I was gifted a piece of artwork called "My 90's Tapes" by an artist named Jeff Klarin (https://www.bughouse.com/wall-of-sounds/choose-a-tape-collection-print. It looks like one of my own collections at that time, a mix of rock/classic rock, pop, new wave, punk, dance, heavy metal and soundtracks. I decided to use this artwork as a writing prompt to review all 115 albums pictured and share some personal anecdotes along the way. Consider this me dipping my toe back into the Basement Songs pool.
I can't say that I heard of Nirvana before "Smells Like Teen Spirit" changed the musical landscape and altered pop culture in the 90s. However, I can say that I heard Nirvana and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" before the song and band impacted the world. In the fall of 1991, after spending a summer in Los Angeles listening to KROQ and their their mix of west coast alternative, I asked a classmate named Dean to make me a mix tape. He was one of the few "alternative types" I knew at BGSU, as well as a fellow film student with similar cinematic tastes. Little did I know that Dean was more inclined to listen to brooding, darker songs than anything I'd heard all summer. The tape that Dean made me, entitled "On and/or Over The Edge Muzik," contained the likes of Primus, Mr. Bungle, Skinny Puppy, Bad Brains, Ministry, plus "Smells Like Teen Spirit" recorded off the radio, Detroit's 91X! That tells you the time period, sometime in mid-September, before Nirvana's Nevermind had even been released. When "Smells Like Teen Spirit" became a smash hit, I felt like I was in the know!
"Nirvana, sure, I've heard of them. Been listening to that 'Teen Spirit' song for a long time."
Dean's tape opened me up to a lot of music I never would have sought out. I liked it, but I wasn't in love with it, including Nirvana. I'm Gen X, so I should've gravitated to their music, right? I did love Dave Grohl's drumming. He brought so much power to the songs and was capable of pulling back and playing soft at the appropriate time. He is (and remains) one of the best drummers from my generation.
That brings us to today's entry:
Column 1, Row 2: Nirvana Bleach
Bleach is the debut album by Nirvana. It was released in June of 1989 on Sub Pop, the Seattle based indie label also responsible for early releases by Soundgarden and Mudhoney, other fore bearers to the grunge sound. To those of you only familiar with Nirvana's masterpiece, Nevermind, this first record will come as a sonic surprise. It's a raw, lo-fi recording that sounds like it was recorded in a garage. What sticks out to me about Bleach is that Nirvana's lead singer/guitarist, Kurt Cobain, and their bassist, Krist Novoselic, sound locked into each other. Their performances are strong and Cobain sings with clarity and energy. When I first hear this album back in 1993, Nothing leaped out at me. True, there are some memorable songs such as "About a Girl," "Paper Cuts" and "Love Creep," but Bleach suffers from one glaring problem: their drummer.
Chad Channing was man behind the kit at that time, and I'm not here to knock his musicianship. Based solely on this album, he isn't the right fit. His playing sounds like he's in a high school garage band trying to figure out songs that the rest of the guys in the band have played a hundred times. I speak from experience when I say that the drum fills sound rushed and the overall quality of playing lacking. Again, I'm not here to pick on Channing (and I'm sure he could give a shit what I think), but because Kurt and Krist are so tight, the drumming needed to be really strong.
Dale Crover, drummer for the Melvins, recorded demos for this album and his original drumming appears on three of the tracks. You can hear a significant difference in the performance and the drum sound that make those songs stand out, including the aforementioned "Paper Cuts." You have to wonder if Bleach might have reached a wider audience with that third core ingredient. That said, Bleach found admireres on college rock radio in the early 90s, obviously because of Cobain's songwriting prowess. That's what drew the interest of DGC and Geffen Records to sign Nirvana for their second album, giving the band the opportunity to hole up in Sound City in Van Nuys in the spring of 1991 to record Nevermind. By that time, Channing had left the band and Grohl had been picked to replace him. The rest is history.
I will forever associate Nirvana with Julie's then teenage brothers, Michael and Seann. They were the right age to latch on to Nirvana and the alternative revolution of the early 1990s. It was Michael who first lent me a copy of Bleach, and it was through their music I was able to bond with a couple of teenage kids who would become my brothers in law. Thirty years ago this Halloween, Julie and I took Michael, Seann and two of their friends to the James Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron to see Nirvana on what would be their final tour before Cobain died five months later. Outside the arena snow fell, while inside the air was hot, as the audience with floor seats pushed toward the stage and the rest of us sat on wood bleachers.
Nirvana was in good spirits that night. Kurt came out in a Barney the dinosaur costume, while touring guitarist, Pat Smear, was dressed as Slash from Guns 'n Roses. They had a guitar duel before Novoselic, in white face, and Grohl wrapped up like a mummy, bounded on stage. Nirvana tore through their first number. It didn't take long for the costumes to get discarded and the band to shred through another ninety minutes of music. To say they were a band at their peak would be an understatement. I didn't appreciate it at the time. After Cobain's suicide, I wished I'd been more attune to what he was saying in his songs.
Thirty years later, I've become more of a Nirvana fan than most of the other acts from that era, finally catching on to Cobain's lyrics. Bleach has some really thoughtful moments; I only wish it sounded better to my ears.
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