Radio K.A.O.S. is a work of art chock full of melodies wrapped in a cold-war aesthetic. In Utero is deliberately abrasive and at times, atonal. Except, of course, for All Apologies. One album makes my spirit soar, the other makes me nod off.
I did too. Like I said, not my favorite, but they absolutely were a historical turning point in music. Sure others might have ventured the road before, but they grabbed the attention of main stream and epitomized the shift. Once the radio and the change in music was saturated I hated it. As said before it was all anger, frustration and while extremely creative, very limited in musicality. Now I know some are gonna come on and say that their music was groundbreaking original and extremely talented. But come on, if you’ve ever picked up a guitar there is no way you’re going to say any of that is in league with some of the classic rock bands of the past. It was primal rudimental music about self deprivation, sadness, loneliness and unhappiness. I own Nevermind.. don’t spin much, ok I don’t know if ever past right after I bought it. But I own it.
IMO it holds up really well as a great rock record crammed with great tunes, and kids experiencing it today I think it sounds modern as rock really hasn't changed much since then anyway.
I find it odd that people keep saying that Nevermind was the last big rock album, when there have been quite a few rock albums with huge sales and cultural impact since then. Specifically: Enema of the State by blink-182 Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge/The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance American Idiot by Green Day Slipknot/Iowa by Slipknot Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park. From Under The Cork Tree/Infinity On High by Fall Out Boy The first four Breaking Benjamin albums. All these albums were popular with the casuals, but also served as a gateway to more underground music in a way that Nevermind did. Not to mention the huge boost in popularity that rock (classic and modern) gained from Guitar Hero and Rock Band.
My teens were in the 90's, so grunge was an absolutely contemporary phenomenon for me. So much so that it served as the gateway drug to music! In fact, the very first album I heard was... Vs... on cassette that my classmate boroughed to me, I was so hooked on it, he gave me Ten a few days later... the rest is history. Funnily, even back then Nirvana was our least favorite band of that "big four"... somehow, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains all appealed to us more... and that' a feeling that have lasted. Having said that, Nevermind is still pretty good, but maybe its IMPORTANCE is much bigger than its actual value in itself. And yes, I think that was the last big era of rock music.
To each his own but my opinion on these two albums is the reverse of yours. And you talk about Kurt rating to alienate his fans. Roger seems to try to alienate everyone in his path, fans or otherwise.
Honestly, I do try to forget that Jane’s Addiction ever existed, although they certainly did. I would categorize them as their own special brand of awful.
I was 16 when Nevermind hit, 18 for In Utero, 19 when he shot himself. They meant a lot to me at time but now, not so much. I can hear why they appealed to me as a teenager, but to still hold them up that high now would seem pretty stunted. I mean, there's so much music in the world for me to listen to. If I want to scratch that particular itch, I'd rather listen to Joy Division. Ian Curtis wrote better lyrics.
This. Spot on. Which leads to... All great albums those. Especially MCR who came closest to making a more permanent and emphatic mark on music but who ultimately remained niche or sub-genre if you like. None of those albums changed the course of music on a wide scale by virtue of the fact that Nirvana had already done that and in so doing, paved the way for those guys. Those albums are the legacy of Nirvana, esp emo. You could argue that Linkin Park acts as a bridge between the past (grunge) and future (hip hop). I wouldn't say that Nirvana's Nevermind was the last great rock album. But I would say that Nevermind was the last rock album to dominate an entire industry and impact music on a social, cultural and quasi-political level, changing people's attitudes, behaviour, the way they dressed, the way they perceived themselves and others, their worldview - all that - on a wide scale. And this is why Nevermind will always matter.
I was 15 or so when Nevermind came out. The reasons the album resonated for me (not initially at first, btw, I only really appreciated Nirvana after In Utero came out) are because 1) Cobain was calling bullsh!t on all of the music (business) that had come before ("come on people now, smile on your brother") 2) though not apparent from listening to the album, I found out later that Cobain came from a broken home, as did I. There's a special bond that the children of divorce share - a kind of pain that nothing (money, drugs, fame) will ever heal 3) the album truly was (is) an alternative to mainstream music - now more than ever. I've yet to hear another album with the combination of hooks and sonics that Nevermind delivers (Pinkerton, maybe). btw, I'm with you on Joy Division. Another great band.
While I do think In Utero is the band's best album, I've come to realize that it is mostly older material. Which doesn't matter because it's all killer no filler. But it's a bit saddening that Kurt's creative output seems to have nosedived after the band got massive. In 1986-91 he was like a fountain. Old and bored... Serve The Servants -1992 Scentless Apprentice -1992 Heart-Shaped Box -1992 Rape Me -mid 1991 Frances Farmer - early 1992 Dumb - 1990 Very Ape - 1992 Milk It - 1992 or 1993 Pennyroyal Tea - 1990 Radio Friendly Unit Shifter - 1990 Tourettes - 1990 or 1989 or earlier All Apologies - 1990 And after the recording of In Utero until his death he only wrote two songs as far as we know.
Most of those are 1992, which is pretty much what I'd expect for a 1993 album..? That aside, I agree with your last point.
Yeah 7 new songs and 6 older songs. Half old/half new. But yes he was reasonably creative in 1992. And then just seemed to dry up.
