Throwback Thursday: Nirvana - In Utero

In Utero

Nirvana

Original Release date: 21st September 1993

20th Anniversary re-release date: 23rd September 2013

Available to stream on Spotify - see Spotify player below

The 'Throwback Thursday' blog posts will be my attempt to recommend a classic album from years gone by.

For the first of these posts I have chosen an album which was intensely anticipated before it's release in 1993. 'In Utero' turned out to be Nirvana's last studio album and was a great success debuting at number one in the US. The album was seen to be a statement of the ongoing struggle between indie and corporate culture. Nirvana were an indie band, but without the backing of their corporate partners, would they have been able to produce the material they did and reach the heights they did? This is an argument that still rumbles on today, although there are more indie record labels now who share their band's beliefs. Domino is one of these labels. Their acts include chart regulars Arctic Monkeys, Hot Chip and Franz Ferdinand, along with acts with smaller fan bases such as Villagers and King Creosote.

The album includes 'Heart-Shaped Box' which went on to be one of Nirvana's most popular songs, up there with 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and 'Come As You Are'.

But sadly, just over 6 months later, on 8th April 1994 Kurt Cobain's body was found in his Seattle home. A suicide note was also found at the house in which Cobain wrote 'I don't have the passion anymore, and so remember, it's better to burn out than to fade away'. 

This gave the album a new significance and meaning - it became synonymous with Cobain's suicide. Even Dave Grohl, Nirvana drummer, admitted this. In a recent interview he talked about how he finds it hard to listen to 'In Utero' without thinking of Cobain's death.

The way you perceive the lyrics of 'In Utero' are also affected by this. From the album's opening line "Teenage angst has paid off well/ Now I'm bored and old", which before his death seems slightly ironic, now it seems unsettling. To the scream of "get awaaaaaayyyy" in 'Scentless Apprentice', which before could be aimed at the media or greedy record companies, could it have now been aimed at life itself?

Either way you view this album it's still up there as a classic. It leaves me wondering what Nirvana would have gone onto next, and how they would have matured to cope with the 21st Century had they lasted that long - maybe an angsty Foo Fighters?

A 20th Anniversary deluxe version was released this week containing previously unheard songs, early demos and B-sides. This is a classic album and I highly recommend you buy or listen to it.