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There's a degree of variation of uniqueness. Originality isn't the only good thing about music, but when Nirvana sounds EXACTLY like bands of the mid-80s, it just ceases to be as interesting to me. Music journalism is terrible, so popular perception of music means very little. Nirvana was very influential to starting a bunch of ****ty grunge bands that are also un-interesting. That doesn't make me think more of them.

To be clear, I don't think Nirvana is BAD. They're a decent band who churned out two above average records.

 

You should probably stop enjoying things altogether then. Nothing is 100% unique and not duplicable.

 

What he said.

I am still a fan of Nirvana to this day. I was in high school/college during this time so the music meant a lot to me. I'm still a huge Alice In Chains fan, too. I was not into Pearl Jam as much. Loved 10, but I couldn't get into the later albums.

There are just bands, good or bad, that have a lasting influence. Nirvana is one of them and there are few, if any, in the music industry that would say otherwise.

 

I submit that it's possible Kurt would still be alive today if Nirvana accepted Rush's invitation to tour with them back in the day. But, Grohl and company declined. I think Rush could have taught Nirvana a thing or two had they toured together. And, the experience might have made Kurt more level-headed about things. If anyone can put it all in perspective for him, then Neil Peart could of. Maybe...maybe no. Kurt talked a lot in his suicide note about empathy for others and how he cared too much. Neil could have set him straight on all that in a few heavy conversations. Neil knows how to separate his private and public life better than anyone. He's the smartest musician around. You never know... .

Okay, my real motivation is it would have been cool to see Rush and Nirvana on the same bill.

 

Okay, I agree with you somewhat, but I have a hard time believing it all right place right time like you are seeming to imply. Sometimes it can be a fine line between what's appeals to the masses and what doesn't. I'm not sure if anyone can pinpoint what it is about Nirvana that made them "different," but it had to be something.

Another factor is this recording sounds more like Bleach-era Nirvana to me. In short, it sounds like it was made cheaply on an indie label.

A big X-Factor was the production on Nevermind. Up to that point, I'm not sure if a "punk" album has ever sounded so good while being so loud. Butch Vig and the rest of the production team doesn't get enough credit. It was over-produced as all hell, but still somehow managed to sound raw and edgy.

I really think the album sounding like a major label rock record instead of a cheap indie production played a big part in it's success.

 

Wait, wait... You went from original to "a degree of variation of uniqueness"... about the Ramones... and what they did is pretty much what all punk rock bands do... three to four chords, as fast and hard as you can, lots of fuzz/distortion... No one calls the Sex Pistols ripoff artists or the Clash (before they evolved) despite blatant copy-cat musical tendencies... Hell, The Clash would even start their early stuff doing DeeDee's 1-2-3-4, EXACTLY the same way...

You'll overlook that... but not Kurt's particular guitar feedback fueled solos (Spank Thru in Rome, School in Amsterdam, Blew in the same city, Serve the Servants, Sappy live), and his particular interpretation of quiet/loud, clean/distortion.... which do not sound exactly like anything in the 80's... and his bluegrass falsetto/punk growling vocalization...?

In other words, as long as you like it enough and approve of it, it counts... otherwise, no dice...? I see...

 

To say nothing of his emotive/musical application of feedback.... It's amazing how much hate this man attracts and for no better reason than, "I didn't like them as much as everyone else"...

 

The fact that they were amateurish and exploded too soon is part of the story of Nirvana. Kurt always thought of himself as a crap guitar player. He wasn't trying to be unique, he was just trying to sing in a rock band.

Grunge took the rawness of punk rock and took it in a different direction, emotionally. The sound wasn't supposed to be unique, it was just supposed to be NOT hair metal. I don't know how old you are, but unless you were there and lived the transition from hair metal to grunge, you probably don't get it completely. You're criticizing a genre of music for not being something it was never, ever trying to be.

 

Well, Kurt was self-deprecating, and open about his insecurities... He certainly wasn't anywhere near among the best guitarists in contemporary western musical history... but, he had his moments...

The emotive use of feedback is quite the lost art with rock guitarists... It was in the 90's... For example, You Know You're Right... Where it's used to more precisely impress the core emotion of a song to an audience rather than used as a mere tonal punctuation... such as found commonly in rock guitar solos or a typical resonating closing for a rock song... Where the feedback is window dressing, rather than emotional expression...

I really think Kurt, in this respect, was right there with Jimi Hendrix...

 

I should say, open about his insecurities and honest about his shortcomings... I think this is why so many took everything he said out of context...

Like the famous, "wanted to ripoff the pixies" line.... Well, the Pixies admitted to wanting to be a combination of Dusker Hu and Peter, Paul and Mary... I guess they were right there with Kurt on ripping artists off... and every artist that admits to his influences and inspirations in an honest way...

 

It sounds more like the Replacements or Husker Du than grunge

 

I didn't get why Kurt was so critical over his own guitar playing. I recall seeing something about him criticizing himself after their MTV Unplugged appearance and that show was a huge success. I don't recall seeing him flub any notes or anything. He just seemed like one of those types who was overly critical and couldn't enjoy anything. On the one hand, criticizing oneself can be beneficial and allow one to improve them self but, on the other hand, it can be unfounded and detrimental to ones own psyche. I think he fell more into the latter category. I think his negativity led to his own downfall. He just couldn't appreciate any of it for what it was. That is what I think. It probably just goes with depression. The bottom line is he was a fine guitar player who never felt he played well enough. And, it went to his head.

 

I submit that had he not married Kourtney Love, he'd still be alive. I'm not a conspiracy nut, but I've always thought that she or someone she was involved with pulled that trigger.

 

It's a shame that being a parent and having a little kid is not enough incentive to want to stick around. You know a person is not right in the head when they can reconcile that their own children are better off without their parent to raise them. In that sense, I've always been pissed at Kurt for doing what he did to this day.