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The White Album; The Doors; Tommy; every Led Zeppelin album between One and Four; Paranoid; The Wall; Back in Black; and Appetite for Destruction. What do these albums have in common? They are the biggest of the big; the best of the best and each contributed to the direction of rock music in their time.
Nevermind belongs among these greats. When “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit the
airwaves in September of 1991, it not only changed the way an entire generation looked at music; it changed the entire generation itself. Issues that had been floating somewhere deep in the social conscience were suddenly pushed to the front, teenage depression, angst, the fact that the next generation would be the first in decades not expected to surpass the (mainly financial) achievements of its predecessors. There were drugs and suicidal thoughts; there was frustration and there was anger. And in the midst of this cyclonic downward spiral, there was the birth of Nirvana.
The album remains a must for any record collection, and if you don’t already own it (I suspect there won’t be many of you who don’t), you need it. Every song on the album has its own unique importance to the development of the band and the alt-rock/grunge movement of the early 90s. From the angst-ridden force of songs like “Teen Spirit,” “In Bloom,” “On a Plain” and “Territorial Pissings,” to the pop-infused, melodic resonance of songs like “Lounge-Act” and “Drain You,” not to mention the artistic importance of songs like “Polly” or “Something’s in the Way,” Nevermind is a tour-de-force that can stand against any classic rock album and hold its own.
Some might say that its lasting power has more to do with the death of Kurt Cobain than the music itself, but I disagree. There’s no question that Cobain’s suicide is a constant reminder of what can happen to an artist when fame is thrust upon them at an early age. This tragedy will keep the fire burning for generations of Nirvana fans to come. But Cobain is more than a martyr; he is a genius artist, both musical and visual (some of his paintings are simply mind-blowing and his sculpture work is brilliant, the back cover of the In-Utero album is testament to this) and the music of Nevermind is a product of his mind at its most focused.
The album never compromises the vision of Cobain, despite being incredibly commercial. It is this accomplishment in duality that really makes Nevermind a unique experience. I wouldn’t trade my copy for anything.
