Mar 14, 2023

Previous guide:
https://sectioneighty.com/yeezs-guide-to-nine-inch-nails-1989-2000.t330952#post-3640878
Almost a year ago, I made a guide on the Industrial Rock Band Nine Inch Nails. I don't know if this guide will really matter in the long run, but I'm doing it anyway. This time around, I decided to make a guide on one of the most influential Rock bands of the past 35 years, Nirvana

FORMATION
For years, Kurt Cobain had been persuading his friend Krist Novoselic to form a band with him. Cobain. Novoselic frequently rejected Cobain's offers until he listened to Cobain's demo tape, "Fecal Matter". Cobain did the vocals and played the lead guitar, while Novoselic was the group's bassist. They landed on the name "Nirvana" named after the buddhist trandescent state. After going through various drummers, Cobain and Novoselic landed on Chad Channing and the trio began recording their debut album
BLEACH (1989)

Bleach is typically regarded as Nirvana's most abrasive album. Released on Seattle record label Sub Pop, Bleach features the band's closest ventures into sludge metal. The album's biggest hit "About A Girl" reflects Cobain's relationship issues with his then-girlfriend Tracy Marander. Songs like "Floyd The Barber" show Nirvana at their most unpolished. Bleach is worth listening to if you're interested in the band's early days and is a good album all around
FIRING CHAD CHANNING + HIRING OF DAVE GROHL
In the process of the recoridng for their second album, (tentatively titled Sheep) Chad Channing was dismissed from the band as a result of him being upset at his lack or songwriting input compared to Cobain. After various part time replacements, the band met Dave Grohl and thus the band's most well known lineup was set in stone. With Grohl now being part of the band, Nirvana left Sub Pop and signed with Geffen Records and released their sophomore studio album...
NEVERMIND (1991)

There is no denying that Nevermind is one of the most influential albums of the past century. The album begins with the lead single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the album has near perfect sequencing with "In Bloom" and "Come As You Are" following right after. Nevermind covers a variety of topics like mental health (Lithium) and a tale about a young girl kept captive (Polly) above others. Nevermind's sound is very diverse with some songs being reminiscent of Bleach (Territorial Pissings, Stay Away) and some being noticeably more pop oriented (Drain You, On A Plain) The album ends with the closer "Something In The Way" which is a melodic song before ending with the improvised "Endless, Nameless" Nevermind is a staple of 90's rock and one of the defining albums in recent history.
AFTERMATH
To say that Nevermind made Nirvana a household name would be an understatement. The band achieved great success and the band was offered many more opportunities. Around this time, Cobain began dating and eventually married Hole frontwoman Courtney Love. Kurt and Courtney's marriage grew to be extremely provocative for the public, with matched up with Cobain being called the "Spokesperson of Generation X" led to increasing tensions. After touring for Nevermind, Nirvana began working on their third studio album
IN UTERO (1993)

This time around, the band handed production duties to Steve Albini, who was well known for producing various albums like Pixies' "Surfer Rosa" and PJ Harvey's "Rid of Me". As a result, "In Utero" features the band's most abrasive work in their entire career. The album's intro "Serve the Servants" perfectly paints the scene. The instrumentals are messier and the vocals are much less refined. Songs like "r--- Me" and "Pennyroyal Tea" show the band's strong feminist themes and songs like "Milk It" and "tourette's" feature Nirvana at their heaviest. The band clashed with Albini over the studio's remixing of the album's lead singles "Heart Shaped Box" and "No Apologies". "In Utero" while being noticeably less pop friendly was still a smash hit and is considered by many fans (and myself) to be their best album.
MTV UNPLUGGED (1994)

Like with many bands in the 90s, Nirvana was part of MTV's "Unplugged" series. In stark contrast to other bands however, Nirvana's outing is noticeably different. Besides "Come As You Are", the band performs less known songs and covers a variety of songs by other artists (The Vaselines, Lead Belly, David Bowie, 3 songs by the Meat Puppets). MTV Unplugges, is an essential listen for the band, although it's clouded by what would happen a few months later
Kurt's Suicide
On April 5th 1994, Kurt Cobain was found dead in his home at the age of 27 after shooting himself with a shotgun. Kurt's life had been riddled with depression, addictions and chronic illnesses. At the time of his death, Kurt and Courtney had been having marital issues which were strengthened by the birth of their daughter, Frances.
AFTERMATH
After Kurt's death, Nirvana disbanded. The last single released by the band was "You Know You're Right", which was the last completd song made before Kurt's death. Dave Grohl would eventually begin his own band, "Foo Fighters" which continues to be succesful to this day. Novoselic has played with various bands and has been very involved with politics.

CONCLUSION
Best album order to get into Nirvana would be Nevermind -> In Utero -> MTV Unplugged with Bleach and the compilation album "Incesticide" if you enjoyed them. Thanks for reading this guide if you made it to this point. Hopefully If I ever make another guide it doesn't take another full year