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Bogeywon

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Bogeywon

Bogeywon 2546

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48 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Yikes, "Breed" is lethal as an opener.  What a band.  Anybody who thinks they were posing Pixies knockoffs needs to hear that.  An A-list power trio for the modern era.

They sound so good. Just as tight as ever in that concert. As soon as I get home from work I’m busting out the Cobain jaguar and playing breed

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bschoolprof

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Thanks for posting. I'm a big Nirvana fan.

1) that was the best live version of lithium I've heard.  The way the crowd was singing along at the beginning . . . amazing. As a side note, lithium is probably my favorite hit Nirvana song. It's a unique chord progression that you don't hear much (at all?) in rock music and Kurt wrote two amazing melodies for that same progression in the verse and chorus. He was a pure genius at melody composition.  

2) I've always been a fan of the second half of nevermind, and they killed it on lounge act, on a plain, stay away in this set.  

3) I didn't know they were playing dumb and all apologies back in 92.  

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ztejas

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33 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

Thanks for posting. I'm a big Nirvana fan.

1) that was the best live version of lithium I've heard.  The way the crowd was singing along at the beginning . . . amazing. As a side note, lithium is probably my favorite hit Nirvana song. It's a unique chord progression that you don't hear much (at all?) in rock music and Kurt wrote two amazing melodies for that same progression in the verse and chorus. He was a pure genius at melody composition.  

2) I've always been a fan of the second half of nevermind, and they killed it on lounge act, on a plain, stay away in this set.  

3) I didn't know they were playing dumb and all apologies back in 92.  

I agree. I think Lithium is the best song they ever recorded. That or heart shaped box maybe 

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jimmyjazz

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I think "Lithium" has something like 7 distinct chords in the main riff.  I worked it out once, I'll have to go back and relearn it, but yes, Cobain had not only an insanely natural ear for more advanced theory (at least in the pop world) he was usually able to drop a completely unpredictable melody on top of those chord progressions.  In my mind he rivaled Paul Westerberg in that regard, who is the gold standard for me.

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Patricio Swayze

Patricio Swayze 17058

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I think "Lithium" has something like 7 distinct chords in the main riff.  I worked it out once, I'll have to go back and relearn it, but yes, Cobain had not only an insanely natural ear for more advanced theory (at least in the pop world) he was usually able to drop a completely unpredictable melody on top of those chord progressions.  In my mind he rivaled Paul Westerberg in that regard, who is the gold standard for me.


This is the kind of thing that guitar virtuoso wankers can’t wrap their heads around. And it’s quite annoying.
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Bogeywon

Bogeywon 2546

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2 hours ago, bschoolprof said:

Thanks for posting. I'm a big Nirvana fan.

1) that was the best live version of lithium I've heard.  The way the crowd was singing along at the beginning . . . amazing. As a side note, lithium is probably my favorite hit Nirvana song. It's a unique chord progression that you don't hear much (at all?) in rock music and Kurt wrote two amazing melodies for that same progression in the verse and chorus. He was a pure genius at melody composition.  

2) I've always been a fan of the second half of nevermind, and they killed it on lounge act, on a plain, stay away in this set.  

3) I didn't know they were playing dumb and all apologies back in 92.  

Read the book Heavier than heaven. It’s a good Kurt Cobain book that walks you through his life and career. It’s like Montage Of Heck on steroids 

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Rimbo

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8 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Yikes, "Breed" is lethal as an opener.  What a band.  Anybody who thinks they were posing Pixies knockoffs needs to hear that.  An A-list power trio for the modern era.

Who the fuck would say such a thing? The Pixies were loose and out of tune because they didn't have the ability to play and sing in tune. Nirvana was loose and out of tune because fuck you, fuck your mother and fuck your dog, that's why.

The Pixies are the kind of band music critics who judge a band more on attitude than capability think is pretty good. Nirvana is just good old fashioned greatness.

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jimmyjazz

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5 hours ago, Rimbo said:

Who the fuck would say such a thing? The Pixies were loose and out of tune because they didn't have the ability to play and sing in tune. Nirvana was loose and out of tune because fuck you, fuck your mother and fuck your dog, that's why.

It's probably dropped as a reference more to the songwriting and soft/loud structure, not to mention Cobain's fondness for the band than anything else.  

Regarding loose and out of tune -- this live show makes it pretty clear they were capable of playing as tight as anyone when they wanted to (which was your point).

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BrickHorn

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9 minutes ago, Bogeywon said:

Disagree. My drummer and I have fun playing lithium about a girl and others. It’s fun because it’s easy. 

We have maybe 6 Nirvana songs in our set.  The only one that’s fun to play is actually a David Bowie song.  The rest are boooring.  (That includes About a Girl and Lithium, btw).  Smells Like is just a fucking beating.  We used to do “no Nirvana” rehearsal days as a treat for ourselves.   

Pearl Jam is the exact opposite.  I was never a huge fan of their music, but it’s fun to play. At least the harder rocking numbers.  

Of the Seattle bands, Alice In Chains is by far the most enjoyable to play as a band.  They also happen to be my favorite to listen to, so it’s kind of the best of both worlds.  

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12612

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7 minutes ago, Parliament said:

Ten years ago I went through a stretch where I thought their music had aged poorly.

I was wrong. Their best song is Heart Shaped Box.

The first two sentences describe me well.

They were the first band of my era that I was obsessed with.  Then, I eventually burned out on it and didn't listen much for a long time.  As I started seeing kids younger than me worshiping Cobain, and Nirvana ascend into the all time pantheon, I came to the conclusion that they probably weren't as good as I remembered.

Last spring I spent about a week listening to everything again, while we were in the field.  Shit holds up well.  Listening to Bleach and then following it with Nevermind is such a jarring experience, and probably Exhibit A as to why Dave Grohl is not only one of the best drummers that ever lived, but why he's almost as important to Nirvana being Nirvana as Kurt was.

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Bogeywon

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2 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

The first two sentences describe me well.

They were the first band of my era that I was obsessed with.  Then, I eventually burned out on it and didn't listen much for a long time.  As I started seeing kids younger than me worshiping Cobain, and Nirvana ascend into the all time pantheon, I came to the conclusion that they probably weren't as good as I remembered.

Last spring I spent about a week listening to everything again, while we were in the field.  Shit holds up well.  Listening to Bleach and then following it with Nevermind is such a jarring experience, and probably Exhibit A as to why Dave Grohl is not only one of the best drummers that ever lived, but why he's almost as important to Nirvana being Nirvana as Kurt was.

Listen to that concert (or a few songs). He hammers the drums which is the perfect compliment to Kurt and krist’s playing. He drives those songs in that concert 

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Rimbo

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On 3/9/2019 at 3:58 AM, jimmyjazz said:

It's probably dropped as a reference more to the songwriting and soft/loud structure, not to mention Cobain's fondness for the band than anything else.  

Regarding loose and out of tune -- this live show makes it pretty clear they were capable of playing as tight as anyone when they wanted to (which was your point).

What the fuck, dude. Are we actually agreeing on something music-related?

 

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BrickHorn

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2 hours ago, Parliament said:

Ten years ago I went through a stretch where I thought their music had aged poorly.

I was wrong. Their best song is Heart Shaped Box.

False.  Lounge Act is their best song, followed by (in no particular order) About a Girl, Aneurysm, Even in his Youth, School, and Breed.  

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jimmyjazz

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24 minutes ago, Bogeywon said:

Listen to that concert (or a few songs). He hammers the drums which is the perfect compliment to Kurt and krist’s playing. He drives those songs in that concert 

He "hammers" them but he's also damn close to John Bonham in the fact that he plays heavy (heavier, actually) and yet maintains a sense of groove.  I don't know if we'll ever be graced with another Bonham, but hearing a guy like Grohl play is a nice temporary respite.

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bschoolprof

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On 3/8/2019 at 6:46 PM, jimmyjazz said:

Cobain had not only an insanely natural ear for more advanced theory (at least in the pop world) he was usually able to drop a completely unpredictable melody on top of those chord progressions.  

Totally this.  Every time I've ever tried to write a melody, I always fall back on a standard I IV V progression and my melody sounds . . . exactly like the  I IV V progression.  I have zero talent.  

48 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

False.  Lounge Act is their best song, followed by (in no particular order) About a Girl, Aneurysm, Even in his Youth, School, and Breed.  

Lounge Act is a great fucking song.  My personal favorite is Sappy, which was never released on a studio album.  It has tight little solo, which is very non-nirvana like- maybe this would be fun for your band? 

 

 

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Bogeywon

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39 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

Totally this.  Every time I've ever tried to write a melody, I always fall back on a standard I IV V progression and my melody sounds . . . exactly like the  I IV V progression.  I have zero talent.  

Lounge Act is a great fucking song.  My personal favorite is Sappy, which was never released on a studio album.  It has tight little solo, which is very non-nirvana like- maybe this would be fun for your band? 

 

 

Was just listening to this song 

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Buzzrock

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I have kind of a strange mentally internalized thing regarding Nirvana. I graduated high school in 1990, so they are right in my early-adulthood formative wheelhouse. I vividly remember exactly where I was when I first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit (The Taco Stand in Athens, GA) and saying to my friends, "Are you hearing this?" I'm a rock guy at heart so all of that should add up to them being way up there on my "list".

But in terms of having *songs I like* I'd put them behind Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and even STP (I know, not Seattle grunge). I thoroughly recognize how important they are and their impact on music at the time, but I don't enjoy their songs all that much. When Cobain died I didn't really feel any kind of way about it (Chris Cornell, otoh, ruined me for a month).

Negative Creep is probably my favorite song.

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oSuJeff97

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I think most of us here are around the same age (I graduated HS in '93), but for those who may happen to be younger and weren't experiencing Nirvana "real time," it's hard to not understate how different they sounded from everything else out there when they burst onto the scene in '91.

Yes, of course they were highly influenced by the Pixies and other punk/underground rock bands, but for most of us kids living in the suburbs, we weren't listening to any of that. We were listening to whatever was on MTV and top 40 radio, and when Nirvana happened it was like, WHAT. IS. THIS.  It really did blow my fucking mind.

It's hard to separate their music from the legend now and also from the dozens and dozens of bands who were influenced by their sound/attitude/everything.

 

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Al_4_ISU

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I was born in '85, so I was in like 2nd grade, and not really paying attention to music quite yet when they broke out.  I remember Cobain's death well, and was very aware that there was a band called "Nirvana" and they were a big deal.

It was probably '95 when I actively listened to them for the first time.  My cousin (who was 2 years older) had just bought Nevermind because he was told he should, and we put it on and it was like "Oh!  Nirvana are those guys?" (as we had obviously been hearing these songs for the past 3 or so years).  

It suddenly went from something I recognized in the background to holding my undivided attention.  They were my favorite band and primary music obsession until I discovered Rage Against the Machine in probably early '99.

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Al_4_ISU

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18 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

It may not be the most ground breaking, but I always liked "All Apologies".

I've always thought it was a pretty prescient closer.  It's hard to listen to that and not think Cobain knew damn well that was the last Nirvana album.

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irishtexan

irishtexan 11692

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Saw them at Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas in 93. Would have been 15 years old at the time. Went back to look at the setlist. Pretty epic show:

 

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter

Drain You

Breed

Serve the Servants

Come as You Are

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Sliver

Dumb

In Bloom

About a Girl

Lithium

Pennyroyal Tea

School

Polly

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle

Milk It

Rape Me

Territorial Pissings

 

Encore:

Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam (The Vaselines cover)

Where Did You Sleep Last Night? (Lead Belly cover)

The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie cover)

All Apologies

On a Plain

Heart-Shaped Box

Blew

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Bogeywon

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32 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

Saw them at Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas in 93. Would have been 15 years old at the time. Went back to look at the setlist. Pretty epic show:

 

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter

Drain You

Breed

Serve the Servants

Come as You Are

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Sliver

Dumb

In Bloom

About a Girl

Lithium

Pennyroyal Tea

School

Polly

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle

Milk It

Rape Me

Territorial Pissings

 

Encore:

Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam (The Vaselines cover)

Where Did You Sleep Last Night? (Lead Belly cover)

The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie cover)

All Apologies

On a Plain

Heart-Shaped Box

Blew

real nice!

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SimonBolivar

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1 hour ago, irishtexan said:

Saw them at Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas in 93. Would have been 15 years old at the time. Went back to look at the setlist. Pretty epic show:

 

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter

Drain You

Breed

Serve the Servants

Come as You Are

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Sliver

Dumb

In Bloom

About a Girl

Lithium

Pennyroyal Tea

School

Polly

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle

Milk It

Rape Me

Territorial Pissings

 

Encore:

Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam (The Vaselines cover)

Where Did You Sleep Last Night? (Lead Belly cover)

The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie cover)

All Apologies

On a Plain

Heart-Shaped Box

Blew

Man what a show.

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BurdineBandit

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Was in Seattle a couple weekends ago and really appreciated the Museum of Pop Culture's Nirvana exhibit. Lots of cool memorabilia: clothes, guitars broken by Kurt, lyric sheets, set lists, polaroids, etc. Pretty cool stuff. The whole grunge scene is a bit before my time, but walking through that exhibit + Pearl Jam's exhibit kind of started to clarify how Seattle/Washington could hold that type of scene/sound.

Personally I always especially appreciated both Lithium and In Bloom, so those are fine choices for favorite songs to me. The Unplugged album is probably what convinced me I was truly a fan though.

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CooterBrown

CooterBrown 18273

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19 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

I have kind of a strange mentally internalized thing regarding Nirvana. I graduated high school in 1990, so they are right in my early-adulthood formative wheelhouse. I vividly remember exactly where I was when I first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit (The Taco Stand in Athens, GA) and saying to my friends, "Are you hearing this?" I'm a rock guy at heart so all of that should add up to them being way up there on my "list".

Class of '90 here also. I also remember where I was. Smells came on the radio and I asked the room "who is that?".  A guy seriously replied, "Sounds like Metal Church."

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Rimbo

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19 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

I have kind of a strange mentally internalized thing regarding Nirvana. I graduated high school in 1990, so they are right in my early-adulthood formative wheelhouse. I vividly remember exactly where I was when I first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit (The Taco Stand in Athens, GA) and saying to my friends, "Are you hearing this?" I'm a rock guy at heart so all of that should add up to them being way up there on my "list".

But in terms of having *songs I like* I'd put them behind Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and even STP (I know, not Seattle grunge). I thoroughly recognize how important they are and their impact on music at the time, but I don't enjoy their songs all that much. When Cobain died I didn't really feel any kind of way about it (Chris Cornell, otoh, ruined me for a month).

Negative Creep is probably my favorite song.

I'm here to tell you: That's OK. It's good to recognize greatness, even if you don't particularly like it. It's good to recognize that what you like and what are good are -- while not entirely independent -- separate concerns.

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Dennis Taylor

Dennis Taylor 19294

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4 hours ago, irishtexan said:

Saw them at Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas in 93. Would have been 15 years old at the time. Went back to look at the setlist. Pretty epic show:

 

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter

Drain You

Breed

Serve the Servants

Come as You Are

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Sliver

Dumb

In Bloom

About a Girl

Lithium

Pennyroyal Tea

School

Polly

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle

Milk It

Rape Me

Territorial Pissings

 

Encore:

Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam (The Vaselines cover)

Where Did You Sleep Last Night? (Lead Belly cover)

The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie cover)

All Apologies

On a Plain

Heart-Shaped Box

Blew

I was at the show the following night in Houston at the AstroArena, which ended up being their final Texas show. It was out of control...I distinctly remember going to take a leak and looking down at the floor from the concourse and it literally looked like a satellite view of a hurricane but instead of clouds it was humans. 

I was in my last semester before graduating from UT when Nevermind was released. if any of you went to the weight room in the recently opened Rec Center then you probably heard it there...you're welcome!  (only had 9 hours so I worked there about 15 hrs/week and tried to get control of the CD PA as much as possible- Metallica's black album also in heavy rotation)           

my favs: No particular order-

lithium, drain you, lounge act, rape me, aneurysm, sappy, heart shaped box 

 

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Parliament

Parliament 14570

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22 hours ago, oSuJeff97 said:

I think most of us here are around the same age (I graduated HS in '93), but for those who may happen to be younger and weren't experiencing Nirvana "real time," it's hard to not understate how different they sounded from everything else out there when they burst onto the scene in '91.

Yes, of course they were highly influenced by the Pixies and other punk/underground rock bands, but for most of us kids living in the suburbs, we weren't listening to any of that. We were listening to whatever was on MTV and top 40 radio, and when Nirvana happened it was like, WHAT. IS. THIS.  It really did blow my fucking mind.

It's hard to separate their music from the legend now and also from the dozens and dozens of bands who were influenced by their sound/attitude/everything.

 

One of my classmates dropped "Smells Like Teen Spirit" into his boom box after gym class in early 1992 or so.  Cranked it all the way up.  EVERYBODY in ear shot stopped what they were doing and just listened.  Hair metal, simply, syrupy riffs and all the "W Bands" (Warrant, Winger, Whitesnake, White Lion, etc) were all killed on that day.  I'm not sure there has ever been a sharper break between 2 musical eras.

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jimmyjazz

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2 hours ago, Parliament said:

One of my classmates dropped "Smells Like Teen Spirit" into his boom box after gym class in early 1992 or so. 

Sounds late.  The song was released to radio in August 1991, and the album came out a month later.  By year's end the whole thing was massive.

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destroya

destroya 396

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2 hours ago, Parliament said:

One of my classmates dropped "Smells Like Teen Spirit" into his boom box after gym class in early 1992 or so.  Cranked it all the way up.  EVERYBODY in ear shot stopped what they were doing and just listened.  Hair metal, simply, syrupy riffs and all the "W Bands" (Warrant, Winger, Whitesnake, White Lion, etc) were all killed on that day.  I'm not sure there has ever been a sharper break between 2 musical eras.

Class of 93 here.  That's the thing about Nirvana, regardless of what you think about their music, they immediately and throughly killed an entire subgenre of rock and ushered in a completely new sound and look for kids.  They weren't the first Seattle band I heard, Alice and Chains was getting airplay during the summer of 91 and I first saw Soundgarden when the opened for GnR, but no other band from that era can match their impact on mainstream pop culture.

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