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Nevermind is Nirvana's second album, released in September of 1991.
Significance
Nevermind catapulted Nirvana from an obscure Seattle-area band to critical and popular success, signalling the end of the hair metal ballads and bombastic anthems. The opening track, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and its accompanying music video that depicted a high school pep rally gone awry, received massive airplay in late 1991, propelling the members of Nirvana to superstardom. Other hits include "Come As You Are" and "Lithium". Producer Butch Vig crafted Nirvana's distorted guitars, pounding drums, rumbling bass, and wailing vocals into catchy, engrossing tracks that appealed to a wide audience and set the standard for rock music throughout the 1990s. Many people have called the album 'the Beatles played with attitude.'
As a reaction against hair metal bands, which were perceived as pompous and corporate-dominated by the alternative music communities, Nevermind is often considered one of the albums which most affected society. Along with perhaps Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Saturday Night Fever, and Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols, Nevermind brought a counterculture to the mainstream, radically altering the musical landscape to allow for immediate hits from other grunge bands, like Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains.
Nevermind hit #1 on Billboard Music Chart's Top 200 albums and the Heatseekers chart.
Trivia
The baby on the cover is the then-three-month-old Spencer Elden. The fishhook and bill were superimposed later. Geffen prepared an alternate cover, as they were afraid that having a child's penis visible would offend people, but relented when Cobain made it clear that the only compromise he would accept would be a sticker covering the penis, accusing anyone who was offended of being a closet paedophile. The alternate cover image is featured in Michael Azerrad's book, Come As You Are.
Some CD versions of the album feature a hidden track ten minutes after the end of "Something in the Way". The first pressing of the CD did not contain the track due to a technical error. The track is variously named "Noise", "The Noise Jam" or "Endless, Nameless" on bootlegs. It is named "Endless, Nameless" on the "Come as You Are" single. The track was improvised, or semi-improvised, during a particularly stressful take for "Lithium". It is typical of the jams the band would sometimes have at the end of their shows, prior to smashing their instruments, such as the jam (named "Demolition" on some bootlegs) at the end of Nirvana's performance on MTV's "Live and Loud" feature. Azerrad claims that the careful listener can determine the moment the guitar breaks.
In 1997 HMV customers voted Nevermind the 8th greatest album of all time. In 1998 Q magazine readers placed it at number 5, while in 2003 the TV network VH1 placed it at number 2.
Track listing
- "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 5:02
- "In Bloom" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 4:15
- "Come as You Are" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 3:39
- "Breed" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 3:04
- "Lithium" (Cobain) - 4:17
- "Polly" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 2:56
- "Territorial Pissings" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 2:23
- "Drain You" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 3:44
- "Lounge Act" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 2:37
- "Stay Away" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 3:33
- "On a Plain" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 3:17
- "Something In The Way" (Cobain/Nirvana) - 3:51
- "Endless Nameless" (Hidden track) (Cobain/Nirvana)
Personnel
- Nirvana - Producer, Engineer
- Kirk Canning - Cello
- Kurt Cobain - Guitar, Vocals, Photography
- Dave Grohl - Drums, Vocals
- Krist Novoselic - Bass guitar, Vocals
- Jeff Sheehan - Assistant Engineer
- Butch Vig - Producer, Engineer
- Andy Wallace - Mixing
- Howie Weinberg - Mastering
- Michael Lavine - Photography
- Robert Fisher - Artwork, Art Direction, Design, Cover Design
- Craig Doubet - Assistant Engineer, Mixing
- Kirk Weddle - Photography
Chart positions
Album
| 1991
| Nevermind
| Heatseekers
| No. 1
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| 1992
| Nevermind
| The Billboard 200
| No. 1
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Singles
| 1991
| Smells Like Teen Spirit
| Modern Rock Tracks
| No. 1
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| 1992
| Lithium
| The Billboard Hot 100
| No. 64
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| 1992
| Smells Like Teen Spirit
| The Billboard Hot 100
| No. 6
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| 1992
| Lithium
| Mainstream Rock Tracks
| No. 16
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| 1992
| Smells Like Teen Spirit
| Mainstream Rock Tracks
| No. 7
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| 1992
| Come As You Are
| Modern Rock Tracks
| No. 3
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| 1992
| Lithium
| Modern Rock Tracks
| No. 25
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| 1992
| On A Plain
| Modern Rock Tracks
| No. 25
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| 1992
| Smells Like Teen Spirit
| Hot Dance Music/Club Play
| No. 14
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| 1992
| Smells Like Teen Spirit
| Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
| No. 27
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