#29 Nirvana – Nevermind
I remember going home for college for winter break. I remember checking out MTV for the first time in a long time (We did not have cable in our dorm rooms, nor any computer system where we could watch videos on such as Youtube). But the thing that I remember most from that moment was going back during the winter quarter and everyone knowing who these folks were.
It’s been over 20 years since Nevermind graced MTV with it’s cynical cheerleaders in a fully fledged pep rally watching 3 men from Seattle jam and introduce the world to a completely new culture: grunge and flannel.
Overnight, men in spandex had been given their pink slips. “Your rock and roll is silly now”, they exclaimed, taking a healthy swig of coffee while they were at it. This is real. ‘Nevermind’ are 12 verified classics that sit back and spit in our faces with the same power and passion that the Sex Pistols and the Clash did a generation before this.
Sadly, this ends up being the middle album in their career as Kurt Cobain committed suicide. Whether it is the angst of a war in Iraq, a generation grown up under the policies of Republicans in the White House, Nirvana struck a chord once they were a Buzz Clip on MTV for ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’. Nirvana brought fans because of their sound but they stayed because of their message. There is a rebellious attitude that is taking place.
The ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, video captured it all. It introduced the world to a music scene that was not going to lie on it’s back or “Just Rock”. It dealt with serious subjects like rape on “Polly”, a song that shows the wide spectrum of Nirvana’s talent that went beyond grunge. At the core of their music, they were always very melodic and while Cobain has surely become an inspiration for his music and lyrics among his legions of fans, there is no doubt that many of his lyrics were very difficult to transcribe, which is not necessarily a bad thing (See R.E.M.’s Murmur).
20 years later, this is still an album that sounds fresh, and there is still something to pull out of it. And just ask my wife. I still have plenty of flannel in my closet to reminisce with as well.