helterskelter.ca

NIRVANA
1989 - Bleach.
1991 - Nevermind.
1993 - In Utero.
more NIRVANA.
way more Helter Skelter.

June 1, 1989 - 2024: 35 years of: Bleach.

From putrid punks to worldwide worship.

No industry-experts could've predicted this band would become icons for Generation X. But before the acclaims, the dirty roots of this "little group" started in the deepest of Seattle's underground. Here is the late 80s acidrock of NIRVANA.

Rocking hard, they "Blew" loud-speakers with harsh tones and determination. More muscle flexes with "Floyd The Barber", the crunch of "Scoff" and the addictive SHOCKING BLUE's hooks of "Love Buzz".

Teasing with metal-punk, the VU-meters rides into overdrive with "School" and the mosh-favorite "Negative Creep". The revered BLACK SABBATH influence is felt on "Mr. Moustache" and an ode to THE MELVINS oozes on "Sifting". The dramatic "About A Girl" powerballad would prove Kurdt Kobain to be a immense melody-maker.

Supported by DIY label Sub Pop Records, the house had already released EPs and tapes from local monsters GREEN RIVER, MUDHONEY and SOUNDGARDEN. Don't call it grunge, call it: garage rebel-rock ...the ultimate antithesis to West-Hollywood glamour.

From lo-fi production to shitty U-Haul touring, little did they knew, in a mere 15 months, NIRVANA would become part of rocknroll's lexicon. From four-piece to three and switching to new drummer Dave Grohl, their next release would forever break the music-industry's modus-operandi on September 24, 1991 ...don't blame them, just nevermind.

*
Bleach = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E-KAP359ys&list=OLAK5uy_m41nfVEtvAF4yTcaJwYQLwmpcdZjtQU6A
Live at Rhino Records in 1989
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqBUDcmS5pw
Interview in 1990
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGTMyiSil2s

September 24, 1991 - 2026: 35 years of: Nevermind.

Changing the course of rocknroll history.

Never on the rocknroll-radar and far away from the L.A. limelights, this Seattle peace would rapidly turn the NoCal nobodies into the epicenter of early 90s alternative-rock: the Grunge movement. After the local impact of 1989's indie-label Sub Pop Records Bleach debut-LP, the foursome became a threesome and also welcomed aboard new drummer Dave Grohl. Signing with major-label Geffen Records, they hoped for better distribution and more exposure. Little did we knew, within weeks the entire music-landscape would be turned inside-out: from BON JOVI to MC Hammer to MEGADETH to Paula Abdul ...they all felt the tidal-wave.

NIRVANA: more than a rock-band, but icons of a generation.

The intro-riff, the destruction, the chorused notes, the anthem: "With the lights out it's less dangerous, here we are now, entertain us, I feel stupid and contagious, here we are now, entertain us ". The cut that started it all and in a single 5min, a new genre and a new sound was born. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is the battle-cry for a raw crowd. The "God Save The Queen" of this new era.

Louder, this band is fully "In Bloom", exploding on all cylinders, moshing to a tee with "Stay Away" and exposing true punk-flair with the abrasive "Breed" and the decibel-decadent "Territorial Pissings". From lumberjack to actual heavyrock, the warm melodies of "Drain You" and the dark moody "Lithium" are clear signs of musical growth.

More melancholy is set to high with the beautiful "Come As You Are", a now iconic mid-paced track that does not fit in the powerballad-format, yet exhibits all the pieces of the aforementioned. Total darkness is reached on the acoustic "Polly" and depressive-mood of the cello-supported "Something In The Way". A rollercoaster of emotions.

NIRVANA: more than another DIY act, it's a changing of the guards.

Just like rocknroll was derailed by disco, punk and then newwave, the later was pushed out by hardrock and heavymetal and after a decade-long reign ...it was now time. Anti-leather, anti-spandex, anti-hairspray, anti lead-solos, anti-concept album, anti-Satan, anti-violence, anti-big stages, anti-limos, anti-babes, anti-mansions, anti-rockstars ...all soaked in total punk-attitude. Yet the anti-rockstars were now ...rockstars, dealing with massive media attention and worshipping at the Altar. Total mindfuck for the tiny rock-trio.

Negative creeps.

Instant poster-boys for Generation X, in a three-chord garage-band, NIRVANA encapsulated all the boredom and disgust of 80s superflux and overhyped lifestyle. The medias rapidly hijacked the band and made them, along other freshly new Seattle powerhouses PEARL JAM, ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN, culprits for the extinction of hardrock / heavymetal and other numerous 80s FM and MTV pop-acts. Yet deep down the boys didn't really care, but this industry is bigger then it's combined parts, as they will either make you ...or break you. Throughout history, many cities have been blessed by it's commercially viable bands: Liverpool, Birmingham, London, New-York, Tampa, Memphis, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles ...and now Seattle was part of the Club-House.

Trendsetting ...yet fully unexpected.

Released to no expectation, in a sea of GUNS N' ROSES, METALLICA, SKID ROW and VAN HALEN, the suits at Geffen Records were hoping for a respectable 500,000x units to-be shifted. Currently RIAA-certified 13x Platinum, the Butch Vig produced Nevermind CD stands in the very, very selective club of the Diamond-Award: the 10 million+ US threshold. A gigantic grand total of more than 30mil+ units sold worldwide to date.

On tour they destroyed everything, including themselves, Kamikaze-style. Everybody wanted to be part of this new breed of aggressive rock and everybody changed and adapted, from fans to fashion, to bands to recordlabels, to the entire modus-operandi of the music-business. Grunge plowed away almost instantly all of the 80s-heroes aside to the curb.

"Hi Axl, hi Axl, where's Axl ? ...hi Axl ! hi Axl ! HI AXL !!!" Sitting on top of the World, with a very different mindset, the anti-commercial über-abrasive masterpiece In Utero CD shall arrive in Autumn 1993 ...with sky-high industry expectations.

*
Smells Like Teen Spirit = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg
In Bloom = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbgKEjNBHqM
Come As You Are = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vabnZ9-ex7o
Lithium = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkcJEvMcnEg
Nevermind = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TDeBi34OtE&list=PLMxy067kbpQjRXmNGao7pvVoFaCTIZRze
MusiquePlus interview in 1991
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knb7ICiQUbI
Live at Foufounes Electriques in 1991
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xto5gNmd9tI
Somewhat live at Top Of The Pops in 1991
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzRAZ1uS-Ao
Live destroying the MTV Awards in 1992
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rZbMUOh_y4
some guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRQ7C0N-SgA

September 21, 1993 - 2023: 30 years of: In Utero.

1993: the epitome of a style, a scene, a movement, a generation !

More than just garage-bands, the sounds of Seattle changed the face of rocknroll. NIRVANA's 1991 Nevermind CD remains untouched with it's 10mil+ US sold ...but the real gestation came in utero. It would've been far too easy to make another Nevermind: simple dirty songs, generic verse-chorus-verse pattern, all polished for MTV's youth ...it would've gone multi-Platinum in no time ...but the trio had other very defined ideas.

"Teenage angst has paid off well, now I'm bored and old." Real and raw, we now "Serve The Servants" ...a heavy cut that cuts deep, personally. Pushing the VU-meter into the red, the destructive "Scentless Apprentice" crushes the competition ...and eardrums a mile around. Local actress / icon gets a salute as "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle", while the controversial / semi-banned "Rape Me" is another self-examining piece reflecting the media's relation on Cobain's marriage.

Still trashing with corrosive-rock, both "Very Ape" and "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" dwells in the band's dark bleached past and the hyperactive burst of "Tourette's" might be the most hateful 1:35sec outta the NoCal region. The anti-single single for "Heart-Shaped Box" is a morbid trek into dropped-D melodies, featuring the twisted black pop-art Anton Corbijn directed MTV-video with a dire Santa / Jesus analogy. The CD-closer, the acoustic-guitar cello-supported turning into apocalypse "All Apologies" is another musical facet from this multi-faceted band.

Mannequins and dead fetuses.

The mad boys went off and released one of the most un-commercial CD ever on a major-label, with dirty under-produced tracks, acid-toned guitars, signal-noise, guitar feedbacks, harsh abrasive vocals ...all coated with punk attitude and DIY-vibe. The chaos within reeks of angst and deep introversive lyrics and overdriven guitars from Kurt Cobain, loud rhythmic bass from Krist Novoselic and ear-splitting drum acrobatics from Dave Grohl. This rough-mix paints In Utero as a tormented voyage inside the hearts and minds of three enraged isolated young adults.

"Moderate rock." Deemed unreleasable by their very record-label, In Utero is a major "Fuck you we're gonna do this our way" to the very same industry that pushed them above and beyond. Steve Albini produced, initial feedbacks from key-industry people including heads at Geffen Records, warranted an REM's Scott Litt partial remix. In so many ways, this release is a commercial-suicide, as none of the tracks have radio-appeal ...yet an RIAA-certified 5x Platinum plateau was reached, since 5mil+ copies did find a US home.

The last NIRVANA
...as Kurt Cobain would prematurely leave this Earth in April 1994. Worldwide shock and sadness, this event also closed the lid on Seattle's rock-domination. The end of an era and as rocknroll would prove time and time again, other rebel-bands would soon create a new love buzz, namely: GREEN DAY, KORN ...and a troubled young man name Marilyn.

Ain't no mere radio-friendly unit-shifter: In Utero is the conclusive voice of Generation X !

RIP Kurt Cobain (1967-1994)

*
Heart-Shaped Box = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6P0SitRwy8
In Utero = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrLUUVfKeUw&list=PLAyJDoU_pJ24dBVeP9cGxC2gYDekdM37Q
Real people at the release date.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiwhwy7S4qA
MTV interview in 1993
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FOBYV2Y5d0
Live & Loud in 1993
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H96MEx73tDc&list=PLYCqTHwQu05mCzB0YZFqc0C9ayD0opqF2

more NIRVANA:

#Grunge
&

#The Beavis And Butt-Head Experience
&

#FOO FIGHTERS