Poll: NIRVANA - 16 years after their end - Great band/music or Gen X Hype/BS?

[old mark]

Nirvana ended over 16 years ago.
Is their music still good?
Was it EVER good?
Was it radio hype/Gen X self indulgent BS?
Was if fucking art?

Was it anything worth thinking about 16 years later?

What?

mark

[old mark]

1. 2 votes, no explanations - so I'll come in - I think their music was some of the most original

and evocative I have ever heard. Fine musicianship with just enough rough edge, odd little melodies, witty and erie lyrics and a lot of intelligence.
I am an early Boomer, and I think they were-are-great writers/musicians/artists and-I think their live performances such as "Live at Reading" (from England in '94) really bear this out - they were a really solid stage band as well.

mark

[datasuspect]

5. original like "the man who sold the world?"

that's VERY original.

they were original enough to do a cover of david bowie.

All music after 1979 is in some way or other a bastard stepchild of david bowie.

Nirvana were derivative crap. they took the best of their era and remarketed it for suburbia.

[jobycom]

23. You're honestly citing David Bowie as orignal?

Even Bowie claims he was derivative crap.

[Orrex]

58. Perhaps you haven't seen this very original album?

[miscsoc]

2. it was good and is still good

Catchy noisepop with an appealing slouchiness to it. The lyrics were often pretty trite but that's not important. They wrote good pop songs, and had a good sound and aesthetic.

[nickinSTL]

3. IMO they were seriously overhyped

the music was ok, many of the lyrics were just stupid "a mosquito, my libido"? :wtf:

Lyrics aren't everything, don't get me wrong, I like Roxette, who have some of the dumbest lyrics ever, but did great pop music.

I just don't think Nirvana was what they were hyped to be. And Cobain's death seems to have rocketed them into some untouchable cult status so that saying they were anything short of the second coming is blasphemy :eyes:

I expect I'll get flamed for this :hide:

[datasuspect]

4. no i agree with you

i came of age in that era. me and my friends in the 80s slugged it out being hardcore, aggro, underground, etc. we listened to some of the best punk rock ever made.

by the time nirvana came around, i was already in college, but i heard the commercial pap they were making and i thought, 'other people did this better while toiling in obscurity.'

no, i never saw nirvana as anything except successful marketers led by a hype who was given too much hype then ate a shotgun sandwich when fame made hims widdle head go bonkers.

biggest bunch of malarkey ever.

[old mark]

6. No flame from me - I seem to be the only one who really likes them....nt

[Mojambo]

7. It holds up okay. n/t

[melman]

8. They were great

No explanantion needed. They had good tunes and they rocked.

[Arugula Latte]

9. I am of that generation and I was alwasy "meh" about their music.

Some of it is okay, but overall -- much ado about not much.

[Tobin S.]

10. I was 18 when Nevermind was released

And I really liked "Smells Like Teen Spirit." I thought that rocked pretty hard. So I bought the album, but I just couldn't get into the rest of it. And it turned out to be the same for the rest of their stuff. I never understood the attraction or why they sold so many albums...hell, they even changed popular rock-n-roll. After the success of Nirvana, depression became cool. Fuck that shit. I'll take some 80s glam band over that.

[old mark]

13. Funny - I never liked the glam bands when they were big, but over the last

few years I find I really like some of the musicians - Mick Mars, Tommy Lee and CC DeVille come to mind...
I am sure there are more that I haven't "discovered" yet.

mark

[JanMichael]

11. They were OK. I always prefered Soundgarden or AIC though.

Most grunge was decent musically and a combination of metal punk and pop. I didn't them all but Subpop carried some decent bands in the late 80's early 90's.

Then RATM is a different animal altogether...

[AwakeAtLast]

62. Totally agree about Soundgarden

They were such a welcome change from being forcefed hair bands 24/7.

[abq e streeter]

12. Another geezer checking in who thought they were pretty damn good.

I wouldn't put them anywhere near the pantheon of the great bands of all time or anything, but a good hard-edged band nonetheless.

[fizzgig]

14. i was in junior high when in utero came out

and loved nirvana throughout my teenage years but, beyond incesticide and unplugged (ie: covers) they haven't held up for me and just irritate me now.

[bluesbassman]

15. Not a fan of their music, but they did help keep Pendleton from going under so

I guess they're ok. :)

[MissMillie]

16. somewhere in the middle

do you have a category for us wishy-washers?

[old mark]

28. Other: You have defined it rather well. Thanks....nt

[ismnotwasm]

17. They were good

A shock to a system that was getting a trifle bland (if you weren't into metal or rap) edgy and hard rocking. Lyrically obscure enough to appeal to people who need to make their own meanings for songs. A few great songs. A number of not so great songs.



"Teenage angst has paid off well, now I'm bored and old" is a great line. As long as there is teenage angst, Nirvana will live on.

I took one of my kids, my oldest daughter I think, to see them in concert. Wasn't bad at all, even though Cobain was on his downward spiral. Now, my kids and I look at the much of the '90's as sort of one rock and roll funeral-level depression song after the other. I think it was because the country had to recover from that piece of shit Ronald Reagan. Which we never really did.

[Blue_In_AK]

18. I really like Nirvana,

and I'm a 63-year-old boomer. If their popularity was Gen-X hype, it worked on me. :hippie:

[MiddleFingerMom]

19. Nirvana had some GREAT music...

.
...and seemed to epitomize the attitude and ethos of its time.
.
I do think the elevation of Kurt Cobain to rock-god status smelled
a little bit... not like teen spirit, but of desperation to HAVE a
rock-god to define and set apart their generation.
.
And, of course, suicide seems to raise the street cred of any
artist -- as in, "He killed himself -- how can you DOUBT that he
was relevant and a GENIUS and oh-so-deep?"
.
I think the rolling of my eyes did some permanent sub-orbital
damage the day I read that some were trying to equate him with
John Lennon.
.

[Odin2005]

20. My Gen-X sister got me hooked on them!

i still remember when Cobain killed himself because my then 18yo sis was distraught all day, I was 8 at the time.

i still love Grunge and Seattle Sound.

[Lindsey]

21. I'm a 52 y.o. woman and I can't get enough of them. Of course

in my generation it was The Beatles and to me there's The Beatles and then every thing else. Nirvana and U2 are the "every thing" else.

[jobycom]

22. They were the last gasp of rock and roll.

Well, we'll see if they were the last. But they were the last band to really see the essence of rock and frame it in a new light. After them it's all been commentary. Some of the commentary has been very good, but no one since has really been new. Nirvana was new. They got it on a level must people don't.

--------------
I've got no kick against modern jazz
Unless they try to play it too darn fast
And change the beauty of the melody
Until they sound just like a symphony...

Nirvana got that. The essence of rock. A backbeat you can't lose, a melody that stands on its own, and just enough production to make it work. They were the last band to make it new again. Since them I'd just as soon listen to the Black Eyed Peas, since at least they're not chasing memories.

[Odin2005]

24. I agree. They were the big "!!!" at the end.

A good comparison would with with popular classical music and Wagner. After Wagner classical music started becoming an elite pastime and a battleground for pretentious intellectuals, ending the over century-long history of classical music as pop music starting with Mozart.

[jobycom]

26. Good comparison.

:thumbsup:

[Odin2005]

35. Thanks!

[deutsey]

25. I liked (like) them

I think they too quickly degenerated into a kind of self-destructive darkness, but they were a refreshing kick in the cultrual ass at the time they came out, and still endure the test of time, imo.

[Common Sense Party]

27. Grunge blew.

It still blows, 20 years later.

[DevonRex]

52. Did not.

Does not.

[SoxFan]

29. A great band that never understood the hype

I think the guys in the band would be the first to tell you that their sound was the product of listening to a lot of Sonic Youth and Replacements, with a dollop of Cheap Trick-meets-Kiss pop sensibility thrown into the mix.

[bamacrat]

30. My favorite band growing up, lyrically the best since The Beatles/Pink Floyd.

Simple but awesome songs, great sound, songs still sound new today. What is not to like?

I was one of the only kids in my school who listened to them. Of course I was 11 when Kurt was murdered and when I was jamming to Nirvana everyone else was listening to Tupac and biggie.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

31. It seems in retrospect that David Grohl was the real talent in the band.

But just hype?

Nonsense. Anybody who can remember the first time they heard Smells Like Teen Spirit on the radio will remember hearing a major change in the history of rock music.

[DevonRex]

51. Shit. That's his name. Couldn't think of it for the life of me.

I like Grohl on drums a lot. As a guitarist he's good. But on drums he's fantastic. JMO, obviously.

[brendan120678]

32. They weren't bad, but they sent...

kids of my generation down the road of slacker-hood.
Yes...I said it. Grunge music inspired Gen-X kids to be slackers.
And lots of them still are.

Edited to add - saying that makes me feel like Mr. Strickland, the Dean of Discipline at Hill Valley High.

[Fire Walk With Me]

33. Decent band, sometimes very good, but too whiney.

For that sort of emotion but with balls, I proffer Rites of Spring.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XCJXCG/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk11

http://www.amazon.com/Rites-Spring-End/dp/B000000JNN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1273515937&sr=8-1

[ceile]

34. Great band.

But I'm not sure that I can explain why. I was 16 when Nevermind came out. After that I was on a mssion to collect everything I could find from them (earlier stuff was better than Nevermind). Maybe it was the angst, I don't know. I just know that whenever one of their songs comes on the radio I always turn it up...

[Forkboy]

36. A mix of both. But they weren't even the best grunge band from Seattle.

That honor goes to the bands Mudhoney (still making good music) or Tad (I'll take 8-Way Santa, God's Balls or Salt Lick over any Nirvana album). And the Melvins make them all look like amateurs, but they're not really grunge. Their cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit with Leif Garrett is funny shit.

But Nirvana was pretty good. They did end up getting way overhyped, but that's not their fault (unless you want to blame them for making songs that were catchier than the Plague).

[MrSlayer]

37. Lots of whining, "woe is me" bullshit.

In the immortal words of Zakk Wylde: "When did being a pussy become cool?"

Grunge brought in that whole 90's puss-fest.

[KG]

38. i never 'got' grunge so it's hard for me to judge if the were actually good or not.

but i lean toward 'Gen X self-indulgent BS'

[Mutley]

39. It was okay.

It's still okay. It really was mostly Gen X self-indulgent BS, but as far as Gen X self-indulgent BS goes, it could have been worse. There are a couple of Nirvana songs I still enjoy.

[underpants]

40. One of my best friends when you heard Nirvana on the local ROCK station "THANK GOD!!!"

FM99 in Hampton Roads was the rock station collusal. It ws nothing but hair bands for the last 5 years of the 80's (with some Zeppelin etc. still played)

We knew of Nirvana from "Bleach" so when they ended that horrid era of rock "music" we all were more than happy.

BTW-the lead singer of Warrant told a funny story on a VH1 special. They were the toast of the record label. "Cherry Pie"'s cover was prominently displayed at the entrance of the building......with in 4 months they were no longer meeting with the top execs but were ushered into a side meeting room. "Okay blame us we ruined it for everyone" -he had a good sense of humor about it.

[Throd]

41. They helped kill LA Hair Metal. For that, they have my gratitude.

[conscious evolution]

61. Grunges only saving grace,imo.

Hair metal still sends shivers down my spine.

[Twillig]

42. Fuck them.

Why bother to become proficient at a musical instrument when because of popularity and boo-hoo'ed-ness you can be put on Rolling Stones list of greatest guitarists.

Long before the RS piece, it was a musical and cultural nail in the coffin for expertise, competence, capability.

Fuck it. Why learn anything?

Now we have 'dancers' that 'sing.'

An autotuned ephebophile's dream sings a song given to him by a rapper. (and is featured on SNL)



Now, hankering back to those days, Soundgarden rocked!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmIqIVxUuKs

[peekaloo]

43. A friend refers to KC as the "Heroin Howler".

I liked them. Fucked up lyrics for fucked up people sung by a fuck up. Got to see one of their last shows and they were a good live band.

[Winston Wolf]

44. Live In New York

Incredible. The acoustic guitar and Kurt's vocal work when not subdued by heavy guitars is just phenomenal. Their studio work, not so much. Highly overrated band all in all.

[HughBeaumont]

45. Right place, right time.

I thought Bleach was their best album. The bands they lifted from (Husker Du, Melvins, Big Black, etc) were far better and more influential. Zen Arcade even with it's shitty production is 100 times better than Nevermind.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

46. I appreciate them for ushering in the Alternative Rock hey day.

As a band itself, they were always "meh" to me. I'll listen to them on the radio but never bothered to buy any albums.

I think we all know what the greatest band of the 1990s Alt Rock era was... ;)

[guitar man]

47. eh, I never thought they were that great

There were a lot better bands from the period like Soundgarden and AIC. To each his own I guess but I just never saw much skill level in any of their playing. They were kind of like that garage band down the street that never gets any better.

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

48. I never liked them...

I must have been 16 or 17 when Nevermind came out, but I never understood the appeal. Worse yet, it seemed like at that moment the music industry and lots of people pressed a reset button, that threw out a lot of good bands (Faith No More for example) along with the "bad" bands of that time, simply because they didn't fit the new mold. But in the end they just traded one mold for another. I had to endure a lot of awful grunge music in college (and some of those bands were just as bad as the worst hair metal bands).

Luckily by '93 The Wildhearts came along, and music started making sense to me again! :)

Personally, though I'm not a big Foo Fighters fan, I rate Dave Grohl as a better guitarist, songwriter and singer than Kurt Cobain. And he's pretty good on the drums too... :)

[spiritual_gunfighter]

49. They were only a handful of bands

whose hype was justified.

[DevonRex]

50. I liked Nirvana. I liked the rough edge and I liked Cobain on guitar.

And I liked what's his name on drums. You know, the Foo Fighters guy. He could make a hell of a lot of noise come out of a relatively simple drum kit.

I just want to know how the fuck we got from there to Lady Gag.

[Missy Vixen]

53. I loved them

I still do. Then again, I was born in Seattle, and I've lived here my whole life.

:woohoo:

[slutticus]

54. in utero was soooo under-rated

[slutticus]

55. As was Incesticide

what a great album

[TK421]

56. They were good...Cobain taking his own life was just a waste

they could have been performing today. I didn't like all of their songs but I liked most of them

[Jade Fox]

57. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" still sounds great....

Can't hear it on the radio without cranking it up!

[Corey_Baker08]

59. 20 Years Old & I Am A Fan Of Their Music Even Though I Was Just Born When They Got Big

For some reason a big sweep came over my high school of Nirvana about 5 years ago and Kurt Cobain was a god figure to most. I even had one friend whose dream it was to kill himself at 27 yrs old just like Cobain but lucky he grew out of that!

While I respect Kurt Cobain and I really enjoy their music, I truly believe that his suicide made my generation (born '89) or at least most of the people around my age the thought that suicide was a respectable and understandable way to end your life. It was not looked down upon it was seen as something that for some was inevitable and I believe alot of it had to do with everyones perceived god like stature of Kurt Cobain.

Then Slipknot,Mudvayne, and Marilyn Manson to name just a few came around a at least here in Ohio created a how new generational category of kids called the 'Gothic Kids', my brother was one in high school, painted his nails black, wore all black everyday, sometimes even wore eyeliner and makeup, he wasn't the only one it was a large population in my school and my community all dressed the same. However I think its fading out quick being replaced instead by the more conservative non wrist cutting 'emo kids' who I have never really me alot of but the few I have I haven't liked their attitude or their style.

[Drunken Irishman]

60. Good band that fit the decade...

Not over-hyped BS - not quite legendary, though.

[AwakeAtLast]

63. I say great band on the merits of Dave Grohl alone

He has continued to make great music. Had Curt Kobain lived longer, I think he would have, too.