Nirvana
| Native country | United States |
|---|---|
| Musical genre | |
| active years | 1987 - 1994 |
| Labels | Sub Pop, DGC |
| Official site | nirvana.com |
| Members |
|
|---|---|
| Former members |
|
Nirvana
Nirvana is a group of grunge American, a native of Aberdeen, in the State of Washington, formed in 1987 by singer-guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic. After Bleach in 1989, his first studio album produced by independent label Sub Pop and a succession of drummers, the formation stabilized with the arrival of Dave Grohl in October 1990.
The trio signed the following year with the DGC Records label and released their second album, Nevermind, accompanied in particular by the singles Smells Like Teen Spirit and Come as You Are. The clips of these are widely broadcast on the music channel MTV, the album quickly while exceeding sales projections. In total, it sold more than thirty million copies, becoming one of the best-selling albums in the world. The group becomes the target of the tabloid press, because of the tumultuous relationship of Kurt Cobain with the singer Courtney Love and their excessive use of hard drugs. Under pressure, the formation is on the verge of rupture in the summer of 1992 but accepts to participate in the Reading festival, which will see one of the most successful stage performances of its existence.
Nirvana then isolated herself at the beginning of the following year at the Pachyderm studio with Steve Albini and recorded her third album there, with the aim of rediscovering a darker and “less commercial” musical style than that of Nevermind. After the remix of the controversial first release, In Utero is released in Septemberand immediately occupies the top of the various sales rankings, although he does not benefit from any promotion. Now accompanied on stage by Pat Smear on guitar and Lori Goldston on violin, the group shines in mid-November during the MTV Unplugged show, during which they perform several covers including Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Leadbelly and The Man Who Sold the World by David Bowie. After the last jam session at the beginning of 1994, the European tour which follows ends prematurely with the hospitalization of Kurt Cobain, for attempted suicide. He goes to Los Angeles to undergo rehab but fled shortly thereafter, returning to Seattle to end his life at home on April.
With only three studio albums, the compositions of Nirvana offer ballads inspired by the Beatles and pieces with more aggressive riffs influenced by the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Black Sabbath, or even the Melvins around various themes and often personal to Kurt Cobain: his evil to live, his addiction to heroin, the machismo in American society, love or his own childhood. The trio's career, although short, left its mark on rock history by being the emblematic figure of the grunge movement., making alternative rock popular and paving the way for other groups such as Foo Fighters, The Offspring or Green Day. Nirvana was introduced to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. With DGC Records regularly releasing compilations, live albums, or new editions of the formation's albums, the group's overall sales now exceed seventy-five million records in the world. world.
Biography of Nirvana
Debut and first album (1987–1990)
Training and debut (1987-1988)
Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic first met in 1984 at the Melvins' rehearsal hall in Aberdeen. Although the first wanted to start a group with the second, it was not until 1987 that they began to play together. They begin with Bob McFadden on drums, then recruit Aaron Burckhard during the winter to replace him. The first play tracks from Fecal Matter, Kurt Cobain's former band, before composing new songs.
Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic move to Tacoma and Olympia respectively and lose contact with their drummer. Dale Crover, of the Melvins, joined them for the reps. January, the three musicians record a first ten-track demo at the Reciprocal Recording studio with producer Jack Endino of the Sub Pop label, who oversaw major first wave grunge groups suchas Mudhoney, Tad, and Soundgarden. They are introduced to Jonathan Poneman, director of Sub Pop. Dale Crover in turn left the group in March recommending another drummer, Dave Foster. The formation stabilized for a few months, but following a stay in the prison of the latter and despite an ephemeral return from Aaron Burckhard, the duo published an ad in The Rocket magazine in order to find the missing link. A mutual friend then introduces them to Chad Channing, who becomes the drummer of the group. The trio adopted different names before settling on "Nirvana", inaugurating this name during a concert on in Tacoma.
Jonathan Poneman invites them to perform at Sub Pop Sunday on April1988 in Seattle. Bruce Pavitt, the label's other manager, and he are in awe of "the group's scenic fury". Nirvana is therefore invited to the Reciprocal Recording studio on several occasions, in June and July, to record with Jack Endino. Two songs, Love Buzz, the cover of Shocking Blue, and Big Cheese come out and Jonathan Poneman chooses to inaugurate the Sub Pop Singles Club, in November, with the release of his first single, Love Buzz, with a thousand copies.
Bleach, Premises of Success (1988–1990)
Along with the signing of a contract with Sub Pop, the trio rehearses for several weeks with a view to entering the studio. The first session takes place on Decemberat Reciprocal Recording but is not very productive: the group and Jack Endino mainly evoke what they want to do. The following sessions at the end of December, then in January, proved to be more fruitful, and the album is recorded and mixed in about thirty hours. Jack Endino charges Nirvana registration $ 606.17. The band borrowed this money from Jason Everman, which earned him credit as a second guitarist, despite not playing a single note on the album.
Sub Pop did not have enough funds to publish the album, its release was postponed by several months, and did not benefit from any promotion: with only five thousand copies planned, the label did not believe in the success of the group and concentrated more on Mudhoney and Tad. Bleach appears on Junein the US, UK, and Australia.
Despite the label's very low promotion, Nirvana leaves in her old van for a nineteen-date tour with Jason Everman as a second guitarist. The audience is very small and the majority of spectators are drawn more to the reputation of Sub Pop than to the group. The budget, also very limited, often forces members to sleep in the same motel room, or even in the same bed. During the tour, Jason Everman fades more and more from the group, Kurt Cobain no longer even speaking to him on the return trip to Seattle. The latter and Krist Novoselic briefly form a supergroup with Mark Lanegan and Mark Pickerel of Screaming Trees., at Reciprocal Recording, during two sessions at the end of August, during which they discuss blues culture and in particular Leadbelly, a major figure in American popular music in the 1930s - 1940.
Nirvana only gives four concerts in Washington State, , and two in September 1989 in the Midwest, Kurt Cobain spending a lot of time in his apartment in Olympia writing new m 5 songs . The group meets one evening, at the Music Source studio, with producer Steve Fisk , to record Blew , a maxi bound for Europe, where Bleach has only just been released and where Nirvana will soon be giving concerts. The group begins the tour in front of an enthusiastic British public and press, then travels across Europe for six weeks in increasingly crowded venues. The service in Romeis disastrous and Kurt Cobain then declares his intention to leave the group, before threatening to jump into the void; he thus denounces the attitude of the two leaders of Sub Pop.
Who have benefited financially from the tour while the trio connects the dates in deplorable conditions. Almost penniless, the musicians struggle to replace the equipment that they “instinctively” destroy on stage. Kurt Cobain and smashes his guitar Washburn and Krist Novoselic's bass during one of the two parties at the Astoria in London, making them the ambassadors of the Seattle grunge. Their reputation crosses the Atlanticand the first months of 1990 saw sales of Bleach take off, achieving the greatest success ever with a debut album released on an independent label.
Breaking Nirvana (1990–1992)
Making of the album Nevermind (1990-1991)
Following Pavitt's advice, Nirvana began working on her second album early in 1990, with Butch Vig in production. The group enters its studios in Madison , in Wisconsin , and saves eight songs for four days, the session ended when the singer's voice breaks. The lyrics aren't final yet, and Kurt Cobain is still working on it. The latter is also particularly unhappy with Chad Channing's playing on drums.while the latter is frustrated at not being more involved in the creative process: he therefore leaves the group shortly after.
In search of a replacement, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic first called on Dale Crover, then Dan Peters , of Mudhoney, before meeting Dave Grohl , who had impressed them when he played with Scream. The drummer is hired in October and the bassist will say later: “As soon as Dave joined us, everything fell into place, Nirvana had found his missing link Something made us meet, and the impact was immediate ”.
At the same time, Kurt Cobain then listens to groups like REM , The Smithereens or the Pixies . Disillusioned by the heavy sound of the grunge scene on which Sub Pop has built his image, he draws inspiration from these artists to write more melodic songs, but nevertheless featuring “a roaring guitar and wild drums”. The single Sliver , released in September 1990, shows the musical direction he wants to take and also aims to prepare the public for the next album of the group.
The change of drummer is also accompanied by the search for a new label for Nirvana, which uses the demo of the recording session with Butch Vig for this. Sub Pop experiencing financial difficulties, the trio then takes the lead and looks for a record company large enough to buy their contract. Several labels court them and the group signs with DGC Records on the recommendations of Kim Gordon , of Sonic Youth. DGC offers them to finish the album by submitting several names of producers including that of Scott Litt , but the group wants to keep Butch Vig, with whom he has established a relationship of trust. The trio gives a concert on1991, during which he performed Smells Like Teen Spirit for the first time in public. The money collected helps pay for gasoline for the trip to Los Angeles . The rest of the recording takes place at the Sound City studios of Van Nuys in May.
Upon arrival, they spent a few days polishing the song arrangements with Butch Vig. The songs having been repeated for a long time before, two or three takes are enough for each title. Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl finish their parts in a few days, but Kurt Cobain has to work longer on guitar and vocals. Although reluctant to multiply the takes, the singer is persuaded to double his vocal track as John Lennon , one of his idols, did.
The good atmosphere reigned during the recording sessions although Butch Vig would later report that Kurt Cobain was moody and difficult at times, saying he "could be great for an hour and spend the next hour sitting in a corner without saying a word ”. Each evening, the trio travel to Hollywood to ease the pressure and Krist Novoselic, a heavy whiskey consumer and the only member of the group with a driver's license, is arrested one night by police for his erratic driving.
Once the recording of the album is finished, Butch Vig and the band leave the mixer at Devonshire studios at the end of May. Unhappy with their work, they decide after a few days to call in someone else to supervise the operation. DGC Records provided them with a list of names, which included Scott Litt and Ed Stasium. Kurt Cobain nevertheless fears that by calling on them, the sound of the album will come too close to what they did with REM and The Smithereens, so he prefers Andy Wallace , who worked on Seasons in the Abyss (1990 ) of Slayer.
Nevermind , the dazzling breakthrough (1991-1992)
Nevermind comes out on, preceded two weeks earlier by the single Smells Like Teen Spirit , which is expected to bring together a fan base among alternative rock lovers, while the scheduled second single, Come as You Are , is to bring together a larger audience. wide. DGC Records thus hopes that approximately 250,000 copies of the album will be sold, ie the figure reached by Goo , the Sonic Youth opus released the previous year by the label. Nevermind entered the Billboard 200 , the US sales ranking at the 144th spot on.
Following the release of the video of Smells Like Teen Spirit on MTV two days later, the song becomes more and more popular and the chain several times a day. It is now a hit and the album is selling so well that DGC's marketing strategies quickly become obsolete: it is gold at the end of October, then platinum, but the trio remains quite indifferent to this success. , especially surprised by this success. Kurt Cobain even laments this media coverage and says:“I don't think it's great to be on MTV 20 times a day other than the album sales. From the point of view of the group's image, it's catastrophic. We really look like a consumer product ”.
Nirvana launches at the end of September on a one-month tour of North America to promote the album, then leaves for Europe, at the beginning of November, for twenty-four dates 8 . In Ghent , the, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic exchange places to perform for the first time in public Where Did You Sleep Last Night , cover of Leadbelly and iconic song of Nirvana subsequently. It was also during this European tour that the group realized their popularity, with concert halls crowded, TV crews constantly following them on stage and Smells Like Teen Spirit playing nonstop on the radio and on music channels.
Their performance, during the British show Top of the Pops of , is also very noticed as the trio, tired of having to play in playback , interprets the single deliberately without enthusiasm. They are then invited, start , on the shows Late Show with David Letterman and Saturday Night Live during which Krist Novoselic gives a kiss to his friends. Just like in these television programs, the group ends their concerts with Territorial Pissings or Endless, Nameless , songs with a frenzied tempo that the trio invariably concludes with the destruction of their guitars, and sometimes even of drums .
The , Nevermind ousted Michael Jackson's Dangerous from number one on the Billboard 200, then selling around three hundred thousand copies a week. Even the New York Times is interested in the success of the group and the record in its economic section. In early February, three million copies were sold. The, the group began a seventeen-date tour of the Pacific in Sydney , which ended onin Honolulu, where Kurt Cobain marries Courtney Love , two days later, in pajamas on the beach . Come as You Are released onbut is less successful than the previous single. The group is canceling their second US tour scheduled for April, due to fatigue accumulated during previous tours. The trio subsequently played ten concerts in Europe from at 9 .
As Nevermind has sold over five million copies and Nirvana takes center stage on the world music scene, making grunge and alternative rock in general popular, Kurt Cobain secures 75% of the rights to it. author of the group. In addition, his state of health worries at the sight of the multiple drugs which he consumes excessively. He and his wife also regularly make headlines in the tabloids for this reason. Rumors announcing the separation of the group then spread. Despite the low number of rehearsals and in exchange for $ 250,000 , Nirvana agreed to headlining the Reading Festival on. The singer arrives on stage in a wheelchair and dressed in a hospital gown at. In front of 40,000 people, its members mock rumors about the end of the group, throughout the show, and present Tourette's for the first time, making this concert one of the best stage performances of their career, for the BBC.
Unable to publish a new album at the end of 1992, DGC Records released the the Incesticide compilation , which brings together tracks recorded over the last five years and a complete libretto where Kurt Cobain mainly talks about his musical preferences. At the same time, the label is reissuing Bleach in collaboration with Sub Pop, in order to benefit from the global success of Nirvana
Point of no return (1993-1994)
In Utero , farewell message (1993)
The singer, who has already started the composition of most of the songs in his apartment in Spring 1992, would start working on the rest of the group from the summer but the three musicians now live in different cities: Dave Grohl has returned to Virginia , Krist Novoselic lives with his wife in Seattle and Kurt Cobain is awaiting the birth of his daughter Frances Bean in Los Angeles. Finding Nevermind's sound too smooth, he would also like to return to the primal intensity of Bleach for the next album, adding some maturity. In July, he announced his desire to record with Endino and Steve Albini , producer of Surfer Rosa des Pixies . They also perform a session at the end of October with the first in Seattle, but the producer does not want to take responsibility for the new album, noting moreover that the trio does not specifically ask for his help. Steve Albini is therefore chosen, renowned for an “abrasive, almost corrosive sound that magnetizes listeners”.
During their passage in Brazil endfor the Hollywood Rock festival , they go to a studio in São Paulo and record some demos there , then perform for the first time in public Scentless Apprentice and Heart-Shaped Box the next day in Rio de Janeiro. Kurt Cobain and Steve Albini talk a lot by fax about the direction to take for the album, the need to have a rough sound and to favor live sessions. They impose a maximum period of fifteen days for the registration thereof. Wary of DGC Records, the producer suggests that the group pay the bill themselves (studio rental, recording and production) and refuse to receive a percentage of sales, a practice that he considers immoral and as "an insult to society." 'artist'.
In February, Nirvana isolates herself at the Pachyderm studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota , to avoid media contact and meets Steve Albini physically for the first time. Only technician Bob Weston is present during the vast majority of sessions. They make it clear to DGC Records that they do not wish to be disturbed during the recording and moreover refuse to show the work in progress at the A&R of the label. In addition, the producer asks the three musicians to cut themselves off from outside people, because he considers that the entourage of the trio is“The biggest pile of shit he's ever encountered”.
The rhythm is quickly very sustained and the pieces are recorded with the three musicians together live, without any effect . Kurt Cobain then adds extra passages and guitar solos on half of the songs, then ends with the vocals, allowing the recording to be completed in six days. Courtney Love comes to see her husband after a week, because he misses him, which alters the mood in the studio, criticizing their work and going to conflict with everyone, especially Dave Grohl
A first mix, carried out in five days, is sent to the label's managers, to their management company and to their entourage at the end of February. The feedback is negative: the album is "inaudible" , "the lyrics not up to par" , with "too many effects on the drums and a buried voice" that the radios will probably not welcome. The media then seized the affair, increased the pressure and the producer was quickly dragged through the mud for "having screwed up the Nirvana record". However, a few friends of the band liked the album and the trio were convinced that. But the many reviews end up making them doubt and they come to the conclusion that the bass and vocals are really inaudible. They turn to Steve Albini to remix the album again, but he refuses. They then entrust the mastering to Bob Ludwig to allay the concerns: Krist Novoselic is delighted with the result, but not Kurt Cobain, who still finds the sound imperfect .
While the media evoke an album to be completely redone, Nirvana, the director of DGC Records, then David Geffen react to explain that the group would only like to rework certain songs with Scott Litt, whose production on Automatic for the People by REM has was strongly rented. Steve Albini protested violently, arguing that the band had an agreement with him and that no track could be changed without his agreement. He finally gives in when Krist Novoselic calls him on the phone. The trio then reworked a few tracks at the Bad Animals studio in Seattle in May with Scott Litt and removed one from the record.
Nirvana performs the songs of In Utero for the first time at an event hosted by Krist Novoselic in San Francisco on in order to denounce the rapes perpetrated in Yugoslavia , his country of origin, and to collect funds to help them. The bassist also decides to call himself Krist from now on to mark his Croatian origins. The group only gives three other concerts over the summer but these shows mark a first as they are joined by cellist Lori Goldston in the second, while Pat Smear , the former Germs guitarist, is quickly considered the fourth member of the group after being invited to one of their rehearsals. It thus allows Kurt Cobain to have more freedom on stage, without having to worry about certain portions of guitars that have become unmanageable to play alone. During the third show, the singer joins his wife on stage for their only joint performance.
In Utero is published onin the UK and a week later in the US. In order to avoid the over-mediatization of the album, DGC Records adopts the same strategy as for Nevermind and does little publicity No single is also published commercially. Although the group also hopes to be less successful, In Utero starts straight out at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 , with more than 180,000 copies sold in week 1, and in the UK sales rankings. A month later, Nirvana began a tour of forty-five dates across the United States, the opening parts of which were provided by their favorite groups: The Breeders , Shonen Knife , Butthole Surfers or Meat Puppets.
Acoustic concert and promising session (1994)
In order to boost sales of albums and concert tickets, which were lower than expected, Nirvana agreed to play for the MTV Unplugged show on, during which the songs are played acoustically . Playing covers ( Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Leadbelly and The Man Who Sold the World by David Bowie in particular) and songs from his repertoire , the musicians totally appropriate the concept of the show and thus show a new facet of their music. Thanks in particular to this television passage, In Utero has sold more than five million copies in the United States.
After a last concert start in Seattle, Kurt Cobain wants to record new songs and they book Robert Lang Studios , which Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic visited shortly before, for the end of the month. The singer is only present intermittently, they only record You Know You're Right. They are booking it again for April, after their European tour. The trio began their journey with a stint on the French program Nulle part autre on Canal and then produced in Portugal, again in France, Italy, the former Yugoslavia dear to Krist Novoselic, then to Munich on 1st March delivery concludes that Novoselic joked with the crowd: "We will play not in a huge room tonight, because our careers are on the decline. We are on a siding. Grunge is dead, Nirvana is over. Our next album will be a hip-hop record ”.
The last two dates in Germany are canceled because Kurt Cobain suffers from bronchitis and laryngitis . Resting with his wife in Rome, the singer made a first suicide attempt onby mixing champagne and about fifty tablets of an anxiolytic. Saved in extremis after a 20-hour coma, he was repatriated to his mansion in the United States, where he took refuge and threatened to end it. The police confiscate his weapons onand he was admitted to rehab in Los Angeles on the 30th. He escaped the next day to catch a plane to Seattle, where he killed himself on the 30th.. His body was found three days later by an electrician who came to install an alarm .
After Nirvana (since 1994)
Posthumous publications and meetings
Nirvana being one of the groups that sell the most records when Kurt Cobain takes his own life, DGC Records wishes to continue riding the wave and therefore asks the two remaining members to choose several titles among the different recordings to release a compilation, announced under the name Chorus Versus Chorus . Still under the influence of emotion, they are unable to do so and prefer to publish the entire concert given during the MTV Unplugged show. The live album , released in November 1994 under the title MTV Unplugged in New York , instantly topped the sales charts in several countries. It is the posthumous albumthe most sold in the world. After the failure of his two groups Sweet 75 and Eyes Adrift , Krist Novoselic gave up music and turned to politics, while Dave Grohl embarked on a new project: Foo Fighters.
Two years later, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah , a compilation of songs recorded on stage between 1989 and 1994, saw the light of day and found itself at the top of the Billboard 20. The following years are marked by a legal battle between Courtney Love , widow of Kurt Cobain, and the two other members of Nirvana: the first considers that her husband was the group, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic being only musicians of support. An agreement is finally reached between the two parties,, which immediately results in the publication of an eponymous compilation.
The boxes With the Lights Out and Sliver: The Best of the Box follow in 2004 and 2005, offering demos, rehearsals and live tracks unpublished officially. After the new publication, this time on DVD , of Live! Tonight! Sold Out !! in 2006 and MTV Unplugged in New York in 200, the impressive stage performance of the trio, during the Reading Festival 1992, follows the same path in 2009 withLive at Reading. In parallel, Sub Pop is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their best-selling album, Bleach , by releasing a Special Edition. DGC Records then did the same with the other two studio albums in 2011 and 2013. The group sells more than seventy-five million albums worldwide, of which a third only in the United States.
Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, the latter considered the fourth member of the group, meet for the first time on stage during 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief , a concert which takes place onat Madison Square Garden in support of the victims of Hurricane Sandy . They join Paul McCartney on the song Cut Me Some Slack , composed for the movie Sound City directed by Grohl in 2013. The Beatles bassist invites them again onto perform the same title during his concert in Seattle, a kind of homecoming for the survivors of Nirvana.
The three “survivors” celebrate Nirvana's entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, in her first year of eligibility, by playing four songs with Joan Jett , Kim Gordon, St. Vincent and Lorde at the song. During the ceremony, Dave Grohl thanked Aaron Burckhard, Dale Crover, Dan Peters and Chad Channing, for their participation in the group in their time. Jason Everman refused her the invitation.
In 2016, during Clive Davis' usual party before the Grammy Awards , they paid tribute to David Bowie by accompanying Beck Hansen on The Man Who Sold the World , as they had played for the MTV Unplugged.
Foo Fighters
After Kurt Cobain's death, Dave Grohl goes into depression , finding it difficult to listen to and play music, and even plans to stop his music career. Beginning then "a kind of cathartic therapy, to record and release the songs he himself wrote", he fully records ten songs in one week at Robert Lang Studios in, aided by producer Barrett Jones. Planning to release them initially under the name Foo Fighters, the label Capitol Records (with whom he has just signed) and his friends encourage him to hire other members to form a group and thus promote the eponymous album through concerts: he thus hires Smear in addition to William Goldsmith and Nate Mendel , of Sunny Day Real Estate. This first disc comes out inand over two million copies sold worldwide in six months.
After fifteen years of career and international success , the group has chosen to go back to basics with a seventh album to “capture the very essence of the group”. For this, Dave Grohl decides to set up a studio in his garage in California and calls on Vig for the production, twenty years after Nevermind. Published inin parallel with Back and Forth , the film retracing the history of Foo Fighters via interviews, Wasting Light is also marked by the participation of Krist Novoselic on the song I Should Have Known. In early 2013, Dave Grohl directed Sound City , a documentary about the eponymous studios that saw the recording of Nevermind With nine studio albums to his credit, Foo Fighters now exceeds twenty years of career and twelve million albums sold.
Musical style of Nirvana
Music and influences
With a " deep bass sound , at times dark and muddy, prominent distortions and scattered melodies carried by Cobain's voice, often of primal intensity", Bleach fits the wishes of Sub Pop, the Seattle label who signed and produced the local bands, heavily influencing the grunge scene. The albums released offer a violent punk rock with "omnipresent" riffs , crossed by "some pop flashes" , but which obscure any guitar solo. Nirvana's move to another label for Nevermindallows Cobain to further express his talent for writing effective pop melodies , which offers a counterpoint to punk rock violence which nevertheless remains present.
This mixture, considered by music critics as particularly successful, is one of the main reasons for the success of the album. For In Utero , the band and Albini wanted to go back to a more raw sound, like on Bleach. The music is thus both more abrasive, but paradoxically more accessible than on Nevermind , oscillating between punk instincts and pop harmonies. The singer considers it more experimental and more aggressive than before. It offers an overview of the directions that their future productions could have taken.
Characteristic of grunge and Nirvana, most of their songs feature chord sequences based primarily on power chords and shifting nuances , alternating calm verses and energetic choruses to the rhythm of dissonant guitar riffs. In fact, distortion and chorus are the main effects used by group. On the vocal side , Vig used the re-recording technique to give more power to Cobain's vocals onNevermind, whereas Albini considered it unnecessary, the echo of an isolated room seemed sufficient. The arrival of Grohl within the group made it possible to stabilize the formation, but also to involve his instrument morein their songs. The drums are thus very present on In Bloom and on the second album of Nirvana in general. While the drummer recorded alone in a separate room and bristling thirty microphones to capture the reverberation nature of the room, the final production of In Utero finally puts very little value in his game. In order to give a particular sound to his bass, Novoselic tunes it in D flat , i.e. a tone and a half lower than normal.
Cobain discovered the Beatles at a young age and became passionate about their music. When he began to compose his own songs, they were naturally influenced by them. Thus, About a Girl , a ballad with a "ringing melody and ironic chorus", and Dumb recall "the simple and luminous melodies" of the Fab Four . Although his talent for writing this type of song is recognized, they do not constitute the majority of Nirvana's repertoire, Cobain preferring to alternate calm verses and powerful choruses in the style of the Pixies. Songs like Smells Like Teen Spirit , Mr. Mustache or Paper Cuts also mark an opposition between roaring guitars, heavy rhythm and folk melody , like Led Zeppelin. This inspiration, present from the first album, is often found confronted with a tempo close to the metal of Black Sabbath and Metallica ( Scoff , School , Swap Meet , Sifting ).
Sharing with them the same producer , the group offers a few riffs close to those of other formations of the Seattle grunge scene, such as Melvins on Paper Cuts or Mudhoney on Negative Creep. The importance of the sound engineer in the creative process directs the trio in new musical directions, especially during the remix of In Utero , where All Apologies and Dumb benefit from the cello of Kera Schaley. This delicate touch is the fruit of the work of Scott Litt , already at the origin of similar contributions on Automatic for the People , of REM. Likewise, Nirvana chose Andy Wallace when mixing Nevermind , as they enjoyed the sound of Seasons in the Abyss from thrash metal band Slayer. Moreover, Novoselic believes that the recording of Bleach was influenced by the combination The Smithereens / Celtic Frost that they were listening to in their van at the time, while Cobain admitted to aiming for their second album to sound like "The Bay City Rollers Under Black Flag Onslaught ".
Nirvana has also performed a large number of covers during her career, both in the studio and on stage. The first single of the group, Love Buzz , originates from a song of the group Dutch of psychedelic pop of the 1960s Shocking Blue , whose words have been significantly changed. Other tracks, like Molly's Lips des Vaselines or Turnaround by Devo , appear on the maxi Hormoaning released in 1992, while other titles like Baba O'Riley from the Who or D-7 from the Wipers are performed at concerts or festivals, without however being subsequently recorded in studio. The trio's most striking covers are those of MTV Unplugged in New York , during the MTV Unplugged show at Sony Music studios where the group offers an acoustic set with the instruments disconnected. Nirvana plays Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam des Vaselines, before the Man Who Sold the World by David Bowie, performed in a very Dylanian way and faithful in this sense to the original published in 1970", which" constitutes one of the peaks of the concert". The Kirkwood brothers of the Meat Puppets then join the group for three of their songs: Plateau , Oh Me and Lake of Fire, the first being called a moment of grace", as Cobain struggles on the highest passages. or the most serious ”. The trio ends the show on the traditional song Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Lead belly, whose finale marks the spirits with the broken voice of Cobain", which oozes pain". The latter, who presents the bluesman as being my interpreter ... our favorite interpreter", refuses the call back requested by the producers of the show, believing that he could not do better.
Themes and compositions
Main songwriter of Nirvana, Cobain has often been criticized for his lyrics described as “incoherent”, to the point that some radio hosts refuse to broadcast Smells Like Teen Spirit because they cannot understand what he sings. This type of behavior particularly irritates the singer, for whom “there is no explanation for the lyrics”. However, most of the songs are inspired by events that marked his life. Thus, several songs by Never mind evoke the dysfunctional relationship he has with Tobi Vail between 1989 and 1990 some are linked to his difficult adolescence, while others deal with his perpetual ill-being. He admits, however, after the release of the second studio album, that "some of my most intimate experiences, such as breakups or bad company, echo the yawning void the person feels in the song, extreme loneliness, sadness. le-bol ”.
Over the course of the three discs, an evolution of the lyrics is noticeable, even if they remain on the whole little imprint of optimism and happiness. Those of Bleach are thus presented as "deliberately dark and claustrophobic", as Cobain begins to paint violent scenes revealing his hatred of himself and others on Nevermind. In Utero offers more direct and more structured texts around nihilistic themes , social inadequacy and the composer's frustration, suggesting his first suicidal intentions. In this latest album, Cobain relies much more on his readings, notably drawing inspiration from the biography of actress Frances Farmer for Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle and the historical novel Le Parfum , by Patrick Süskind , on Scentless Apprentice.
Besides the singer's recurring anger, he regularly takes up other themes during his compositions. He thus repeatedly addresses machismo , a subject close to his heart since he has often been the victim of bullying by his comrades in high school, "guys who drink together, fight and piss like animals to mark their territory. » , In whom he does not recognize himself and from whom he seeks at all costs to stand out. He is also disgusted to find this type of people in the audience of Nirvana and does not hesitate to show them his contempt via the songs Mr. Mustache , Downer and Very Ape. His adolescence inspires especially as it was difficult: after his parents divorced when he was eight years old, he lived at first with his mother before living for several months in the street in 1985. Without money or a fixed abode, his precarious situation forced him to sleep for a few months in Novoselic's van, at Dale Crover's , or even, according to legend, under a bridge over the Wishkah Riverin Aberdeen (Something in the Way). This traumatic experience is reflected in his words: he holds his parents responsible for what happened to him in Scoff and defines himself as a "defeatist dud" on Negative Creep. Paper Cuts , which evokes the “ordeal of an abused child who grows up locked in a room with windows painted black” , also echoes his childhood
Result or not of this period of his life, Cobain's songs are marked by his suffering, what some call his " alienation " , and the music allows him to escape it. Often ironic, and sometimes even humorous, he tells the story of deranged assassins on Floyd the Barber, practices self-deprecation on On a Plain or compares his life to that of Frances Farmer, a Hollywood actress. the years 1930 - 1940whose career came to an abrupt end after wanting to change the cinema system and who then spent several years in a psychiatric hospital. On Lithium , he draws a parallel between himself and a young man depressed and on the verge of madness that made the choice to turn to religion, an attitude that the singer does not include. Despite having made a short stay with the born again family of his friend Jesse Reed, Cobain always preferred to "manage his pain" by taking drugs rather than relying on God first. while smoking cannabis, before using stronger products, especially heroin.
In addition to his little taste for optimistic lyrics, the singer is also passionate about everything related to bodily secretions and diseases, a recurring subject on In Utero. Thus, Drain You evokes a fusional love story between two babies neighboring an incubator at the hospital, Scentless Apprentice stacks up the scatological images, while Tourette's pays tribute to the French doctor who first diagnosed this disease. This morbid fascination with the hints of the human body is also found on Pennyroyal Tea, Where he describes the effects of tea on the pennyroyal , which would have virtues abortion and trigger uterine contractions and cites antacids cherry it takes to reduce intestinal problems that torment.
In this song, the revolt that usually characterizes Cobain seems to give way to despondency, letting the allusion of suicide perceived , as he had already done on Milk It. Indeed, since the beginnings of the group, the singer addresses strong criticisms in his texts: with the scene of Seattle on School which he describes as “clan and hierarchical”; against the young spirit with Smells Like Teen Spirit; people forced to act in ways that contradict their nature to meet what is expected of them ( Come as You Are ); to certain concert halls which charge the entrance tickets to the group, the latter then having to resell them himself and losing money if he does not succeed, on Stay Away, and against authority in general (Mr. Mustache, Breed).
After the success of Nevermind , Nirvana faces a very important media coverage. Cobain, not wanting this mass sale and not supporting it, lashes out at the music industry which is responsible for this ferocious marketing. If he had had the possibility, he would have liked to be able to get out of this system. He did not hesitate to pin their first label, Sub Pop because, although independent , the pressure exerted by it and its operation were close to what was done in the majors , even though Big Cheese appears on Bleach , released by Sub Pop. He also settles, on several occasions, his accounts with the journalists who track him down him and Courtney Love ( Rape Me and Serve the Servants ). On this last song, he also refuses any idea of being sold on their second album, in response to those who blame them. Among other reviews, Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip is directed at stylist Perry Ellis who launched a grunge clothing line .
Despite everything, Cobain's repertoire includes a few love songs , almost all of them inspired by Cobain's own relationships, his breakups, but also his marriage. Although not necessarily recognized, the singer's talent for writing this type of song is nonetheless real, attested by About a Girl , the first, which "perfectly reflects the rage, the pain and the ever-present tenderness" in reference to his separation from Tracy Marander. On Lounge Act , he recognizes that it is difficult to be both an artist and a suitable companion at the same time, a feeling that tears him apart from within, justifying himself on the failure of his relationship with Vai.
He then recounts the beginnings of his romance with Love on Heart-Shaped Box , evoking the heart-shaped boxes they have been offering themselves since the end of 1991. Milk It and especially All Apologies are among the other titles of Cobain addressing the theme of love. On the second, he even describes as "peaceful, happy and comfortable" the atmosphere in which he and his wife, daughter Frances Bean live, contrasting with the usual pessimism he shows.
Like the harsh criticisms he has issued in his songs, Cobain has also elicited strong criticisms with some of them, although in reality his lyrics are in fact misunderstood. Thus, Polly recounts a news item that took place in Tacoma , in 1987, during which a teenage girl he knew was kidnapped , tortured and then raped , before escaping. The lyrics, sung from the perspective of the rapist, may seem unhealthy if interpreted in the first degree, while the singer actually expresses his admiration for the courage she has shown.
Likewise, Rape Me tries to show feminismjust as much as the fatalism that can be buried in oneself following rape. The title ("violate me"), as well as part of the lyrics, provoke the wrath of feminist associations, even though the singer claims to have always been on their side. He ended up appropriating this title in response to the perpetual attacks of the press . In another genre, the last line of the song Stay Away , God is gay (“Dieu est homo”), unleashes the fury of American conservatives, who try in vain to have it censored when the album. This track perfectly illustrates Nirvana's independence from any categorization, although it does become an anthem of the Seattle scene.
Legacy and honors of Nirvana
Considered “indisputably the most important rock album of the 1990s ”, Nevermind's sound sets the tone for rock from this period. It 'has a lasting influence the sound of the decade' because it does not only to emerge from the shadows the scene grunge of Seattle , it opens the way for bands like Pearl Jam , Sound garden and Alice in Chains . In addition, he makes alternative rock known to the general public.as a whole, thus establishing the commercial and cultural viability of the genre. Offering " twisted pop songs that flirt with the aggressiveness of punk and the powerful chords of metal " , he "inspires a whole generation of musicians": "no other album in recent history has had such an impact crushing on a generation, a nation of teenagers suddenly transformed into punks, nor such a catastrophic effect on its main creator ”.
It also marks the emergence of a new generation of music fans, in an environment hitherto dominated by the musical tastes of baby boomers . It “arrived exactly at the right time. It was music made by, for and about young people who were ignored or patronized ”. Indeed, after the 1980s dominated on the whole by a wiser and more subdued rock which does not manage to renew itself, the fashion returns to the aggressive guitars, not only in the United States but also in the United Kingdom . This young generation rediscovered on this occasion the punk rock of the 1970s, as well as traveling festivals dedicated to alternative rock, such as Lollapalooza.
The international success of the record led to an upheaval in the strategies of record companies: now believing that alternative rock groups could quickly attain great popularity, they no longer hesitate to offer them substantial advances for the recording of their albums. The majors of the disc thus offer enticing contracts to artists until then underground like Butthole Surfers , Helmet , L7 , Melvins , Mudhoney , The Smashing Pumpkins or Tad. This development allows groups of thewest coast of the United States like The Offspring or Green Day to shine around the world.
Nirvana's third album, In Utero , which takes up the violence of Bleach with the maturity of Nevermind , is considered by music journalist Charles R. Cross to be "much better than Nevermind ". "Yet appearing as an ideal sequel to Nevermind of 1991: a condensed power badly assumed and sincerity on edge, which will be keen to break all the patterns that had been drawn up after Nevermind " , it is finally " a sort of cursed album, because it was disowned by Geffen, then Albini, then Cobain, finally, considering it poorly mixed and mastered ”, which seems “today to be literally forgotten by current groups. If there is an album that has sold more than four million copies that is overlooked and underestimated, it is In Utero ”.
Over time, it is also only the popularity of the second studio album of Nirvana remains intact: he appears in 17th place in the ranking of the 500 greatest albums of all time established by Rolling Stone, the list of 100 best albums of all time in the time, the 3th place in the ranking of the 100 best albums of all time established by the readers of the magazine Q or in the selection of 101 records that changed the world of disco ideal of Philippe Maneuver. In Utero is content with a 13th place in the "100 best albums of the 1990s" by Pitchfork and a 439th place in the "500 best albums of all time" by Rolling Stone magazine.
It is nevertheless part, like Nevermind , of the 1001 albums that you must have listened to in your life. In 2005, the Library of Congress included Nevermind in its sound recordings considered significant according to cultural, historical and aesthetic criteria . Nirvana entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, twenty-five years after the release of Bleach , in its first year of eligibility.The group is distinguished eleven times out of the thirty-one nominations obtained during its career and after Cobain's death. The first is the NME Awards for "Best Single" for Smells Like Teen Spirit in 1991, followed by the MTV Video Music Awards for " Best New Artist " and "Best Alternative Video" in 1992, and also awarded in 2000 in the “Best Single of All Time” category at the NME Awards.
The trio are awarded their only Grammy Awards , that of“Best Alternative Music Album” for the MTV Unplugged in New York in 1996, then the NME Awards for “Best Musical DVD” in 2008 for the same live album. In 1993, the single In Bloom was awarded in the category “Best Alternative Video”, while Heart-Shaped Box was awarded the following year in the “ Best Artistic Direction ” and “Best Alternative Video”categories . Nirvana also receives the Brit Awards from the"Best International Revelation" in 1993, the American Music Awards for "Best Heavy Metal / Hard Rock Duo / Group" in 1995.
Members of Nirvana
Latest members
- Kurt Cobain - vocals , guitar (1987–1994)
- Krist Novoselic - bass (1987–1994)
- Dave Grohl - drums , backing vocals (1990–1994)
Musicians in concerts
- Pat Smear - guitar, backing vocals (1993–1994)
- Lori Goldston - cello (1993–1994)
Former members
- Aaron Burckhard - drums (1987–1988, 1988)
- Dale Crover - drums (1988, 1990)
- Dave Foster - drums (1988)
- Chad Channing - drums (1988–1990)
- Jason Everman - guitar (1989)
- Dan Peters - drums (1990)
Discography of Nirvana
Studio albums
- 1989 : Bleach
- 1991 : Nevermind
- 1993 : In Utero
Live albums
- 1994 : MTV Unplugged in New York (DGC Records)
- 1996 : From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (DGC Records)
- 2009 : Live at Reading (DGC Records)
- 2013: Live and loud
Compilations
- 1992 : Incesticide (DGC Records)
- 1995 : Singles (DGC Records)
- 2002 : Nirvana (DGC Records)
- 2004 : With the Lights Out (DGC Records)
- 2005 : Sliver: The Best of the Box (DGC Records)
- 2010 : Icon (DGC Records)
- 2011 : Nevermind: The Singles (DGC Records)
Documentaries of Nirvana
- 1992 : 1991: The Year Punk Broke
- 1998 : Kurt and Courtney
- 2005 : Classic Albums: Nirvana - Nevermind
- 2006 : Nirvana - A Classic Album Under Review - In Utero
- 2006 : Kurt Cobain: About a Son
- 2011 : Back and Forth
- 2015 : Soaked in Bleach
- 2015 : Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
