September of 1993 saw Nirvana at the height of their success, and ready to release their highly anticipated third studio album. Kurt Cobain had been, albeit unwontedly, dubbed the spokesperson of his generation and the entire “grunge” movement, and Nirvana, fundamentally declared the biggest band in the world. No one knew how deep of an impact that album, and the events surrounding it, would shape the course of popular music to this day. The album would go on to chart all over the world, even though the controversies that beleaguered the band from their earliest successes would continue (even after Kurt’s death). On the outside (the artwork) and inside (the lyrics) would be notoriously deemed offensive by many. Cobain would soon no longer be on this earth, but the people closest to him would continue to feel and be affected by “In Utero” for decades to come.
Nirvana planned the record’s sound to depart significantly from the polished production of its previous album, “Nevermind” (released in 1991). To capture a more rough and organic sound, the group hired producer Steve Albini to record “In Utero” during a two-week period in February 1993. The music was recorded quickly with few studio superfluities, and the song lyrics and album packaging included medical imagery that conveyed front man Kurt Cobain’s outlook on his exposed personal life, and his band's new found celebrity.
Albini felt that the sounds captured on “Nevermind” were too controlled and radio friendly, and wanted to record the band with as few double takes and over dubs as possible. Despite the quick recording and mixing, once the label suits heard it, they thought it was too raw to be released, and ordered a remix. The record had been dubbed “un-listenable”. Albini did not want to remix it because he felt is was already the best it could be. After much debate, Scott Litt eventually remixed “All Apologies” and “Heart Shaped Box”, which would be the two main singles off the album. The story that the label had pressured Nirvana was exploding in the press, and the controversy that seemed to dog the band since they signed a major label deal continued.
After much argument, the album was finally released on September 21, 1993 (US release date) and debuted at number one Billboard 200. Despite its initial success, the album would not sell as many units as “Nevermind” did. “In Utero” sales were hampered by the fact that two major US chains (Wal-Mart and Kmart, unsurprisingly) did not want to sell the album due to “lack of consumer interest”. It was later revealed that the chains objected to the album’s artwork, of which Kurt had had a role in designing. The back cover especially, which depicted foetuses lying on orchids, was deemed offensive by many. The chains also objected to the song title of “Rape Me”. The artwork was eventually tweaked to bathe everything in an orange glow as to not be as obvious, and the title of “Rape Me” was changed to “Waif Me”
The revised edition of the album was released March 29, 1994, and was finally picked by the major US chains. This of course reignited the exasperating “selling-out” debate that had followed the band since signing with a major label. Cobain would later explain that were he was from (Aberdeen, Washington, USA), the only way anybody could purchase music was from large retail chains, as there was no real demand for any kinds of independent music stores in smaller towns.
Not long after the release, on April 5, 1994, Kurt Cobain would take his own life (allegedly, but that’s a whole other essay..). The weight of his fame and drug addiction finally wore him out. He left behind a child, and his newly obtained wife, Courtney Love. Just four days after her husband’s death, her grunge rock group Hole released its second studio album “Live Through This”. It was a perfect storm of events causing Courtney Love to take the place of her husband in the general atmosphere of mid 1990s alternative music. Rumours persist the Cobain basically wrote the entire album for her. Only one fact is certain pertaining to this, that he recorded baking vocals on a number of tracks on the album. Courtney’s thirst for fame, and to have her relationship with Kurt viewed of that as a modern day Sid and Nancy, made many wonder about her true intentions of marrying him in the first place. “Live Through This” is generally regarded as one of the best albums of the 1990s, although it never did enter the American top 40. These accolades would be embarrassingly revoked it was ever proved that she did murder him, or he was the one responsible for the bulk of the songs on “Live Through This”.
Another important person formerly in Kurt’s life was Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. After joining the band in 1990 and being swept into the whirlwind of major label music making, he never really had a chance to let his inner singer/songwriter out and let it grow to its full potential. The only evidence we see of what was to come was the song “Marigold” (which Dave composed, played guitar, and sang on) which was released as a B-side to the UK only release of the “Heart Shaped Box” CD single.
Grohl received endless offers to play drums for a number of popular and unknown groups. He played drums with Tom Petty during his Saturday Night Live performance in November of 1994, and was asked to join the band on a full time basis, but politely declined to peruse his yet unnamed solo project. In late 1994, he went into the studio to record what would ultimately become the first Foo Fighters album. Grohl wrote, and recorded the entire album himself. And after a few copies had been passed around the music community, a record deal soon followed. Not interested in being a “solo star” of sorts, he then formed an all-star group of musicians (including former member of The Germs, and Sunny Day Real Estate) to take his music to the stage. The Foo Fighters quickly gained immense commercial success and gained many fans. Album after album, and tour after tour, the Foos became one of the most important bans of the 2000s. A number of line up changes, and some well received side projects (including Grohl’s contributions to Queens of the Stone Ages’s hit 2002 album “Songs For The Deaf”, and his heavy metal project Probot, which featured many of his musical heroes guesting) didn’t slow the band’s productivity in the new millennium. Wining a total of six Grammys (so far!), and releasing an album packed with hits approximately every 3 years, I think its safe to say that Dave Grohl would have never gone on to greatness had he not joined the band in 1990 and had had the music industry experience he gained while he pounded the lit with Nirvana.
“In Utero” may not be the band best know work, but it is one of the most potent. Critics, for the most part, gave the album glowingly positive reviews. It is the album most recommended to people who have never been exposed to the band, and often cited as an influence by many young bands coming up or that have made their way up through the industry in the last 16 years. It was ranked 493 by Rolling Stone magazine in the “Top 500 albums of all time” list. In 2004 Blender magazine placed it 94 in its “100 greatest American albums of all time” list, and was recently certified fives times platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America.
In conclusion, despite the fact that “In Utero” is not necessarily the band’s most recognized work, it is quickly coming across to be the most influential of Nirvana’s three studio albums. The other members of the band have achieved various levels of success and moved on, leaving the past behind them instead of comfortably resting on their laurels as would have been so easy for them to do after the fact. Courtney Love’s celebrity remains controversial at best because some of us consider her to be the one who helped the band self-destruct. The album will never be far away from my stereo, and I will always go back to it when I need to remember were I come from, and, I suspect, so will a lot of others.
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