Nirvana

Nirvana - The Band That Took Listeners by Storm

"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are."

Nirvana, the offshoot punk and alternative rock band labeled as grunge rock by the media and press; was founded in 1987 in Aberdeen, Washington. Many critics agree that Nirvana is the flagship band of Generation X.

Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic shared a common interest. They were fans of 'The Melvins'. They both had the ambition to form a band. Forming it was a mammoth effort and they had a couple of false starts. They recruited Aaron Burckhard, creating the first incarnation of what would eventually become who they are today. After Burckhardt, Dave Foster became their band’s drummer, and everything seemed to be in place.

The band had to come up with a name for their group. They had many choices, including Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew, and Ted Ed Fred. The band made their final chose and stuck with Nirvana in the early part of 1988. They played their first show, under the said band name in March. This was when they had Chad Channing as their drummer.

The first release from the band was the single "Love Buzz/Big Cheese" in 1988. Bleach, their first album was released the following year. Jack Endino was the chosen one to record the band’s first studio demos. Melvins influenced the songs on the album which was an instant hit. Also, it was often requested and heard on various college radio stations. This was the scenario all over the country, which was a pathway to stardom.

Nirvana – Nevermind

In 1990, Nirvana began recording their first major label album. This album which they called Nevermind was a favorite and is now regarded a classic. Butch Vig produced the album, who also worked on Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth’s records. It was unexpected, but the album became a huge success and sold millions of copies. MTV constantly gave air time to the single 'Smells like Teen Spirit' which was highly infectious.

Nirvana released Incesticide, a collection of B-sides and rarities, in December 1992. It is believed that they did so to circumvent bootleggers. 1993 saw the release of In Utero, which debuted at number one on the Billboard album chart. Although this was the scenarios, the album didn't enjoy the same accomplishment as their previous one.

The Turbulence

During the early 1994, the band was on their European tour. With Kurt looking bored and distracted, the luster of the show began to decline. Following days, Cobain was diagnosed with Bronchitis and sever laryngitis. On March 4th, Cobain was found unconscious by Courtney Love and was rushed to the hospital.

After, the word of Cobain’s heroin addiction resurfaced. Cobain was enrolled for the rehab program, wherein he escaped from his rehab facility and flew to Seattle. A week later, Cobain was found dead at his Seattle home. The case was considered to be a suicide. Cobain’s death was thought to be the wet blanket that inhibited the band’s creative fire.

The Aftermath

Many Nirvana albums were released post Cobain’s death. The band released Unplugged in New York in November 1994. Meat Puppets and Leadbelly made guest appearances on this album. Digging through the treasure trove of the various recordings so soon after Kurt's passing, became too sensitively devastating for the band. The live disc, a compilation of their concert recordings, was finally released in October of 1996.

The coming years saw the legal battles for song titles and protracted legal battles over the ownership of the band’s music. After several legal battles, Nirvana was released on October 29th in 2002.This album contained hit singles from their three studio albums as well as several alternate mixes and recordings of familiar hit songs.

Further releases have since been made. This includes Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! This was released in 2006 as a DVD. Moreover, an uncut version- DVD of MTV Unplugged in New York was released the following year. Live at Reading, the band's 1992 performance at Reading Festival, was released on both CD and DVD in November 2009

Did you know that...

...Nirvana is the only band to date that has played twice on the hit show Saturday Night Live?
...Krist was the only member of the band to finish high school?
...That Kurt's favorite guitar was reportedly the 1969 Fender Competition Mustan?
...The Beatles’ song "In My Life" was reportedly played at Kurt's funeral?

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