Nevermind

Artist: Nirvana
Label: Geffen
Website: hereisnirvana.com

September 24, 1991 will always be a date that is remembered in rock history as it represents the release date of Nirvana's Nevermind. It is a record that completely shifted musical tastes by ending a long era of hard rock/hair metal and was the overnight introduction to grunge.

This new reissue comes at you in all shapes and sizes but the Super Deluxe Edition is the one that is the most extensive and probably the most interesting. The first of four discs contains the album remastered with its b-sides. The remastered sound is vibrant and the b-sides are nice to have all together.

Disc two collects all the demos that were recorded at Smart Studios, The Boombox Rehearsals and a couple live BBC tracks. The interesting thing about the Smart Sessions is that only "Polly" made it to the record pretty much as is and the other actual Nevermind songs represent original ideas for "Lithium" and "In Bloom", while longtime fans will recognize tracks like "Pay To Play" that have showed up elsewhere.

The Boombox Rehearsals sound like you might think - muffled and messy. I will say that 20 years later, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" still sounds great even in this early form. Disc three brings the listener the Devonshire Mixes which is producer Butch Vig's take on Nevermind before having Andy Wallace polish it up for its final version. Legend has it that the band preferred this mix because it is truly grittier, although, I think after all this time the final version for me is still too perfect and ingrained in me to argue in the direction that the mix is better.

Lastly, disc four offers up Nirvana's 1991 show from the Paramount Theatre, which is a great early hour long concert that kicks off with their now famous cover of The Vaseline's "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam" and has the energy of an eager young group. Most won't be able to justify the price tag for the Super Deluxe Edition but if you have been a fan, it is most certainly something you will want to hear.

There is no question that Nevermind changed music forever and at the very least, this release pays the salute it should to an album that will always put 1991 on the map and live on forever.

Christopher Anthony

For more of Christopher Anthony's music reviews, check out The Fire Note