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Nirvana
American rock band (1987–1994)
Nirvana was an American rock band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987. Founded by lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, the band went through a succession of drummers, most notably Chad Channing, before recruiting Dave Grohl in 1990.
Nirvana's success popularized alternative rock, and they were often referenced as the flagship band of Generation X. Their music maintains a popular following and continues to influence rock culture.
members: Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl, Dale Crover, Aaron Burckhard, Chad Channing, Jason Everman
formed in: Aberdeen
labels: DGC Records, Geffen Records, Sub Pop, Warner Music Group
genres: alternative rock, grunge
influenced by: Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Stooges, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Wipers, The Vaselines, Melvins
awards: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video, BRIT Award for International Breakthrough Act, MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video, MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction, MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video, Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
Singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic met while attending Aberdeen High School in Washington state. The pair became friends while frequenting the practice space of the Melvins. Cobain wanted to form a band with Novoselic, but Novoselic did not respond for a long period. Cobain gave him a demo tape of his project Fecal Matter. Three years after the two first met, Novoselic notified Cobain that he had finally listened to the Fecal Matter demo and suggested they start a group. Their first band, the Sellouts, was a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band. The project featured Novoselic on guitar and vocals, Cobain on drums, and Steve Newman on bass but only lasted a short time. Another project, this time featuring...
Nirvana released its first single, a cover of Shocking Blue's "Love Buzz", in November 1988 on the Seattle independent record label Sub Pop. They did their first interview with John Robb in Sounds, which made their release its single of the week. The following month, the band began recording its debut album, Bleach, with local producer Jack Endino. Bleach was influenced by the heavy dirge-rock of the Melvins, the 1980s punk rock of Mudhoney, and the 1970s heavy metal of Black Sabbath. The money for the recording sessions for Bleach, listed as $606.17 on the album sleeve, was supplied by Jason Everman, who was subsequently brought into the band as the second guitarist. Though Everman did not play on the album, he received a credit on Bleach...
Nirvana's musical style has been mainly described as grunge, alternative rock, and punk rock. They have also been labeled as hard rock. Characterized by their punk aesthetic, Nirvana often fused pop melodies with noise. Billboard described their work as a "genius blend of Kurt Cobain's raspy voice and gnashing guitars, Dave Grohl's relentless drumming and Krist Novoselic's uniting bass-work that connected with fans in a hail of alternately melodic and hard-charging songs".
Combined with their themes of abjection and alienation, Nirvana became hugely popular during their short tenure and are credited with bringing alternative rock to the mainstream. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that prior to Nirvana, "alternative music was consigned to specialty sections of record stores, and major labels considered it to be, at the very most, a tax write-off". Following the release of Nevermind, "nothing was ever quite the same, for better and for worse". While other alternative bands had achieved hits, Nirvana "broke down the doors forever", according to Erlewine; the breakthrough "didn't eliminate the underground", but rather "just gave it more exposure". Erlewine also wrote that Nirvana "popularized so-called...
Rock/grunge band from Aberdeen, Washington, USA, formed in 1987. Emerging from the Seattle grunge scene of the late 1980s/early 1990s, Nirvana was a power trio of musicians who brought a new aesthetic to the rock scene of the time. They had already released their debut LP "13773" with Sub Pop, but their 1991 major-label debut for DGC/Geffen Records, "13814" broke the band and grunge into the mainstream of America. Singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain's death by suicide in April 1994 brought the band to an end.
The band's names in a chronological order:
Skid Row (6) (start (March 1987) - June 26, 1987)
Pen Cap Chew (2) (June 27, 1987 - August 8, 1987)
Bliss (108) (August 9, 1987 - January 1988)
Ted Ed Fred (January 1988 - March 18, 1988)
Nirvana (March 19, 1988 - end (April 5, 1994))
It was rumoured that there were two other short-used band names before Nirvana: Throat Oyster and Windowpane (no official proofs for it though)
Final line-up:
Kurt Cobain – lead guitar, lead vocals (March 1987 (start)–April 5, 1994 (end); died April 5, 1994)
Krist Novoselic – bass (March 1987 (start)–April 5, 1994 (end)), accordion (1993–1994)
Dave Groh
Also known as: Nervana, Nirvahna, Nirvanna, 涅盤, 超脫合唱團
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
Nirvana, the records, oldest first
Bleach
1989 album
Blew
1989 ep
Nevermind
1991 album
Nevermind (30th Anniversary Super Deluxe)
1991 album
Hormoaning
1992 ep
In Utero
1993 album
wanted
R.I.P.
year unknown album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"Dumb" is a song by the American rock band, Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the sixth song on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in September 1993.
Lyrics
In a 1993 interview with Melody Maker, Cobain explained that the song was "just about people who're easily amused, people who not only aren't capable of progressing their intelligence but are totally happy watching 10 hours of television and really enjoy it. I've met a lot of dumb people. They have a shitty job, they may be totally lonely, they don't have a girlfriend, they don't have much of a social life, and yet, for some reason, they're happy."
Release and reception
Though never released as a single, "Dumb" has become a popular song on American alternative rock radio, and was played on European radio.
Critical reception
In his review of In Utero for Rolling Stone, Fricke cited "Dumb", along with "Heart-Shaped Box", as evidence that if Generation X "is ever going to have its own Lennon – someone who genuinely believes in rock & roll salvation but doesn't confuse mere catharsis with true deliverance – Cobain is damn near it." Reviewing the album for Kerrang!, Phil Alexander wrote that "Kurt kickstarts 'Rape Me' with a familiar and doubtlessly intended '...Teen Spirit' shuffle, while 'Dumb' has an infectious 'Come As You Are' feel. Both ripple with Kurt's poignant observations, allowing fleeting glimpses at his anger and frustration without ever resorting to the trite and obvious."
Legacy
Reviewing the band's first greatest hits album, Nirvana, in 2002, Will Bryant of Pitchfork wrote that "Dumb" was "one of Cobain's most underrated efforts, a populist revision of "Lithium" that replaces Nevermind's misanthropy with earnest self-deprecation." Bryant praised Kera Schaley's cello playing as the song's "secret weapon," and the bridge as "hands down, Cobain's best."
