The sound of Nirvana

I remember “Milk It” was actually the first song I heard from that album because it appeared on some DGC comp with a magazine issue — Option maybe? I really can’t remember — a couple of months or so even before “Heart-Shaped Box” came out. I remember playing it for board vet donut bitch at my place and we were pretty damn impressed.

Somehow I expected Foo Fighters to be in the same ballpark but no.

That said “Everlong” is one of the biggest songs they have after “smells like teen spirit” and “come as you are”

the foo fighters lost a lot of monthly listeners as dave grohl increasingly loses any traces of his coolness from the 90s

Just listened to the two songs linked above, and was reminded why "In Utero" is hands down my favorite Nirvana album. While the pop fan in me prefers the production on "Nevermind" due to the more clean, shiny sound, I think "In Utero" is where Nirvana truly assimilated their strengths, by managing to combine the noisy sludge of "Bleach" with the colorful sonic shading of "Nevermind", coming through with an album that feels more fully formed than "Bleach", and also rocks harder than "Nevermind".

Btw we went through this on another thread can’t remember which one but the actual most popular or at least most streamed rock band from the past 30 years in both spotify and youtube and also the most followers on their facebook fan page is Linkin Park.

Interesting. It does make a certain sense, given that Linkin Park had a diamond album, which definitely cements a legacy as far as music goes (see also: Green Day, Pearl Jam, a certain band that this thread revolves around, etc).

I wrote off Nirvana as populist fratboy music in '91 (because I'd never listened to them properly) but In Utero brushed that aside with its immense heaviness and core weirdness, one of the great albums of all time for me. I still can only listen to about half of Nevermind before the polish clogs in my ears.

Both slavishly overrated.

glad Alex in NYC is here to set the record straight

Haha Linkin Park has 22M monthly listeners!

In Utero, whatever you might think, is the most abrasive album to hit #1 to date.

Weirdly felt like Alex in 1993, at 11 years old. My thing was only buying the live albums cuz I felt like I heard the studio albums a million times from just being out around. I wasn't exactly boy about town.

the most abrasive album to hit #1 to date

Mmmmaybe. My vote would probably go to Pantera's Far Beyond Driven, but it's a close race.

At your service.

I don't really mind Krist's doofus persona in the early interviews -- he's funny! I can't find it, but there's one from 1991 that always cracks me up where he says the "Teen Spirit" video was directed by "Sam Bayer, TV's Jethro."

Is it the only Albini-produced album to hit #1?

Nope, Bush's Razorblade Suitcase also hit #1 in America.

And I would say, arguably, that Bush album is even more abrasive at moments than Nevermind.

I always forget Steve Albini produced that one.

So did he, once he cashed their check.

the album that built Electrical Audio

And I would say, arguably, that Bush album is even more abrasive at moments than Nevermind.

Do you mean In Utero, which would be an interesting claim? Bc Nevermind was neither produced by Albini nor especially abrasive.

I don't think of Nevermind as more abrasive than Zep II or Electric Ladyland.

xpost - yeah, brain fart, it's early. I'd say RS is actually fairly similar to IU in terms of abrasiveness (though, TO BE CRYSTAL CLEAR, not in terms of quality, even if i do ride for RS as actually being a kinda good album and the best thing Bush ever did).

So did he, once he cashed their check.

― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, October 6, 2021 11:10 AM bookmarkflaglink

Guess he was a "Greedy Fly"

I always forget Steve Albini produced that one.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Wednesday, October 6, 2021 8:07 AM (thirty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

So did he, once he cashed their check.

― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, October 6, 2021 8:10 AM (twenty-seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

my impression from everything i read about the record is that albini and rossdale actually bonded and became bros during the process

As for the band's name, Rossdale insists there are no sexist overtones. "Men have bushes too, after all. And actually, Bush is what we Brits call marijuana.

Albini has said time and again he is an engineer for hire. If you have money and he has time, he will record your band. It's a job.

but yeah iirc to brad's point I think he's never been effusive about the band but he has said they were cool

ums otm, I was just being kinda flip about it, I remember Albini being really clear that it was just a job even if he hated their music.

Am I wrong in remembering Albini saying he threw out a ridiculous number to Bush's team since he was already so busy, thinking they'd go elsewhere, but they accepted it right away?

that's what i remember, i think he definitely adjusts rates based on how big the band is/how busy he is etc

Bc Nevermind was neither produced by Albini nor especially abrasive.

I mean, Breed, Territorial Pissings, Stay Away and Endless Nameless are pretty abrasive.

I have never heard an English person refer to weed as "bush".

Bush’s music is proud of its inspirations, and Bush used the platform of their popularity to champion bands they thought deserved attention, taking a score of underground or breaking acts on tour with them and regularly paying tribute to the bands and songs that inspired them, occasionally covering the songs themselves to make it plain. I have worked in the studio with bands from the smallest to the largest, from those with no expectations to those with the grandest ambitions, and I am confident in ascribing genuine motives to Bush as I am of any band I’ve encountered. Through working with Bush they became friends, and I am as proud of their friendship as I am of any work I did for them. They made the music they did because they loved it and they got popular because they worked their asses off, and eventually other people liked it too. You cannot ask any more of an artist.

-steve albini

from the liner notes to the RS re-issue, apparently (https://consequence.net/2016/11/bush-share-never-before-released-razorblade-suitcase-track-sleeper-listen/). NB: I have never listened to this album.

"Endless Nameless" I'll grant - it wasn't on my cassette so I never heard it until relatively recently. The others I can see as abrasive like "Helter Skelter" is abrasive, just don't think I'd say "most abrasive to ever hit #1".

Albini had much harsher words for the Pixies.

The Pixies “Surfer Rosa” LP: A patchwork pinch loaf from a band who a their top dollar best are blandly entertaining college rock. Their willingness to be “guided” by their manager, their record company and their producers is unparalleled. Never have I seen four cows more anxious to be led around by their nose rings.

Except that I got to rewrite their songs with a razorblade, thought the drums sounded nice, and managed to get Nate the Impaler on the LP as a cameo, I remember nothing about this album, although I thought it was pretty good at the time. During the recording, a sibling of the sexual partner of a Pixie was lounging around making little fuck me noises, so I took her home and got stiffed. Had to retreat to Byron’s “den of satisfaction” and run a batch off by hand. I seem to remember that their Filipino guitar player was pro-Marcos, but I could be wrong. The album took about a week maybe two all tolled. Fee: $1,500.

I later recorded a single track with them for a label-stroke compilation album. The band had been getting the Big High Building “pampered performer" treatment for a couple of years by then and were consequently bored and dour. It took a couple of hours after dinner one night. Fee: $4,000. About a year later, Bob Krasnow, the geeb at Elektra’s Big High Building who fathered this dumb idea sent me a truly revolting nickel-and-gold Omega wristwatch (the kind Record Producers wear), with tacky Biz inscription and tacky presentation case. As soon as somebody at the pool room offers me what it’s worth, I'm gonna have a hell of a nice dinner.

I listened to Razorblade Suitcase not that long ago, it is good, that record was ubiquitous for a while in 90s on alt-radio & in people's cars but I always enjoyed those songs

the best part of the Bush/Albini relationship was Andy from Silkworm getting to do a two week fill-in spot as Bush's pale, balding guitar player

During the recording, a sibling of the sexual partner of a Pixie was lounging around making little fuck me noises, so I took her home and got stiffed. Had to retreat to Byron’s “den of satisfaction” and run a batch off by hand. I seem to remember that their Filipino guitar player was pro-Marcos, but I could be wrong.

I really hate Albini when he's enjoying being this much of a dick. It's like the ugliest side of that era of hardcore/pigfuck, this nasty inverted macho bullshit that just makes me think of that KITH routine, The Shortest Tubes In North York.

He later admitted he was hardmanning about the Pixies when he wrote all of that.

...and regretted being so harsh.

There were about 20 years between the two blurbs tbf. Dude mellowed with age no doubt.xps

When Bush headlined the basketball arena in Champaign back in 1995, Gavin wore a Hum shirt and shouted out the band at multiple points during the show. Sure, cheap pops for the hometown crowd, but he genuinely seemed to be excited about them, so it checks out with their support of smaller bands.

I started listening to Razorblade Suitcase but then thought to watch KiTH.

What are the most abrasive songs?

"Tendency to Start Fires"

Yeah that's one that pops to mind. To be clear I'm not suggesting this is Scratch Acid or anything, but it go pretty abrasive compared to where Bush's first album was.

I started listening to Razorblade Suitcase but then thought to watch KiTH.

wise IMO!

Am I wrong in remembering Albini saying he threw out a ridiculous number to Bush's team since he was already so busy, thinking they'd go elsewhere, but they accepted it right away?

― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0

This is called the Charlie Watts Dictum.