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The Rebirth Of In Utero With Steve Albini

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Producer discusses rediscovering the Nirvana classic 20 years later
Bryan Reesman
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

For some, it may be hard to believe that it's been 20 years since Nirvana's third album, In Utero, was released. The multi-platinum follow-up to their highly successful major label debut, 1991's Nevermind, In Utero showcased a rawer side to the grunge catalysts that was encouraged by their producer, Steve Albini. Recorded and mixed over a two-week period, the album spawned the hits "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies," along with the controversial "Rape Me," and garnered two GRAMMY nominations, including Best Alternative Music Album. The album marked Nirvana's final studio release as less than eight months later frontman Kurt Cobain committed suicide.

To commemorate In Utero's 20th anniversary, on Sept. 24 former band members — drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic — and Albini will issue a remastered version of the original album. The deluxe box set edition contains more than 70 remastered, previously unreleased recordings, including B-sides, compilation tracks, never-before-heard demos, and live material, as well as a newly remixed version of the album, which pushes previously unheard elements to the fore. In addition, on Sept. 24 the band will release Live And Loud, a DVD featuring their full concert performed for an MTV broadcast in Seattle on Dec. 13, 1993.

In an exclusive interview with GRAMMY.com, Albini discussed revisiting In Utero for its deluxe anniversary edition and his experience working with Cobain.

It's rare to revisit an album that you worked on ages ago and really dissect it and pull new things out.
When I was first approached about doing the 2013 remix album, I didn't really grasp the concept for it. Then when Krist explained what his thoughts on it were, it was basically inspired by him having heard some new versions of records that he was very familiar with and being very excited to hear things he had never heard before. That was the jumping-off point for the remix process, which was to try to find opportunities to present things that people hadn't heard in the original version of the album and/or a different emphasis. I don't think he or I, or anyone else, would say that this version supplants the original version, but it's a companion piece that allows you to hear things from a different perspective. Taken in that light, I think it's a totally worthwhile enterprise. I think the remastered version of the original album sounds as good as I know how to make a record sound.

 

How often do you go back and listen to projects that you've worked on over the years?
It's not that frequent. Most of what you're working on is the person in the room with you at the moment, and that's [usually] because you have bills to pay. At the time, it was nice to be in the company of Dave, Krist and Pat [Smear] again and to be reminded of what cool people they are, how good the band was and how well they did in the original incarnation of the album. Every time we would play the original mixes of the album for reference, both Krist and I were struck by how great a job they had done the first time around.

When you worked on In Utero, Nirvana were still experiencing the effects of releasing Nevermind, an album that was a major game changer. It seems you were a good fit to produce their next album.
I think I identified with the band primarily because we are both from the same underground, punk rock-inspired music scene. I identified with them [and] they identified with me. We knew all the same people, we played in all the same venues, we'd slept on the same floors and had a lot of common experiences. I don't think it was a philosophical choice so much as it was one where they figured that I would get where they were coming from because I was from there too.

This album was created in 12 to 14 days. You like to have people work quickly, don't you?
Most of the records I work on don't have the budget to spend that kind of time in the studio. At the pace that they were working though, that was very comfortable. They recorded a lot of material. I think it ended up being 19 or so titles, including stuff that never ultimately made it to release.

Given that new technology has changed the landscape for music listening, what challenges did you face in remixing and remastering the album and trying to make it accessible to people listening to music through other means, such as handheld devices?
I don't give a s*** about that stuff. For every era there has been a music business truism that you should try to make things sound good at home. All of that is bulls***. Every scrap of compensating for the home listening environment is bulls***. A good record will sound good [and] a bad record will sound bad, regardless of what you're listening to it on. And because there is no standard version of home listening, whether it's a kitchen radio, TV speakers or an iPhone speaker, there's absolutely no way to compensate for something being played on a bad system by being in the studio and adding some compensatory badness. So the thing to do is to make the record sound as good as possible when you're listening to it on very good, accurate speakers in the studio.

Are there any versions of the remastered or remixed songs that you really like now?
The thing that I was really charmed most by in the whole process was just hearing how good a job the band had done the first time around. What struck me the most about the [remastering and reissue] process was the fact that everybody was willing to go the full nine yards for quality. That says how much this record means to all the people involved.

Over the years, a lot has been written about the "tortured artist" persona of Kurt Cobain. What was it like working with him?
I'll be honest, I didn't press him for any intimacy. At the time, I knew that there were dozens of people who wanted to latch onto him in a way, and I didn't want him to feel him like I was one of those people. Basically, I wanted him to know our relationship was that I worked for him and that I would be there to help him make his record. I never really got inside his inner circle. He didn't bare his heart to me in any way. I respected him and came to appreciate him as a songwriter and as a thinker. I think he's an underrated guitar player. Through the process of working on the record, I came to develop a more rounded impression of him, but I still considered him a peer.

(Bryan Reesman is a New York-based freelance writer.)

Nirvana - HEAVEN Is Rock And Roll 2020

HEAVEN Is Rock And Roll 2020 in Los Angeles

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

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Remaining Members Of Nirvana Reunite At 2020 HEAVEN Benefit Concert In Los Angeles

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Joined by Beck, St. Vincent and other special guests, Nirvana members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear revived the legendary grunge outfit for a truly special performance
Laura Studarus
GRAMMYs
Jan 6, 2020 - 10:47 am

The word "supergroup" was coined in 1966 to describe the band Cream. However, since then, it's become winky shorthand to describe a group of accomplished musicians more interested in goofing off with their equally talented friends than creating anything memorable. But tell that to Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear who revived their legendary rock/grunge outfit Nirvana for a truly special performance this past Saturday night (Jan. 4) at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. 

The reunion, a unique talent constellation that also featured Beck, St. Vincent and Grohl's daughter Violet rounding out the band, was part of the 13th year of the HEAVEN gala, a fundraiser for The Art Of Elysium, a charity that brings music and visual arts to hospitals and homeless- and poverty-affected areas across Los Angeles. (The performance also marked Nirvana's first reunion since Foo Fighters' 2018 Cal Jam festival, when Deer Tick singer John McCauley stepped in for late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain to perform vocals.) Event partners We Are Hear, the hybrid record label, management company, music publisher and creative consultancy firm from producers Linda Perry and Kerry Brown, curated the 2020 event and theme, which this year was HEAVEN Is Rock And Roll.

Watch: Nirvana's 'Nevermind': For The Record

But while other artists like L7, Marilyn Manson and Cheap Trick also performed on the stage, which was outfitted with a background meant to evoke the iconic New York punk venue CBGB, it was this newly formed incarnation of Nirvana that proved to be the main attraction. 

Replacing a charismatic lead singer is dangerously difficult, which might be why the five-song performance was billed as Dave Grohl & Friends. (The absence of their former frontman was noted by Novoselic, a founding member of Nirvana, who requested a "cheer from the crowd for Kurt Cobain.") However, it's difficult to name a performer as prepared as Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, for the task, given that her innovative guitar work serves as the highlight of her live shows and regularly lands her on male-dominated Best Guitarist lists. Tearing through opener "Lithium" on her signature Ernie Ball guitar while delivering vocals that sounded equal parts tortured and determined, the artist once again proved her mastery extends to both subtlety and volume. 

Read: Smells Like Nirvana

Likewise, Beck carried the same slacker spirit to his turn at the mic. Wearing a Cobain-evoking beanie, he performed vocals for "In Bloom," "Been A Son" and

David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World," which Nirvana covered on their 1994 MTV Unplugged In New York live album and performance, with an appropriately deadpan delivery. 

The "Loser" singer was definitely living out a few fan fantasies, which he admitted when he recalled seeing Nirvana open for Sonic Youth in 1990. "The most insane mosh pit of my life was in this room," he told the audience, grinning. "I remember being lifted up the whole time and afterwards, my hands were bleeding and I didn't know why."

Read: Nirvana Manager Danny Goldberg Talks 25 Years of 'MTV Unplugged In New York'

But for all the star power onstage, the unexpected highlight of the night was when Grohl's daughter Violet was invited to perform "Heart-Shaped Box," the lead single off Nirvana's 1993 album, In Utero. Peeking out from her silvery hair, the 13-year-old connected on a song she's likely been humming her entire life, giving the kind of quietly passionate performance that only highlights the enduring power of the band. 

It isn't just novelty of nostalgia. Call them a supergroup or just a collection of friends: Nirvana isn't going anywhere. 

Here Are The Nominees For Best Rock Album | 2020 GRAMMYs

Nirvana

Nirvana

Photo: Charles J. Peterson/Getty Images

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Nirvana's Era-Defining 'Nevermind': For The Record

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Return to the time when one of the most legendary rock bands of the '90s brought grunge into the public eye
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 16, 2018 - 6:22 pm

Two years after releasing their first album, Bleach, and just three years before lead singer Kurt Cobain's untimely death, Nirvana, made up of Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, crashed into the mainstream with their stellar sophomore album, Nevermind.

Nirvana's 'Nevermind': For The Record

Produced by GRAMMY winner Butch Vig, Nevermind was released on Sept. 24, 1991 and gave Nirvana their first hit single, the GRAMMY-nominated "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Nevermind took Nirvana from local heroes in Seattle to rockers in the nation's public eye, bringing the grunge sound and other bands along with them.

The album sold out of its initial shipment of 50,000 CDs due to the popularity of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and within a year had been certified triple platinum. On Jan 11, 1992, Nevermind reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, taking the place of Michael Jackson's Dangerous and spending a total of 253 weeks on the chart.

"It changed my life," recalled Vig. "It changed everyone's life affiliated with it. Those don't come by very often [and] when they do it's a magic moment."

The album's 12 tracks, which also include classics "Come As You Are," "Lithium" and "In Bloom," are propelled by Cobain's moody drawl and the collectively raw, energetic sound of his guitar, Grohl's drums and Novoselic's bass.

"When I listen to [Nevermind] I hear a sense of purity and honesty that I haven't heard in a long time," recalled Grohl, who would continue to make music as the front man of the Foo Fighters.

Nevermind was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 34rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal and Best Rock Song the following year at the 35th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The album was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2018, and the single the year prior, honoring their "lasting qualitative or historical significance."

Sadly, Nirvana would only release two more albums, GRAMMY-nominated In Utero and GRAMMY-winning MTV Unplugged In New York, before Cobain's tragic suicide on April 5, 1994, but the music they made together would have a lasting impact for years to come.

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Deep 10: Nirvana's MTV Unplugged In New York

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From obscure covers and funeral-inspired décor to amps and cardigans, dive into 10 facts you may not know about Nirvana's GRAMMY-winning unplugged album
Bill Forman
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

More than two decades after its release, Nirvana's performance on MTV's "Unplugged" still stands as a convincing testimonial to Kurt Cobain's unmistakable musical genius and enigmatic charisma. 

Recorded less than five months before his death at the age of 27, the telecast and subsequent album capture the Seattle trio at its creative and commercial peak. Cobain and bandmates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic had already become internationally recognized as the godfathers of grunge, which was as much a marketing construct as it was a musical movement. But with their "Unplugged" performance, the band netted an even broader audience while performing in the more intimate Sony Studios in New York rather than the arenas they'd begun headlining.

Cobain would not live to see the 1994 release of the MTV Unplugged In New York album, which debuted at No. 1 and went on to win a GRAMMY for Best Alternative Music Performance. (Among the albums it bested was Grohl's Foo Fighters debut.) But his artistic spirit lives on in what many consider to be one of the greatest live albums ever.

Following are 10 lesser-known facts about the album and performance that marked the premature end of a promising career.

1. Six of MTV Unplugged In New York's 14 tracks are covers, and mostly obscure ones at that.

While David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold The World" was familiar to mainstream audiences, Nirvana also used the telecast to bring attention to esoteric personal favorites such as the Vaselines' "Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sunbeam" and Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night." The group was also joined onstage by Chris and Curt Kirkwood for three songs by their band, the Meat Puppets.

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World (MTV Unplugged)

2. According to producer Alex Coletti, MTV had been hoping for guest artist appearances from the likes of Eddie Vedder or Tori Amos. 

In a 1995 Guitar World interview with GRAMMY.com contributor Alan di Perna, Coletti recalled how "everybody's eyes lit up" when he told the network that Nirvana would be bringing along some special guests. "But when I said 'the Meat Puppets,' it was kind of like, 'Oh, great. They're not doing any hits, and they're inviting guests who don't have any hits to come play. Perfect." 

3. Other than "Come As You Are," the band refused to play their own hits. 

MTV tried its best to convince Cobain and the band to incorporate "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and other well-known Nirvana material into the set, but to no avail. "We knew we didn't want to do an acoustic version of 'Teen Spirit,'" Grohl later said of the band's breakthrough single. "That would've been horrendously stupid." When prompted by an audience member request, Cobain asked, "How are we supposed to play 'In Bloom' acoustically?"

4. Cobain had an especially good reason for turning down one audience member's request.

"I don't think MTV will let us play that," he responded when someone called out for the song "Rape Me." The network had, in fact, previously banned Nirvana from playing the song during the band's performance at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.

5. The black candles, white lilies, chandelier, and draperies were all Cobain's idea. 

The darkly atmospheric stage set, as seen on the album cover, seemed to take on added significance when the network repeatedly rebroadcast the band's performance after Cobain's death on April 5, 1994. But even before the taping, some on the set found it ominous. When Coletti asked Cobain about the décor, the singer confirmed that he meant for it to look like a funeral.  

6. Rehearsals for the show went so poorly there was talk of Grohl not performing at all. 

"[Rehearsals] didn't sound good," according to Grohl, who admitted he was struggling to attain a lighter touch on the drums. "Any time you have a band that's so electric and try to unplug them, there's always a lot of challenges, creatively," explained "Unplugged" director Beth McCarthy-Miller. Plus, she pointed out, "Dave [played] drums like Animal from 'The Muppet Show.'"

7. Nirvana's "Unplugged" performance was considerably more unplugged than most, but Cobain used some electric tools.

While Grohl toned down his drumming with brushes and percussion, Cobain strummed his '50s Martin acoustic guitar. However, Cobain insisted on running his guitar, featuring two electric pickups, through the "security blanket" of a Fender Twin Reverb amplifier, which yielded a distorted sound on "The Man Who Sold The World." Meanwhile, Novoselic contributed acoustic bass and accordion and touring guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston rounded out the lineup.

8. Cobain's iconic green cardigan worn during the "Unplugged" taping fetched more than $140,000.

The vintage Manhattan cardigan was sold via auction by Julien's Auctions in 2015. While its worth was estimated at $60,000, the five-button sweater — a blend of acrylic, mohair and Lycra — was snapped up for a final bid of $140,800.

9. Geffen Records initially planned to release Nirvana's "Unplugged" performance as part of a double album package called Verse Chorus Verse.

The idea was to combine the "Unplugged" performance with live material from throughout the band's career. But the project was quickly shelved once Grohl and Novoselic realized how emotionally overwhelming it would be to go through the tapes.

10. At his manager's suggestion, Cobain asked producers to include shots of him smiling.

Unfortunately, they could only find one, which can be seen at the end of "About A Girl," and which came through gritted teeth.

Nirvana - About A Girl (MTV Unplugged)

(Bill Forman is a writer and music editor for the Colorado Springs Independent and the former publications director for The Recording Academy.)

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FYI/TMI: Year-End Reports, Paul McCartney Goes Grunge

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Fun., President Barack Obama, Rihanna are among the year's most popular; Macca to reunite Nirvana for Hurricane Sandy Benefit
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

(In an effort to keep you fully informed, and fully entertained, below we present today's FYI and TMI — news you need and news that's, well, sometimes needless….)

FYI …

Year In Review: Facebook, Google And Top Women
Facebook has released its Year in Review report, revealing the most discussed trends and stories of 2012, with current GRAMMY nominees Fun. topping the Songs list for "We Are Young" featuring Janelle Monáe, and GRAMMY winner President Barack Obama topping the Public Figures list. The death of the late GRAMMY winner Whitney Houston topped Google's year-end "zeitgeist" report as the top trending search of the year, followed by Psy's "Gangam Style" video. In other year-end news, AskMen.com released its Top 99 Women: 2013 Edition list. Among the music artists listed are Pussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (No. 85), current GRAMMY nominee Carly Rae Jepsen (No. 75), Lana Del Rey (No. 71), Beyoncé (No. 32), Katy Perry (No. 21), and Rihanna (No. 4).

TMI …
McCartney To Join Nirvana Reunion?
Fans in attendance and those streaming at home will be in for a treat on Dec. 12 at 12-12-12: The Concert For Sandy Relief as a pioneering grunge band, who haven't performed together since March 1994, could reunite onstage, with one minor switch. According to a report, Paul McCartney could step in for the late Kurt Cobain to perform with former Nirvana members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear. McCartney phoned Grohl, who asked if he'd "jam with some mates" … those "mates" being Grohl, Novoselic and Smear. "I didn't really know who they were," said McCartney. "They [were] saying how good it is to be back together. I said, 'Whoa. You guys haven't played together for all that time?' And someone whispered to me, 'That's Nirvana, you're Kurt.' I couldn't believe it." Though Cobain is known to have been more of a John Lennon fan, there's no doubt McCartney will twist and shout like it's 1994 … or 1963.