Disco de Nirvana: “Nevermind”

Could not believe how bad they remastered this, stick to your original if you have it or even the 180 gram reissue one, shame on you for releasing such a terrible work to us fans!! And destroying a great sounding album from a great band to this extreme! Makes no sense!! It is all about the money not the music!

.......and "Nevermind" still sounds fresh. How? Nirvana were just that damn good. Dave Grohl's drumming was not only powerful, but lightning-speed fast (my personal pick for the greatest drummer ever). Krist Novoselic's bass skills were amazing, melodic, furious, and catchy. And Kurt Cobain, well, what can't you say about the guy? I can sit here and say all these great (and true) things about Kurt, but I'll leave it at this: there is a reason Kurt is a legend, and this was proven numerous times before his unfortunate passing. All the classics are here, "In Bloom", "Lithium", "Come As You Are" (my personal favorite from the band), and, of course, "Smells Like Teen Spirit". But the album as a whole is amazing. "Drain You" is one of the best Alternative songs ever made. "Breed", "Territorial Pissings", and "Stay Away" are punk rock perfection. "Something In The Way" is haunting (it's far superior on their "Unplugged In New York" album), while "Polly" is a glimpse of Cobain's "softer" side at it's best. Even the worst ones here, "Lounge Act" and "On A Plane", are better than anything Creed will ever do (I guess that isn't saying much, but you get the point, those two songs are still brilliant). Cobain was a brilliant singer-songwriter, he could be filled with rage and self-doubt one second ("Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Something In The Way") and be funny the next ("Breed" and "Lithium"). From lines like "Here we are now, entertain us" to "I'm so ugly, that's okay, 'cause so are you", not many could even come close to the talent of Kurt Cobain. From start to finish, Nirvana made one of those rare albums that manages to pull everything out of the bare essentials (guitars, bass, drums) and make an absolute classic out of it. Some of these songs sound better on the band's live albums, and even "In Utero" was just as good as "Nevermind" (despite what some say), and even those two albums put together could not equal "Unplugged In New York"; but this still stands as a landmark for not only rock, but music in general. It was talent beyond anything mortal, that's for sure.

Nirvana's Nevermind sounds so cliche and overplayed today because a million and one bands have ripped off their innovative sound that molded grunge and rock music for the better. The musicianship of the album isn't complicated for the mostpart, as "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Come As You Are" are typical songs for the early guitarist, but the song writing and arrangements are so well done that the need for anything profound and complex is immediately thrown out. Nirvana was a band who were great at what they did, needing only their honesty and emotion to get them across, not flashy 80's solos and glam attire.

Kurt Cobain's guitar work, as stated, was not complex, but was interesting, new, innovative, creative, and original, as he was one of the first artists to begin using the rhythm guitar to lead the melody without the choppy leads of 80's hair metal. His chord progressions are simple and basic for a large portion of the album, but throughout the entire recording his technique stays true to form, using original flowing riffs to carry the song when he does use his instrument as a lead. Kurt Cobain's guitar style has essentially motivated and shaped how the instrument has been used since 1991 and almost all of rock's song writing processes today. In equal impressiveness alongside his guitar skill are Cobain's lyrics and his vocal stylings, which always have an underwritten sense of urgency and need in them, supporting the hurt heard in his voice. Although he did not possess one of the greatest voices in music, and still does not, he used his singing well with the music, fitting the musicianship and instrumentation perfectly.

Chris Novoselic's bass lines are upbeat, catchy, and just as sincere as Kurt's guitar playing, his instrument carrying a melody all of its own instead of just following the bass drum and staying in the background, once again breaking away from the rock and metal stylings of the previous decade. Truly standout. Alongside him on the rhythm is Dave Grohl, who should've stuck with the drums instead of moving onto fronting the Foo Fighters in later years and taking up guitar duties. His drumming is solid and top notch on Nevermind, showing him at his best on the instrument he shines with.

Standout tracks in addition to the first six, all of which were hit singles, are "On A Plain" and "Something In The Way"'s acoustic strummings. One of the greatest albums of the 90's. You may think Nirvana is getting a bit old now and the sound too cliche, but try to listen from a perspective when all this was new to the scene and you will feel the truly groundbreaking effect on you it was meant to have.

Most people reading this already owns this CD anyways, but I'm going to say my bit anyways. This album is notorious for what it did to the music industry within months of its release: it not only helped kill off the stagnant and already-dying 80's metal scene, but it pushed everything prepackaged and inherently processed aside (it started Michael Jackson's sales decline), and for that I absolutely love this album. Plus, if not for Nirvana, I probably wouldn't have discovered Soundgarden or Alice In Chains until much later, and considering my personal life in 1992, I dread to think of what other musical choices I had to listen to back then.

As far as the songs on this CD, if it only had "Smells Like Teen Spirit" recorded twelve times, it would still be a great album. Luckily, there are a few more, and they're all quite good. As far as Nirvana's best album, that title would go to _In Utero_, but by then they were already established and people bought _In Utero_ out of habit. _Bleach_ is another one that everyone should own, since the songs are much more raw and loose than on _Nevermind_, but the drumming kinda sucks, since Dave Grohl wasn't part of the band yet.

I stopped listening to Nirvana abruptly after Cobain chose to leave the industry, but after a few years of listening to all the newer bands imitate the style, it was very refreshing to go back and listen to _Nevermind_ as if it were my first time. And for killing off hair metal, I will forever love this album...

i bought the version with the pictures on the lp's. it's a really cool collector item, but aside from that the audio is horrible. it's completely hyper-compressed. there is no dynamic range what-so-ever. it literally made my heart hurt when i first put the needle to the vinyl. to know i wasted all that money on a crappy remastered version. how can they justify ruining such a masterpiece? if you are looking for it as a collector's item then go for it. but if you want it because you don't have the original nevermind album don't waste your money. find the original somewhere or even the 180 gram re-issue. my advice is if any album says re-mastered then avoid it completely.