Album Review: Nevermind - Nirvana (1993)
This week I’ll be doing an album review of Never mind from Nirvana. I haven’t done an album review in a while, and now is the perfect time due to the 21st anniversary of the lead singer Kurt Cobain’s passing.
The Band: Nirvana started in Aberdeen, Washington. The band was formed by Lead singer/Guitarist Kurt Cobain, and Bassist Krist Novoselic. The duo met in High School, Cobain wanted to start a band with Novoselic, however he didn’t say yes till 3 years later. The band searched for a drummer, until finding Chad Channing. In 1989, the trio released their first album, Bleach, while under the label sub-pop. The album became a success as it played on college radio stations, as well as the band playing on their national tour in 1989. While preparing for recording, Channing left the band due to disenchantment. In 1990, the band added drummer Dave Grohl, before recording never mind. After the release of never mind, the band was entered in the mainstream. The first single,” Smells like teen spirit” was gaining popularity, due to playing on MTV and radio shows. The album sold 400,000 copies, and it was number 1 on the billboard charts, beating Michael Jackson. In 1993, the band started recording their third album, In Utero. After In Utero was released, the band dealt with success of the album as it sold over 3 million copies, and landed number 1 on the billboard charts. However, Cobain has had struggles with success and fame during the success of In Utero. He felt uncomfortable with his personal life being a main topic of the media, and hated being a role model of the generation. He got into heroine along with his wife, Courtney Love. However he struggled with the addiction, as well as struggled with depression and fame. On April 8th, Kurt Cobain was found dead due to a shotgun wound to the head. It was one of the biggest deaths of that generation, and of music. After the death of Cobain, Novosolic and Grohl
The Album: Never mind was one of the best albums in the 90s. The album opened many doors for Nirvana in the mainstream. The album also scored number 1 on the billboard charts, beating Michael Jackson. Containing badass guitar riffs and memorable lyrics, this album spoke for the 90s generation. Whether you were born in the 90s, or born in the millennium, you knew about Nevermind, and you knew about Nirvana.
1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit“– Smells like teen spirit is the perfect album opener, and everyone’s favorite album. It has killer guitar riffs that open the song, and the lyrics are badass,”With the lights out, it’s less dangerous. Here we are now, entertain us…” I give so many props to Cobain and his lyrics. The music video is memorable as well, and one of the best music videos as well.
2. "In Bloom" – Another favorite song of mine (It’s obvious I love every song in the album). Another guitar riff starts the song, while the verse and chorus come in later on. The lyrics and music blend together very well. They give a deep vibe for a very deep song. The music video says a lot as well. The band performed the song while having a 60s tv show vibe. I love the music video for the creativity, and having the inspiration of the Beatles.
3. "Come as You Are" – This song is pretty good, and I love the lyrics for the song. Once again, the lyrics blend really well with the music. “Take your time, hurry up. Choice is yours, don’t be late…” Those lyrics have a really deep meaning in the song.
4. "Breed" – This song is another favorite of mine. It’s raw, aggressive, the guitar solo is badass.
5. "Lithium" – I love this song so much, this song is my absolute favorite. I love everything about this song, from the beginning guitar riffs, to the lyrics. Its clear Cobain is at his deepest in this song with lyrics like, “I’m so ugly, but that’s okay, cause so are you…”
6. "Polly" – This song has a raw, acoustic guitar vibe. You can hear the drums echoing in the background, but the song mainly focuses on Kurt and his guitar. The lyrics are about a girl
7. "Territorial Pissings" – Another song in the album that I love. It’s really fast and raw. I really love Krist’s intro before the song because it has a lot of energy and starts the song strong. And the lyrics are fast and raw and give energy to the song as well.
8. "Drain You" – One of the songs that is very interesting. The lyrics blend with the music and the guitar licks. The interesting part is when the song goes into a break and slows down, only to go back to the start. It’s a head banging song, which gets fans to love the song from start to finish.
9. "Lounge Act" – Another song that is very interesting. The song starts with the bass line, which then goes to the verse. The best part about the song is when goes from low to raw in minutes. You can hear the raw and strain from his voice.
10. "Stay Away" – This song is in the same category as Territorial; it starts with the drums and goes into absolute rock out mode. It gives a bunch of energy, and it’s not hard to rock out to this song.
11. "On a Plain" – Another fast and raw song. The lyrics are also raw and blend with the song as well. Although there’s a moment where the song slows down for a minute and then goes back to regular tempo. This song is another personal favorite of mine.
12. "Something in the Way – This song is very deep and raw. Even though it contains the trio, you can mostly here Kurt and his guitar. You can definitely tell the emotion Kurt is bringing in this song.
Overall, this album is an absolute classic. It’s an album all fans, new and old, can look up to, and for guitarists that need inspiration. I give so many props for Kurt and the rest of Nirvana for writing the music and lyrics, due to the music and lyrics blending so well together. This album is the absolute best of the 90s. Nirvana has not left music history, as so many musicians today look up to the band. And Kurt will never be forgotten, as he is also someone who many people look up to. Nirvana will never be forgotten.
