SPIN - What "Nevermind" meant to me - Eddie Vedder + others

Cool Face Ryan

http://www.spin.com/gallery/what-nirvan ... age=1#main

PissBottleMan

Interesting read.

Thanks!

PBM

Pap

PissBottleMan wrote:

Interesting read.

Thanks!

+1

rhcpjam1029

to me, nevermind is just another album. i don't think there's anything special about it. i think ten, vs., badmotorfinger, even dirt have got more influence and power than nevermind does.

PissBottleMan

rhcpjam1029 wrote:

to me, nevermind is just another album. i don't think there's anything special about it. i think ten, vs., badmotorfinger, even dirt have got more influence and power than nevermind does.

Nevermind was the album that really seemed to usher in a new wave. It sounds cliche...it probably is...but I was listening to White Lion and Poison and then, Nevermind happened.

I actually remember some guys talking about the video at the bus stop one morning on the way to school. I went home, watched the video and was blown away. I seriously played that tape on an endless loop for a year.

Those other albums may be better musically and they may inspire you more. However, to me, that album really did signal a changing of the guard.

This was before the term "Grunge" was used or the "Seattle Sound" was hyped continuously.

It was 3 guys who didn't look glamorous...they simply played music.

To me, this album is very special. I like Dirt...I just don't think, had it come out before Nevermind, that it would have the cultural impact that Nirvana did.

PBM

Ledbetterman10

rhcpjam1029 wrote:

to me, nevermind is just another album. i don't think there's anything special about it. i think ten, vs., badmotorfinger, even dirt have got more influence and power than nevermind does.

Well it's one thing to think the music isn't all that special...cause it's not. But as far as "influence" and "power" go, there hasn't been a more influential or powerful album released in my lifetime.

Of The Aggie

PissBottleMan wrote:

Nevermind was the album that really seemed to usher in a new wave. It sounds cliche...it probably is...but I was listening to White Lion and Poison and then, Nevermind happened.

This is me exactly. I was huge into hair metal until Nevermind and I bought the tape and practically wore it out, but over the years much better albums came along and Nevermind was relegated to my occasional listen pile. Now I rarely ever listen to it and feel that it's really not that great of a record, but I still recognize what that album did for music at the time.

PissBottleMan

Seriously, nothing again Poison and White Lion, but Nevermind was a slap in the face to a 14 year old kid.

I wasn't hip on underground music. So, Nirvana helped me discover a whole new world of music.

PBM

JimNastics

rhcpjam1029 wrote:

to me, nevermind is just another album. i don't think there's anything special about it. i think ten, vs., badmotorfinger, even dirt have got more influence and power than nevermind does.

The fact that people still try and talk down Nirvana / Nevermind's influence on music and culture never ceases to amaze me... whether you like the music or not, it's impact was colossal, and one of the most important albums in the history of rock and roll. Don't worry, Eddie won't be upset if you say it :roll: How on earth you believe BMF or Dirt, or even Ten or Vs, had more "influence" than Nevermind is beyond me. Nice bit of revisionist history.

Who should we believe... musicians, critics, DJs, producers etc. who have been in the industry for 50+ years, or armchair music critics on a PJ forum?

dcfaithful

rhcpjam1029 wrote:

to me, nevermind is just another album. i don't think there's anything special about it. i think ten, vs., badmotorfinger, even dirt have got more influence and power than nevermind does.

I was still shitting in diapers when Nevermind came out, so I didn't experience nor did I witness the revolution it started, but you have to accept it for that, because that's exactly what it did. It, all by itself, shifted the landscape of rock music. It's not just the music on it, it's the scene it sparked, the genre it helped form, and the exposure to a new idea of rock music it gave to numerous people. Nirvana changed rock music with Nevermind, I totally believe that. This is coming from someone who prefers Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, and Soundgarden all over Nirvana. A record like Nevermind just cannot be neglected for it's level of importance.

What you've described is your personal perception... which is great, and everyone should come to their own conclusion about something. But seriously, the significance of this record is impossible to overlook.

Culturally, Nevermind trumps Ten, Dirt, and Badmotorfinger. I'm not saying those other records aren't large in their own right, but across the board, in the world of music listeners and lovers, I would bet money that Nevermind would be easily voted as being the biggest in terms of groundbreaking.

dasvidana

Nevermind deserves props because it paved the way for a new genre of music, much like REM did in the 80s. It combined punk with heavy metal, with a little pop thrown in. Before Nirvana, that had not happened. So, yes, Nevermind deserves enormous credit.

letsongsprotest

I agree with the sentiments of alot of you.

While I think Nevermind is a good album and Nirvana is a good band, i dont think either is nearly as great as many make them out to be.

That being said, you cant deny the impact that Nevermind had. It changed the landscape of modern rock.

Arthur Digby Sellers

rhcpjam1029 wrote:

to me, nevermind is just another album. i don't think there's anything special about it. i think ten, vs., badmotorfinger, even dirt have got more influence and power than nevermind does.

How old are you? I think things were already shifting musically, but this album completely changed popular music. Nothing against the other records, but they all benefited from Nevermind's success.

I played in metal bands in high school, but had already moved onto alternative music with Husker Du, REM, Jane's Addiction, the Violent Femmes. I went from watching Headbangers Ball to watching 120 minutes on MTV. I remember seeing the video and thinking how instantly classic the riff was. To me it was like Smoke on the Water or Layla in the way that it was instantly recognizable and unforgettable. I knew right away it would be huge because I could see it bridge the gap between alternative music and metal. But I didn't know how huge. Everyone was talking about it right away and I don't think I listened to it until I was home on break from college. I was drinking with friends in my one friends basement and he put it on. Everyone basically said that there wasn't a bad song on the album. We were all pretty blown away.

Evacuation Rules

rhcpjam1029 wrote:

to me, nevermind is just another album. i don't think there's anything special about it. i think ten, vs., badmotorfinger, even dirt have got more influence and power than nevermind does.

Maybe in the fantasy world you're living in. In 1991, Nirvana had an impact on music and culture that can only be compared to the Beatles. Seeing the "Teen Spirit" video for the first time was akin to seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Everybody remembers what they were doing when they first saw that video. Most people who saw it went right to the record store and bought "Nevermind". The hype was so huge, they actually ran out of copies and had to quickly press more. Soundgarden and Alice In Chains weren't exactly flying off of shelves. Pearl Jam is the only band that came close, and they were already a couple months too late. I'm not saying Nirvana is better than any of these bands, but get your history right.

Newch91

Bought the Spin issue today. Looking forward to reading it on my vacation to Michigan next weekend (along with the Larry David cover of Rolling Stone).

Like dcfaithful, I was also shitting my diapers when the album came out. When I listen to "Nevermind", there are times when it's the only album I'll listen to and I'll have the repeat on my iPod for this album. It's just that good and there's not one bad song on it. It was my first real punk album I ever heard and owned in my life.