, Mötley Crüe and others were tossed to the side, and Seattle grunge gods, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were finding themselves with airplay. ‘Alternative’ was the new ‘mainstream’ and suburban kids ditched the Aqua Net for… okay, they ditched the shower, too and got nice and dirty, trading in their skin tight pants for second-hand flannel and faded jeans. Outcasts were cool, and so was Nirvana.
By 1995, the album went Diamond, selling over 10 million copies, and is easily included in every major ‘all-time’ list for rock albums. In 2004, it was one of fifty recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. The success of Nevermind never took the raw edge off the band. In live performances and other television appearances, the band flaunted their anti-rock star image, taunting the youth of America for liking them without understanding them, or knowing what they’re talking about.
In 1992, Cobain married Courtney Love of the band Hole, and the couple had a daughter later that summer, Francis Bean. Citing exhaustion, the band decided not to do another tour in the U.S. but to perform a handful of dates in that year. While the group was taking their break, Geffen released an album of cover songs and early material at the end of that year. Incesticide reached #39 on the U.S. charts, and eventually went platinum.
Produced in two quick weeks, In Utero hit the shelves in September, 1993, and gave listeners a further glimpse into the troubles Cobain found in his personal life. Songs like “All Apologies” and “Heart-Shaped Box” proved that as much as he hated pop music, he certainly knew how to write it. Despite the pre-release talk that Nirvana was trying to ditch the fair-weather fans, In Utero became another hit for the band, debuting at #1 and sold 5 million in the U.S. The album didn’t come out with ease, however, as In Utero faced corporate censorship. Giant chains, K-mart and Wal-Mart refused to carry the record, citing that song titles like “Rape Me” and Kurt’s plastic fetus collage on the back-cover as too controversial for their stores. The band went along with the request, and put together a package with “clean” artwork and re-titled “Rape Me” as “Waif Me.” When asked about it later, Kurt noted that he could relate to small-town people who don’t have local music stores and are forced to buy their music at these big chains. At the end of 1993, the band sat down for MTV Unplugged in New York. The sessions included original material as well as a broad selection of covers. It became a hallmark moment for Nirvana, amplified by the tragedy soon to come for them.
Canceling the later portion of their European tour, Cobain became ill, and the performances were declining with Kurt looking bored and distracted. In March, he was found unconscious by his wife, Courtney, and was rushed to the hospital, having overdosed on Rohypnol and alcohol. In the following weeks, Cobain’s heroin addiction resurfaced, and after an intervention and a stint in rehab, be escaped, only to be found dead from a gun-inflicted gunshot sound a week later. In his life, Cobain was the voice of a dissatisfied generation, and in death, he became their martyr.
At the end of 1994, the acoustic album from the MTV Unplugged sessions was released, showing the softer, soul-wrenching side of Cobain’s pain. A final album, 1996’s From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, brought the other Nirvana experience, loud, angry, and distorted. Both albums went multi platinum, keeping the Nirvana legacy alive.
In 2002, after years of rumor, speculation and legal wrangling, Nirvana fans got what they’d wanted for years, the band’s final studio recording. “You Know You’re Right” was released, topping the alternative charts, and charting well on the Billboard charts. A compilation was released in 2002, simply titled Nirvana and in 2004, the boxed set, With the Lights Out, was released filled with rarities and other gems for the die-hard Nirvana fan.
Beyond Nirvana, Dave Grohl went on to form his own band, the Foo Fighters, finding long-term success with them, as well as drumming for other bands, including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Mike Watt, Queens of the Stone Age, Tenacious D, Nine Inch Nails, Garbage and Cat Power. Krist formed the experimental group, Sweet 75, with singer Yva Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Kurt Cobain remains the tragic hero to a legion of fans and music lovers. Nirvana’s songs remain a constant staple of rock radio, reminding us all that his candle was out all too soon.
