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

"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