372) Nirvana - Nevermind

A trio who was huge in the 90’s. I know everyone was hoping for a review of Hanson and their megahit MMMBop but that’s for another time so I am afraid you are all getting another huge 90’s trio, Nirvana.

Lead singer and main songwriter Kurt Cobain has been dead for over thirty-two years and is still as famous now as when he was alive. He was only famous for four years and as the world knows sadly took his life at the age of just twenty-seven.

I’m twenty and watching Top of the Pops as the band show utter distain for the show’s miming policy (watch on YouTube) but it doesn’t matter because the song blows through the cobwebs but then Simply Red Stars and Michael Jackson Black and White were also on the show, two artists who never caught my imagination. I was already a fan of The Pixies and Cobain admitted ripping them off but the guitar intro, the thunderous drums, and the intoxicating “hello, hello,” refrain made this song an instant classic and a top ten hit. Nevermind slowly climbed the charts and followed Teen Spirit into the top ten.

What the band managed here was to forge the guitars all together, through solid up-front drums and we have the thrash, the quiet and then Cobain vocals, a shout, a croon, low then growled and they all work, In Bloom follows that formula.

Come As You Are is just a great pop single from the opening to the end with a swirling bass and a more relaxed tone than the first two whereas Breed is the exact opposite the band relentless from start to finish, thunderous bass and drums from Krist Novaselic and Dave Grohl and Lithium is a mix of both these songs before Polly arrives almost demo like a harrowing tale of rape.

There's a dip from Territorial Pissings to Stay Away, not bad songs they follow the Nirvana formula but On A Plain has a great chorus and Something In The Way showcases the talent of Cobain, forget guitars and drums just a laidback Kurt, acoustic guitar and a cello added is a beautiful way to end the record because Endless, Nameless was a hidden track and was really not needed.

This record brought happiness to many, what a shame it couldn’t to Kurt Cobain.

 7.5/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Smells Like Teen Spirit