Favorite Grunge Albums

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bluenote
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Re: Favorite Grunge Albums

Postby bluenote » May 27th, 2020, 9:25 am

When Nevermind came out, I was in love with it! Played it constantly. I was 16 in '91, so I was the perfect age for it.

Now, I can barely listen to it because of how overplayed it's been on the radio, etc over the years. It's too bad really, it is such a good album.

jon
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Re: Favorite Grunge Albums

Postby jon » May 27th, 2020, 11:57 pm

It's kind of funny how rock and metal work. My favorite pop rock albums I love but can't listen to them straight through it gets too boring. Underground metal I can listen to albums straight through. And I can also listen to hardcore punk and non poppy rock albums. But pop rock just isn't listenable like other forms of music. I think it's the hardest genre to be good at, or maybe I just don't like pop rock. I love Nevermind, and once in a blue moon can listen to it straight through. But I can't think of many pop rock albums that I can listen to on a regular basis.
With Nevermind a lot of it is nostalgia. I was with my brother right when it came out and he bought it. I listened to it a lot in 1991-1992. I remember being upset when Pearl Jam got a lot bigger than Nirvana in 1993. Because Nirvana was the band that made it possible for Pearl Jam to be successful. It's funny I don't think people remember that right before Kurt Cobain died Pearl Jam's Vs. was a lot more successful than In Utero. By late 1993 early 1994 Pearl Jam was selling a lot more records than Nirvana. In Utero debuted at #1 but wasn't doing nearly as well as Vs. which broke first week sales records or something like that. I think after the first week In Utero really wasn't selling that well. Then Cobain died, and interest in Nirvana went crazy.

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LoganRuckman
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Re: Favorite Grunge Albums

Postby LoganRuckman » May 28th, 2020, 3:12 am

bluenote wrote:When Nevermind came out, I was in love with it! Played it constantly. I was 16 in '91, so I was the perfect age for it.

Now, I can barely listen to it because of how overplayed it's been on the radio, etc over the years. It's too bad really, it is such a good album.


I'm gonna sound like a pretentious hipster douchebag, but Nevermind is probs the weakest Nirvana album anyway, even though I do really like it. In Utero is obviously my favorite, but I also prefer Bleach, Unplugged, and even Incesticide over Nevermind.

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: Favorite Grunge Albums

Postby VideoGameCritic » May 28th, 2020, 10:54 am

I think Nevermind is a classic, but like the Beatle's St. Peppers, I just can't listen to it any more. Heard them too many times.
En Utero is good but uneven. I can stomach any of Nirvana's other stuff.

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DrLitch
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Re: Favorite Grunge Albums

Postby DrLitch » May 28th, 2020, 2:33 pm

LoganRuckman wrote:I'm gonna sound like a pretentious hipster douchebag, but Nevermind is probs the weakest Nirvana album anyway, even though I do really like it. In Utero is obviously my favorite, but I also prefer Bleach, Unplugged, and even Incesticide over Nevermind.


Agreed - Nevermind is ... not my cup of Pennyroyal tea. Bleach was awesome and raw. Unplugged was great. In Utero had it's moments. I never was a big fan of grunge though and misspent most of my youth and adult life listening to heavy metal.

jon
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Re: Favorite Grunge Albums

Postby jon » May 28th, 2020, 7:34 pm

I’m not sure why In Utero is so popular. Maybe because it’s dark? I listen to a lot of death metal that’s so dark it makes In Utero look like a Britney Spears album. It’s just spotty. The 2nd song, “Scentless Apprentice” stinks. I’m not the biggest fan of Heart Shaped Box. While I like Rape Me and Pennyroyal Tea they’re such simple songs just like the rest of the album.
Also, I really don’t like the production. I know a lot of people like the dark atmosphere. The bass is inaudible. Christ Novoselic is an underrated bassist and you can barely hear him. Kurt Cobain’s vocals are way too low in the mix. He was one of the greatest singers of all time and there’s no reason at all for that. I read interviews where Cobain basically was never completely happy with how the album turned out.
I was really bummed in 1993-1994 when Heart Shaped Box and All Apologies were the radio songs and they weren’t nearly as great as Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are, In Bloom, and Lithium. It was such a disappointment. And of course those songs like the whole album was deliberately recorded to sound as inaccessible as possible. It’s still an above average album. But I don’t think people remember how poorly it was selling compared to Vs. by Pearl Jam. Before Cobain died Vs. was outselling In Utero by a lot. Of course after he died it’s now sold about 15 million. I think a lot of that is just because there were so few Nirvana albums. People could easily buy everything they put out. That’s why Bleach has sold 2 million I think. Bleach is better than In Utero imo. Incesticide has sold millions too. The only Nirvana albums I think are great is Nevermind and Unplugged

Hagane
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Re: Favorite Grunge Albums

Postby Hagane » May 28th, 2020, 10:31 pm

jon wrote:I’m not sure why In Utero is so popular. Maybe because it’s dark? I listen to a lot of death metal that’s so dark it makes In Utero look like a Britney Spears album. It’s just spotty. The 2nd song, “Scentless Apprentice” stinks. I’m not the biggest fan of Heart Shaped Box. While I like Rape Me and Pennyroyal Tea they’re such simple songs just like the rest of the album.
Also, I really don’t like the production. I know a lot of people like the dark atmosphere. The bass is inaudible. Christ Novoselic is an underrated bassist and you can barely hear him. Kurt Cobain’s vocals are way too low in the mix. He was one of the greatest singers of all time and there’s no reason at all for that. I read interviews where Cobain basically was never completely happy with how the album turned out.
I was really bummed in 1993-1994 when Heart Shaped Box and All Apologies were the radio songs and they weren’t nearly as great as Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are, In Bloom, and Lithium. It was such a disappointment. And of course those songs like the whole album was deliberately recorded to sound as inaccessible as possible. It’s still an above average album. But I don’t think people remember how poorly it was selling compared to Vs. by Pearl Jam. Before Cobain died Vs. was outselling In Utero by a lot. Of course after he died it’s now sold about 15 million. I think a lot of that is just because there were so few Nirvana albums. People could easily buy everything they put out. That’s why Bleach has sold 2 million I think. Bleach is better than In Utero imo. Incesticide has sold millions too. The only Nirvana albums I think are great is Nevermind and Unplugged


Thank god they didn't sound like death metal, they didn't need to, it wasn't the point.

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velcrozombie
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Re: Favorite Grunge Albums

Postby velcrozombie » May 29th, 2020, 11:03 am

I like all the Nirvana albums. I think Nevermind has the most polished songs and I don't even hate the production the way a lot of people do. In Utero is spotty but it has some of my favorite songs and I love the rawness of it, even at the expense of some clarity and definition (I also love the production on ...And Justice for All by Metallica, although it's objectively bad in a way that In Utero isn't). Incesticide is a fun grab-bag - there's nothing quite like "Mexican Seafood" or "Hairspray Queen" on any of the studio albums but "Dive" and "Aneurysm" could easily have fit on Nevermind. Bleach is interesting because it's the closest to metal that Nirvana ever got and it has some nasty riffs - "Negative Creep" and "Mr. Moustache" get stuck in my head a lot and I love how dissonant and bludgeoning "Paper Cuts" is.

If you like Bleach and Incestide and you haven't already heard this, a legitimate copy (as opposed to the fake that had been circulating for years) of Kurt's original demo Fecal Matter from 1986 can be found on Youtube. It contains early versions of two later Nirvana staples ("Downer" and "Spank Thru") but most of it is new. This version has timestamps for each track in case you just want to skip around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t4rmc984cQ

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tREVdesigns
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Re: Favorite Grunge Albums

Postby tREVdesigns » June 3rd, 2020, 12:15 am

I never understood the mass god-like appeal of Cobain/Nirvana. Like the Beatles they rank as one of my most overrated bands. IMHO Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and Sonic Youth we’re so much better bands from that era. Aside from Unplugged Nirvana was a real bad live band and playing live is what sets apart the good, the bad and the ugly. Maybe Nirvana could’ve been better if Dave Grohl was free to do more. He obviously has multi instrument and producing talent, can write and can play live. Instead Nirvana comes across sounding like a one person side project. Thank goodness for them MTV played videos at one time and actually meant something to the music industry.

Favorite grunge albums: Down on the Upside (the only multi word title), Ten, Dirt, Goo, Purple...all the mainstays.

jon
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Re: Favorite Grunge Albums

Postby jon » June 3rd, 2020, 3:47 pm

First off, I don’t like the Beatles besides a few of their early hits. And those songs are so badly produced they’re almost unlistenable. Their later stuff is horrible. And I have no clue how their albums in the late 60’s are so highly regarded. I think the Beatles for the most part stink. If someone was into early rock and roll I’d recommend Buddy Holly who is light years better.

As for Nirvana, I remember right when they came out and they changed the face of rock music. Some say for the worse. I say glam metal and alternative could’ve coexisted but it pretty much ended hair metal. But Smells Like Teen Spirit is an incredible song and I remember before it came out and what impact it made.

Anyone that criticizes Nevermind is just trying to act cool. It’s an incredible album. And saying how great Dave Grohl is just reinforces how great Nevermind and How great Nirvana was.

You have to understand, that Nevermind gave underground music a chance to reach the masses. Now a lot of that stuff was terrible like bands like Pantera who is overrated wouldn’t have ever gotten that exposure without Nirvana. Pantera hit #1. but some underground bands that got popular were good. Exreme metal got more mainstream exposure.That’s what you have to understand if you weren’t there at the time.

As for Nirvana live, Pat Smear added a lot to the band and of course Unplugged was great


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