Teenage angst has paid off well / Now I'm bored and POLLed: The ILM Nirvana poll results thread (Poll #69)

http://i.imgur.com/A7RWckj.jpg

39 Ballots received
77 different tracks voted for

Let's go!

alright! how many tracks in the countdown?

I'm going to do a top 40 - feels right with the number of votes. Actually it's a top 41, #40 is tied...

Woo! Glad I got back in time for this!

Album sidepoll to start with - 29 ballots included a favourite album.

Six albums received votes...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c4/Nirvana-FromTheMuddyBanksOfTheWishkah.jpg/220px-Nirvana-FromTheMuddyBanksOfTheWishkah.jpg

6. From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996)
1 vote

I predict: In Utero > Unplugged > Nevermind > Incesticide > Bleach.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/54/Nirvana_mtv_unplugged_in_new_york.png/220px-Nirvana_mtv_unplugged_in_new_york.png

TIE #4: MTV Unplugged in New York (1994)
2 votes

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/85/Nirvana-Incesticide.jpg/220px-Nirvana-Incesticide.jpg

TIE #4: Incesticide (1992)
2 votes

Interesting. Both Unplugged and Incesticide always seem far more popular than Bleach.

I do wonder how different it would've been if I'd asked for a top three.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a1/Nirvana-Bleach.jpg/220px-Nirvana-Bleach.jpg

3. Bleach (1989)
3 votes

Sincerely curious which of the major-label studio albums will be #1.

Big jump in votes here.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b7/NirvanaNevermindalbumcover.jpg/220px-NirvanaNevermindalbumcover.jpg

2. Nevermind (1991)
10 votes

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e5/In_Utero_%28Nirvana%29_album_cover.jpg/220px-In_Utero_%28Nirvana%29_album_cover.jpg

1. In Utero (1993)
11 votes

Good choice, ILM.

I'd always assumed that In Utero would have had far, far more votes than Nevermind but after reading the discussions in the voting thread, I was actually left feeling not quite sure as to which way it would go. Glad to see it was this one, though.

Yep, glad it was this one too.

Going to make a start on the tracks, will do 40-31 today at least.

http://i.imgur.com/3Zjtk06.jpg

TIE 40. Floyd the Barber
106 points, 6 votes

YES! One of my personal highlights of Bleach, this.

my albums choice was most def btwn Unplugged and Nevermind.

http://i.imgur.com/Rz98EP8.jpg

TIE 40. Molly's Lips
106 points, 6 votes

great picture. remember reading Kurt saying that was one of the greatest moments of his life

who other singer

Eugene Kelly from the Vaselines, I'd guess?

Yes

http://i.imgur.com/77OqQ81.jpg

39. Sifting
112 points, 6 votes

Nice, a Bleach deep cut I voted for!

I'm excited for the rollout! And I voted for mollys lips, so fun.

Whoops, just realised Sifting should've been a tied #38 with...

http://i.imgur.com/Zxf7VSg.jpg

TIE 38. I Hate Myself and Want to Die
112 points, 6 votes

http://imgur.com/XvMkFCJ

37. tourette's
119 points, 7 votes

Try again...

https://i.imgur.com/XvMkFCJ.jpg

37. tourette's
119 points, 7 votes

First song from my ballot to place

Another cover version up next.

https://i.imgur.com/vpETKqH.jpg

36. The Man Who Sold the World
127 points, 7 votes

sifting? seriously? surprised. none of mine have placed yet

Yeah Sifting was one I did not expect to make it.

https://i.imgur.com/Ck2KVBG.jpg

35. Stay Away
133 points, 7 votes

ALMOST voted for that one

It didn't make my ballot and there are half a dozen others I prefer on Nevermind but it does have one of their best intros.

Our first song with votes in double figures:

https://i.imgur.com/Oa9nbC6.jpg

34. Territorial Pissings
178 points, 10 votes

Stay Away is the closet Nevermind has to filler.

I wonder whether Bowie or Nirvana benefited most from the cover.

Stay Away is the closet Nevermind has to filler.

― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, November 11, 2015 5:14 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm. also, territorial pissings has the worst line on the album: "when i was an alien / cultures weren't opinions" wtf kurt

as I said on the other thread, i had the somewhat odd experience of In Utero being my first Nirvana album, and it shaped my taste and what i would start listening to soon after in a really major way. but over the years of going back and forth, i ultimately voted for Nevermind as my favorite album, it's just more consistently enjoyable to me.

so far "Tourette's" and "Territorial Pissings" are the only ones i've voted for, i voted for a lot of their 'this song is overtly, deliberately nonsensical' songs.

(xposts) Yeah I don't know - I always thought it was a fairly obscure choice of Bowie song prior to that but then Lulu did have a big hit with it over here.

Another one I was quite surprised to see place:

https://i.imgur.com/D9H4Gzu.jpg

33. Swap Meet
182 points, 8 votes

TRUTHBOMB/CHALLOP: Nirvana gave Bowie better cred in the 90s than Reznor ever did.

oh no doubt

fuck yeah swap meet! my #3

just beeecuuz you're paranoiiiid

Glad to see Sifter make it!

Great to see Swap Meet make it! It was in my list.

"Molly's Lips," the Bowie cover, and "Floyd..." on my list.

Swap Meet had one #1 vote by the way.

https://i.imgur.com/KFqWhUm.jpg

32. Rape Me
208 points, 10 votes

Never really liked this one I've got to say.

I got my In Utero at WalMart, so it's always been "Waif Me" to me.

Ha!

OK, last one for today:

https://i.imgur.com/mLpaTH6.jpg

31. Blew
208 points, 10 votes, 1 #1 vote

Stay Away is awesome fuiud

A recap:

TIE 40. Floyd the Barber
TIE 40. Molly's Lips
TIE 38. Sifting
TIE 38. I Hate Myself and Want to Die
37. tourette's
36. The Man Who Sold the World
35. Stay Away
34. Territorial Pissings
33. Swap Meet
32. Rape Me
31. Blew

During my listening for this poll, Swap Meet was, for whatever reason, the song that most effectively conjured potent memories of being 15. So I voted for it.

Swap Meet has such a killer chorus.

oh i did vote for Stay Away (320). Also Man Who Sold and Pissings.

p sure already that my #1 won't show

that is, #20 for Stay

"Swap Meet"!--.the chorus, the way it lurches along, and the fact that it was my first year in college--I was the #1 voter, and that's about all I have.

At the time, I was atypical at my college radio station in preferring the B-side of "Bleach" due to "Swap Meet" and (nerd alert) the Dante's Inferno label....

Interesting. "Sifting" and "Floyd the Barber" were the two Bleach songs I voted for. Glad to see it got creamed in the albums poll. I still think Nevermind is their obvious best, but after relistening I can hear why many prefer In Utero, where the production is worlds away from Nevermind and no less brilliant for it, and which certainly contains KC's sharpest set of lyrics.

Unplugged is the real slept-on record here.

And sure "Stay Away" is kind of a filler track, but it's really good filler. "Something in the Way" is the only real dud on Nevermind - bummer that it ends the record but at least it was a convenient point to switch the stereo/discman off.

Blew was my #1! Love that song. Glad it made it in.

SitW in my top 3, go to hell xp

Love you too

j/k but ya know

Hey no hard feelings Axl

I didn't vote, but is Hairspray Queen going to show up or am I in a small minority that would have it in a top 10?

Really glad to see those four Bleach songs place. I didn't vote for any of them but the major regret from my ballot (other than only finding room for one of the big Nevermind singles) is not showing that album more love. Way to go, "Sifting"!

"Hairspray Queen" was a tough cut for me

xposts but

I predict: /In Utero/ > /Unplugged/ > /Nevermind/ > /Incesticide/ > /Bleach/.

xposts now but I suspect if we'd voted for 2 or 3 albums it mighta shook out this way. Unplugged likely everyone's #2. I'd honestly have to check my ballot to see if I voted for that or In Utero...

i know people started to talk about seeing Nirvana in the voting thread but waited to post that here. first time i saw Nirvana they were the opening band for Sonic Youth's Goo tour, so it was Nirvana's Bleach tour. i was blown away and had to find out who that opening band was. show was 08/17/90 - Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, CA, so a good year before Nevermind. During "Love Buzz," Kurt jumped into the audience and allowed members of the crowd to play his guitar for a minute before going back onstage. last time i saw them it was like the second or third last show Nirvana played in the US outside of his home town of WA. the second show was 12/30/93 - Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA. the show was very, very dark and chaotic. it was also really powerful as Kurt gave it his all and was practically falling down from exhaustion. it did feel like a moment in time that i would never witness again. a few months later he was dead.

now but I suspect if we'd voted for 2 or 3 albums it mighta shook out this way. Unplugged likely everyone's #2. I'd honestly have to check my ballot to see if I voted for that or In Utero...

Unplugged is p dud-ish in my books. For me, it's mostly In Utero > Nevermind > Bleach > don't care.

hm. felt like a bolt from the blue at the time. really would have liked to have seen where they went from there.

synth pop

Didn't Kurt want to make an album that was like Automatic for the People?

He said that in a really dark Rolling Stone interview near the end

Voted Nevermind over In Utero in the albums. I thought I would have preferred the latter as that's the one I listen to more these days, but then my top 20 had about 8 tracks from Nevermind.

Didn't Kurt want to make an album that was like Automatic for the People?

― Modern French Music from Failure to Boulez (askance johnson), Wednesday, November 11, 2015 10:51 PM

He unofficially did with Unplugged

unplugged is def my #2, and i had its versions in my mind when i voted ("Something in the Way," "On a Plain," "Polly," "Come as You Are")

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/12/kurt-cobain-montage-of-heck-the-home-recordings-review

Could have written this without hearing any of it i.e. guesswork.

Unfortunately, I guess he did and it's true.

just came here to post that. didn't realise this new version of Do Re Mi was *11 minutes*

Do Re Mi sounds a bit like an Automatic for the People attempt

vultures be vultures

i dont get this whole "invasion of privacy" thing. kurt is dead

the journals, albeit carefully curated and abridged, were much more invasive than these 4-track experiments.

yeah, is this different from posthumous nick drake/elliott smith/etc releases? I don't care enough about Cobain's music to listen to his home recordings ... but I've definitely listened to and enjoyed my fair share of "privacy invading" albums.

OK, the first of today's results:

http://i.imgur.com/M6OwyKM.jpg

Love Buzz
228 points, 11 votes

Two showed up from my ballot so far: tourette's and I Hate Myself

http://i.imgur.com/K2yHR6w.jpg

29. Polly
230 points, 12 votes (incl. 1 vote for the MTV Unplugged version)

shit, i should've specified in my ballot. i meant the version from unplugged

tbh surprised how low polly placed

polly wants a cracker

http://i.imgur.com/BGNINWS.jpg

28. Something in the Way
232 points, 11 votes

I've never liked "Polly" tbh

Not one of my favourites either.

hm. felt like a bolt from the blue at the time. really would have liked to have seen where they went from there.

― resulting post (rogermexico.), Thursday, November 12, 2015 3:23 AM (15 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

synth pop

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, November 12, 2015 3:49 AM (15 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Ha, if only!

http://i.imgur.com/fn6TJlB.jpg

27. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
273 points, 12 votes

title - good, song - kinda

WHOA - RFUS above something in the way??? wtf?

YES! This was my #7 and there was absolutely no way it wasn't going to make my ballot. Such a furious gig opener, too.

RFUS is without a doubt one of my favourite ever Nirvana songs, really can't say the same for 'Something In The Way'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcFcHzE5gBQ

RFUS is awesome. Would have placed Love Buzz over it personally but it deserves the magic number 27.

Didn't vote for RFUS but it would almost definitely make my top 30.

Anyway, such glancing over my ballot now... six of my selections have placed so far: 'Territorial Pissings', 'Radio Friendly Unit Shifter', 'tourette's', 'Love Buzz', 'Blew' and 'Floyd The Barber' ... of the rest: 'Stay Away', although I love the drumming on it, wasn't even a contender, and neither was 'Something In The Way' ... VERY surprised to see 'Sifting' and 'Swap Meet' make it. If 'Paper Cuts' makes it, my mind will be totally blown, even if I didn't vote for it. 'The Man Who Sold The World' was left off my ballot because I wanted to keep my ballot as cover version free as possible, although 'Love Buzz' sneaked in there, mostly 'cuz I love the bassline.

Also, Nirvana covering Shocking Blue is far more interesting than Nirvana covering Bowie.

Dave Grohl looks like Julianne Moore w/out makeup in that pool shot.

i... i don't see that.

http://i.obozrevatel.ua/3/1391065/gallery/717636.jpg

me neither.

perfect resemblance

Ha, me either. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" was my #2!
lol 3xp

http://i.imgur.com/Nntx0kx.jpg

26. Milk It
313 points, 15 votes, 1 #1 vote

My #1.

Pretty good live clip of RFUS

yeah that whole gig's great. love Pat chucking his fag away just before he starts playing.

At first, I didn't get what a Radio Friendly Unit Shifter was. I figured it was an esoteric guitar pedal.

YES! 'Milk It' was my #14. This is one of the tracks on In Utero which would have been completely out of place on Nevermind. I can't even imagine what it would have sounded like with a Butch Vig production and an Andy Wallace mix.

"Milk It" was my #10. When I got In Utero as a gift in 94, I was already pretty heavily into old Sonic Youth and was listening to a lot of post-hardcore and some experimental music on the campus radio station. I was surprised to find that a lot of In Utero fit right in.

http://i.imgur.com/isFwiZ9.jpg

25. Negative Creep
332 points, 15 votes, 2 #1 votes

I'M AN EGG IN A TREE
I'M AN EGG IN A TREE
I'M AN EGG IN A TREE
AM I STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONED!?

Didn't vote for it, but undeniably a classic song. Chad Channing really looks like Bob Weir there.

An easy inclusion on my ballot, this, although I ended up ranking it #15 in the end. I've always loved this track, though!

my #1.

My ballot was extremely low on songs from Bleach but this was always one of my favourites on there. Such a simple but cool hook.

Yeah, if I were going to include a third song from Bleach, it would have been this one.

so many Bleach songs i listened to in the past week that i have completely forgotten again

http://i.imgur.com/0C8oNGk.jpg

24. Sappy
333 points, 14 votes

#7 for me, in or out of a laundry room

'Sappy' is a fucking great song that sadly I didn't have any room on my ballot for. I think the band attempted to record this at the recording sessions for all of their studio albums but for some reason never recorded it to their full satisfaction. There's loads of different versions of this floating around, and I'm actually unsure as to which is the best/"definitive" version.

Yeah I love that they had four goes at recording it. This is the first thing off my ballot to show up.

I think the Albini version is my favourite but there's not much in it.

Really nice job on the pictures by the way, gavin of leeds

Thanks!

was my #3!

and ya – great pic hunting!

LOL @ "Gavin of Leeds"

"Who art thou?"
"I'm Sir Gavin... of Leeds!"

Ha!

http://i.imgur.com/clOdwsb.jpg

23. Been a Son
364 points, 17 votes, 1 #1 vote

Like 'Sappy', I easily could have voted for this one, but I didn't really have room for it. I remember Manic Street Preachers doing a version of this... well, actually it was more like a James Dean Bradfield solo track credited under the Manic Street Preachers name, as it just featured him playing this song acoustically using a slide.

in my top 5

Of the 22 songs that are left, I can easily guess what 21 of 'em are going to be and I have no clue about the remaining 1... but what order!?

Actually scratch that, I think I actually know what the remaining 1 is.

http://i.imgur.com/BaLuPbz.jpg

22. Very Ape
364 points, 19 votes

My #13... I've always fucking really loved this track and often feel like this gets overlooked whenever In Utero is discussed, I think even 'tourette's' gets more discussion, so I'm impressed to see it place so highly here.

in my top fifteen

was my #22! nailed it!

Yeah I only realised how much I liked it when I came to put my ballot together (had it at #14). Some dude said something similar on the voting thread.

The Prodigy, of course, sampled it for 'Voodoo People' too.

It was my #8. I didn't even expect to vote for it, but, after a few listens, it won me over.

Despite being a huge Prodigy fan in the '90s I never noticed that until it was pointed out to me (xpost).

http://i.imgur.com/u5Bcsfo.jpg

21. Dive
368 points, 12 votes, 2 #1 votes

...aaaaaaand there it is: my #1. Fucking awesome song.

'Dive' is so fucking awesome, actually, that it should be up there with all of their most well-known tracks. High five to the other person that made it their #1.

My number one too!

Dive fans unite.

i'm hoping the top 20 tracks will ameliorate my new feelings that i don't get Nirvana.

Dive was my #2.

#5 for me.

My #2. Courtney Love OTM: "It's my favorite Nirvana song. It's so sexy."

The Prodigy, of course, sampled it for 'Voodoo People' too.

whhaaaaaaa?????

Also the first released evidence of what wonders a real producer (Butch Vig) could do for their sound.

Is it worth me doing another five (and then doing the top 15 tomorrow) or should I stretch it out a bit?

Go for it!

Right you are.

http://i.imgur.com/y8mgcpc.jpg

20. Scentless Apprentice
407 points, 21 votes

My #5 and one of my big highlights of In Utero. I was secretly hoping that this one would go Top 10 on here... heh heh!

"Very Ape" = my #6, should have maybe been higher.

"Scentless Apprentice" = my #20, should definitely have been higher.

It's actually worth mentioning at this point that half of In Utero has already placed!

Well Nevermind and In Utero are clearly going to place in their entirety. Not really a shock in a 40-track rundown by a band whose studio albums contain a grand total of 37 songs.

my god the Voodoo people sample is so obvious – how did i never notice??!!??!

http://i.imgur.com/TRD8Ikf.jpg

19. Pennyroyal Tea
434 points, 20 votes (incl. 1 vote for the MTV Unplugged version)

Gutted this didn't make the top 10 - I had it at #2 but for a long time it was my favourite Nirvana song.

that'd be 12th for me

Well Nevermind and In Utero are clearly going to place in their entirety. Not really a shock in a 40-track rundown by a band whose studio albums contain a grand total of 37 songs.

Ha, yeah, I voted for 10/12 songs on In Utero and 8/12 songs on Nevermind.

"Pennyroyal Tea" #18 for me.

gimme
a Leonard
Cohen afterworld

Well, of course, but we've only just hit the Top 20 and more songs from In Utero have placed than songs from Nevermind. I can only think of two songs from Bleach that could possibly be up this high, 'About a Girl' of course being one of 'em, and I can think of two big songs from Incesticide that are yet to place.

In terms of my own ballot, 11 of them have already placed... remaining are: 2 songs from Bleach, 2 from Nevermind, 1 from Incesticide, 3 from In Utero and one which I don't think has a fucking chance of placing at this stage.

'Pennyroyal Tea' was one of the songs on In Utero I didn't vote for. I like it, but I think superior tracks from the record have already placed.

I think it's weird that #24 is the first thing on Gavin's ballot to show up.

for a few years i'd misremembered that line as "Leonard Cohen afterbirth"

wonder why they bitched about how Albini had gotten the mix 'wrong' on Pennyroyal Tea when even the Litt remix doesn't sound.. hugely different.

gimme
a Leonard
Cohen afterworld

Slightly regretting not going with "Gimme A George M. Cohan Afterworld" as a d/n.

The backing vocal is louder on the Litt remix and there's been a tiny bit of sweetening up, but not a great deal. Litt's version of 'Heart-Shaped Box' had far more done to it.

for a few years i'd misremembered that line as "Leonard Cohen afterbirth"

Haha, that sounds more typically Cobain than the real line

Christ, I hope the Top 5 isn't 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Come As You Are', 'Lithium', 'About a Girl' and 'Heart-Shaped Box' ... god, that would just be so fucking boring.

Calling It:"M.V." #1

I have had five songs place now - I skew slightly away from the noisy/Bleach side of Nirvana and there seemed to be a lot of that lower down (xposts).

You know when you see a list of song titles ahead of an album, and imagine how they might go?

Well, its just as well ILX pre-covers weren't around, as I had the "Sit and drink penny royal tea" line long before I heard the song.

http://i.imgur.com/slF1K3E.jpg

18. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
449 points, 18 votes

FUCK - how did I forget to put Moist Vagina on my ballot? goddammit!

I think "Pennyroyal Tea" is one of the few songs on Unplugged that's markedly inferior to its studio version. A lot of people find it devastating, I know, but having Kurt play it solo just highlights his severe limitations as an acoustic guitarist, and makes him sound petulant. It needs those anthemic surges on the chorus.

"Where Did You Sleep Last Night," on the other hand, is one of those few performances that really, honestly makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I know that 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night' has always been a popular track, but after looking at what tracks have yet to place I kinda figured it wouldn't place at this stage. I'm actually delighted to see it here, even if I didn't vote for it.

otm on both counts. His voice cracks in the wrong place on the Unplugged version. Plus, it not a great melody? It needs the full band.

Maybe I should have voted for it, actually, because I love Cobain's performance on it.

I think bleach's negative creep sounds bad next to the wishkah version

The Unplugged version of 'Pennyroyal Tea' is undoubtedly my least favourite version, so I couldn't agree more.

Christ, I hope the Top 5 isn't 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Come As You Are', 'Lithium', 'About a Girl' and 'Heart-Shaped Box'

Damn, I have 3 of those in my top 5 because I was more interested in accuracy than not-boring!

Thanks to only having terrestrial tv back then, it took ages for the Unplugged show to air over here, about a year after Kurt had gone.

Anyway, due to being out on that night I had set the vcr to record it, and my settings were such that the recording ended about 10 seconds before the end of "Sleep last night" just as k had taken a deep breath for the last "whole night through".. BANG! Off.

That was hair raising times two.

xxxxp to Alfred - Yeah, "Pennyroyal Tea" has a great set of lyrics but it's harmonically threadbare. Another performance that gives the lie to the eternally stupid idea that you can't call it a great song unless it translates to solo acoustic.

just highlights his severe limitations as an acoustic guitarist

This is basically my problem with the whole Unplugged album. "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" isn't bad though.

I like Unplugged in NY but I haven't listened to it in years.

http://i.imgur.com/889DcUW.jpg

17. Lounge Act
469 points, 19 votes, 3 #1 votes

i'm here to represent the Great Unwashed who can't tell a limited acoustic guitarist from Leo Kottke. xp

Don't tell me what I wanna hear.

i like the acoustic guitar on Unplugged! what's wrong with it?

I seem to recall a story about how during the Unplugged taping, on some the more electric-oriented numbers Cobain stomped on imaginary pedals as a reflex action.

Well on "The Man Who Sold the World" he actually does use a distortion pedal

YES! 'Lounge Act'! One of my all-time favourite Nirvana songs, this.

TOO LOW!

Pure hooks.

IMO Nirvana songs are pretty barre chord heavy, so YMMV as how they come across acoustically - Pennyroyal or On a Plain I'm thinking (as opposed to About A Girl etc)

Yup, 'Lounge Act' is just pure hooks... I love pretty much everything about this song, and a great bassline too.

For most of Unplugged I don't really have a problem with the guitar work - the record's really not about that - but even when I got the album for my birthday in 1994 (I was 12 and hadn't yet touched a guitar) I could tell KC wasn't so hot on acoustic.

Yeah love this one.

Lounge Act is so great, one of the songs that wouldn't have fit on Bleach or In Utero at all. Glad to see it in the top 20. That makes 5 in a row I voted for.

I guess another reason why I feel 'Lounge Act' is too low is that aside from 'Breed' (which I voted for) and 'On a Plain' (which I didn't, but easily could have done) the rest of the selections from Nevermind, all of which will undoubtedly place, are all the songs which at this stage I'd be happy never to hear again. I got tired of 'Drain You' years ago, if I'm to be honest, and what's left? 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Come As You Are', 'Lithium' and 'In Bloom', which are undoubtedly the four songs on the record which lost their power for me a long time ago to the point where I find 'em a bit boring to listen to.

Novoselic deserves a medal for that bass line

I recall the live version received moderate play on the local alt stations when Wishkah came out, but other than that "Drain You" isn't exactly a radio staple. Maybe you got tired of it 'cause you played it so much?

Last one for today:

http://i.imgur.com/OAvN17R.jpg

15. Come as You Are
469 points, 21 votes

Now this one I actually like better than I used to. Kurt's performance of it on "Unplugged" is almost unbearably raw - unexpectedly made me cry the other night when I listened for the first time in years.

Come as You Are is the one Nevermind single I haven't ever gone through a phase of being fed up of.

xxxpost:

Yeah, 'Drain You' just hasn't withstood repeated listens for me in the same way as a lot of other Nirvana tracks have. I've quite possibly, at this stage, listened to In Utero far more than I ever have Nevermind, but I still don't feel tired of the majority of the material on there, there's really only 'Heart-Shaped Box' that I find myself getting a bit "meh" over, but I can listen to it just fine in the context of the album while never ever feeling like listening to it in isolation.

On Nevermind stuff like 'Breed', 'Lounge Act' and 'On a Plain' have withstood repeated listens for me, but 'Drain You' is definitely one of those that I feel like skipping these days.

I'm actually kinda glad that 'Come As You Are' hasn't placed in the Top 10. Don't get me wrong, I liked it as much as anyone else did when I first heard it - same with all of the Nevermind singles - and I think the bass sound on it in particular is wonderful, but it's got to the point now with those tracks where I'm like "oh great, this song again..."

i can't believe anyone would vote for smells like teen spirit

I think it was #15 on my ballot

Another recap:

TIE 40. Floyd the Barber
TIE 40. Molly's Lips
TIE 38. Sifting
TIE 38. I Hate Myself and Want to Die
37. tourette's
36. The Man Who Sold the World
35. Stay Away
34. Territorial Pissings
33. Swap Meet
32. Rape Me
31. Blew

30. Love Buzz
29. Polly
28. Something in the Way
27. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
26. Milk It
25. Negative Creep
24. Sappy
23. Been a Son
22. Very Ape
21. Dive

20. Scentless Apprentice
19. Pennyroyal Tea
18. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
17. Lounge Act
16. Come as You Are

Will pick things up again tomorrow for the top 15, hoping to start a bit earlier.

xpost:

I didn't vote for it, obvs.

Gonna change the 'sifting' pic?

Would love to but have no mod powers!

XP to Turrican - Nevermind foregrounds its hooks so effectively that it's easier to wear out than some of their other records. In Utero camouflages its hooks almost as well, which is why it's a lot harder to hear as the difficult follow up/the noise record 20 years after the fact. Its tunes sneak up on you.

I agree there - apart from maybe three tracks it's just as tuneful as Nevermind.

I haven't read as much about its creation as I should. were the hooks in the demos? How much help did Butch Vig provide?

'Even In His Youth' isn't gonna place I guess. Same goes for 'Do Re Mi' and 'Marigold'

Yeah, In Utero is definitely a very tuneful record, IMO... 'Milk It' is probably the most "difficult" thing on there.

Shit, I missed Dive getting rolled out. I was another #2 for that one. Came across this post on a courtney love fan tumblr not long ago. I can't find it's source anywhere, but it sure as hell scans like real Courtney.

http://fuckyeahcourtneylove.com/post/132194489676/little-known-fact-kurt-loathed-dive-listen-to

lol Drain You is my #2, never got sick of it. Smells Like Teen Spirit #3 too.
all this knee-jerk hate for the Nevermind tracks feels too cool for school.

Dive was my #3; incredible tune

Come as You Are is the one Nevermind single I haven't ever gone through a phase of being fed up of.

Agreed

not voting for the hits = NOT POPULIST

Spirit of ILX weeps

I didn't vote. I should've voted. Negative Creep is way too low.

"Negative Creep" is one of the 2 Bleach songs I voted for, definitely works for me as the apex of their early aggro side.

"Sappy" was in my top 5 and is the one I'm not disappointed didn't place higher here. i remember hearing it on the radio and being so bowled over, like holy shit, they just put out an album and they didn't put this on it, what the hell is this?

the one i'm MOST disapppointed etc

I didn't vote. I should've voted.

I'm backing Aneurysm to win this.

x-post....Yes, the Nevermind contempt is kinda goofy.

Lounge Act was my #4. When the album first came out, it was the one that made me realize that this was an alltime great rock album. How many records have songs this great buried in the middle of side 2? It's catchier than 99.9% of most people's best.

"Dive" my #2, had "Milk It" at #4 and kinda surprised it didn't place higher. It's always been my In Utero deep cut of choice - the way he screams "your place is still here/in my place of recovery" at the end is blood-curdling

"your scent is still here" that is

'Negative Creep' was my #1, and I'm just happy it's in the top 25.

Never understood the love for "Negative Creep," it's maybe the worst song on the three studio albums IMO

Sounds like a meth trucker fart

Didn't vote in this, I don't know the catalog well enough past Nevermind/In Utero and the covers, but super-happy "Sappy" placed high, I have loved this one forever (and only just now learned it was not called "Verse Chorus Verse")

"Milk It" for me, probably along with "Scentless", is where the Jesus Lizard/Albini influenced dynamics really come off for me, as a way for the band to 'rock' in a less straightahead way from Nevermind. Basically a greater emphasis on the rhythm section + stratchy guitar

What I don't like so much = Tourette's, Rape Me etc - filler to me. Dare I say more filler than Nevermind.

At this point, "School" is the only remaining random wildcard choice. If it somehow didn't make it, "Do Re Mi" might still have a shot.

This is kind of great - apparently the kids didn't hear "difficult follow-up" or "noise record" in '93 either:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlNVrggW4A4

Nah, only the suits heard noise. The fans loved it.

"Lounge Act" my #1. their closest attempt to a dance song? I feel myself kicker dancing to it, it's a country dance song. at the time the line was that Nevermind was "Beatlesque" and this was the song where I heard that the clearest, until it's fucking gone.

Nah, only the suits heard noise. The fans loved it.

I mean, it sold less than half of what Nevermind sold, right?

Fans and critics loved it, sure, but something wasn't clicking the same way with the general public, surely.

15 million sold is not at all bad otoh.

It's not, and I might have overstated things earlier, but it was a definite drop for them. I think that it did strike me as having more in common with a lot of the other noisy punkish stuff I was listening to than it did with most rock albums that were selling on that scale at the time. I didn't mean to suggest that they put out a Cecil Taylor record or anything.

Was also curious about what other tracks from In Utero would have been singles and had videos - I always assumed 'Dumb' was a definite contender.

According to Wikipedia, other than 'Heart-Shaped Box,' these indeed were released:

"All Apologies" / "Rape Me"
Released: December 6, 1993
"Pennyroyal Tea"
Released: April 1994 (cancelled)
April 19, 2014 (re-released)

Discogs only lists the 'Pennyroyal Tea', however. I wonder if videos were planned, and then maybe cancelled?

Really enjoying this countdown, wish I'd known about it to vote

which are the 4 different versions of Sappy referred to upthread plz?

I know, I only know of two.

1986 - 1988 Cobain residence Kurt Cobain Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings (2015)
January, 1990 Reciprocal Recording Jack Endino Sliver: The Best of the Box (2005)
April, 1990 Smart Studios Butch Vig Nevermind (deluxe) (2011)
May, 1991 Sound City Studios Butch Vig Unreleased
February, 1993 Pachyderm Studio Steve Albini No Alternative (1993), With the Lights Out (2004), In Utero (deluxe) (2013)

I think it was understood that the unplugged "All Apologies" was In Utero's 2nd video, and they had no plans to shoot another.

I mean, it sold less than half of what Nevermind sold, right?

Makes sense to me. About half of Nevermind's sales were bought by people who probably only listened to the singles. aka not really fans.

was it a New Jersey then? i'm sure someone's asked this already on the NJ thread.

no. everyone remembers "Heart-Shaped Box"

http://i.imgur.com/30rTHJM.jpg

15. School
474 points, 23 votes

urine pie pool again
urine pie pool again
urine pie pool again
urine pie pool again
urine pie pool again
urine pie pool again
urine pie pool again
URINE PIE POOL AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN
NO RECESS

really should have voted in this but oh well nevermind

http://i.imgur.com/lokuKSY.jpg

14. Sliver
477 points, 18 votes, 2 #1 votes

damn i was really rooting for "Sliver" to be like top 5

Can't stand this song but I guess it was too much to hope it wouldn't show up. Question though: does he kill his toe or his toad? I always thought it was toad, but internet lyrics sites all seem to say toe.

it's really fun to hear Dan Peters drum on "Sliver," hearing all those Mudhoney-type fills. Grohl Nirvana is imo the best possible Nirvana, but Nevermind with Peters on drums would've been great too.

YES! I'm so glad to see 'School' place this high!

Peters is awesome, it is true. That reminds me of this old graphic from an old issue of spin:

http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l885q25kxM1qba23ho1_500.jpg

As for 'Sliver', I like it plenty but it's never really been all all-time favourite or anything.

I love Sliver, think it makes for a great halfway house between the Bleach sound and the Nevermind sound.

Idk, I feel like Sliver's concept is stronger than the song. Chorus kind of grates on my nerves. Been a Son (my #1) is a way better example of Kurt in indie pop mode imo

http://i.imgur.com/lzNGzDG.jpg

13. Dumb
520 points, 23 votes, 1 #1 vote

"sliver" was my #1, the 1990 7" was the first Nirvana record I ever bought. Also the only tune of theirs I've done at karaoke, if you wanna really talk "grates on my nerves."

whoa, only one #1 vote for dumb? that was me

Morbs, how'd you learn about in 1990 – local play??

Dumb is basically the In Utero equivalent of Polly but it's a far better song I think.

no. everyone remembers "Heart-Shaped Box"

People remember "Bad Medicine" too but tbh I didn't really buy the New Jersey concept in the end.

The ILM concept of what a New Jersey. I totally buy into the 1988 Bon Jovi album and the elaborate concepts behind it.

I always felt that 'Dumb' had melodic similarities to 'On a Plain', although I think 'Dumb' is the superior song. The cello makes this track - take it out of the mix and it makes a hell of a lot of difference.

yup - that cello is so beautiful

"Dumb" is awesome btw. Agree with the "On a Plain" comparison. Also, both songs make explicit reference to drug abuse. The lyrics are pretty juvenile on one hand but there's something affecting in their nakedness?

the lyrics to Dumb are brilliant. nursery rhyme simple and heartbreakingly beautiful. "my heart is broke / but i have some glue / help me inhale / and mend it with you / we'll float around / and hang out on clouds / then we'll come down / and have a hangover"

nursery rhyme simple and heartbreakingly beautiful.

Sort of agree with this, actually.

Yeah, the second verse ("my heart is broke/but I have some glue" etc.) look juvenile on paper, but the way Kurt sings it kinda pulls it slightly back away from that and gives the lyric this kinda weird, dreamy quality.

http://i.imgur.com/LjZ0n9s.jpg

12. Breed
532 points, 25 votes, 1 #1 vote

"We could plant a house/We could build a tree"

every lyric in Dumb is great. "i'm not like them / but i can pretend / the sun is gone / but i have a light / the day is done / but i'm having fun / i think i'm dumb / or maybe just happy." perfectly melancholy

I put on about half of Unplugged last night, for the first time in years, to try to put together what I was saying about the playing. "Pennyroyal Tea" is the one that really stands out as poor to me, for the reasons that thewufs and Master of Treacle gave, but also because the execution is noticeably messy at many points. There an example around 2:57; it's the sort of thing that I think any non-guitarist could hear. I'm usually not that fussy about little flubs but the part is so simple and bare that it really stands out for me. Otherwise, I might have been a little harsh but I just don't think most of the songs benefit from the acoustic arrangements. The sort of strumming that KC did worked with the sustain and resonance of a distorted electric instrument, and when accompanied by a loud rhythm section, but the songs can to feel a bit anemic for me when he did the same thing on an acoustic. (No way would Peter Buck just strum like that for a whole album.) There are plenty of people out there who enjoy listening to acoustic Bob Dylan records too, though, so ymmv.

otoh i have been trying to find a way to articulate my feels abt "where did you sleep" since it showed up here and i still can't do it.

but a more skilled guitar player would not improve that performance imo

There are plenty of people out there who enjoy listening to acoustic Bob Dylan records too, though, so ymmv.

yes listen to this terrible strumming
https://vimeo.com/39267368

I didn't get to "Where Did You Sleep..." but that is the one that stands out as the keeper from Unplugged. (I like "About a Girl" too.)
xp

Was trolling; will check out the Dylan video later today.

xxp: I really like that flub at 2:57! But then, I used to own and enjoy the Sublime acoustic record, so yeah, my mileage probably varies. I really get a kick out of flubs.

Ha, did not know Sublime did an acoustic record.

Ending today's run of one-word song titles...

http://i.imgur.com/8iJKxuN.jpg

About a Girl
534 points, 24 votes (incl. 1 vote for the MTV Unplugged version)

With one exception everything else should be In Utero or Nevermind. Fingers crossed for a non-hits top 5.

That should be 11. About a Girl of course.

did anyone else put If You Must, Spank Thru, Endless Nameless, Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Thru the Strip, The Other Improv, or Beeswax on their ballots? all of my songs have placed except Heart Shaped Box, Drain You, and On a Plain...

One "Spank Thru" here.

oh yeah anyone else vote "Do Re Mi"? that was my #2. doubt that it'll place at all at this point.

I'll post the full results at the very end, remind me if I forget.

I put Do Re Mi, If You Must, Endless Nameless & Beeswax.

Top 10 time - everything from now on has at least one first-place vote.

http://i.imgur.com/QJsrjNX.jpg

10. Aneurysm
542 points, 20 votes, 1 #1 vote

I thought "About A Girl" would be top 5!

a more skilled guitar player would not improve that performance imo

^^this

surely i'm the only one who specified Unplugged votes? i have to think most of the voters for "About a Girl" prefer that one to the LP version.

valuing musicianship: like punk never happened :)

it was my #2 and I prefer the Bleach version

I prefer the Bleach version but that might just be because I've listened to it more often.

The next song up had the most #1 votes (including mine).

i continue to find all this affection for Bleach shocking

http://i.imgur.com/NWHXmoL.jpg

9. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
570 points, 23 votes, 5 #1 votes

Nice!

Ah yeah! Fucking love overloaded bass sound on 'Breed' ... 'About a Girl' and 'Aneurysm' are both way too low, and YES! 'Frances Farmer...' in the Top 10!

I miss the comfort of being sad.

Cobain's self-mocking croak is key.

i continue to find all this affection for Bleach shocking

it's their best record, or at least the only one I can stand to listen to anymore

Yeah the vocal on Frances Farmer is what really puts it up there for me (xpost).

This was my #9... hah!

I probably underrated Francis Farmer on my ballot tbh.

Also, I pegged Aneurysm for the top spot; I wonder if it will end up being my #2...

(I mean, I wonder if my #2 song will wnd up topping the poll

I didn't vote for it, but I'm totally surprised by the non-appearance of 'Mr. Moustache' in the lower half of the Top 40.

http://i.imgur.com/lpUcNbP.jpg

8. All Apologies
571 points, 22 votes (incl. 1 vote for the MTV Unplugged version), 1 #1 vote

Wow I was sure All Apologies would be top 5. It's better than Heart Shaped Box

Agreed

This was my #19 and, not counting Unplugged, is my favourite album closer of theirs. I love the riff, the vocal melody, and the "all in all is all we are" outro. For some reason I've always heard a little bit of R.E.M. in this.

Oh god, yeah, this is miles better than 'Heart-Shaped Box', but then again pretty much the rest of In Utero is.

http://i.imgur.com/abUMWN7.jpg

7. In Bloom
576 points, 23 votes, 1 #1 vote

I was one of the FFWHHROS #1's.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I wrote out the full lyrics to it and a couple other songs on the covers of the three-ring binder I carried freshman year.

These last two were my #4 and #3. Love the drumming on In Bloom.

did anyone else put If You Must, Spank Thru, Endless Nameless, Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Thru the Strip, The Other Improv, or Beeswax on their ballots? all of my songs have placed except Heart Shaped Box, Drain You, and On a Plain...

― flappy bird, Friday, November 13, 2015 2:30 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i voted for "Endless, Nameless," disappointed that it missed the top 40. one of the few famous hidden tracks of the CD era that i think makes for a really interesting, appropriate to the album and the 'true' closing track.

'Frances Farmer...' is an incredible song, definitely one of my all-time favourites. Love the chord progression in the verses!

XPS I think the others were "Blow Up The Outside World" and "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"...there was also a Nine Inch Nails logo.

I also voted for 'Endless, Nameless', but it's the one song on my ballot that I know isn't going to place at this stage. 18 of mine have now already placed, and I have a feeling that the remaining one will place quite soon.

Did anyone vote for 'Beans'!?

damn that is one angsty binder! i had a canvas binder that i drew a few band logos on, including the Nirvana smiley face.

I had a 5X7 card on which I'd written good New Order lyrics.

http://i.imgur.com/4EHbOXb.jpg

6. Serve the Servants
632 points, 22 votes, 3 #1 votes

Here's a song with an opening couplet I admire more than the rest of the song yet I still voted for it.

Yup, there it is: my #8!

Everything from this point onwards is too high.

i was one of the #1 votes for "Serve," it's really their most Beatles-on-jet-fuel song

"Frances Farmer" was my #1 too. In Utero pretty much feels like a perfect rock album for me but "Frances" is one song where every moment seems great.

Explosive intro, dynamite first line, perfectly timed little bursts of feedback, then that devastating chorus.

There was a 24 hour period towards the very end of the voting where this next one was #1.

She'll come back as FIRE and burn all the liars, leave a blanket of ash on the grooooooooound!

http://i.imgur.com/zQSPhmK.jpg

5. On a Plain
655 points, 28 votes, 2 #1 votes

daaaamn i would've loved "On A Plain" as our #1

I know it's hard but what I can I doooooo

on a plain is the nirvana song I think of most.

I would have loved this to have been #1 more than any song that I know is going to follow, that's for sure! Still a little bit too high, though.

I remember the first time I heard 'On a Plain', the sudden vocal harmony on "love myself better than you" for me was just like "YEAH!"

the closest they ever came to the vaselines.

yes listen to this terrible strumming
https://vimeo.com/39267368

Yeah, that's definitely a nice picked line (and I apparently actually have that album so I should probably just avoid talking about Dylan). Was Dylan playing it, though? Some writers credit Bruce Langhorne. I looked up a few live clips and saw Dylan strumming the chords in all of them.

http://i.imgur.com/XI2GiOd.jpg

4. Lithium
668 points, 25 votes, 3 #1 votes

on a plain is the nirvana song I think of most.

Yeah, lines from this, "Frances Farmer", and "Serve the Servants" get in my head all the time.

smells like a boring top 3 lol jk

I really like the modal mixture in "Lithium".

"Drain You" is my favorite, but I honestly have no idea whether it's a fan favorite or ILM consensus track...

http://i.imgur.com/EJtr19Z.jpg

3. Drain You
703 points, 30 votes, 2 #1 votes

Sorry MikoMcha...

I think I read in Shakey that Neil Young loved "Drain You."

God, I am so fucking bored of 'Lithium' that it's fucking unreal.

God, I am so fucking bored of 'Lithium' that it's fucking unreal.

Yes, there are far better songs on that album.

So it's 'Heart-Shaped Box' and 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' for the top two, then. It doesn't matter what order it's in, because either way it's the dullest outcome imaginable.

YOU'RE THE DULLEST OUTCOME IMAGINABLE!!

J/K

Calm yo tits!

http://i.imgur.com/cEZD40d.jpg

2. Heart-Shaped Box
707 points, 29 votes, 4 #1 votes

http://i.imgur.com/LRwlYTG.jpg

1. Smells Like Teen Spirit
737 points, 27 votes, 2 #1 votes

"Drain You" in third place is pretty good though! For some reason I always felt alone with that one.

smfh seriously.

thx Gavin

mine:

Sliver
Something in the Way (Nevermind)
Smells Like Teen Spirit
About a Girl (Unplugged)
Lithium
In Bloom
Sappy
Where Did You Sleep Last Night (cover)
Come As You Are
Polly (Unplugged)
All Apologies (Unplugged)
Pennyroyal Tea (Unplugged)
Heart-Shaped Box
The Man Who Sold the World (cover)
Territorial Pissings
Drain You
On a Plain
Lake of Fire (cover)
Breed
Stay Away

Favorite album: Unplugged

is this the most you've ever commented on a music thread?

prob not, when was the last time a good band was polled?

oh, Ramones poll i bet

you may have posted in the Backstreet Boys poll

Gavin thanks for running the poll and helping with my mangled ballot. It was great to spend some time with a band that means a lot to me, but that I don't listen to as much anymore.
Too painful really. Somewhat predictable tracks ballot below.

All Apologies
Drain You
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Where Did You Sleep Last Night
Sliver
In Bloom
About A Girl
Heart-Shaped Box
Come As You Are
Lithium
Scentless Aprentice
Here She Comes Now
On a Plain
Breed
Polly
Been A Son
Territorial Pissings
Dumb
Endless Nameless
I Hate Myself And Want To Die

Negative Creep
About A Girl
Dive
Scoff
Love Buzz
Blew
School
Come As You Are
Paper Cuts
Swap Meet
Lithium
Floyd the Barber
Breed
Sifting
Smells Like Teen Spirit
In Bloom
Mr. Moustache
Big Cheese
Aneurysm
Something In The Way

Favorite album: Bleach

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle
Dive
Serve The Servants
Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Heart-Shaped Box
I Hate Myself And Want To Die
Breed
Territorial Pissings
Negative Creep
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Spank Thru
About A Girl
Lounge Act
Oh Me
School
Milk It
Dumb
Marigold
Polly
Lithium

Album: In Utero

1. On a Plain
2. Drain You
3. Verse Chorus Verse
4. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
5. Breed
6. Lounge Act
7. Sliver
8. Something in the Way
9. The Man Who Sold the World
10. Rape Me
11. Dive
12. Aneurysm
13. Pennyroyal Tea
14. In The Pines
15. Molly’s Lips
16. Floyd the Barber
17. Heart-Shaped Box
18. Very Ape
19. I Hate Myself…
20. Even In His Youth

ALBUM: In Utero

1. Dive (#21)
2. About a Girl (#11)
3. Breed (#12)
4. Territorial Pissings (#34)
5. Scentless Apprentice (#20)
6. Lounge Act (#17)
7. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter (#27)
8. Serve the Servants (#6)
9. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle (#9)
10. tourette's (#37)
11. Love Buzz (#30)
12. Aneurysm (#10)
13. Very Ape (#22)
14. Milk It (#26)
15. Negative Creep (#25)
16. Blew (#31)
17. School (#15)
18. Floyd The Barber (#40)
19. All Apologies (#8)

*silence*

20. Endless Nameless (did not place)

Big thanks to everyone who took part, this was a lot of fun to do.

Those results in full:

(Placing / Track / Points / Votes / #1 votes)

1 Smells Like Teen Spirit 737 27 2
2 Heart-Shaped Box 707 29 4
3 Drain You 703 30 2
4 Lithium 668 25 3
5 On a Plain 655 28 2
6 Serve the Servants 632 22 3
7 In Bloom 576 23 1
8 All Apologies 571 22 1
9 Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle 570 23 5
10 Aneurysm 542 20 1
11 About a Girl 534 24 0
12 Breed 532 25 1
13 Dumb 520 23 1
14 Sliver 477 18 2
15 School 474 23 0
16 Come as You Are 469 21 0
17 Lounge Act 469 19 3
18 Where Did You Sleep Last Night 449 18 0
19 Pennyroyal Tea 434 20 0
20 Scentless Apprentice 407 21 0
21 Dive 368 12 2
22 Very Ape 364 19 0
23 Been a Son 364 17 1
24 Sappy 333 14 0
25 Negative Creep 332 15 2
26 Milk It 313 15 1
27 Radio Friendly Unit Shifter 273 12 0
28 Something in the Way 232 11 0
29 Polly 230 12 0
30 Love Buzz 228 11 0
31 Blew 208 10 1
32 Rape Me 208 10 0
33 Swap Meet 182 8 1
34 Territorial Pissings 178 10 0
35 Stay Away 133 7 0
36 The Man Who Sold the World 127 7 0
37 tourette's 119 7 0
38= I Hate Myself and Want to Die 112 6 0
38= Sifting 112 6 0
40= Molly's Lips 106 6 0
40= Floyd the Barber 106 6 0
42 You Know You're Right 105 5 0
43 Endless, Nameless 98 6 0
44 Oh, the Guilt 94 5 0
45 Paper Cuts 93 5 0
46 Do Re Mi 84 3 0
47 Even in His Youth 67 4 0
48= Verse Chorus Verse 67 3 0
48= Beeswax 67 3 0
50 Spank Thru 66 3 0
51 Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam 65 3 0
52 Son of a Gun 64 3 0
53 Oh Me 62 3 0
54 Hairspray Queen 59 3 0
55 Marigold 55 4 0
56 Curmudgeon 55 2 0
57 D-7 46 2 0
58 If You Must 45 2 0
59 Scoff 43 2 0
60 Downer 37 2 0
61 Opinion 32 2 0
62= Big Long Now 31 2 0
62= Mr Moustache 31 2 0
64 Lake of Fire 29 2 0
65 Aero Zeppelin 25 1 0
66 Plateau 22 1 0
67 The Money Will Roll Right In 21 1 0
68 Here She Comes Now 20 1 0
69= Turnaround 18 1 0
69= Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip 18 1 0
69= Seasons in the Sun 18 1 0
72 The Other Improv 17 1 0
73 Big Cheese 14 1 0
74= Old Age 13 1 0
74= Stain 13 1 0
76= Pen Cap Chew 12 1 0
76= Mexican Seafood 12 1 0

My own ballot, 1-20:

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
Pennyroyal Tea
In Bloom
All Apologies
Dive
Aneurysm
About a Girl
Come as You Are
On a Plain
Serve the Servants
Sliver
Oh, the Guilt
Drain You
Very Ape
Been a Son
Dumb
Breed
Sappy
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Lounge Act

Favourite album: In Utero

Was sad that Oh, the Guilt didn't make the 40, it was hovering around the low 30s to start with but hey.

Also worth mentioning that for the first week of voting Heart-Shaped Box was way out in front for the top spot.

valuing musicianship: like punk never happened :)

i had forgotten.

My ballot:
Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
Smells Like Teen Spirit
About a Girl
Lithium
Very Ape
Come As You Are
Serve the Servants
Lounge Act
Milk It
In Bloom
Heart-Shaped Box
Polly
Tourette’s
Dumb
On a Plain
School
Pennyroyal Tea
Drain You
Scentless Apprentice

Favourite album: In Utero

xp :(

(j/k)

Was there anything that didn't make any votes at all?

Hmm, "Pay to play"

'Beans'

'The Landlord Is A Piece Of Shit From Hell'

Wow, surprised the results turned out so populist, as Morbs put it, in the end - I figured the reliably contrarian ILM, of all places, would have been sick of "Teen Spirit" by now. I harrumphed about the board's collective addiction to challops in my ballot email to Mark and yet I rooted against a #1 placing for "Teen Spirit" (as you can see, the song still made my list). Guess I'm part of the problem!

Drain You
Dive
In Bloom
Serve the Servants
Lounge Act
On a Plain
Where Did You Sleep Last Night
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Heart Shaped Box
Dumb
Breed
All Apologies
Scentless Apprentice
Son of A Gun
Pennyroyal Tea
Milk It
Territorial Pissings
Floyd the Barber
Stain
Sifting

Yeah a few other With the Lights Out tracks I think, also Moist Vagina and the song from the KISS tribute album (xposts).

in my own email to Mark Gavin

I don't exactly think SLTS is the sort of hit single that is unrepresentative of the band in general.

Oh, it's not unrepresentative, it's just that I've heard it that many times that it's gone a bit stale for me. That, and I think they have far better songs.

Starting to think I should have put "In Bloom" at #1. Such an amazing song. That solo is like the sound of the sky ripping in half.

i'm not even reading this thread because it's probably full of nevermind hating, b-side loving wackos

in bloom
smells like teen spirit
scentless apprentice
dumb
on a plain
serve the servants
come as you are
about a girl
negative creep
lithium
radio friendly unit shifter
downer
blew
drain you
heart shaped box
rape me
love buzz
been a son
the man who sold the world
school

i really enjoyed torque's cover of "in bloom" on that recent tribute comp. they totally nailed the guitar solo.

xp Well, yeah.

Dumb
Do Re Mi
Swap Meet
Been a Son
Something in the Way
Beeswax
On a Plain
Polly
If You Must
Spank Thru
Scentless Apprentice
Endless Nameless
Come as You Are
Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Thru the Strip
The Other Improv
School
Heart Shaped Box
Milk It
Drain You
Very Ape

favorite album: In Utero

Blew
Dive
Drain You
Aneurysm
You Know You’re Right
Lounge Act
On A Plain
Paper Cuts
Love Buzz
Sifting
Breed
Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
Something in the Way
Very Ape
Downer
Big Long Now
Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Come As You Are
Dumb

Been a Son
Lithium
Sappy
Scentless Apprentice
On a Plain
Lounge Act
Very Ape
I Hate Myself and Want to Die
Breed
Aneurysm
Heart-Shaped Box
Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
All Apologies
Pennyroyal Tea
Drain You
Tourette's
Oh, the Guilt
Milk It
Old Age
School

Serve The Servants
Drain You
In Bloom
On A Plain
Sappy
Heart-Shaped Box
Sliver
School
Very Ape
Breed
Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
Been A Son
Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle
Turnaround
Territorial Pissings
Tourette’s
Endless, Nameless
Lithium
Negative Creep
Pen Cap Chew

favorite album:
Nevermind

Nirvana covering Devo was always such an eye-opener for me, things like that are a window into Cobain's taste beyond the obvious influences that people associate him with, plus "Turnaround" totally kicks ass

i think the song i've enjoyed the most listening to the poll results that i didn't think of voting for is "Swap Meet," really overlooked that one

yes!!!

Milk It
Dumb
Lithium
Aneurysm
Negative Creep
Pennyroyal Tea
Where Did You Sleep Last Light?
Very Ape
Drain You
Lounge Act
School
D7
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Stay Away
Scentless Apprentice
Sappy
Breed
Molly’s Lips
Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
Swap Meet

favorite album: In Utero

i don't dislike "You Know You're Right" but i kind of appreciate seeing, some years after all the hype that attended its release, that it's been more or less discarded as an inessential leftover and not The Great Lost Nirvana Single.

maybe it's just that it's one of my favorite Velvet's songs, but I love their version of 'Here She Comes Now' that's on the Fifteen Minutes tribute.

i enjoy "you know you're right" as a song but the mix on the self-titled 'best-of' is atrocious. would have been good with rawer 'in utero' style production, imo

scoffing @ #1

scoff away

Dive
Drain You
Aneurysm
Come As You Are
Floyd the Barber
In Bloom
Curmudgeon
Lounge Act
Spank Thru
School
Scentless Apprentice
Very Ape
Breed
Hairspray Queen
Dumb
Beeswax
Negative Creep
Blew
Oh the Guilt
Swap Meet

Lounge Act
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Sappy
Where Did You Sleep Last Night
Son Of A Gun
Pennyroyal Tea
Lithium
Molly's Lips
You Know You're Right
All Apologies
Endless, Nameless
Rape Me
Breed
Territorial Pissings
Sliver
School
In Bloom
Polly
Stay Away
Heart-Shaped Box

album: Nevermind

1. “On a Plain”
2. “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
3. “Heart-Shaped Box”
4. “All Apologies”
5. “Dumb”
6. “Sliver”

Thanks Gavin!

Frances Farmer Will Have her Revenge on Seattle
Aneurysm
Dumb
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Heart Shaped Box
Serve the Servants
Aero Zeppelin
Swap Meet
Love Buzz
Lithium
The Man Who Sold the World
Sifting
Milk It
On a Plain
Hairspray Queen
Mr Moustache
Big Long Now
Paper Cuts
Lounge Act
Where Did You Sleep Last Night

I didn't vote because apparently I have a terrible memory for Nirvana song titles (all through the countdown I was going "hmm... <goes to youtube> oh yeah, this one!") but thank you all for the joy I felt when School - Sliver - Breed came up in quick succession

"Sliver", "Sappy", and "Dive" were the ones I didn't vote for that I was happiest to rediscover through this poll.

Also, thanks, Gavin!

im remembering so many songs too!

TOKEN EASTERN SONG!

https://youtu.be/rmFcXfRGYWI

Won't post my entire list, but I was the guy that voted for Breed as my #1.
#2 was On A Plain.

huh, nobody voted for Talk to Me. I almost did, maybe I should have.

didnt vote but probably should have. genuinely surprised at SLTS taking #1. i thought Aneurysm was a shoo-in

oh man that velvets cover is amazing and i'd somehow never heard it before

kurt screaming out the chorus just feels right

would have voted for it

Considering also what was left off that's not a bad list of songs - as a legacy of a decent songwriter I think it holds up pretty well.

really i do suspect those of you who don't think "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is one of Nirvana's 20 best recordings of pure frontin'

^^^^^

i didn't vote for it, but my thinking was more like "it would be just outside my top 10 but it doesn't need my vote and i can make room for more songs"

really i do suspect those of you who don't think "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is one of Nirvana's 20 best recordings of pure frontin'

― skateboards are the new combover (Dr Morbius)

You and I seem to have very different taste in Nirvana songs, but I would agree with this.

Heart Shaped Box
Serve The Servants
Do Re Mi
Curmudgeon
Milk It
Oh The Guilt
Beeswax
Hairspray Queen
Breed
If You Must
The Money Will Roll Right In
Been A Son
About a Girl
Son Of a Gun
Endless Nameless
Blew
Scentless Apprentice
Drain You
Scoff
Pennyroyal Tea

xp Yeah "Turnaround" kicks so much ass. Although out of the 4 covers from that session, their version of "Son of a Gun" pulls on my nostalgia strings the most.

#43-59 comprise most of the Nirvana jams I still pump on a somewhat regular basis.

"Francis Farmer" getting the most #1 votes means it's the actual winner.

"Scoff" getting only two votes is kinda absurd

wow do I love "Scentless Apprentice", I think I'd never really listened to it before this poll (despite buying the album the day it came out). but sometimes it takes years, and new ears, and tbh good headphones.

so thanks poll! never really gave In Utero a real chance until now.

One of the reasons (of many) that I like In Utero so much is that I can hear a fair amount of post-punk influence in there... 'Radio Friendly Unit Shifter' reminds me quite a lot of 'Annalisa' by Public Image Ltd. and the bridge between the verses and the "GO AWAY!" chorus on 'Scentless Apprentice' (the ascending guitar part) reminds me a lot of the intro to 'Something Must Break' by Joy Division.

There's hints of post-punk, The Beatles, R.E.M. and Pixies amongst other things, and all tied together with Kurt's unique melodic sense and the way he formulates his chord progressions.

Thanks to Mr. Gavin. Leeds for running the pool! It will live forever in the Heart Shaped Box of my heart.

My ballot:

1
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Drain You
In Bloom
Lounge Act
All Apologies
Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Breed
Very Ape
Come As You Are
On a Plain
Dive
Sliver
Rape Me
Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle
School
Sifting
About a Girl
Opinion
Lithium
Sappy
20

Teen Spirit is a moment in time that I cant get back to. I couldn't vote for it. Other songs still work the way they're supposed to; just not Teen spirit.

I still find "Breed" as thrilling as any great Ramones song. It never gets old. Maybe I should have made it my #1. Or maybe I should have voted...

i wish i had voted in this. aneurysm! oh the guilt!

i had that grunge family tree taped up in my locker during high school.

i wish i had included Dive in my list. not an oversight so much as having not realized how good it was until after the results came out.

Toad or toe, people? The only thing I liked about that song was that he may have run down his pet amphibian.

oh the guilt = my favourite song not to place

moist vagina is such a great overlooked track, classic alone for Kurt wailing "MARIJUANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" and then the vocal fry at the end

really i do suspect those of you who don't think "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is one of Nirvana's 20 best recordings of pure frontin'

― skateboards are the new combover (Dr Morbius), Sunday, November 15, 2015 4:05 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I don't think it is, and I'm definitely not "frontin'"

ok i believe you

(i just don't understand)

Yeah, I don't quite get the Smells Like Teen Spirit contempt. That's part of the reason I made it my #1, to counteract the negative creeps (Just kidding). In truth any of my top 5 could have been 1.

I'm far far more sick of Lithium and Come As You Are than Smells Like Teen Spirit.

been a son is a pretty cool song. i've never heard it before. thanks poll!

Thanks to the poll for making me listen to "Do Re Mi" for the first time. It's great! I can't believe I never sought it out. I guess I was put off by the price of the big box set (I had no money then) and ignored the "best of the box" thing. It's a rough cut, but I had bits of it stuck in my head for days. What a shame the world never got the "next" Nirvana record, with that, "You Know You're Right," and hell maybe even some songs that showed up on the first Foo Fighters album. Wasn't it meant to be like the White Album, with a little bit of everything? Maybe I'm wrong, but I recall Kurt was supposed to go out to Georgia and meet with Michael Stipe and throw around some ideas. Ach, what a loss...

Lounge Act
Aneurysm
School
Dumb
Even In His Youth - actually discovered this song while making my list
Scentless Apprentice
Milk It
Stay Away
Drain You
Negative Creep
All Apologies
Come As You Are
Molly's Lips
Breed
Sliver
Been A Son
Do Re Mi
Marigold
The Man Who Sold The World
Heart-Shaped Box

The funny thing was that I had a really hard time picking 20 songs but ordering those 20 didn't matter too much.
I love that 'Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle' ranked so high because that was my hardest cut.

I'm also glad that Wishkah did really good considering 'Spank Thru' was the only song that didn't place.
The Wishkah versions of several songs are better than the stereo versions.