Nirvana - Nevermind

YOURZ

I knew who Nirvana were before Nevermind sent them into the stratosphere of rock.  I was one of those early adopters who bought Bleach and was blown away by their punk-rock-meets-Pixies-pop stylings.  My band at the time (hello former Scruffs!) did a cover of Love Buzz, inspired by their cover.  But then along came this album.  And it changed everything.

Nevermind was such a huge cross-over hit, the music industry had to change the way it was doing business.  Suddenly, 'indie' no longer inspired visuals of sweaty, long-haired lads tooling around the country in a exhaust-spewing van, surviving on bong-loads, beer and biscuits.  Now, every major label was stampeding over each other to find another Nirvana (I love the irony of these words).

Arguably, without Nirvana, bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins (and so many more, I could be here for days making a list) wouldn't have found the fame they have done.  While these and many others that followed have had sterling careers, none have had the impact Nirvana has had.  They are indeed, for the want of a stupid, simple analogy, the Gen-X answer to The Beatles.

I was fortunate enough to see Nirvana live at the ANU Refectory in Canberra in the summer of 1992.  There were only 2000 tickets available for this show but another 1000 kids crushed each other against the glass windows, trying to get a glimpse of the band.  When some kids broke a window and poured through, a happy riot ensued.  None of us ticket-holders could begrudge them a chance to see this band live.  But little did we know it would be the first and last time the band made it to Australia.

I can't remember exactly what songs they played, but I do remember when they played Smells Like Teen Spirit, the venue became a single bouncing entity.  I honestly had never experienced anything like this before, and haven't since.  And I'm sure if Kurt knew this, it would make him smile.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

So... what can I add after that?  I have to admit, when this album came out I was firmly entrenched in dance culture, and really didn't get it at all.  I think it took the MTV Unplugged session a couple of years later to reveal to me how good a singer Cobain was and how well he wrote.  And now?  I love it.  The beautiful moment when rock and pop co-exist in perfect symbiosis.  Also shows off what a kick-arse drummer Dave Grohl is.

Essential.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/nirvana

In our collection we also have Bleach

The Pixies - Death To The Pixies

YOURZ

The first Pixies song I ever heard was the their single Here Comes Your Man off the album Doolittle.  In fact, what I saw was the video for the track, where the band mimes with their mouths wide open.  The track itself has such a classic feel about it, I was surprised to find out it was an original composition.  The second song I ever heard was Tame, from the same album.  I remember being absolutely smitten with the song but unable to believe it was made by the same band. 

But the reality is the Pixies were able to pull off great pop and blistering punk rock, sometimes in the same song.  Their soft/loud formula became the template for myriad bands that followed, most notably and widely discussed among them being Nirvana.  Kurt Cobain professed his love of this band numerous times but also indicated they played a big part in the development of his band's sound.

What they did for me was show me, as both a songwriter and fan of both pop music melody and rock aesthetics, that I could write songs combining these two loves and make them into a bigger, better whole.  Of course, my music career never took the same high roads as Nirvana's but nevertheless, the influence was the same.  The band I was in around this time even covered one of their songs, U-Mass, such was our love of the Pixies.

The other thing I remember this band doing is uniting previously disparate groups of people under the single flag of indie rock, with both the American grunge and British music fans falling for this band.  What is mostly amazing to me listening back to this great collection is why the rest of the world didn't see the genius of the Pixies like we did.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

I was never much of a Pixies fan.  I mean, I liked Here Comes Your Man and Monkey Gone To Heaven, but I never owned an album.  So it was interesting to listen to this best-of compilation -  and it's mostly well-put together rock.  Of course my indie-band complaint surfaced pretty quickly - what's the point of having lyrics for songs if you can't hear what's being sung?  But those tunes were thankfully in the minority. 

I have to say, I don't like Debaser even though some might say it's the quintessential Pixies song.  But I did like Caribou and I always appreciate a bite of girl-styled rawk.  I can also appreciate the production - these songs sound like they're almost recorded live.  There's a rawness and an urgency that you generally don't get with a studio sound.  But that's no excuse for unintelligible lyrics.  Not at all. 

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.pixiesmusic.com/

In our collection we also have Come On Pilgrim

Seasick Steve - Dog House Music

MINE

Another example of where the musical tastes of YourZ and Mine(self) couldn't be further apart.  I mean, good on Seasick Steve for breaking through to more mainstream acclaim after years of just getting by.  He bought a tractor.  But listening to 45 minutes' worth of pretty ordinary blues music?  I'd rather clean the oven.

Let's face it, playing the blues isn't like playing Rachmaninoff.  You don't need to study for years.  I can appreciate quality blues-playing - I've seen Albert Collins live - and I'm sorry but this CD is just what I'd expect from someone who's been playing the blues most of his life.  He's good - not great.  And along with many other bluesmen, he's unintelligible.

I mean, he could be telling me the meaning of life, recounting how he performs indecent acts on hamsters, or reciting his mother's recipe for possum stew - I can't pick up more than one word in about three or four.  How anyone can enjoy this is beyond me.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

YOURZ

Every once in a while, a genuine talented musician achieves notoriety, cutting a swathe through the multiple layers of crap and detritus coddling the music industry and reminding real music lovers what good music should sound like.  Seasick Steve is one such artist, and Dog House Music is the album that introduced him to the greater listening public.

What makes this story all the more interesting is Steve is not a young, good looking man but a homely good old boy who, like a lot of 'true' bluesmen, spent many years living hand to mouth on the road.  At the same time, he also gained the respect and friendship of some of the most famous names in music, including Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain, as well as acting as mixer and producer for many indie acts including Modest Mouse.

What makes Steve different from the myriad bluesmen out there?  Well, this is a hard question to answer.  Blues is not something you can just pick up and, contra to what Mine thinks, it takes a long time to develop that elemental something that makes one act rise above the rest.  For me, Steve doesn't come from the 'woe is me' blues school, which has been done to death.  Instead, his tales of living rough on the road are so personal, you can almost feel the holes in his shoes rubbing on your feet.  Despite this, his tales are of overcoming those hardships with humour and optimism and of a life largely enjoyed.  There's a lesson in this for all of us. 

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.seasicksteve.com/