Nirvana
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting being Dave Grohl, who joined the band in 1990.
In the late 1980s Nirvana established itself as part of the Seattle grunge scene, releasing its first album Bleach for theindependent record label Sub Pop in 1989. The band eventually came to develop a sound that relied on dynamic contrasts, often between quiet verses and loud, heavy choruses. After signing to major label DGC Records, Nirvana found unexpected success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit", the first single from the band's second album Nevermind (1991). Nirvana's sudden success widely popularized alternativerock as a whole, and as the band's frontman Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the "spokesman of a generation", with Nirvana being considered the "flagship band" of Generation X.[1] Nirvana's third studio album In Utero (1993), challenged the group's audience, featuring an abrasive, less-mainstream sound. The album didn't match the sales figures of Nevermind, but was still acommercial success.
Nirvana's brief run ended following the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, but various posthumous releases have been issued since, overseen by Novoselic, Grohl, and Cobain's widow Courtney Love. Since its debut, the band has sold over 25 million records in the United States alone, and over 75 million records worldwide.[2][3]
In Utero, final months, and Cobain's death
In February 1993,Nirvana released "Puss"/"Oh, the Guilt", a split single with The Jesus Lizard, on the independent label Touch & Go.[49] Meanwhile, the group chose Steve Albini, who had a reputation as a principled and opinionated individual in the American independent music scene, to record its third album. While there was speculation that the band chose Albini to record the album due to his undergroundcredentials,[52] Cobain insisted that Albini's sound was simply the one he had always wanted Nirvana to have: a "natural" recording without layers of studio trickery.[53] Nirvana traveled to Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota in that February to record the album.[54] The sessions with Albini were productive and notably quick, and the album was recorded and mixed in two weeks for a cost of$25,000.[55]
Several weeks after the completion of the recording sessions, stories ran in the Chicago Tribune and Newsweek that quoted sources claiming DGC considered the album "unreleasable".[56] As a result, fans began to believe that the band's creative vision might be compromised by their label.[57] While the stories about DGC shelving the album were untrue, the band actually was unhappy withcertain aspects of Albini's mixes. Specifically, they thought the bass levels were too low,[58] and Cobain felt that "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" did not sound "perfect".[59] Longtime R.E.M. producer Scott Litt was called in to help remix those two songs, with Cobain adding additional instrumentation and backing vocals.[60]
In Utero debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart inSeptember 1993.[61] Time's Christopher John Farley wrote in his review of the album, "Despite the fears of some alternative-music fans, Nirvana hasn't gone mainstream, though this potent new album may once again force the mainstream to go Nirvana."[62] In Utero went on to sell over 3.5 million copies in the United States.[42] That October, Nirvana embarked on its first tour of the United States intwo years. For the tour, the band added Pat Smear of the punk rock band Germs as a second guitarist.[63] In November 1993, Nirvana recorded a performance for the television program MTV Unplugged. Augmented by Smear and cellist Lori Goldston, the band sought to veer from the typical approach to the show, opting to stay away from playing its most recognizable songs. Instead, Nirvana performed...
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