Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting being Dave Grohl,
who joined the band in 1990. Despite releasing only three full-length
studio albums in their seven-year career, Nirvana has come to be
regarded as one of the most influential and important rock bands of the
modern era.
In the late 1980s Nirvana established itself as part of the Seattle grunge scene, releasing its first album Bleach for the independent record label Sub Pop
in 1989. The band eventually came to develop a sound that relied on
dynamic contrasts, often between quiet verses and loud, heavy choruses.
After signing to major label DGC Records, Nirvana found unexpected success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit", the first single from the band's second album Nevermind (1991). Nirvana's sudden success widely popularized alternative rock
as a whole, and the band's frontman Cobain found himself referred to in
the media as the "spokesman of a generation", with Nirvana being
considered the "flagship band" of Generation X.[1] In response, Nirvana's third studio album, In Utero
(1993), featured an abrasive, less-mainstream sound and challenged the
group's audience. The album did not match the sales figures of Nevermind but was still a commercial success and critically acclaimed.
Nirvana's brief run ended following the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, but various posthumous releases have been issued since, overseen by Novoselic, Grohl, and Cobain's widow Courtney Love.
Since its debut, the band has sold over 25 million records in the
United States alone, and over 75 million records worldwide, making them
one of the best-selling bands of all time.[2][3] Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, in its first year of eligibility.
Cobain described the sound of Nirvana when it first started as "a Gang of Four and Scratch Acid ripoff".[52] Later when Nirvana recorded Bleach,
Cobain felt he had to fit the expectations of the Sub Pop grunge sound
to build a fanbase, and hence suppressed his arty and pop songwriting
traits while crafting the record in favor of a more rocking sound.[93] Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad
argued, "Ironically, it was the restrictions of the Sub Pop sound that
helped the band find its musical identity". Azerrad stated that by
acknowledging that its members had grown up listening to Black Sabbath and Aerosmith, the band was able to move on from its derivative early sound.[94]
Nirvana used dynamic shifts that went from quiet to loud.[60] Cobain had sought to mix heavy and pop musical sounds; he commented, "I wanted to be totally Led Zeppelin in a way and then be totally extreme punk rock and then do real wimpy pop songs". When Cobain heard the Pixies' 1988 album Surfer Rosa after recording Bleach,
he felt it had the sound he wanted to achieve but until then was too
intimidated to try. The Pixies' subsequent popularity encouraged Cobain
to follow his instincts as a songwriter.[95] Like the Pixies, Nirvana moved between "spare bass-and-drum grooves and shrill bursts of screaming guitar and vocals".[96]
Near the end of his life, Cobain noted the band had become bored by the
formula, finding it limited, but he expressed doubts that the band was
skilled enough to try other dynamics.[60]
Cobain's rhythm guitar style, which relied on power chords, low-note
riffs, and a loose left-handed technique, featured the key components to
the band’s songs. Cobain would often initially play a song's verse riff
in a clean tone, then double it with distorted guitars when he repeated
the part. In some songs the guitar would be absent from the verses
entirely to allow the drums and bass guitar to support the vocals, or it
would only play sparse melodies like the two-note pattern used in
"Smells Like Teen Spirit". Cobain rarely played standard guitar solos,
opting to play slight variations of the song's melody as single note
lines. Cobain's solos were mostly blues-based and discordant, which
music writer Jon Chappell described as "almost an iconoclastic parody of
the traditional instrumental break", a quality typified by the
note-for-note replication of the lead melody in "Smells Like Teen
Spirit" and the atonal solo for "Breed".[92]
When asked about their musical education, the band states that they had
no formal musical training. In fact, Cobain says: "I have no concept of
knowing how to be a musician at all what-so-ever...I couldn't even pass
Guitar 101." [97]
Grohl's drumming "took Nirvana's sound to a new level of intensity".[98]
Azerrad stated that Grohl's "powerful drumming propelled the band to a
whole new plane, visually as well as musically", noting, "Although Dave
is a merciless basher, his parts are also distinctly musical—it wouldn't
be difficult to figure out what song he was playing even without the
rest of the music."[99]
From 1992, Cobain and Novoselic would tune their guitars to E flat
for studio and live performances (up until then, their live tunings were
to concert pitch).[100] Cobain noted, "We play so hard we can't tune our guitars fast enough."[101]
The band made a habit of destroying its equipment after shows.
Novoselic said he and Cobain created the "shtick" in order to get off of
the stage sooner.[102]
Cobain stated it began as an expression of his frustration with Chad
Channing making mistakes and dropping out entirely during performances.[103]
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