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Enemy Of The State Tcraze84
Every career will, almost certainly, have one particular defining moment. The world of showbusiness is no exception, with the ever-so-fickle music industry being perhaps the easiest example to illustrate the above statement accurately. The defining moment, whether it be a number one hit single, being the headline act at a major festival (or otherwise), or collaborating with a childhood idol; all will be remembered as perhaps the stand-out moment of the musician's career. Of course, some people have all the luck and over the years, will amass one, two, or even all three of the above aspirations. Similarly, within an artist or band's discography, there will always, without fail, be one individual release that is set apart from the others. You know what I mean. The groundbreakers, the award-winners - the likes of 'Automatic For The People' for REM, 'What's The Story? Morning Glory' for Oasis and perhaps even 'Sgt. Pepper's...' for The Beatles. So, it would be fair to assume that the 1991 release of 'Nevermind', for Seattle grunge act Nirvana, falls smack-bang into this category just as nicely. In fact, I'm quite shocked I haven't written an opinion on 'Nevermind' already. Almost universally regarded as an album for the ages within the glossy pages of most self-respecting music publications and critiques minds, 'Nevermind' inadvertantly unleashed the monster that was Nirvana onto an unsuspecting market that was to some degree being dominated by the preceding introductory generation of boy bands - the likes of U.S. outfit New Kids On The Block, for example. So it was to no real surprise that the album was not immediately taken to heart as much as it is in the present day - cheesy pop music and manufactured ballads was predominantly the order of the day. Though, saying that, the album's pioneering single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' somehow managed to knock Michael Jackson from the top of the Billboard Chart. But whilst 'Nevermind' was given good reviews and loved by many, only now and in recent years, has its (and the vast majority of Nirvana's work) popularity been enormously galvanised by the events of early 1994 and the suicide of influential frontman Kurt Cobain. But hey, everybody knows the story of Cobain. Sure, he shot himself. Sure, it was suicide - despite any conspiracy theories dreamt by those desperately looking for somebody or something to blame and pointing the finger at his wife Courtney Love. Plain and simple; Kurt Cobain was at the time, a relative nobody - but hailed today as one of the most insirational, gifted and intelligent musicians of all time. Perhaps rightly so, but in a famous, beautiful quote, Cobain - and his attitudes and beliefs are summed up in one succinct sentence: 'Murdered himself after he murdered pop'. Genius - but the quote, all too true. Indeed, Kurt Cobain, spearheading the early Nineties' grunge revolution, was perhaps the sacrificial lamb that everything anti-establishment, anti-conformity, certainly within musical boundaries at least, needed so much. His death, although due to personal depression - from personal issues - shook the music industry to its core and in turn, was a breath of fresh air back into the business. More than anything, 'Nevermind' lives on as a symbol, of sorts, of what Nirvana did and how blatantly important they were to the future of music, albeit with a shortlived influence in the mainstream market; and a new generation of angst-ridden adolescents. Indeed, right from the minute you even look at the sleeve design, you sense that 'Nevermind' might just be verging on something very special indeed. The front cover photograph, a mock-up photograph of a swimming baby pursuing a dollar bill already begins to hint at the social issues and arguments drawn upon within the album, where the view of a entirely materialistic society with money the primary motivating factor, and manipulation the key, fits nicely under the moniker of "The United States Of America". Inside, the fold-out sleeve reveals no surprises, yet ties in rather appropriately. The sulking image of the band is shown upon the mere opening of the CD case, with Cobain pleasantly er, upping middle finger in a brief, but clear representation of what the album is all about: attitude. So, I hear you ask, what's it like then? The answer, in a word, would be magnificent. But that's too easy and not exactly convincing of the album's true genius - certainly not very useful to a consumer, though by the length of this opinion so far, it might be judged that on length alone. So, for those who tend to be impressed by masses of flowing text within an opinion, please click the "Very Useful" in the drop-down box below and be off with you. But for those who actually want to know more; those who actually care, read on. Produced by Butch Vig (great name, no?), 'Nevermind' reads more like an A-Z of what's wrong with America in 1991 than your middle-of-the-road grunge album. From teenage kidnap to a documentation of sleeping rough, it really is all in this album and the messages, lying deep beneath a 59-minute barrage of heavy guitar and crashing drums, really do shine through. So, whilst every good album needs a good opening song, every classic albums needs an exceptional opener. In short, they don't come a lot better than on 'Nevermind'. The song in question, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is widely regarded as THE best song ever and has been voted highly in more polls than you might imagine. Probably - unless of course, you imagine polls on a frequent basis with regards to song, in which case I can't help you. This song though, in all honesty, has it all. The classic introductory guitar riff, the frenzied drums and seemingly calm vocals make for instantly recognisable listening. Not what you might expect from a song that made the Billboard #1 spot though; famously (aptly) described as "an attack on the apathy of our generation", lyrics such as: "I'm worse at what I do best/ And for this gift I feel blessed" already strongly suggest a distinct air of vulnerability about Cobain, though surprisingly, the song is almost anthemic with regards to its sheer sense of victory over society. At just five minutes into the album. Heavy stuff indeed, but you cannot help wondering whether or not an album, or to be frank, ANY album could recover and keep up the calibre through the rest of the recording after such a magnificent beginning. If I'm perfectly honest; it doesn't. 'Teen Spirit' is without doubt the album's high point and is recognised as such by many, but not without sacrifice - even fellow classics "Come As You Are" and "Lithium" sound average in comparison at times. It must be remembered though that one song is certainly not the end of what is a 12 song political campaign, of sorts. 'In Bloom' begins the trek into murkier waters though and sets the album on somewhat of a downward spiral - in terms of mood, rather than quality. The verse "He's the one who likes all the pretty songs/And he likes to sing along/And he likes to shoot his gun/But he knows not what it means", attacks the mentality of some of the bandwagon-jumping "fans" at the time when grunge music was beginning to come into prominence and questions the reasons why they are even listening to the band in the first place, whilst opening line "Sell the kids for food" once agains hints at Cobain's perception of an American money-driven ethic. Follow-on track and classic song in its own right, 'Come As You Are' seemingly questions the actions of society and police in general with the line "And I swear that I don't have a gun..no I don't have a gun" - hinting at discrimination against Cobain himself, or perhaps one of any white, middle-class Americans at the time. Contradictions reign supreme however - the classic lyric "Take your time, hurry up" agains harks back to American society and possibly even the impatient nature of its civilians, combined with a general casual nature "Oh well, whatever, nevermind..", whilst track "Breed" treads an altogether different path with a fast-paced climax with inner meaning somewhat hidden below frenzied guitar riffs and eyewateringly energetic vocals. However, it is with tracks such as 'Territorial P*****gs' and 'Drain You' towards the end of the album where 'Nevermind' seems in danger of losing some of its charm - by now, sounding somewhat repetitive and dull. Not the case with preceding tracks "Polly" and "Lithium", however. The former, based on the real-life story of a fourteen year-old girl's abduction and subsequent torture, backed by delightful acoustic twangs, almost seems sarcastic in the stark contrast between verse and instrumental, but effective nonetheless. 'Lithium', however, is one of the stand-out tracks on the album and on close listening is said to "use the analogy of a nervous breakdown to comment on the state of society" and also be "an ode to disconnection". Weird; to me it was all just shouting/quiet, shouting/quiet - one of the few songs I did not find, nor look for, hidden meanings in. Final track, 'Something In The Way' is somewhat of a departure for the album though - a heartfelt acoustic-driven ballad, documenting Cobain's time spent living rough, but also with aspects of loneliness in general. Best performed on later release, "Unplugged in New York", this song simply shows the true quality that the band is capable of in an altogether different light for the usual grunge, guitar-driven mayhem, and rounds off the album perfectly on a much more mellow note. Verdict time, then. Well basically 'Nevermind' should already be in your CD collection, regardless of your usual musical tastes, it's simply that good. Now over ten years old, the album still sounds fresh, vibrant - and more importantly, relevant, upon its dusting down and replaying. This is the crowning moment of a great band and has gone down in history as just that. Again, slightly uneasy listening at times, as with most Nirvana releases, but all part of the unique charm and intelligence of the band and Cobain in particular. Worth buying if only just to smirk at the state of disrepair America was in ten years ago through a youth's eyes, but if socialistic issues within albums aren't always your scene, buy it for 'Teen Spirit' and 'Come As You Are' alone. It's a shame at times that the album is let down by some weaker tracks, but oh well, whatever, nevermind. ;o)
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