The word iconic is thrown around a lot, but in the case of Nirvana, it’s fitting. Formed in Seattle in 1987, Nirvana pretty much single-handedly catapulted alternative music into the mainstream. Unfortunately, the band’s tenure was tragically cut short by the death of lead singer, Kurt Cobain, yet the band’s cultural impact remains celebrated today.
The Beginning of Nirvana
Nirvana established themselves on the alternative Seattle grunge rock scene in the late 1980s. Singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic met while attending Aberdeen High School in Washington and recruited drummer Aaron Burkhard (replaced by Dave Grohl in 1990). Together they pioneered their iconic sound – loud moody chords set to uplifting pop choruses. When thinking of what to call themselves, Cobain and Novoselic flirted with Fecal Matter and Pen Cap Chew, before settling on Nirvana.
Their debut album Bleach (1989) was recorded with local man Jack Endino for the legendary Sub Pop label. It’s no surprise that Bleach is Sub Pop’s biggest-selling disc though the outfit’s first single ‘Love Buzz’ was actually penned by Shocking Blue’s Dutch guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen. The Beatle-esque ‘About a Girl’ and the semi-autobiographical furor of ‘Negative Creep’ became the album’s live calling cards and set them up well for 1991’s landmark event – the release of Nevermind (1991).
Nirvana’s Nevermind – Everything Changed
Here the dynamic time shifts come good, partly thanks to producer Butch Vig’s ability to translate the band’s sometimes ornery mood into effective and coherent dynamite – with new drummer Dave Grohl onboard they certainly sounded tougher – and ensured everything fell into place.
But no one was prepared for the acclaim that would come with the release of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, which ripped through American radio airwaves and blasted alternative rock into the forefront of mainstream music.
Cobain became a symbol of anti-establishment and a reluctant voice for Generation X. Slight in build and generally reticent in nature, when he hit the stage he could make pronouncements about detesting homophobia, racism, and sexism and speak to an audience in a language they understood. Nevermind continued to spin off hits after “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, including “In Bloom”, and the immortal “Come As You Are”.
Nirvana Releases In Utero (1993)
Following the compilation, Insecticide (1992), a fine, arcane, and often obscure set of demos and darn strange covers, we come to the business of In Utero (1993). Now, following Nevermind would have defeated most people, but Nirvana swapped Sound City in Van Nuys for some funky cabin in snowbound Minnesota. Steve Albini lent a polished, chromatic plate to their riffs and rhythms, while producer Scott Litt added his studio magic to “Heart-Shaped Box: and “All Apologies”. This album has sold over 15 million copies already, remarkable considering they made it in six days (Kurt’s vocals were done in six hours) in freezing isolation. It’s another classic for sure and has gathered praise in the passing years with the realization that this contains some of Cobain’s most lucid and heartfelt writing while the musical aspects are astonishingly potent. Everyone’s got their favorite track on this album.
Nirvana MTV’s Unplugged (1994)
Nirvana’s performance of MTV’s Unplugged in New York (1994) is certainly one to cherish and rediscover. Unlike many artists who appeared on the show, Nirvana filmed the entire live performance of 14 songs in a single take. In addition to their own hits, the band covered David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World” and Curt Kirkwood’s “Plateau.”
The set ended with a performance of the traditional “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”, following the arrangement of blues musician Lead Belly, whom Kurt Cobain described before the song as “his favorite performer ever”. After the band finished, Cobain argued with the show’s producers, who wanted an encore. Cobain refused because he felt he could not top the performance of that song. Incidentally, the guitar Cobain used during the performance has gone on to become one of the most famous guitars in history.
The Death of Cobain & The Aftermath
Kurt Cobain’s death in April of 1994 at the age of 27, sent shock waves through the rock world. A public vigil was held on April 10, at a park at Seattle Center, drawing approximately 7,000 mourners. Pre-recorded messages by Novoselic and Love were played at the memorial.
Since his death, Nirvana has been brilliantly served with splendid anthologies like the live From The Muddy Banks of Wishkah and Nirvana (2002).
With The Lights Out (2004) is another box to open and explore as over three hours of stand-out music reveals an early version of Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker”’, and Butch Vig’s rough mixes of three cuts from Nevermind. Icon from 2010 brings us up to speed with a remixed “Pennyroyal Tea”, plenty of recent nostalgia, and a reminder of the times when Cobain enlisted female cellists, giving a tantalizing hint of what he might have done next.
We’ll never know that and there isn’t much point in second-guessing. What we do know is that Nirvana has left a vast legacy considering they only made three original studio albums. Amongst their blatant achievements, they dragged the underground kicking and screaming into the open air.
More importantly, Nirvana educated a new generation. Grohl and Novoselic have gone on to do great things, Dave Grohl creating the Foo Fighters, and Krist Novoselic through his work with JAMPAC. And, while they have continued to move forward themselves, it’s to the spirit of Nirvana that one so often returns.
New to Nirvana? Check out some of the band’s best songs here.
