Certainly there were other classic albums of the 1990s- Radiohead’s OK Computer, Illmatic by Nas, and Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill come quickly to mind, but it seems a no-brainer that the album of the ’90s was Nirvana’s 1991 gem, Nevermind.

            Certainly no album generated as much buzz as this one, the Seattle band’s second LP. Diamond certified in the U.S.; worldwide, Nevermind has sold over 30 million copies. It has been honored by Rolling Stone Magazine, VH1, the National Recording Registry, and others. Dave Grohl was the band’s new drummer, Krist Novoselic played bass, and tragic frontman Kurt Cobain sang lead, played guitar, and handled most of the songwriting.

            Bleach, Nirvana’s 1989 small label debut, failed to chart and had an unpolished, heavy, sludge – punk sound; Nevermore, by contrast, had a more professional and, even, pop feel, which Cobain later claimed to hate. Still, there is a lot of guitar distortion and mix of tempos, along with the band’s tendency to alternate soft and tender with loud and extremely aggressive sounds. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is, of course, the iconic track, the one whose massive airplay put Nirvana, Seattle, and grunge at the epicenter of the music world in the early ’90s. The title, reportedly, references a deodorant that Cobain used, but metaphorically the lyrics seem to take aim at feeling lost and confused, a not uncommon feeling among the world’s youth. Other key tracks include “In Bloom,” with its reference to those who may be fans but haven’t a clue to what’s being sung; “Lithium”, with its take on life-saving, even desperation religion; and “Something in the Way,” a brooding track that seems to point at being lost and homeless. Overall, there is a definite dark, sad, broken feel expressed in most of the songs.

            In less than three years, Cobain, who furiously resisted fame and the “spokesman for Gen X” labeling, would be dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Dave Grohl would pick up the pieces, forming the highly successful band Foo Fighters. Cobain, though, has not been forgotten, and neither has his band’s magnum opus, Nevermind.

            –Steve Williams (10/30/23) Greatest Recording Artists Blog Post #58