Some guy who heard a band called Nirvana: Man, you gotta check this band out. They’re called Nirvana.
Studio Owner: What do they sound like?
SGWHABCN: Like Black Sabbath playing The Knack.
Studio Owner: Sounds interesting. Bring them down and they can have some studio time.
Nirvana show up late, dressed in ripped and dirty clothes, smell bad, are probably high, and take an hour to set up.
Studio Owner: Man, these guys are definitely a waste of time.
Nirvana start to play.
Studio Owner: Holy ***, man. These guys are ***ing awesome.
This is a true story.
After awhile of being on SubPop (a little known record label) Nirvana released a cd called Bleach. There was little production or money involved with the making of the cd. It was metal with punk influences. It sounded like a bunch of retards that could play music. Then during 1990 they got rid of Chad Channing (drums) and replaced him with Dave Grohl. Then they release Nevermind and are a huge success. The lead single, Smells Like Teen Spirit, got a huge amount of radio play and is definitely their most well known song. They didn’t sound near as loud as they did on Bleach though. They were much more poppy, but of course they didn’t completely loose their loud noise with songs like territorial Pissings and Stay Away.
Incesticide is basically if Nevermind and Bleach had sex and gave birth to a baby. It’s got anger, great vocals (for the most part), and loud guitar; like with Sliver, the nice and oh-so catchy bass riff, with the hi-hat hitting on the offbeat, and Kurt singing in a nice low voice. Then it punches you in face and goes into the chorus. It does this twice then instead of the quiet verse it hits you again with a screaming and distorted verse that is brimming with upbeat anger. It’s got a great finish with the chorus going on for awhile although it may get repetitive. This is however really the only song that does the quiet verse loud chorus that they used a lot on Nevermind. A great aggressive punky song would be Stain. It’s got a simple intro with pounding drums, low guitar, and thumping bass. The vocals are quite good on this track. Kurt sticks to screaming the whole time and it sounds like he did two takes of the vocals and they mashed them together to create a great echoey sound to his voice. The bass is really nice and is at a great volume. It doesn’t really have any fills but it’s still a great bass line. The drums are simple and fast and they replicate what the guitar and bass play only with a drumbeat, and it sounds perfect. The solo is really typical for Kurt. It’s strangled, nonsensical, and unstructured but sounds great with the song.
Beeswax is a great song that would have been more from Bleach. With the vocals that are very difficult to understand, its great drum beat, the sludgy bass, and the punky guitar. It’s sounds very angry andis a great song to mosh to; especially during the verse with the descending guitar riff. There’s nothing really amazing about this song but it is a great track that shows a lot of anger and it tends to make me mad. Another loud song with almost impossible to understand vocals is Mexican Seafood. It’s got one of my favorite guitar riffs in it. It’s very strange and shows a kind of song that’s just sounds mad for the sake of making an angry sounding song. The bass is hardly audible during most the songs, except when it has its fills. Chris did a nice job on here with his fills. The hard, fast, and bring a nice bassiness to a song that would have too much treble on it without him. The drums also have some great tom fills during the second half bridge. Whoever played the drums on this track did a great job with their fills and different beats. The drums have a very stop-start feeling to them that really suits the song.
The experimental sound of this cd is really what is great about it. It’s got a lot of different things that Nirvana hadn’t really incorporated into Bleach or Nevermind. Like the cartoonish bass line on Hairspray Queen. It’s extremely creative and very strange. I have never heard a song like this one before. The drums are nothing amazing basically throwing in some nice rolls here and there and a nice driving beat to keep the bass going. The guitar is very nice on here as well. It’s got a very strange solo. It’s not a typical noise solo for Kurt because it’s not him randomly strumming different chords that don’t even exist. The guitar on the intro is really nice too. It’s a creative high pitched thing that sounds great with the song. I like the vocals on here, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know that they are terrible. I can also assume that many would hate the song because it’s a huge mess. The covers they did on this could definitely be considered experimental. They sound very new wave (Kurt’s definition of new wave at least). Turnaround (a Devo cover) is pretty odd. It’s got a pounding drum beat that, while not creative, is a great fast paced beat. The bass isn’t a big part of this song at all because, frankly, you can’t hear it very good. But it doesn’t really take away from the song. It’s guitar part isn’t all that strange but there is a sense of Kurt trying something new. And it works out great.. Son Of A Gun is (The Vaselines) is another great cover. It’s got a very catchy and poppy guitar riff. It’s got a hard to hear bass line that has some nice fills during the chorus. The drums have a simple pounding beat with the odd tom fill. They do a great job providing a beat similair to the one later used on Radio Friendly Unit Shifter. Although it’s not as experimental Molly’s Lips (The Vaselines) it should definitely be considered somewhat experimental as it’s extremely different from what they usually do. The drums really make it sound more pop. I don’t know how but the tone when they enter turns it into a pop song. They’re very simple with the odd fills. The bass basically does what guitar does with one or two fills during the chorus and is really nothing that can be talked about. The vocals on the three covers are very typical and aren’t very experimental at all, what makes the songs so great is the way they play the instruments. Big Long Now is a stab at a creepy song. It’s a very haunting and memorable song that would suit a horror movie. It provides the listener with a mysterious atmosphere and makes you want to listen to more and more. The vocals really are great on this track. The haunting sound really provides more spookiness to the already scary atmosphere of this gem; then the chorus. Holy ***, man; this chorus is pretty much perfect. They take this time to ease out of the haunting feeling and to let out some rage; with Kurt screaming and some great instrumentation. Then it makes a great transition back into the scariness of the verse. As the song fades out it leaves you astounded and thinking what an awesome song.
The fact that this never gets boring is a great thing about. It changes up a lot. Like when it goes from the sludgy Stain to the more pop Been A Son. The transition sounds really nice but to me the best is when Big Long Now goes to Aneurysm; from one great song to another amazing one. Aneurysm is definitely a perfect way to end this cd. It’s one of the most pleasing tracks on here. With the simple main riff and how it goes right to the ascending high pitched guitar and then right into an energized intro. The drums have really nice tom fills here that are very fast and add a more hectic feeling. Then the verse, with its simple guitar and drums. But there is something that makes the verse really awesome. What is it? Why it’s the bass fills. Very creative and catchy they really are a nice break from the simple guitar and drums. The chorus is full of raw anger with Kurt yelling: Beat Me Outta Me! His voice is really raw on here and it meshes well with the energy provided by the instruments.
Wait, I think I forgot something. The lyrics, that’s it. The lyrics are simply great on here. They can be mysterious, amusing, and you know just nice lyrics. Some great lyrics can be found on Big Long Now. They’re very strange but they suit the song and go together really well. The best lyrics are found during the chorus when Kurt screams:
In this climb I am blind Why can't i hear? Color blind Speaking a phrase Instantly grow I am blind Waiting in line
There’s just something about them that I love. The fact that they make you wonder. They’re very nicely written and he delivers them in a great way. The lyrics on Stain are pretty funny. Talking of a guy who never gets anything he wants because he’s got bad luck. So, in a way they’re funny but also kind of sad. The lyrics could actually be about how Kurt thinks he’s unlucky, maybe. If you want some plain old lyrics you want Molly’s Lips. Although it wasn’t written by Kurt it’s got lyrics and they’re very simple and probably just about, like the title says; Molly’s Lips.
Overall this is probably a better cd to get after already buying one of Nirvana’s. It’s really great, with some excellent experimentation, creative instrumentation, some vocals that have they’re ups and downs, and great lyrics. It’s got some great tones, but can get annoying. With the solos it really depends on whether you like strangles and mutilated solos or whether you rather more structured solos. If it’s the latter I highly advise you stay away, unless you want to try something new then maybe try this.
Pros:
Big Long Now
Aneurysm
Great guitar work
Nice experimentation
Cons
Vocals on Hairspray Queen aren’t very good
The bass could have done more
(New Wave) Polly
