Why 'Nevermind' was the most influential album of the 90s
Over the years, we’ve witnessed how rock has made it way to the top of the charts, and become more prevalent in the mainstream world. A large amount of credit for this can be given to Nirvana with the release of their 1991 album Nevermind. This album was the turning point for rock, and for Nirvana as a band.
On September 24th, 1991, Nirvana released their second studio album, Nevermind. This album revolutionized the music industry in such a short amount of time. By January 11, 1992, Nevermind had topped the charts surpassing huge artist like Michael Jackson. Nevermind spent 2 weeks toping the Billboard Top 200, and has spent over 335 weeks on the charts all in all.
The Production:
A major part of the success of this album is thanks to attention to detail in production, and by the ideas brought by producer Butch Vig. Vig was smart, he knew what sounds would work, and what ways he could help give their album the unique sound it came out to be. When the band signed to DCG Records, they were approached by many producers, but refused to finish their album without VIg. With a budget of $65,000 the album was created.
Nirvana worked day in, and day out on this album. Nevermind was the first time we saw famed drummer Dave Grohl appear on a Nirvana album. It only took Grohl and bassist, Krist Novoselic, a few days to lay their tracks. Majority of the time in the studio was spent by Kurt Cobian and Butch Vig, tweaking vocals and perfecting the sound. Vig managed to convince Cobain to double his vocal tracks by telling him this technique is something John Lennon had done. By doubling the tracks this allows for a bigger, bolder sound. This was enough convincing for Cobain and they went on to double the vocal tracks.
When entering the studio, initially, only one song on the album didn’t need to be touch or rerecorded. When recording the album, the band used a variety of types of instruments to produce the sound they wanted. After attempts at mixing the songs in different ways Kurt Cobain chose to bring in Andy Wallace to oversee the mixing, and help perfect the sound.
September 24th, 1991, post months of recording, mixing and tweaking, Nevermind hit the public.
The Legacy:
Following the death of front man Kurt Cobain, Nevermind had a spike in popularity for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, Nevermind is timeless. The sound that they produced was a game changer for so many artists to follow. A small rock band from Seattle managed to create an album that topped huge selling artists, and paved the way for rock to emerge in the mainstream music. 27 years after the release of this album it is still being listened to, and loved by many people all around the world.