Nirvana: In Utero

[UberBeaver]

With over a decade since it's release, what do you think of In Utero. I remember when it came out a kind of disappointment being prevalent, myself included, but I just started listening to it again, and it's actually much better than I remember.

Just wondering what others think.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

nirvana as a hole would not be held in the esteem they are today if cobain was still alive.

 

[MrBrau1]

nirvana as a hole would not be held in the esteem they are today if cobain was still alive.

Truth.

I feel the same way about Lennon.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

eh... lennon was already an established legend when he was killed. did it add to it? of course... but he had a long body of work. nirvana had a couple of years.

 

[MrBrau1]

eh... lennon was already an established legend when he was killed. did it add to it? of course... but he had a long body of work. nirvana had a couple of years.

I think if Lennon had lived the general crappiness of his solo records would have weighed down his legacy.

Those records are bad. Paul and George make him look silly in the solo album department.

 

[Zoots]

Meh, average. Some great stuff like Heart Shaped Box and Rape Me. But there's other weird crap like Tourettes & something something Unit Shifter

 

[U2FanPeter]

"Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" is one of the best song titles I've ever heard. Especially if you've read up about how the music industry works behind the scenes.

I think Utero is their best album. Parts of Nevermind are quite glossy.

 

[coemgen]

As good as Nevermind. Maybe even better because of its more raw sound.

 

[U2FanPeter]

Killer drum sound on Utero.

I play The opening track on vinyl at full volume about once a year and have a bunch of my neighbours call to tell me to shut the fuck up.

u2fp

 

[HeartlandGirl]

You know, I don't think I ever heard that album in its entirety, so I can't compare it to Nevermind. I always did like 'Heart-Shaped Box' though.

I'm with some of y'all. Nirvana have been overly romanticized.

 

[namkcuR]

Good record. I think Nevermind is more consistantly good, but the better songs on In Utero are the best of Nirvana's career. Dumb, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies.

Off topic, the idea that Lennon's legacy is somehow seen in a brighter light because he was killed is absurd. That arguement is solid with Cobain, but not with Lennon. He wrote 'A Hard Day's Night', 'Any Time At All', 'I'll Be Back', 'No Reply', 'Help!', 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away', 'Ticket To Ride', 'Norwegian Wood(This Bird Has Flown)', 'Nowhere Man', 'In My Life', 'I Feel Fine', 'I'm Only Sleeping', 'She Said She Said', 'And Your Bird Can Sing', 'Tomorrow Never Knows', 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds', 'A Day In The Life', 'I Am The Walrus', 'Strawberry Fields Forever', 'All You Need Is Love', 'Dear Prudence', 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun', 'Julia', 'Revolution', 'Come Together', 'I Want You(She's So Heavy)', 'Because', 'Across The Universe' and more for the Beatles and 'Imagine', 'Jealous Guy', 'Oh My Love', 'Oh Yoko', 'Working Class Hero', 'Love', 'Mother', 'Instant Karma', 'Real Love', and more for his solo records.

Look at that list. To say that after having composed that body of work, that he needed to be murdered in order to be the legend he is today is absurd.

As far as solo records go, I admittedly don't know very much of Harrison's solo stuff outside of the big hits, but I think Lennon's solo stuff blows McCartney's solo stuff out of the water.

 

[unforgettableFOXfire]

George is/was my favourite beatle.


Anyway. Without the death of Cobain, there would not likely be any Dave Grohl solo/Foo Fighters material. Well, I shouldn't say that, it's silly to what-if the situation. Regardless, Grohl is a better musician than Cobain hands down.


As for the question at hand, I like In Utero a bit more than Nevermind. It makes little difference to me now, to be honest. I only listen to small parts of their catalogue now where I'll listen to more Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, and that seems to me testament to the mediocrity of some (most) of Cobain's work.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Killer drum sound on Utero.

I play The opening track on vinyl at full volume about once a year and have a bunch of my neighbours call to tell me to shut the fuck up.

u2fp

that's brilliant.

 

[U2Man]

I think if Lennon had lived the general crappiness of his solo records would have weighed down his legacy.

Those records are bad. Paul and George make him look silly in the solo album department.

right until they realize that they never wrote: imagine, happy xmas, jealous guy, oh my love.

 

[phanan]

Some of In Utero is brilliant, while there are other parts that I could do without.

Nevermind is more consistent.

In regards to Lennon, he would have been a legend no matter what, but his death has glamourized it even more. I guarantee you if he had lived he would have had some albums that were just as bad as McCartney's in the 80's. One listen to Double Fantasy and you can figure this out. A couple of great songs surrounded by total shit.

 

[Numb1075]

In Utero is a really really good album; not great, but really good.

Lots of original songs that sound like nothing else I've ever heard before or since.

 

[pgv]

It's my favourite nirvana album - i think if you are going to listen to one of their albums, it should be in utero. Every song on their makes a statement, i see it (like htdaab) as a collection of single songs.
Plus you have to love the album cover.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I think if Lennon had lived the general crappiness of his solo records would have weighed down his legacy.

Those records are bad. Paul and George make him look silly in the solo album department.

well... imagine, instant karma, beautiful boy, working class hero, god, love, whatever gets you thru the night... these are great great songs. paul? band on the run has a nice melody and all, but i can't hold it on the same level as an instant karma. lennon could have put out more stinkers (and admittedly he did have some stinkers on the way, esp. when yoko was involved), or he couuld have followed dylan's path.

point is that lennon was a legend when he was killed, cobain was made a legend because he was killed.

cobain's not alone, of course... i worship at the temple of hendrix... but if he hadn't have died early, would he have become as cheesey as eric clapton has? who knows... it's hard to say.

but with cobain and nirvana... pearl jam was bigger before cobain killed himself. history tends to forget that.

 

[U2Man]

paul and george wrote some nice tunes and a lot of decent ones during their solo career. john did make a lot of crap during his, but he wrote the legendary songs.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

You know, I don't think I ever heard that album in its entirety, so I can't compare it to Nevermind. I always did like 'Heart-Shaped Box' though.

I'm with some of y'all. Nirvana have been overly romanticized.

 

[Aygo]

Average, naturally.
Nirvana's albums (all of them) are just average, and they're nothing special. They're just overrated by the press and the maniac fans.

 

[U2FanPeter]

cobain's not alone, of course... i worship at the temple of hendrix... but if he hadn't have died early, would he have become as cheesey as eric clapton has? who knows... it's hard to say.

Hendrix was thinking of releasing a TRIPLE album of studio material when he died. Considering how well the posthumous Jimi album did, he would have done fine. I think Hensdrix would have gone the route of Santana and done a full JAZZ album to a fraction of his then sizable 60's audience.

but with cobain and nirvana... pearl jam was bigger before cobain killed himself. history tends to forget that.

I'd like to see one example of how PJ was bigger than Nirvana.

In the last year before KC died PJ were an opening act for Neil Young. Nirvana had a sold out(by showtime) tour of US arena and multi-night stands at large theater sized places. TIME magazine only put VEDDER on their cover of their 1993(?) after Nirvana put a press blackout on US media. The week Cobain died he had an enormous check sitting in his house to play US stadium tour throughout the summer of 1994. That scheduled 1994 Lollapalooza line-up would have sold out most places in advance with Cobain being the main draw.

u2fp

 

[LMP]

well... imagine, instant karma, beautiful boy, working class hero, god, love, whatever gets you thru the night... these are great great songs. paul? band on the run has a nice melody and all, but i can't hold it on the same level as an instant karma. lennon could have put out more stinkers (and admittedly he did have some stinkers on the way, esp. when yoko was involved), or he couuld have followed dylan's path.

point is that lennon was a legend when he was killed, cobain was made a legend because he was killed.

cobain's not alone, of course... i worship at the temple of hendrix... but if he hadn't have died early, would he have become as cheesey as eric clapton has? who knows... it's hard to say.

but with cobain and nirvana... pearl jam was bigger before cobain killed himself. history tends to forget that.

I agree with most except the PJ thing.

Nirvana's breakthrough with "Nevermind" pretty much led to the success of Pearl Jam's "Ten".

As much as I think Nirvana is overrated and Kurt Cobain is glorified to an extreme, they did help define an era of music and pop culture.

I like Pearl Jam way more than Nirvana, but you really can't have one without the other.

 

[Zoots]

Some of In Utero is brilliant, while there are other parts that I could do without.

Nevermind is more consistent.

Yeah this is pretty much exactly my opinion. Damn I forgot about Dumb. Thanks for reminding me, nam.

This thread makes me wanna dust off my copy of In Utero and give it a spin.

 

[Zoots]

As much as I think Nirvana is overrated and Kurt Cobain is glorified to an extreme, they did help define an era of music and pop culture.

I like Pearl Jam way more than Nirvana, but you really can't have one without the other.