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''Nevermind'' is the second and breakthough studio album by the American Rock band Nirvana . The band's major label debut, it was released on September 24 , 1991 on Geffen Records . ''Nevermind'' was a surprise success when it was released in the fall of 1991; by January 1992 it had knocked Michael Jackson 's album '' Dangerous '' out of the top spot on the '' Billboard '' charts. ''Nevermind'' not only popularized the 2006 . and over 26 million copies worldwide2 and is regarded by critics as one of the greatest albums ever released. BACKGROUND Nirvana were a band from Washington, formed by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic , that had signed to Seattle Independent Record Label Sub Pop . The group released its debut album '' Bleach '' in 1989, with Chad Channing on drums. However, Channing soon left the band and the band was in need of a permanent drummer. After seeing a show by Hardcore Punk band Scream , Novoselic and Cobain were impressed by the group's drummer, Dave Grohl . Following Scream's unexpected disbanding, Grohl contacted Novoselic, made his way to Seattle, and was soon invited to join the band. Novoselic said in retrospect that when Grohl joined the band, everything "fell into place".''Classic Albums--Nirvana: Nevermind'' {Link without Title} . Isis Productions, 2004. Meanwhile Cobain was writing a number of new songs. Feeling chaffed by the heavy detuned rock popular in the Seattle grunge scene and which Sub Pop had built its image upon, Cobain at the time was listening to bands like R.E.M. , The Smithereens , and the Pixies , and began writing more melodic songs as a result. A key development was the single " Sliver ", released on Sub Pop in 1990 (before Grohl joined the band), which Cobain said "was like a statement in a way. I had to write a pop song and release it on a single to prepare people for the next record. I wanted to write more songs like that."Azerrad (1993), pg. 145 Grohl said that the band at that point often made the analogy of likening their music to children's music, in that the band tried to make them as simple as possible. By the start of the 1990s Sub Pop was experiencing financial difficulties. With rumors that Sub Pop would sign up as a subsidiary for a major label, the band decided to "cut out the middleman" and start to look for a major label. A number of labels were trying to woo the group, but Nirvana ultimately signed with Geffen Records based upon the recommendation of their management, who also managed the band's idols (and recent Geffen signings) Sonic Youth , and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon .Azerrad (1993), pg. 162 RECORDING AND PRODUCTION In the spring of 1990, Nirvana began planning their second album for Sub Pop, tentatively titled ''Sheep''. For the album, Sub Pop head " (later released as the b-side to "Sliver"), " In Bloom ", "Pay to Play" (eventually renamed "Stay Away" and given a new set of lyrics), "Sappy", " Lithium ", " Here She Comes Now " (released on ''Velvet Underground Tribute Album: Heaven and Hell Volume 1''), and "Polly".Azerrad (1993), pg. 137 The band had planned to record more tracks, but Cobain blew his voice out on "Lithium", forcing them to shut down recording. Vig was told that the band would come back to record more songs but didn't hear anything for a while. Instead, the band used the sessions as a demo tape to shop for a new label. Within a few months, the tape was circulating amongst major labels, creating a buzz around the group.Azerrad (1993), pg. 138 After signing to Geffen a number of producers for the album were suggested, including Scott Litt , David Briggs , and Don Dixon , but Nirvana held out for Vig.Azerrad (1993), pg. 164-65 Novoselic noted in 2001 that the band was already nervous about recording on a major label, since the producers suggested wanted percentage points for the album, and they optioned for Vig, whom they felt comfortable collaborating with.Cross, Charles R. "Requiem for a Dream." ''Guitar World''. October 2001. Nirvana was afforded a budget of $65,000 to record the album and recorded the album at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles , California in May and June of 1991.Sandford (1995), pg. 181 Nirvana was originally set to record their album during March and April of 1991, but the date kept getting pushed back in spite of the band's anxiousness to begin the sessions. To pay for gas money to get to Los Angeles, the band played a show where they debuted "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for the first time. Nirvana had sent Vig some rehearsal tapes prior to the sessions that featured the Smart Sessions songs along with some new ones, notably " Smells Like Teen Spirit " and " Come As You Are ".Azerrad (1993), pg. 167 When the band arrived in California they did a few days of pre-production where the band and Vig tightened up some of the song arrangements.Azerrad (1993), pg. 169 The only recording carried over from the Smart Studios sessions was the song "Polly", which included cymbal crashes performed by Chad Channing. Once recording commenced, the band worked eight to ten hours a day. The band tended to take two or three tries at instrumental takes; if the takes weren't satisfactory at that point, they would move on to something else.Azerrad (1993), pg. 174 The band had rehearsed the songs so much before recording started that often only a few takes were needed. Vig would later sequence the tracks by using an Akai Sampler .Zak III, Alban J. (2001) The Poetics of Rock, pg. 58 Novoselic and Grohl finished their bass and drum track in a matter of days, but Cobain had to continue working for longer on guitar overdubs, singing, and particularly lyrics (which sometimes were finished mere minutes before recording).Azerrad (1993), pg. 176 Cobain's phrasing was so consistent on various takes that Vig would mix the takes together to create overdubs.Azerrad (1993), pg. 174 Vig often had to trick Cobain, who was adverse to performing multiple takes, into recording additional takes for overdubs. In particular, Vig convinced Cobain to double-track his vocals on the song "In Bloom" by telling him " John Lennon did it." While the sessions went well generally, Vig said Cobain would become moody and difficult at times: "He'd be great for an hour, and then he'd sit in a corner and say nothing for an hour." After the recording sessions were completed, Vig and the band set out to mix the album. However, after a few days, both Vig and the band realized that they were unhappy with how the mixes were turning out. As a result, they decided to call in someone else to oversee the mixing, with DGC supplying a list of possible options. The list contained several familiar names, including . (Wallace co-produced Slayer's 1990 album '' Seasons In The Abyss ''.)di Perna, Alan. "Grunge Music: The Making of Nevermind." ''Guitar World''. Fall 1996. Wallace brought to the album a completely different mindset, adding layers of Reverb , drum Sampling , and other studio trickery to give the album a glossy polish. A few months after the album's release, Cobain complained in the press that Wallace had made ''Nevermind'' sound too slick, even though Wallace had been his own choice and the band themselves had been involved in the mixing process.di Perna, Alan. Fall 1996. Cobain explained, "Looking back on the production of ''Nevermind'', I'm embarrassed by it now. It's closer to a Mötley Crüe record than it is a punk rock record."Azerrad (1993), pg. 179-80 Some CD versions of ''Nevermind'' feature a "). The improvised noise song was recorded after a particularly stressful take of "Lithium".Azerrad (1993), pg. 177 The song was not on the album's first CD pressing, as the mastering engineer had thought he had reached the end of the album. For unknown reasons, the song was removed from American pressings of the disc in 1994 (year of Cobain's death), and all subsequent CD pressings have lacked the song. At least three songs were recorded during the ''Nevermind'' sessions which didn't make the album's final cut: ", 2007 . RELEASE ''Nevermind'' was released on September 24 , 1991 with 46,251 copies of the album shipped to American record stores.Azerrad (1993), pg. 196 The lead single " Smells Like Teen Spirit " had been released on September 10th with the intention of being a base-building cut among alternative rock fans, while the next single " Come As You Are " would be the song that would possibly garner more attention.Azerrad (1993), pg. 227 The band set out on a short American tour four days before the release date to support the album. Geffen Records hoped that ''Nevermind'' would sell around 250,000, which was the same level they had achieved with Sonic Youth's Geffen debut '' Goo ''.Wice, Nathaniel. "How Nirvana Made It". '' SPIN ''. April 1992. The best estimate was that if the band, the management, and the label all worked really hard, the record could possibly be certified gold by September of 1992.Azerrad (1993), pg. 193 The album debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 at position 144, which was high enough for the album to also top the Heatseekers chart.34 ''Nevermind'' was already selling well, but over the next few months the album momentum increased significantly as "Smells Like Teen Spirit" unexpectedly became more and more popular. The song's video had received a world premiere on MTV 's late night alternative show '' 120 Minutes '' but it soon proved so popular that the channel began playing it during the day.Azerrad (1993), pg. 199 The record was soon certified gold, but the band was relatively disinterested by the achievement. Novoselic recalled, "Yeah I was happy about it. It was pretty cool. It was kind of neat. But I don't give a shit about some kind of achievement like that. It's cool--I guess."Azerrad (1993), pg. 202 As the band set out for their European tour at the start of November 1991, ''Nevermind'' entered the ''Billboard'' Top 40 for the first time at number 35. By this point "Smells Like Teen Spirit" had become a genuine hit and the album was selling so fast none of Geffen's marketing strategies aimed at different sales levels could be enacted. Geffen president Ed Rosenblatt told the '' New York Times '', "We didn't do anything. It was just one of those 'Get out of the way and duck' records."Azerrad (1993), pg. 228 Nirvana found as they toured Europe during the end of 1991 that the shows were dangerously oversold, television crews became a constant presence onstage, and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was almost omnipresent on radio and music television.Azerrad (1993), pg. 203 ''Nevermind'' became Nirvana's first #1 album on January 11 , 1992 , replacing Michael Jackson at the top of the ''Billboard'' charts.5 By this time ''Nevermind'' was selling approximately 300,000 copies a week.Azerrad (1993), pg. 229 "Come As You Are" was finally released as the second single in March of 1992; it peaked at number 32 on the ''Billboard'' charts. Two more singles, "Lithium" and "In Bloom," were released from the album. ''Nevermind'' eventually spent two hundred and fifty-two weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200.6 ''Nevermind'' was Certified Gold and Platinum by the RIAA on November 27 , 1991 , and was certified Diamond on March 24 , 1999 .7 Last accessed March 10, 2007. It was also certified Diamond in Canada (1,000,000 units) by the CRIA on March 19, 2001. {Link without Title} Pressings and re-releases In 1996, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab released ''Nevermind'' on Vinyl as part of their "ANADISQ 200" series, and as a 24- Carat gold CD. The CD pressings included "Endless, Nameless." In 1999 the ''Nevermind'' album was re-released in a collectors box set with the 1993 album '' In Utero ''. MUSIC ''Nevermind'' is a two-faced album; on the one hand, the thick and aggressive nature of the arrangements were popular amongst many indie bands at the time, particularly with Mudhoney and other Sub Pop artists. On the other, the songs are exceptionally melodic, taking cues from the Pixies for their distinct vocal melodies and an instrumental interplay that emphasizes the melodies in all the instruments.Thurston Moore's September, 2004 review in "With the Lights Out", Geffen Records IMAGERY Album cover The ''Nevermind'' album cover shows a baby swimming toward a bill on a fishhook. According to Cobain, he conceived the idea while watching a television program on ''. The band shot some promotional images to accompany the album playing upon the cover's theme, featuring them swimming underwater. The imagery was revisited in the video for "Come as You Are." In 1992, Weird Al Yankovic mimicked the cover for his album '' Off The Deep End ''. That version features Yankovic swimming toward a donut instead of a dollar. CRITICAL RECOGNITION ''Nevermind'' was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. ''Nevermind'' was listed #17 on Rolling Stone 's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time , despite only getting three stars out of five when the magazine reviewed it originally in 1991. In 2004, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library Of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry , and is also the newest album in the registry. TRACK LISTING #" Smells Like Teen Spirit " (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 5:01 #" In Bloom " (Cobain, Nirvana) – 4:14 #" Come As You Are " (Cobain) – 3:39 #" Breed " (Cobain, Nirvana) – 3:03 #" Lithium " (Cobain) – 4:17 #" Polly " (Cobain, Nirvana) – 2:57 #" Territorial Pissings " (Cobain, Nirvana) – 2:22 #" Drain You " (Cobain, Nirvana) – 3:43 #" Lounge Act " (Cobain, Nirvana) – 2:36 #" Stay Away " (Cobain, Nirvana) – 3:32 #" On A Plain " (Cobain, Nirvana) – 3:16 #" Something In The Way " (Cobain, Nirvana) – 3:55
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