For those who were there when Nirvana rose from the seeming depths of indie rock obscurity into the mainstream with the release of their album "Nevermind," the 20th anniversary of the iconic work likely evokes strong memories. Coming out of the 1980s, where synthesized pop sounds dominated the airwaves and "college rock" or "indie rock" bands were relegated to college radio and dorm rooms, the early 1990s promised not much better. But Nirvana dropped a bomb on the world of Rock N' Roll and pop music all at the same time when they released Nevermind.
Some have called it the greatest album of all time. Others say it is the last rock album that actually changed the way the genre was perceived and what it meant. For still others, it was just a great album that served as the soundtrack to their youth or young adulthood. Leading off with "Smells Like Teen Spirit," the song that crossed the grunge rock sound into the pop spotlight, the album has a dark edge to it that is highlighted by the thick, driving bass of Krist Novoselic and the spot-on, aggressive drumming of Dave Grohl.
Of course, any discussion of the band and the album is entirely incomplete without addressing Kurt Cobain, a latter-day minstrel whose troubled youth led to the tortured lyrics that so keenly addressed the angst of teens and young adults throughout the country. Cobain has been discussed ad nauseam, of course, with his 1994 suicide the topic of introspectives and television specials and movies. But his role within the band should neither be forgotten nor overstated, for it was the blending of the three member's skills that made Nirvana - and Nevermind - what it was. Other songs that reached well-known status include "Breed," "In Bloom," "Drain You," "Lithium" and the lesser known "Territorial Pissings."
No comments:
Post a Comment