Smells Like a Superfluous Reissue
By Eric Shapiro
Published 11/20/09 in Skidmore News
2 stars
When the disclaimer “it’s impossible to write about this band without resorting to cliché” has itself become a cliché, it’s safe to say that the band in question has not been neglected in the annals of rock n’ roll criticism. Such is the case with Nirvana. Some argue that the band gained its reputation is due to the tragic, self-inflicted death of frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994 and they may be right to an extent. Others claim that Nirvana’s historical importance far outweighs its artistic merits. This is of course in reference to the leading role the band played in bringing alternative music, a formerly underground movement starting in the late 1970s and persisting through the 1980s, into the mainstream. While these arguments may help to explain Nirvana’s reputation and sales figures, they say very little about the band’s actual music. Perhaps they were in the right place at the right time; people were sick of the cookie-cutter, assembly line hair metal bands that had dominated the charts for a decade, not to mention the macho posturing and misogynistic attitudes of their members. Nevertheless, Nirvana’s true greatness lies in its two things: mastery of the simple pop song (for which all the band members deserve credit), and Kurt Cobain’s unmatched ability to convey emotion through melody. Unlike other bands with glowing reputations, Nirvana did not pioneer new musical styles, bring rock musicianship to the next level, or pioneer new production techniques. Indeed, they owe a great debt to a lot of other bands: the Pixies for their soft-loud dynamics, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin for their heavy riffing, The Wipers, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth and Husker Du for their noisy guitar and 60s pop for its sense of melody. These are all influences that Cobain acknowledged and to be sure, he deserves credit for combining such disparate sources into an original sound. However, Nirvana’s greatest attribute was Cobain’s voice and simple, yet utterly original melodies and cord progressions that conveyed deep emotions. In short, Cobain is rock n’ rolls greatest expressionist and one of its best pop architects. Bleach, released in 1989, does not consistently play to the band’s strengths. On the contrary, the album must be viewed in its proper context, as an attempt to conform to the tried-and-true aesthetic of its label, Sub Pop (something that Cobain admit to in subsequent interviews). Consequently, Bleach is the only Nirvana album that truly merits the “grunge” label. The influence of labelmates Mudhoney and idols The Melvin’s are all to clear. Many of the songs on the album have more in common with heavy metal than the alternative rock that Cobain so eagerly championed after his rise to fame. That being said, Bleach cannot be entirely written off as a footnote of 1980s underground music; several of its songs foreshadow the greatness that is to come on subsequent releases. “Floyd the Barber,” “School,” “Blew” and “Negative Creep” are catchy and make use of the band’s signature soft-loud dynamics. However, only on “About a Girl,” a throwback to 1960s garage rock, and “Love Buzz,” (a cover of a song by obscure Dutch band Shocking Blue, also from the ‘60s), do they attain the melodic and emotional heights that they would consistently display on Nevermind and In Utero. By itself, Bleach is an album solely for fans of Nirvana and 1980s independent music. Other than turning up the snare, Jack Endino’s remastering job is negligable. With the original edition of Bleach readily available on Itunes, it is difficult to see this reissue as more than a money grab by the desperate Cobain estate. Even so, the concert that comes along with the reissue is appealing. In fact, it is certainly a better representative of early Nirvana than Bleach, owing to the fact that the band is under no pressure to curb its pop impulses. “Dive” (Courtney Love’s favorite of her husband’s songs) and “Sappy” (one of Cobain’s personal favorites that did not make it onto an LP because he could never get it quite right in the studio) rank among the band’s best recordings. “Been a Son” (a Nevermind B-Side) and “Spank Through” (one of their first ever recordings from the Fecal Matter demo tape, for those who care) are also superb. The rest of the songs on the setlist are live renditions of Bleach’s better songs; obviously Cobain knew which ones were keepers. Overall, the concert, which, other than some photos that can be easily found online, comprises all of the skimpy bonus material, is enjoyable. Still, considering superior versions of these songs are available on other releases, it does not make this reissue a worthy purchase, unless of course you’re a Nirvana completist.
over the course of a few short years, Kurt Cobain penned more great songs than most artists do in their entire career.
That being said, Nirvana’s importance lies not in the number of albums they sold (many artists have sold a great deal more), but rather in their synthesis of disparate
Published 11/20/09 in Skidmore News
2 stars
When the disclaimer “it’s impossible to write about this band without resorting to cliché” has itself become a cliché, it’s safe to say that the band in question has not been neglected in the annals of rock n’ roll criticism. Such is the case with Nirvana. Some argue that the band gained its reputation is due to the tragic, self-inflicted death of frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994 and they may be right to an extent. Others claim that Nirvana’s historical importance far outweighs its artistic merits. This is of course in reference to the leading role the band played in bringing alternative music, a formerly underground movement starting in the late 1970s and persisting through the 1980s, into the mainstream. While these arguments may help to explain Nirvana’s reputation and sales figures, they say very little about the band’s actual music. Perhaps they were in the right place at the right time; people were sick of the cookie-cutter, assembly line hair metal bands that had dominated the charts for a decade, not to mention the macho posturing and misogynistic attitudes of their members. Nevertheless, Nirvana’s true greatness lies in its two things: mastery of the simple pop song (for which all the band members deserve credit), and Kurt Cobain’s unmatched ability to convey emotion through melody. Unlike other bands with glowing reputations, Nirvana did not pioneer new musical styles, bring rock musicianship to the next level, or pioneer new production techniques. Indeed, they owe a great debt to a lot of other bands: the Pixies for their soft-loud dynamics, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin for their heavy riffing, The Wipers, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth and Husker Du for their noisy guitar and 60s pop for its sense of melody. These are all influences that Cobain acknowledged and to be sure, he deserves credit for combining such disparate sources into an original sound. However, Nirvana’s greatest attribute was Cobain’s voice and simple, yet utterly original melodies and cord progressions that conveyed deep emotions. In short, Cobain is rock n’ rolls greatest expressionist and one of its best pop architects. Bleach, released in 1989, does not consistently play to the band’s strengths. On the contrary, the album must be viewed in its proper context, as an attempt to conform to the tried-and-true aesthetic of its label, Sub Pop (something that Cobain admit to in subsequent interviews). Consequently, Bleach is the only Nirvana album that truly merits the “grunge” label. The influence of labelmates Mudhoney and idols The Melvin’s are all to clear. Many of the songs on the album have more in common with heavy metal than the alternative rock that Cobain so eagerly championed after his rise to fame. That being said, Bleach cannot be entirely written off as a footnote of 1980s underground music; several of its songs foreshadow the greatness that is to come on subsequent releases. “Floyd the Barber,” “School,” “Blew” and “Negative Creep” are catchy and make use of the band’s signature soft-loud dynamics. However, only on “About a Girl,” a throwback to 1960s garage rock, and “Love Buzz,” (a cover of a song by obscure Dutch band Shocking Blue, also from the ‘60s), do they attain the melodic and emotional heights that they would consistently display on Nevermind and In Utero. By itself, Bleach is an album solely for fans of Nirvana and 1980s independent music. Other than turning up the snare, Jack Endino’s remastering job is negligable. With the original edition of Bleach readily available on Itunes, it is difficult to see this reissue as more than a money grab by the desperate Cobain estate. Even so, the concert that comes along with the reissue is appealing. In fact, it is certainly a better representative of early Nirvana than Bleach, owing to the fact that the band is under no pressure to curb its pop impulses. “Dive” (Courtney Love’s favorite of her husband’s songs) and “Sappy” (one of Cobain’s personal favorites that did not make it onto an LP because he could never get it quite right in the studio) rank among the band’s best recordings. “Been a Son” (a Nevermind B-Side) and “Spank Through” (one of their first ever recordings from the Fecal Matter demo tape, for those who care) are also superb. The rest of the songs on the setlist are live renditions of Bleach’s better songs; obviously Cobain knew which ones were keepers. Overall, the concert, which, other than some photos that can be easily found online, comprises all of the skimpy bonus material, is enjoyable. Still, considering superior versions of these songs are available on other releases, it does not make this reissue a worthy purchase, unless of course you’re a Nirvana completist.
over the course of a few short years, Kurt Cobain penned more great songs than most artists do in their entire career.
That being said, Nirvana’s importance lies not in the number of albums they sold (many artists have sold a great deal more), but rather in their synthesis of disparate