Friday 16 November 2007
In Utero (album) (CD)
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According to Wikipedia, "...In Utero is the third and final studio album by the American grunge band Nirvana, released on September 21, 1993 by DGC Records. The album's abrasive and aggressive sound was a departure from the polished production of the band's breakthrough, Nevermind, due in part to the selection of recording engineer Steve Albini. It became controversial for its sound production and the subject matters of its songs. The album's dark lyrical content included dysfunctional family, cancer, privacy, and abortion. In Utero's abrasive sound was, according to bassist Krist Novoselic, intended as a figurative "litmus test" for Nirvana's audience following the band's mainstream success.
"Heart-Shaped Box" was the first single released from the album, followed by "All Apologies/Rape Me", which was released as a double A-side single due to the explicit nature of the latter song. Both singles topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States. "Pennyroyal Tea" was intended to be released as the third single in April 1994, but was cancelled after the death of the band's frontman, Kurt Cobain.
While In Utero did not sell as well as Nevermind, it was a commercial and critical success. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America by the end of 1993; it was most recently certified 5x platinum, and now ranks in the top 100 bestselling albums in the US. The album also topped Rolling Stone's year-end poll..." - en.wikipedia.org
Track listing
All songs by Kurt Cobain unless otherwise noted.
1. "Serve the Servants" – 3:34
2. "Scentless Apprentice" (Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic) – 3:47
3. "Heart-Shaped Box" – 4:39
4. "Rape Me" – 2:49
5. "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" – 4:07
6. "Dumb" – 2:29
7. "Very Ape" – 1:55
8. "Milk It" – 3:52
9. "Pennyroyal Tea" – 3:36
10. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" – 4:49
11. "tourette's" – 1:33
12. "All Apologies" – 3:50
"Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 7:33 is a bonus track, labeled a "devalued American dollar purchase incentive track", available on European and Australian copies of In Utero, as well as various other non-U.S. pressings. It is a jam recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in January 1993, and does not get a separate track position on the disc, starting at exactly 23 minutes and 59 seconds after the end of "All Apologies".
Technical Info
* Audio CD (September 21, 1993)
* Original Release Date: September 21, 1993
* Number of Discs: 1
* Format: Explicit Lyrics
* Label: Geffen Records
* ASIN: B000003TAR
* Also Available in: Audio Cassette | Music Download
Editorial Reviews
Overwhelmed by sudden success, Nirvana promised to take a harsher, more abrasive route on their second major-label release. Enlisting Chicago-based noise maven Steve Albini (of Big Black fame), Kurt Cobain and company succeeded in producing a record that was violent, disillusioned, and deeply moving. Every song reads like a commentary on the cost of fame ("Serve the Servants") and the unhealthy relationship between performer and fan ("Milk It"). Of course, they might all simply be about Courtney Love. Gossip aside, there is no denying the sheer power of Cobain's songwriting, his singing, and the band's amazing, visceral power. Cobain even manages a John Lennon-like mantra at the end of the heart-wrenching "All Apologies." "All in all is all we are," he intones repeatedly, only for Cobain that's no consolation. --Percy Keegan
Labels: NIRVANA ALBUMS, NIRVANA DISCOGRAPHY, NIRVANA IN 1993, NIRVANA STUDIO ALBUMS
posted by kanx1976 at
14:59
![Come as You Are [SINGLE] [EP] (CD)](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/ComeAsYouAre.jpg)
3 Comments:
The Swansong To A Legend's Brief Blaze In The Spotlight
Almost three weeks ago, it was ten years since the tragic death of Kurt Cobain. As a dedication, I'm here to write a review of "In Utero," Nirvana's greatest single musical accomplishment in their short lived career as the world's biggest and best rock band on the planet. In those ten years since Cobain committed suicide, the music scene is forever changing and Kurt's music is still as powerful and widely-received as it was in the early 1990's. Nirvana blazed fiercely as the most revolutionary and influential rock act since the Beatles, and before they knew what hit them, the band was over forever on April 5th 1994. The world came to realise this three days later.
"Nevermind" has made Nirvana the most famous rock band in the world. It was their second album and sold a staggering 18 million copies worldwide. Kurt was tired of the adulation and praise that he received in truckloads, and decided to go back into the studio in 1993 and make an album that would scare off all the cling-ons. Originally titled "I Hate Myself And I Want To Die," the album was released in September 1993 and was called In Utero. It topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and shifted some 6 million copies in America. Critics adored it and I have to agree, this is one of the finest albums of all time.
"Serve The Servants" opens the album in grand style with a loud and abrasive beat with a wonderful melody. The song's most striking line is, "I tried hard to have a father, but instead I had a dad." This deep-cutting line refers to Kurt's father who deserted him when he was a child. "Scentless Apprentice" builds the album's aggression up even more, in one of the hardest rocking anthems the band ever recorded. This was one of the first times the band all shared writing kudos on a song instead of just Kurt. However, Kurt completely steals the song with his tortured yelp, "Go away!" throughout the chorus. The disturbing and manic verses refer to a book that Kurt read on a murdering perfume psycho.
The album's lead single, "Heart-Shaped Box," is up next and easily towers as one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. The production and vocals are on to top form here, complete with a visually stunning video (based on Kurt's dreams, apparently) and some genius lyrics such as, "Throw down your umbilical noose so I can climb right back." Perhaps the album's most controversial song, "Rape Me," follows. This is easily one of the best songs on the album in which Kurt sings of rape as a metaphor for his emotional torture. The violence contained within the song makes it a song you simply cannot ignore.
"Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle" is a fantastic song with a subdued intro that just rages out into a massive and loud assault on the ears. The lyrics, the arrangement, the vocals and the instruments are all superb - hell, even the title of the song is genius. "Dumb" is the first truly tranquil song on the album. There are no harsh vocals or lyrics here, everything is laid-back, but underneath lies disturbing images which can be seen through the lyrics, "My heart is broke, but I have some glue. Help me inhale, and mend it with you." The addition of the cello also makes this one of the most beautiful songs you are ever likely to hear, even if it was three years old at the time of this album's release.
"Very Ape" is perhaps the worst song on the album, but it doesn't even last two minutes so it doesn't really matter. It's still a good composition, however, but serves as more of an interlude. "Milk It" is one of the best songs on the album and has some amazing lyrics. I love the way Kurt screams his chorus, "Doll steak! Test meat!" which is then followed by "Look on the bright side is suicide. Lost eyesight I'm on your side. Angel left wing, right wing, broken wing. Lack of iron and/or sleeping." Here so much can be deciphered about Kurt's tumultuous state of mind at the time of writing and recording.
"Pennyroyal Tea" is an extremely heartbreaking song, not so much for the lyrical content, but in the way Kurt almost cries his chorus with so much emotion and the instrumental halfway through. A fantastic song, and an utter classic. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" is one of my favourite songs on the album, despite what others may think. I love the way it starts off, so loud and shocking, before breaking out with a twisted and head-banging beat that only gets better as the song continues. Kurt's vocals are so full of hate towards himself and the way he keep questioning "What is wrong with me?" is just almost unlistenable.
"Tourette's" is the funniest track on the album. The title of the song is a condition which causes people to suddenly blurt out any noise or cuss-word that comes to mind, and suddenly we have Kurt just screaming and babbling a load of nonsense, but of course, in the best way possible. And then the album finally closes with "All Apologies." One of Nirvana's finest ever songs, it represents a man so hard on himself it makes almost unbearable listening.
OVERALL GRADE: 10/10
So it's 10 years since the death of one of rock's biggest icons. Kurt Cobain became a legend upon his death, and why shouldn't he? He was a true genius who didn't realise his full potential before it was too late. Maybe we didn't realise his full potential. Who knows what he'd have gone on to do if he hadn't have been so stupid to commit suicide? Nevermind was awesome, this is ever better. Buy it now to realise just why. R.I.P. Kurt Cobain. 20th February 1967 - 5 April 1994.
Forgive me, I was wrong
A couple years ago, I had a different Amazon.com account, and I used it to go in and bash Nirvana albums. I had never actually heard most of them (my reviewing standards were somewhat lower back then), but I thought that since I was a Pearl Jam fan that I had to hate Nirvana. Yeah, the 16-year old mind is a strange one. One day I actually got to listen to "In Utero" and I immediately realized how wrong I had been. I now consider "In Utero" to be one of the best rock albums of the 90's. I write this review partly to say I'm sorry for previous Nirvana reviews I have posted.
The album is front-loaded with radio singles, probably a decision of their record company. However, it is immediately striking as a darker and more complex album than their previous "Nevermind". It is much heavier as well, and less pleasing to the mainstream masses. And wow, how it's all so terrific.
It's disturbing in many ways because it's difficult not to view this as Kurt Cobain's suicide note- he mentions it explicitly on "Milk It" and often talks about death and despair. However, that man was a true songwriting genius. The lyrics flow together beautifully, and power the music forward. "In Utero" works as an adrenaline rush as well, since most of the songs rock as hard as any of their other grunge peers.
The album probably gets most interesting around the halfway mark. Don't get me wrong, I love "Serve the Servants", "Rape Me", and "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle", but I believe that it's most interesting to pay attention to what happens after the album's more commercial first half. It becomes almost downright nihilistic around "Very Ape" and descends into guitar screeches and wails that cumulate in the "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter/Tourette's" duo. This was truly an artist in pain, and yet his songs still remain hauntingly poetic. Everything wraps up with "All Apologies", which I still find myself getting into all these listens later. That was probably the best song Nirvana ever did.
After hearing "In Utero", I always have a feeling of sadness because the album just leaves you begging for more, which you know you can't have. I believe that this is the best example of great Nirvana, both in Cobain's songwriting and how hard the music rocks. I only wish they could have gone on longer.
The High Price Of Fame
After the huge success of Nevermind, Nirvana became reluctant superstars and the poster boys for the new Alternative music scene. Kurt Cobain was not comfortable with all the adulation and hero worship throw at him and many of the songs on their follow-up to Nevermind, In Utero, deal with the high price of fame. "Serve The Servants", "Scentless Apprentice", "Dumb" and "Milk It" deal with the trappings of superstardom. "Frances Farmer Will Get Her Revenge On Seattle" is a powerful song about the former actress who went crazy from the pressures of Hollywood. Not everything is about rock stardom though. "Heart Shaped Box" is about his relationship with Courtney Love and it is one of the most stingingly powerful songs the band ever recorded. "Pennyroyal Tea" is a soft and almost touching song that stands out next to a song of unbridled fury like "Tourette's". "Rape Me" opens up quietly with the guitar riff from "Smell Like Teen Spirit" before diving into a furious crashing of guitars. The song alternates between quiet strumming and singing to frenzied, crashing guitars and blood curdling screams. In its short playing time, it perfectly encapsules both sides of Nirvana's music. The album closes out with the quiet power of "All Apologies" that is a perfect ending to the album and as it turned out their recording career. Nirvana wanted to get back to a harder edge and In Utero is much heavier than Nevermind. Unfortunately it would mark the last album of original music the band would make.
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