Back to story; ANYWAY, every song on the album is amazing, and still sounds fresh. I believe there's nothing more to be said about SLTS. There's the Pixies dynamics (I hate to say that, but it is), the chiming two notes while the drums and bass lay a great foundation, the melodic verse-based solo, and lyrics that supposedly define the "apathy of a generation" or something like that. When you hear hundreds or thousands of people sing along to it during (mostly crappy) live covers, it sort of loses something in translation. It was a song by punk rock kids FOR punk rock kids. SLTS was never meant to be a generation defining anthem. But that's how it turned out to be, to Kurt's dismay. Funny how these things work out. This live, broadcast on TV version seems to encompass the meaning.
Then there's "In Bloom." I still consider this my favorite single from Nevermind. I'm listening to it as I'm writing this, and the I can really find no way to describe the riff, except for... Duhhhnnn ( ba dump), Duuhhhhhnnn (ba dump bump bump). And the verse should sound creepy, but it doesn't, even though Kurt's singing about selling kids and reproductive glands. Maybe it's cause you know it's about to launch into the best and catchiest chorus on the album (rivaled only by "Lithium"), and soon, the best solo. And ironically, the chorus is about people who sing along because they think the song is cool, and don't care about the lyrics.
"Come As You Are'" is all about the delivery. This one is delivered especially well.
I've always thought "Breed" was the perfect workout song. Whatever, but the hook under this song is the bass, courtesy of Krist Novoselic. And the "she said" vocals are pretty cool too.
I never cared for the Nevermind version of Lithium. I don't like how Nirvana used whole step down tuning for the song (although it works fine for CAYA and "Drain You"). I'd pick any live version over this one. But even though the chorus is just one word (YEAAAH), the melody is just awesome. The Reading version of the song is the most famous, but I prefer the version from the Roskilde Festival in '92. I don't know, Lithium's great when it's tuned half a step down (Eb).
Polly is very sparce, and is the biggest departure from Bleach, their debut. It's not rockin', it's not fast, but at the same time it holds the same amount of emotional weight as something like SLTS, probably even more. The story of a rape told from the offender's point of view, the mood of the song is rather contemplative, which is even darker than anger or insanity. But this performance is rather interesting. Note Dave.
And then we have the polar opposite, musically wise, of "Polly." "Territorial Pissings" is a criticism of macho men, and I can wholeheartedly agree with that idea already. A short, very sarcastic refrain of a song called "Get Together," sung by Krist, sets the tone for the short, pissed-off outburst that is just enough to bring you back from the bleakness of "Polly."
Kurt has repeatedly said that "Drain You" was his favorite Nirvana song. It's a love song, in the vein of "About A Girl," but there's a heavy medical theme throughout the song. The thing that distinguishes the song most is the bridge, which features weird object sounds from a rubber duck, a spray can, and chains (or things like that) over a rhythm thing that does bring to mind the word DRAIN. But it does set the stage for the restatement of the riff and verse, which does sound a bit happier after the weird bridge. And no, this song is not about Courtney. It's about Tobi Vail. Nevermind is about Tobi Vail. In Utero is about Courtney.
"Lounge Act" is almost as short as "Territorial Pissings," and is kinda like "Drain You," but less about love, and more about jealously. Which is very relatable. More than "vacuuming out the fluids." Then again...
Although this is the least popular track on Nevermind, "Stay Away" is a combination of many other tracks on the album. The drumroll and bass are straight out of "Breed," and the guitar and vocals recall "Territorial Pissings." And the lyrics are very punchy, to the point, and almost unintentionally funny. This is shot from the side of the stage, and is one of the last performances of the song.
"On A Plain" is one of my absolute favorites, single or not, on the album. I recall it was the last song finished for Nevermind, and the lyrics were written in the studio right before recording. Or maybe that was "Sliver." Both great songs. "On A Plain" is the one song that actually sounds... joyful? Happy? It can't be any clearer that "I can't complain." Or any more cryptic that "What the hell am I trying to say?"
And here's another acoustic song. Now unlike Polly, "Something In The Way" is just DARK. Quite the contrast from the fun outburst of "On A Plain," SITW is the resigned sigh that ends the bipolar album almost perfectly. Apparently it was the hardest song to record, and they had to use a click track to record the song, because Dave Grohl couldn't play softly. Even better than the Nevermind versions are the 1992 Japan versions. Just watch. Seriously. Pity it's not complete.
And 10 minutes later, you get the secret song. The iTunes generation has ruined the joke that if you forget to turn off your CD player after SITW, you'll hear this song just blasting out. The original was recorded after Nirvana messed up recording Lithium... again. Too bad there's no footage of the studio version. But this version is the definitive one (and I'm not just saying it cause it's THIS show). And the uncut Paramount show PRO-shot has just been released, so you can watch it later without the cuts.
So now there's these new 20th anniversary super deluxe editions of Nevermind. If Kurt was alive, he would probably NOT approve of it. But any new Nirvana is good. But out of the whole four CDs, the only totally new things were the boombox demos, the Devonshire mixes, and most importantly, the full Paramount video(the Smart City demos, BBC sessions, and Paramount audio have been circulating on the internet for a while). But the ONE song almost every Nirvana fan wanted, was the version of Sappy from Sound Studios, which is not in the package. I'm disappointed. All right Krist and Dave, start planning the In Utero deluxe box set.
So why did I do this obscenely huge post? 1. I love Nirvana, I love Nevermind, and I love music. #2. I don't want to study Chinese right now.
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