The notion that
Nevermind is some terrible hunk of garbage is pretty absurd and sick to my mind. I've never understood why
Nevermind has to be massacred in the process of picking
Bleach or another Nirvana album as their best. I don't mind Mr. Vig's production work, though I can understand the criticisms of it. I like the songs, so I don't have much interest in analyzing the technical aspects of their recording or assessing whether the production is some sort of timeless sonic masterwork. I'm no Greg Klot or Jim DeRoglottis! I am, however, an unabashed fan of rock that features production that would send most people into an soundproof bunker, so there's no amount of Vig knob-twirling that would phase me. I once told someone
1 that Robert "Mutt" Lange's production on
Hysteria was "a bit too raw and spare for my taste." I've always liked that
Bleach,
Nevermind, and
In Utero offered different takes on the recording/production of the band with Endino, Vig, and Albino (+ Scott Litt remixing) at the helm. Plus, the
Unplugged performance/album, which is a stunning document forever haunted by the tragedy four months later. It's great, but I have a hard time listening to it.
In general, I think one's response to and connection with
Nevermind has a lot to do with the context of the initial exposure. I can vividly recall returning home from school, securing a pack of Lance® Toastchee® Sandwich Crackers, and flipping on MTV hoping to see Skid Row's "Slave to the Grind" video (or at least Pauley Shore chillin'). It's hard to discuss "Smells Like Teen Spirit" without lapsing into drippy cliche, but I found it to be a very powerful experience. I knew it was good and I knew it was good in a way that was different than GNR or Warrant or Ratt or Dokken or White Lion or
Tesla, although I guess some of the revisionist history on this album is that it wasn't really that much different than the glossy rock of the previous era -- ear candy all the same! Oh what a tangled web Charles R. Martin weaves! Axl and Kurt! And based on the video, it was clear that this was clearly coming from
somewhere else that was not the clubs that populated the Sunset Strip. Tawny Kitaen was not dangling from the gymnasium rafters while wearing a wind-aided sheer nightgown. For me,
Nevermind served as a
Chippert Report-level lidblower and cracked the door on the opportunity to further explore new musical worlds that had existed in parallel for years -- some completely new to me and others involving bands that I knew and liked in a more casual way without knowing that much about their origins or scene or why they didn't use potent hairspray or dress flamboyantly aside from like Bob Stinson's tutu fetish, Pete Buck's paisley shirts, Frank Black's buttless chaps. Yes he did wear those.
My experience with music up to that point was mostly rooted in mainstream radio/MTV (during a period of time when those musical streams were actually quite varied and good
2) with a focus on metal (pop/thrash/classic). My early collection of CASSettes included MJ's
Off the Wall and
Thriller; Men at Work's
Business as Usual; ZZ Top's
Eliminator; The J. Geils Band, Van Halen, Pat Benetar, Joan Jett, William Joel, Huey Lewis, etc. The two 45s I recall owning were Terrence Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball" and Barrance Manilow's "Can't Smile Without You." Thinking about it now, I've always had an affinity for what would be classified as "power pop,"
3 although I didn't know the term at the time. I was also exposed to heavy doses of Frank Sinatra (via my dad's enthusiasm) and Fleetwood Mac's
Rumours, which my then next-door neighbor spun every night for months, the sounds wafting through a half-open bedroom window as a sort of Hitchcockian lullaby
4.
So perhaps my love of
Nevermind is clouded by the haze of nostalgia? A couple weeks ago I acquired the
Nevermind reissue and cranked it in my car like it was 1991 and it sounded great to me
5. I was particularly pleased by these tracks:
"Smells Like Teen Spirit"
"In Bloom"
"Come as You Are"
"Breed"
"Lithium"
"Polly"
"Territorial Pissings"
"Drain You"
"Lounge Act"
"Stay Away"
"On a Plain"
-----------
1It was my pastor, Greg.
2I don't know why I would possibly remember this but I know that one 1989 afternoon I saw an MTV 1-2-3 wallop of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me" followed by Bob Mould's "See A Little Light" followed by Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" and I'm almost certain the VJ on duty was my beloved China Kantner! It's positively bizarre that my mind would record this specific trio as being particularly noteworthy since I'm sure there are countless examples of similar video blocks during MTV's glory days. Either way, it's interesting that there was a time that MTV would unleash this kind of stuff in their regular rotation. Now all they show are these damn reality shows! Where's all the music?! Where's that Megadeth baseline?! And most importantly, where is dearest Kevin Seal? I heard a rumor that he now weighs 600 pounds.
3I think it's incredibly disturbing that
PPPP had a "Popper" designed specifically for use against women.
4I witnessed a murder taking place in the neighbor's bedroom while "The Chain" played. I didn't call the police.
5In the same week I bought the new Sebastian Bach solo album,
Kicking & Screaming, a shockingly strong effort. I'm never not amazed at the staggering decline in album sales. This album
debuted at #73 on the Billboard Top 200 chart with sales of
6,600!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
