Nevermind the Hype -- Just Listen to a Great Album.

To say commercial expectations for Nirvana's second album Nevermind were low would be a massive understatement.  Geffen records hoped the album would sell 250,000 copies.  Four months after its release, it was selling 300,000 copies a week while sitting atop the Billboard charts (after famously replacing Michael Jackson).  This runaway train soon came to be known as the album of the '90s, a generation-defining landmark of popular music. 

And that's what makes reviewing it so damn hard.  Do I lavish upon it the same praise that just about every rock critic has, or do I scrutinize its every imperfection in the hopes of looking less lemming-like?  The singles are so overplayed that I rarely bother to take it off the shelf, and it's not even my favorite Nirvana release. 

But then I listen to it again and say "Screw it.  I love this album."

Despite the overall harsh, sludgy punk sound of their debut album Bleach, it was clear that Nirvana had a knack for crafting songs with a true pop quality beneath the rawness.  It was up to producer Butch Vig to pull that quality to the forefront and smooth out the rough edges while somehow keeping the band's spirit intact.  Many people, including the band members themselves, believe Vig went too far in cleaning up their sound and creating an overly polished, excessively overdubbed album.  I agree.  Sonically, these songs are more pleasing to the ear than those on Bleach, but that also means some of that gritty energy had to be pushed away in favor of a more mainstream shine.  The ending to "On a Plain" is a perfect example of trying too hard to make a good song better.

That said, Nevermind is a collection of excellent songs no matter how polished they are, even the mainstream hits.  First of all, let's keep in mind that no matter how well-produced the album's singles were, they were made in 1991 when mainstream rock meant Bon Jovi and Poison.  No one expected these angry, punk-influenced songs with screamed choruses would ever top the charts.  Therefore you can't accuse anyone of aiming for that level of popularity. 

Second, they're just really enjoyable songs no matter how overplayed they've been.  "Smells Like Teen Spirit" opens with one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock (though few realize how much it borrows from Boston's "More Than a Feeling") and turns into a roller coaster ride of soft and eerie - but upbeat - verses and a raging chorus that cathartically expresses the apathy of American youth.  "In Bloom" follows with its crunchy riffs and huge anthem of a refrain before  "Come As You Are" slows things down with its memorable hypnotic sound and one of Kurt Cobain's longest guitar solos.  And "Lithium" is a pretty basic track but one that is effective in encapsulating the classic Nirvana soft-to-loud sound. 

Those four mega-hits appear within the first five tracks on Nevermind, making the album seem almost as if it could be divided between the hit side and the more unassuming side.  But that unassuming side is what makes this album so much more than a singles fest.  First, early on we get "Breed," a speedy thrill ride that bears the most resemblance to Bleach thanks to the punk grit that powers the catchy chorus.  More of that punk energy is present on fast and screamy tracks like "Territorial P_ssings" and "Stay Away."  Two Nevermind tracks give us a glimpse into the brilliant MTV UnPlugged set that was to come.  The acoustic "Polly" and the closing track "Something In the Way" show Nirvana's strength as song craftsmen, allowing the band to deliver slower performances that are dark and absolutely stirring in their quiet forcefulness.  Other numbers like "Drain You," "On a Plain," and "Lounge Act" reveal the band's flair for mixing pop and punk, sometimes more effectively the album's singles do.

This review would have been so much easier to write in 1991 before I had historical significance clouding my judgement.  Nevertheless, that can't be completely ignored.  Nevermind led the way in ushering in a new age in rock music.  Though I believe few bands who cite Nirvana as an influence really get what they were all about, there's no denying the imprint the band and this album have made. 

Still, the most important thing to consider is the music itself, which is excellent.  Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic show what a talented trio they are, delving into a wide array of rock sounds that are often gritty and always memorable.  Though overproduced, it's clear that the band has honesty and integrity, which shines through even amidst the overdubs.  So much has been said about this album, but one fact is too often overlooked: Nevermind is an enjoyable piece of hard rock, plain and simple.