The High Nineties: Bleach by Nirvana
In this series, we talk about music from the 90s and the albums that defined the era. This week, we will deviate from the rule a bit as we highlight the then unknown debut album of one of the greatest
Nirvana. The greatest rock band of the 90s. A band that is simultaneously overrated and underrated at the same time. In a generation where Nirvana is remembered for the Romanticization of a dead Kurt Cobain, those horrendous hoodies worn by folks thinking it’s a fashion statement and guys knowing only one song (or two), the bands existence is more ironic than Chris Chan.
Nirvana was a high school band built around the ideals of punk. Fame was good but these guys idealised Black Flag and the New York scene, not Motley Crue and high LA. Even in their own scene, they were a big irregularity. Look at Alice In Chains, a grim glam metal band. Or Pearl Jam, a grim country band. Nirvana was punk and pop when both of those words together were considered heresy. But Nirvana was the band that symbolically lasted. While Grunge existed for a decade by then, it was Nirvana and specifically Kurt Cobain who killed it, by ending the band
In another universe, Nirvana probably ended up being that random band you stumbled upon in SoulSeek or YouTube. Here, they sold 80 Million units.
What’s my take on Nirvana though. I love them. They were the band that made me fall in love with Music. Kurt was dead in 2021, but he was the love of my life. I learnt the guitar because of the MTV Unplugged album.
Today, we talk about their first studio album. When the band was a humble band. No MTV coverage, no stadiums filled, just one band trying to scrape through their minimal budget.
Bleach is the litmus test to the band’s creativity. It can be used to shut down the people who cry that the band is overrated. The album is devoid the sanitised production that defined Never mind and the grim that tainted the production of In Utero. But the influences are visible.
Bleach is sort of abstract in its presentation, but like the Pixies, it can be thrown into a pop setting. There are hooks, the melodies but there is still that very angst from the British Punk wave.
This is also the only Nirvana album with Chad Channing doing the drums. Unlike Dave Grohl’s more jazz oriented drumming style, Chad is more heavier. But in this album, he does the job.
Krist Novoselic plays some of his excellent works as a bassist, on tracks like Love Buzz, Papercuts. The songwriting on this record is abrasive but as I initially said, it is catchy not to alienate.
Initially released in 1989, the album had an underground audience doing decently well in UK and the US Alternative to get the group a major contract from Geffen. Nevertheless, the smash hit of Never mind propelled the album to platinum status.
The record can be your favorite Nirvana record. Personally, it is. It is a great puzzle in telling the story of Nirvana. A band that went from nobodies to being the poster boys of an entire generation. And Bleach was the beginning. Before they became pop and Kurt wove a tragedy in the form of an album.
Nirvana would revisit the album in their Unplugged in New York set where they would cover the bluesy love number About A Girl. And listening to that one, you can imagine the simplicity of these rebellious noises. Yet, they seem symphonic.
Favorite Tracks: Hands down Love Buzz, with its bass opener. Also one of Kurt’s best vocal deliveries. Another popular song off the record About A Girl, is simple and the most mainstream the band gets on the record. Otherwise, all the tracks are kewl Punk renditions that go heavy and fill me with glee.
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