Nirvana: Best/Worst/Favorite/Overrated/Underrated - Album by Album

 Hello All,

I started a new series reviewing some of my favorite artist's discography. Last time I did the Beatles and that was really fun, so I'm back to revel in my own self-righteous opinions. This time I'm covering another big favorite of mine...Nirvana.

 As always, here's my overly-detailed definitions of terms:

Best - this is obvious, what I think is the best track on the album in terms of composition and what it sets out to do.

Worst - also obvious, although, this definitely has more bias in it than "Best".

Overrated/Underrated - As I typically don't talk to people about the Nirvana nor am I reading much about them these days...so, this is just a general, what I think others think. Also, the Underrated category acts as another way for me to shoe horn one my favorites into the list.  Finally, if I place a song in the overrated category, it doesn't mean it's a bad song, it just means it's overrated. No more, no less.

Favorite - My personal favorite, not always the best track but the one I connected with the most or have a special memory associated with.

Bleach

Best: "About a Girl"
Worst: "Paper Cuts" 
Favorite: "About a Girl"/"Love Buzz"
Overrated: "About a Girl"
Underrated: "Love Buzz"/"Blew"

Nevermind

Best: "In Bloom"/"Drain You" (this was tough, this album has so many near perfect gems)
Worst: "Stay Away"
Favorite: "In Bloom"
Overrated: There's the obvious choice, and that that would be correct but I'm going to go with every beginning guitar player's go-to "Come As You Are" (and for the record I love this song)
Underrated: "On a Plain"

Hormoaning

Included because, hey, why not? Let's do an unnecessary deep dive on a EP that was only regionally released and consists of mainly cover songs?

Best: "Aneurysm" (such a cool tune)
Worst: "Even in His Youth" (and this is a decent track too)
Favorite: "Turnaround" (maybe my favorite cover of any song by any band)
Overrated: "Aneurysm" (just here because it has to be the only song the general public knows about) but this was
Underrated:Everything except "Aneurysm" but I guess "D-7"

Incesticide

Best: "Aneurysm" (well, this is awkward but yeah, it fits the bill again)
Worst: "Big Long Now" (yawn)
Favorite: "Turnaround" (again, it's here but it's that good) & "Son of a Gun"
Overrated: "Sliver" (I still love it)
Underrated:"Beeswax"

In Utero

Best: "Heart Shaped Box"
Worst: "tourette's" (it ain't that bad either)
Favorite: "All Apologies"/"Dumb"/the first 30 seconds of"Scentless Apprentice"
Overrated:"Rape Me"
Underrated: "Very Ape" and "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter"


Unplugged in NYC

Best:"Where Did You Sleep Last Night?"
Worst: "Pennyroyal Tea" (ok sorry, it's not the greatest but if you've heard the rehearsal footage with Pat Smear trying to sing backup vocals, this is X1000 better...it's like they were too afraid to tell him he was off key).
Favorite:"Man Who Sold the World"
Overrated: "Pennyroyal Tea"(gotta pick something)
Underrated: "Oh Me"

From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah

I don't wanna do this album. It's a fine compilation of live tracks, I mean it's good but I don't listen to it much anymore. Off the top of my head, my personal faves are "School", "Spank Thru" and of course, you guessed it, "Aneurysm"

With the Lights Out - Box Set 
After pining after a box for almost a decade, the box set finally came out and by then, I was not the hardcore Nirvana fan I used to be. I couldn't really justify spending hundreds of dollars on the set and the "Best of" set I had already heard 90% of it on bootlegs. So, suffice to say, I don't have a list of either. I'm tired and can't list anymore Nirvana songs this late either!

Just Updating the Ol' Blog Fragments

We've been crazy busy of late.

Re-doing our floors on our own is tough. We lived at the in-laws for almost three weeks. Parts of our house are still, uh, well, messed up. Working at work and working at home didn't leave much time to blog but the past 10 days or so have been back to normal.

I stepped into my favorite local establishment to grab an ice tea with my Nirvana shirt on when the cashier (clearly under 25) asked me what my favorite Nirvana song was. I was dumbfounded. I felt exposed, like I really didn't know the Nirvana discography backwards and forwards. Then again, I don't routinely listen to them that often these days either. 

My generation is used to "favorite album" questions, I'm usually ready for that one (although always split with Nirvana). So, to figure it all out my TOP TEN FAVORITE NIRVANA SONGS (keep in mind this is off the top my head). 

10. Love Buzz

9. On a Plain (the end always kills me)

8.  TIE (I know, I'm cheating) Lithium & Heartshaped Box   

7. The Man Who Sold The World 

6. About a Girl 

5. All Apologies 

4.Dumb 

3. Aneurysm 

2. Drain You 

1. In Bloom

Note: I am aware Love Buzz and The Man Who Sold the World are cover songs but ya know, I didn't say it had to be Cobain originals!!  I am also pretty sad my list is not full of "cred" songs, ya know, songs that no one else but hard core fans know and love. I mean, for goodness sakes, most of those songs were singles (technically even Love Buzz was a single). Oh well. 

Honorable Mention:  Turnaround (another cover), Old Age, Sappy (wait, this got re-named too, didn't it, although I am fond of Verse Chorus Verse as well), pretty much all of Nevermind and the Unplugged album. 

I would probably change that next week too. 

I remembered a few weeks ago, my big girl C, used to say, "Pritter please with a cherry on top" I have no idea if I recorded that here on the blog, but there ya go. Another one she used a year or two ago was a "tinch". Indicating a tiny pinch of something, ya know, "Can I have just a tinch of cake, Dad?" That should be a thing. 

Been on a reading kick lately, reading How to Break A Terrorist (about how to ethically obtain information from prisoners), Persian Mirrors (about Iran) both solid stuff. 

Other stuff from this year (that I haven't already forgotten about): 

Eaters of the Dead (last time I read this one was high school, it was purely for nostalgic reasons, and I would not recommend this) 

12 Years a Slave (Wow, a must read)

Ficciones and The Book of Imaginary Beings (both by the Spanish author Borges) - Strange stuff but good only for your literary-nerd types. 

As always, as many 1980's Marvels as much as I can ethically sneak in the house (and 2015 FCBD stuff too). 

The Analects (Confucius, along with a whole bunch of excerpts from Confucian ethic classics) 

A few of the Narina books (wait, was that during Xmas break??) 

Not bad considering I was writing like a madman Jan-March. Speaking of which, I am actually getting the itch again to get back to the novel which still stands right at 17,000 words. Hmmm....

I found myself oddly rooting for the Cavs during the finals. I was struck by how much people genuinely were awed by the Warriors' offense. And, when Curry and one other player are hitting, it's pretty sweet to watch. They did have an all-time great offense for the regular season. However, the playoffs left me a little unimpressed. They were at times, pushed around by the Grizz and the Cavs. so much that they lost to those teams that had terrible offenses

 I simply was not that impressed with their playoff run. I came away wondering if the 2015 Spurs could have beat them (doubtful as they were just dead-tired and wouldn't have had homecourt). I am pretty sure the 2014 version of the Spurs would have destroyed them though.

I suppose I should do something more production like watch the new version of Cosmos on Netflix (solid, check it out).  Here's a mini-pic dump because I can. Enjoy. In the meantime, don't forgot to turn off your porch light in the morning and tell your loved ones you love them every chance you get. 

Saturday Night Special: In Bloom

It's been awhile since I've posted a Saturday Night Special. I think it's been even longer since I actually wrote and post one on a Saturday night (I usually write one and then release it on a Saturday).

It's that time of year again and this time, it's been 20 years since Kurt committed suicide. It always bums me out thinking, "what might have been..." but there's no use playing that game. Last month I finished up Come As You Are, which I had last read in 1998 or something crazy like that. It got me back to listening to Nirvana again. Typically, I will spend between 1-3 years away from the band (almost completely)  and then, almost like gravity I find myself listening to Nirvana again for one reason or another. Sometimes obsessively.

I don't want to rehash what Nirvana means to me all over again but I should say a little something about "In Bloom". For me this is the most catchy Nirvana song. If it creeps into my head on any given day, I am humming the chorus walking, driving, cooking, whatever I am doing - it finds itself into my brain.  When I sing along in the car I always think it's more fun to sing the harmony, as it's more like me and Kurt have a duet.  The guitars are so crunchy and layered - it's good stuff. Also, the video is Nirvana's best - instead of the morose and serious, it shows real personality and the humor that was a part of Kurt and the band. I know, I know, "Heart Shaped Box" is an amazing visual document - it's evocative, interesting and actually beautiful but this one makes me smile. Besides, it's got the dude from The People's Court. That's worth a bonus point right there.

So, sit back, pretend it's 1992 and sing along with this "pretty song".

Spring is in the Air Fragments

Spring Break was nice. It felt like a long break. That's rare.

Last week I went to the grocery store around 10 PM. As I headed back to my car with the cart, as with most times, I got a running start and began riding the cart back to my car. The day I stop doing that, I will know I will be officially, an old man.

We went out of town to visit my aunt and went to a local restaurant and I saw some of the best bathroom graffiti I have ever seen. Scrawled below a "KKK" (which was already marked out) was "Took My Baby Away". That made me smile. If you don't know what that's referencing, look it up.

Also, this whole documentary about the Ramones is up on Youtube. Great movie, check it out if you have the inclination.

I am tired of FB again. I am tired of the fear of chemicals in food. I mean, we should be careful, yada yada, yada but the fear mongering is out of control with some of my friends.

The Best and Worst Sesame Street Characters

The Best

1) Ernie 2) Big Bird 3) Oscar  4) Slimey the Worm (totally underutilized now) 5) TIE: Bert & Grover

The Worst

1) Elmo 2) Abbey Cadabe 3) Murray 4) The Teddy Bear One  - all of them are annoying. It's sad that most of  the new characters they create are terrible and all have grating voices that make me want to smash things. They are one-dimensional and boring.  Jim Henson, you are missed!!

Great Pic - what's crazy is the guy died at 53. When I was a kid, I knew he died unexpectedly and that it was sad but I was like, "he's an old man". But Crap, that's just around the bend for me.  Also, is that a Jim Henson muppet to the left of Henson himself? Does Henson do Henson's voice? If so, does he just talk normal or did he create a "special Muppet" voice for the Muppet of himself?

Books Read Thus Far in 2014

Come As You Are (Nirvana book) by Azerrad  (re-read) - a necessity for Nirvana fans and so well done. I hadn't read it all the way through since college. Cobain seems more child-like and immature to me now, but that's because he was basically a kid and now I'm an old man. It got me on a Nirvana listening kick again and it always makes me sad thinking what Kurt could have done with this life and (most importantly) how sad  that his daughter only knows him through his music, photos, articles and his family's memories of him.

Ready Player One -  Ernest Cline
Wow. Great novel. I hadn't read one of those for fun that wasn't fantasy based in so long. Highly recommend for Gen-X'ers and people who love video games. You will finish this in less than a week if you have a pulse. 

Narina Books - The Boy and His Horse and now on Prince Caspian (re-reads) - good stories but CS Lewis is a racist and a xenophobe. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt but damn, I won't read the Boy and his Horse to my kids.


Currently reading: Pascal's Pensees (about 3/4 finished) and Flannery O Connor's complete short stories (just a few stories read).

Selections from various comic books, sections from The Case for God (Armstrong) (got it free but very disappointed in it thus far) and Barclay's commentary on Mark (always solid).

I had jury duty the other day and it was quite wonderful. Sat there and graded for an hour or two, listened to music, sketched some ideas for a project, hung out, got a two hour lunch and walked downtown most of the time on a beautiful day. Simply wonderful. Got back, sat down for another hour and a half and went home. I wish I had one day like this every week.

That's all for now, hang loose, be cool and most of all, never let 'em see ya sweat.

How Weezer Never Ruled the 90's But Totally Should Have or: Oh, How Much I Love the Blue Album

Rivers Cuomo's songwriting between the years of 1991-1998 is only bested by the output of the Beatles from 1965-1970.

There, I said it.

Music critics and well, normal people might think I am under the influence, stupid and/or ignorant. Maybe they're half right.  Yes, I know you all love Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, radiohead, the Beach Boys, blah, blah, blah....but one day, not too long ago, the question dawned on me: why didn't Weezer rule the 90's? 

Their singles were crazy catchy, their first two videos were smash hits and their first two albums are near pop perfection. Is it because they were too cute or that they were viewed  as "sell-outs"?  Was Rivers too weird and reclusive? Were they marketed wrong or not enough? Were people's minds warped from the grunge scene to listen to Weezer with an open set of ears?

I know there are people that hate Weezer and maybe you're one of them. Don't let the current incarnation of Weezer ruin old Weezer for you. Some people think Weezer is like a bad joke but I think they basically prove the cliché that "the truth is stranger than fiction".  Besides, in all the years since 1994, I have never met anyone in person, no, not a one that didn't like The Blue Album. That has to mean something....right?

I know we all have our subjective opinions.  The best we can hope for is peace, love and understanding. So, "if you've come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further."
  

Anytime you can add a Shawshank Redemption reference, you do it. That's in my blog's bylaws.

Besides, I started to write about the Red Album and it just depressed me, I ended up riffing on how great early Weezer was and it just kinda morphed into this crazy post. 

There were cultural reasons why Weezer would never take over the world in 1994 like they should have. If you're like Brian Greene, and believe in infinite multiple universes, and parallel earths, then there is a universe where Rivers and Co. ruled the 90's and never looked back. On one of those alternate earths, the Blue Album sold 12 million copies, Pinkerton was a critical smash, Rivers released a sweet "country" solo album (Homie) followed by two more classic albums by the time the mid-00's were around. After that, they probably start churning out crap in that universe too.

Hey, I am a realist after all. 

Let's get back to the universe we do inhabit though....

If you were old enough, you might forget just how different Weezer was back in early 1994.  "Alternative Rock" in the mid-90's was serious, serious stuff. Kurt had just committed suicide and  bands that had even a scent of contrivance was going to be seen as "sell outs". Authenticity, real or imagined was a huge factor in what was deemed worthy of critical acclaim or "respect".  Yes, there were exceptions: Mellow Gold had been released just two months prior to Blue and the RHCP always had that "wacky" sense of humor.  At my high school at least, all everyone cared about were "serious" bands: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden...all bands with zero sense of humor and little "fun" presented in the music itself.




I thought about putting a screen shot of Eddie Vedder earnestly screaming but you know, Billy Corgan is such a prick.  I like the Smashing Pumpkins alright but Billy is a guy who probably stays up late at night thinking about how deep and meaningful  his music is.

The first time most of the public was introduced to Weezer was the video for "Undone - The Sweater Song" or at least the incessant MTV commercial for it as a "Buzz Worthy" video. From the start, you could tell these guys are different.  I remember thinking they looked a little "too nerdy" to be real. I figured maybe they were trying a little too hard to work the "alternative" scene. In fact, I was a bit humorless myself to "get" Weezer or artists like Beck at the time.  All I knew is that as much as I felt they were contrived, that damn song was stuck in my head...It took awhile for me to admit it, but once properly introduced to the album, I loved it.



Pat was bringing it on the "Undone" video. Probably the most memorable part of the video for me is this section of the video. When I was showing my kids Weezer's Video Capture Device DVD videos, not surprisingly, they loved Pat for his silliness the most of all.

The album isn't a revolutionary album, it's one of those albums that accomplishes what it sets to be and that's actually, a pretty rare feat. There's not a bad song on the album; they all rock and you are guaranteed to be humming these songs later in the day.

The truth be told, The Blue Album is a pop masterpiece. When I think back to my peer group (class of 1995) I can't think of another album that had such universal likeability. It might make more sense if you know I'm a white guy, who hung out with mainly white males.  I also didn't hang out with many music snobs. In my groups of friends, I was the one with "indie" taste, and I wasn't even knowledgeable enough or cool enough to qualify as any group's music snob.



This band is called "The Blue Album Group" that's all they play...well, technically they haven't had a show since 2010 but the fact that they just played the album from front to finish and  that they actually existed at all is a testament to the lasting power of this album. I guess the whole "Memories" tour ended their thang.

While the album "sounds" like a 90's album - it's got an innocence and vibe that is timeless. The Blue Album songs are like vignettes from young American adulthood: the jealously, alienation, disappointment, anger, and even joy (especially heard in the guitar solos). If the album is about any one "thing", it's about growing up (as much as the Red Album is about growing old). When I first heard this album I was a senior in high school, so I could relate to the lyrics. As much as I loved Nirvana, I had no clue what Kurt was singing about most of the time. It felt like rock stars lived on the moon, but it felt like the guys in Weezer lived down the street. Some critics think simplistic lyrics indicate poor songwriting, but I've always felt the TBA (along side Pinkerton) are authentic because they aren't trying to be something they're not.

Some where down the line we got the idea that if we don't understand the lyrics (re: Dylan, Beatles, Nirvana) they are somehow "deep".  Cobain would be the first to admit his lyrics were made up on the spot. According to the great rock bio, Come As You Are, Cobain stated he wrote the Bleach lyrics in the car on the way to the studio. Later, on Nevermind, some lyrics were made up right before they recorded ("On a Plain" being the example that comes to mind).

The fact that critics thought the TBA was a joke or novelty album frustrated Rivers to no end. Critics thought the band was ironic or goofy but Rivers was earnestly writing from his heart. Much like my own attempts at art, the results are child-like, awkward and a little goofy (I mean that in the best possible of ways).

The album isn't perfect though. One problem might be that the album is a little too  uniform....it's all so....relentlessly crunchy.  I can understand how some might think it all blends together a little too well.  I get it....if you are listening to the album from start to finish, that first minute and a half of "Say it Ain't So" is a relief on the ears. Although the acoustic picking and the occasional harmonica help, the songs don't deviate too far from the formula.  The other weakness is the above-mentioned lyrical missteps. I think this is a little over-stated and compared to later Weezer lyrics, TBA at times can seem down-right sophisticated.


I'm not a music critic and I don't have the knowledge or vocabulary to discuss the music properly. So, in fragment-like form, this is what the album got right:

the drum sound, the crunch of the geetars, HARMONICA, the acoustic picking (thanks Cropper!!), the amazing harmonies (see the end of "The World Has Turned And Left Me Here" and "Holiday" as my favorite examples), guitar solos that go somewhere and act not as technical know-how but as musical narrative, wonderful bridges and the creative endings to many songs. Finally, it's just good solid pop writing.


By my count there are 8 songs I would rate from great to excellent songs (including what might be the best rock song of all time, "Say it Ain't So") and 2 great to good songs. No fillers here. The album is so economic, the only song that could be called indulgent is "Only in Dreams" but again, the music serves the song, not the other way around. The weakest of the bunch has to be "Surfwax America"  so it's likely to get skipped, but that's usually because I want to get to "Say it Ain't So" and/or "In the Garage". Finally, the album flows well. It's not a concept album but there's a story in there if you're an imaginative listener. 

So if the album is so great, why didn't it "rule the world"?

Besides sounding different from other bands, I think people thought Weezer made it look a little too easy. They weren't an underground band that built a fan base over many years as they struggled to make it. They came out of no where, landed a major label deal and suddenly "Undone" was a MTV "Buzz Worthy" video and moderate "alternative rock" hit and then the next thing everyone knows....

Whatever one thinks of Weezer, Spike Jonze is a genius. Sounds corny but once when the video was on, I ran downstairs and had my parents turn on the video so they could check it out. 

Any hope of being an "indie cred" band died with the "Buddy Holly" video. Mainstream success did come but only at the expense of underground and critical acceptance. Maybe that's a little too neat but it sure seemed that way at the time. If you weren't considered a serious "artist" (and Weezer was too quirky to be considered "rock art") then you were deemed inconsequential.

This was before the internet had hit it big, so reviews and articles in Rolling Stone mattered.  I remember in the late 90's when bands like The Vines (or The Hives) were on magazine covers - they were sold as "authentic" up-and-coming talents. The truth was most of the bands (especially The Vines) sucked and were utterly redundant in the marketplace of ideas.  Compare that with the music press' treatment of Weezer. It was dismissive or even worse....Critics reactions to the Blue Album was generally fair to lukewarm while the special level of scorn was reserved for Pinkerton. Both deserved better. Had Rolling Stone and the Alternative Press selected Weezer as their "break-out" band, I have no doubt, this would have allowed many college-aged consumers to deem them as "acceptable" and enter the world of "bands that I am supposed to like because someone said their album was meaningful and deep". 

Today it seems more acceptable to be a "fun" pop band. Layer distorted guitars over songs and have a "rock" band perform them and suddenly it's supposed to be "art". Meanwhile music classified as "pop" is graded on a curve. I mean, let's be honest, it's a criminal act that most people don't know who Fountains of Wayne are. That's pop music at it's best.

Even  DJ's at radio stations mattered (wow, remember that?). Weezer was a 'tweener. The music was in- between the formats of "Rock Stations" and "Alternative Stations" (whatever "Alternative" meant). Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, Rage, etc.  were all able to were able to "double dip" at the wells of both kind of formats. The "rock" station in my city simply didn't play Weezer. Any Weezer, except on their "Alternative Show" on Sunday nights from 10:00-12:00...and actually, I only remember hearing them once on that show. Surprisingly, in 2001 Hash Pipe" broke into the station's rotation.  Then a few years later I would occasionally hear "Say it Ain't So" and "Undone" late at night. The band was not held in high esteem by the "shock jock"/macho rock DJ's and this hurt the band's sales and impact. The "geek shtick" helped market the band as different but it ultimately hurt them.

Take for example the video treatment for "Say it Ain't So". A normal band, rocking out in the garage. It didn't work (not a bad performance video, but not a great concept either). It didn't help that the band (other than Matt) looked like a totally different band from either of their previous two videos as well).  As amazing as the song is, the band was already "pegged" and the video and single were only moderate hits.



Exhibit A in my evidence that many albums in the 90's now feel and sound dated. I loved the first five songs off this album at the time but about five years ago I realized I hadn't listened to "Core" in years, so I popped it in my stereo and well....it just sucked.  I couldn't even get two songs through it.  Many radio stations treated this as "serious rock music" when in reality, it was just stupid, testosterone-driven schlock. The lyrics were stupid and it droned on and on and on. Yes, it did rock, but it was a thoroughly un-enjoyable slog.

Furthermore, with the smash hit of the video of "Buddy Holly" people viewed Weezer as sell-outs as the video was put on the Windows 95 disc.  The video seemed to have all the markings of a one-hit wonder and a novelty. Many thought the video carried the song and band further than they deserved.   It was hard to take a band seriously if all the videos were so slick and seemed a little silly. Yes, I do think they were punished for making cool videos. I read numerous times that Weezer were a 90's alt-rock version of the Monkees. Cute and packaged rock music for the kiddies. After all, the guys on the cover of The Blue Album looked like fresh-faced, clean-cut kids. Not the sad-sack, disgruntled, ugly, unshaven, rebellious rock-stars they could have been. The Weezer backlash had begun before Weezer knew what hit them.  



 I would have hated them at the time and I know they didn't write their hits but WOAH some of their stuff is severely underrated.

The band's success even got into the band's head. Were they successful because of the videos or because the music was good?  This question fueled the most ambitious song-writing era for Rivers as he wanted to be taken seriously as a song writer. When Pinkerton flopped two years later (critically and commercially) it seemed like Weezer was destined to be one of those "one-album wonders". They were supposed to know their place and go away quietly into the oblivion of pop history.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the bargain bin. The fans stuck around. Notably, with myself and others on the Weezer newsgroup.  People cared about the music because it resonated in their lives. We salivated over any scrap of music or information we could get our hands on.  Weezer was this huge mystery after the Pinkerton tour was over. There was a hunger for more....and in that time, there was a new appreciation for the albums by the public at large.  Other artists openly praised Weezer and many noted how influential the albums were. A new narrative was appearing about Weezer and their 90's legacy continues to grow to this day. Today, most people think the Blue Album is one of the 90's best albums. It's seen as a genuinely influential album and has been re-reviewed over the years to show that it is a great album. I know, I know....



Yeah, my whole post can kinda be summed up that way.

It's likely I have over-stated my case. Maybe Weezer could have never ruled the 90's under any circumstances.  Maybe the truth is, I am just a fan-boy. Maybe there is just a limited number of people who would like Weezer's music. It might be that Weezer was never as good as I thought. They over-achieved and were lucky because the "Buddy Holly" video was so awesome. Or maybe not....

One could argue that Pinkerton and Rivers' released and unreleased demos in the 90's disproves the idea that Weezer didn't create great music.  If rock stations would have pushed Weezer a little more, if music critics would have reviewed the music instead of how the band looked, if the public would have allowed a band to have a sense of humor and not pegged them as "that silly band"...maybe, just maybe....Weezer could have ruled the 90's. Then again, it's all for the better that it never happened....

Saturday Night Special: Love Buzz

It's been awhile since I've posted a music video. So, here you are (and you're welcome).  Just as I selected this song and found it on YouTube, I started thinking, "could this song have been better with more lyrics or more structure?" I immediately realized how asinine that idea is. This simple song, centered on this cool little bass riff does what it needs to do in under four minutes. I love the intro with its huge build up, the catchy chorus and just as the song begins to drag (or drone?), the cool guitar solo/bridge comes in. It's such a fun pop song and one of the two songs on Bleach that hints at the pop sensibilities of Kurt (the other, of course, is "About A Girl"). Four Stars out of Five. Have a great weekend world.

Finding Nirvana: Part II

Indirectly, my love of Nirvana got started with my "subscription" to Columbia House CD Club and a little laughing gas.

Columbia House was a pain - I always wanted to cancel but I was too lazy to do it. I always meant to send in the little card that said, "I do NOT want this month's album" but often forgot (I can't complain too much as I discovered Elvis Costello as well). One of those forgotten months included the Nirvana Unplugged album. I liked it but wasn't overly impressed. Slowly but surely, it weaseled its way into my rotation. It really took it's place in the pantheon when I was having my wisdom teeth pulled my sophomore year in college.  My dentist suggested that I bring headphones, so I brought Unplugged with me, envisioning the flowers and candles from the performance.  Let's just say it hurt later on, but it was a trip. I must say the album and I bonded over the experience.

It's weird thinking this performance may be their best overall album. Unlike other Nirvana albums you can just pop this baby in at any time of year or personal mood, and it's just fine.  In terms of introducing a non-Nirvana fan, it's the best one.  They are in fine form and it sounds like they are having fun.   It's also the best album to listen to if you're getting your wisdom teeth pulled, too.

At that point I had two Nirvana albums - Nevermind and Unplugged.  This was a standard requirement for any rock fan in the 90's. However, I would soon find myself obsessed with the entire Nirvana catalog.

At first, I fell in love with Cobain's hooks. Nevermind has them all over the place and it's polished sound was just enough for me to open up to real punk music. The album is melodic and at times, even pretty. Nevermind certainly has the most "singing" than any other Nirvana album. I loved the melodies on In Bloom, On a Plain, and Something in the Way. Given the material that went unrecorded (Old Age, Verse Chorus Verse and Sappy) I can envision an album even better along those standards. The production is a little over the top for me today (too glossy/shiny) but like I said, I needed that at the time and ultimately, the production still works for what the album is.  Finally, I loved the thick, layered guitars (and at times vocals) - the album has a nice vibe or feeling the whole album through.

But it was more than the production or hooks from Nevermind that got me to fall in love with Nirvana. I also started to view the world with little more cynicism than before. I was starting to question my fundamental assumptions about the way things worked. Additionally, I was alienated with the social scene at UTSA - it was a like a replay of high school but now I wasn't trying to fit in - I just despised it all. I wasn't quite as misanthropic as Cobain was but I felt a genuine malaise and mistrust about the world.

I've heard sub-par live Nirvana performances, but the dude put his heart in most of the time.

It might sound odd (to those who know me) but Kurt and I had lots of things in common. He liked poetry, drew in his journal and hated jocks. He liked abstract art and wrote abstract, post-modern lyrics. He was sensitive, angry and impulsive - a romantic in the classical sense. These were traits and characteristics I admired. I could channel that inner-punk now that I understood the world was a pretty messed up place. I could scream along with Kurt in the car and it could make me feel just a little bit better.

Poppies, broken dolls and aliens...yup, it's a Cobain.

In quick succession I had picked up In Utreo, Incesticide and Bleach (in that order, mind you). I read Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana (still required reading for any Nirvana fan). I scoured independent music stores for Nirvana bootlegs featuring rare live stuff and unheard demos. I was a poor college student plucking down 30 bucks for Nirvana bootlegs. In a matter of months I was a walking Nirvana encyclopedia.

Nirvana had an authentic sincerity that seared itself into my art ethos. I didn't jump onto the punk bandwagon (always was a melodic junkie) but the Nirvana attitude informed my opinion about the music and art scene. One of the reasons Kurt was so down on himself was that he didn't think he was living up to his ideals or living up to what an "artist" should be accomplishing at his age (both of his assumptions were flat out wrong).

Nirvana and Kurt spoke to me like no other band.  Like most people, I've mellowed with age. For awhile, I just flat out stopping listening to the music.  However, in the past few months I started listening to the Nirvana catalog again (stemming from jamming out to a Weezer concert on YouTube, in which they just covered Bleach-era Nirvana songs in a 1998 concert). I have a new found love for the band, like finding an old comfortable, forgotten t-shirt under your bed. I still can embrace the emotion and power behind it all. I still love the abstract and obtuse lyrics. I love the sound of In Utreo - the weirdness of Incesticide, the catchy Nevermind. Damn, I love this band.

Finding Nirvana: Part 1

There are some things you either get; or you don't.

Maybe Nirvana is just one of those "you had to be there" generation-type things. On paper they don't seem like much more than a glorified, over-rated punk band. I understand that point of view and even admit on a purely aesthetic level, it's got some truth behind it.

On the other hand, St. Kurt and the boys deserve all the praise they get. I still love them, and on occasion, I don my vintage 90's Nirvana t-shirts (much to the chagrin of my wife).

I am positive Kurt would be pissed off about 99% of what has happened to his estate, catalog, and most of all the business stuff related to his music (moral of the story: be careful who you marry).

I didn't always get Nirvana. I was a latecomer to the whole idea of having musical opinions that were my own. Early in childhood and well into college, I consciously (and at times subconsciously) adopted attitudes and opinions that were the opposite of what I considered to be "conformist" or "cool". As you might have guessed this philosophy in life was met with abject failure. Yeah, it's cold comfort to know that at least I was on the right track.

One of my earliest memories of music listening was when I was about 7 years old. I tuned into the "Classical Music" station and began to listen to it on daily basis. I remember deriving pleasure out of planning to become a nerd. I actually remember thinking this. I don't think the experiment was carried out for more than a week or two, as I remember getting bored pretty quickly.

In middle school, I pretty much followed the crowd, but wasn't a big music listener. I taped parts of "Nevermind" from a friend but also taped the entirety of "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em". By my sophomore year in high school, I had turned to the dark side of music....(cue the dramatic, evil music)....country music. It's hard to believe it, but I received John Michael Montgomery's debut album for Christmas one year.

Remember those Taco Bell commercials? That was weird.

That same year (1993) I remember having numerous arguments with this kid in my sophomore English class about how Nirvana and grunge music was "negative" and stupid. I was a straight-laced, know-it-all dork in high school. Please don't be confused, I wasn't the type of nerd who embraces his/her inner nerd-dom. I was in denial of it. I had friends, but not that many. I wasn't socially awkward, but I wasn't invited to the cool parties. I collected comics but I would have never admitted to it. That same year, none of my friends had the same lunch hour, so after picking up a quick bite to eat, I would roam the halls at school rather than sit by myself. Remember, I was in denial of this so I told no one.

Moment of Silence for the sad, pathetic sophomore year.

Anyway, the point is, is that I didn't get Nirvana like I could have. I couldn't channel my inner rage because I was in denial that anything was wrong.

By my senior year (with a little peer pressure from my friends) I was opening up to rock music and become a devotee at the altar of the pop-punk deity of Green Day and later, Weezer. They served as my guiding lights out of the darkness (honorable mention goes to Stone Temple Pilots' excellent album Purple).

Only as I entered college was I was finally ready to embrace my inner-punk.

Go on to Part 2