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

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

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.

'Molly's Lips' was the other song I never actually noticed until I made my list.

I ranked a few faves.

No Incesticide? I know it's not strictly an album but with such a sparse discography I'd have thought you'd take everything you could get.

Also I think my rankings would possibly be exactly the opposite way round to yours (some days IU first and Bleach second).

Yes - felt that way since it came out. Ultimately, he was a great singer, and never communicated more clearly than on Unplugged. All the covers freed him up to really reveal something that his instinctively blunt poesy kept hidden.