Nevermind
Released September 24, 1991
Recorded April 1990; May 2–19, 1991
Studio
Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin
Genre
Grunge alternative rock
Length 42:38
59:23 (with 10 minutes of silence and hidden track “Endless, Nameless” after “Something in the Way”)
Nevermind is the second studio album by American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991 by DGC Records. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the band’s first release on DGC. It was also their first album to feature drummer Dave Grohl.
Despite low commercial expectations by the band and its record label, Nevermind became a surprise success in late 1991, largely due to the popularity of its first single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. By January 1992, it had replaced Michael Jackson’s album Dangerous at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album also produced three other successful singles: “Come as You Are”, “Lithium”, and “In Bloom”. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certified the album Diamond (at least over 10 million copies shipped), and the album has sold at least 30 million copies worldwide, with 10,640,000 of those copies sold in the United States.
Nevermind was in part responsible for bringing both alternative rock and grunge to a large, mainstream audience, and has been ranked highly on lists of the greatest albums of all time by publications such as Rolling Stone and Time Magazines.
Nirvana was a grunge rock band from Aberdeen, Washington, formed by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic in 1987, that had signed to Seattle independent record label Sub Pop. The band released their debut album Bleach in 1989, with Chad Channing on drums. However, Channing left Nirvana in 1990, and the band was in need of a permanent drummer. During a show by hardcore punk band Scream, the group’s drummer, Dave Grohl, impressed Cobain and Novoselic. When Scream unexpectedly disbanded, Grohl contacted Novoselic, made his way to Seattle, and was soon invited to join the band. Novoselic said in retrospect that when Grohl joined the band, everything “fell into place”.
Meanwhile, Cobain was writing a number of new songs. At the time Cobain was listening to bands like The Melvins, R.E.M., The Smithereens, and the Pixies. Feeling disillusioned by the heavy detuned rock popular in the Seattle grunge scene upon which Sub Pop had built its image, Cobain—inspired by his contemporary listening habits—began writing songs that were more melodic. A key development was the single “Sliver”, released on Sub Pop in 1990 (before Grohl joined the band), which Cobain said “was like a statement in a way. I had to write a pop song and release it on a single to prepare people for the next record. I wanted to write more songs like that.”[3] Grohl said that the band at that point often made the analogy of likening their music to children’s music, in that the band tried to make its songs as simple as possible.
By the start of the 1990s, Sub Pop was experiencing financial difficulties. With rumors that Sub Pop would sign up as a subsidiary of a major record label, the band decided to “cut out the middleman” and start to look for a major record label. A number of labels courted the band, but Nirvana ultimately signed with Geffen Records imprint DGC Records based upon repeated recommendations from Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and their management company.
Track listing
All songs were written by Kurt Cobain, except where noted.
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic 5:01
2. “In Bloom” 4:14
3. “Come as You Are” 3:39
4. “Breed” 3:03
5. “Lithium” 4:17
6. “Polly” 2:57
7. “Territorial Pissings” Cobain, Chet Powers 2:22
8. “Drain You” 3:43
9. “Lounge Act” 2:36
10. “Stay Away” 3:32
11. “On a Plain” 3:16
12. “Something in the Way” 20:35
Notes
Later pressings include “Endless, Nameless”, a hidden track which begins after 10 minutes of silence following “Something in the Way”, making track 12’s total length 20:35.
The first disc of the deluxe edition was issued individually as a Target exclusive. The deluxe edition was later issued as a special limited 4-LP set.
20th-anniversary edition bonus tracks
Super Deluxe Edition bonuses
Personnel
Nirvana
Kurt Cobain (credited for the “Monkey Photo” as Kurdt Kobain) – vocals, guitar, photography
Dave Grohl – drums, backing vocals
Krist Novoselic (credited as Chris Novoselic) – bass guitar, vocals on the intro of “Territorial Pissings”
Additional musicians
Kirk Canning – cello on “Something in the Way”
Chad Channing – cymbals on “Polly” (uncredited), drums on the “Smart Studio Sessions” (Deluxe Edition)
Technical staff and artwork
Craig Doubet – assistant engineering, mixing
Spencer Elden – infant in cover photo
Robert Fisher – artwork, art direction, design, cover design
Michael Lavine – photography
Bob Ludwig – mastering on 20th Anniversary Edition
Jeff Sheehan – assistant engineer
Butch Vig – co-producer, engineer
Andy Wallace – mixing
Kirk Weddle – cover photo
Howie Weinberg – mastering
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia