"Nevermind" celebrates 20 years
A deluxe edition of Nirvana's seminal album arrives in stores this month. See what other artists have said about its legacy, two decades later.
"Nevermind," Nirvana's seminal album, turns 20 this month with a special deluxe edition and many reasons to celebrate. The album defined the grunge movement for an entire generation with just the chords of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." At a certain point, nobody could stand hearing that riff anymore or seeing those cheerleaders in their skirts on MTV's Top 10, but everyone also knew they needed to hear that album. It was clear that there was something new on the pop music front, where Michael Jackson and Madonna comfortably reigned.
"Nevermind" quickly cemented Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl's fame worldwide, at a time when they only had their debut album, "Bleach," released by the independent label Sub Pop. The album also caused controversy with the naked baby on the cover, swimming to reach a dollar bill caught on a fishing hook, and it achieved much more. Since its release on September 24, 1991, "Nevermind" has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, earning it triple diamond certification.
The deluxe commemorative edition will include four CDs and a DVD packed with unreleased tracks, alternate versions, studio and live rarities, and sides of recordings from the band's BBC radio studios. The DVD will feature an unreleased concert by the band in Seattle, the hometown of the grunge movement. This special commemorative edition of "Nevermind" is expected to arrive in stores on September 27th.
See what some artists have said about "Nevermind," which dethroned Michael Jackson's "Dangerous" from the top of the American charts and was responsible for the explosion of alternative rock in the 1990s.
"There were a few cassette tape copies of 'Nevermind' circulating before the album's release. Just listening to that tape had an impact. You could feel the change."
- Eddie Vedder, leader of Pearl Jam
"Until 'Nevermind,' Pavement, and other bands like that, we had to show ourselves to people and build our reputation through fanzines, college radio, and on the road, at shows. After 'Nevermind,' everyone wanted to know where to find bands like ours or even small bands that had only existed for a few months."
- Bob Nastanovich, from the band Pavement
"Those songs remain timeless. You can borrow your dad's Nirvana CD, so it's another generation that can look back and think, 'my old man knew his stuff, this is cool.' Those songs stay in your memory for a reason. It wasn't all a big load of rubbish."
Henry Rollins, musician and presenter
"It's one of my favorite albums from that whole period. You felt it was new the first time you listened to it. And it still sounds very new. You can think whatever you want about Kurt or the grunge movement, but you can't deny the impact of the songs. It's because of them that people still care."
Lenny Kravitz, singer
"Nirvana played in Athens (REM's hometown, in the American state of Georgia) about a month after the release of 'Nevermind,' and they stayed at my house because they had nowhere else to stay. It's hard to believe that in the year 'Nevermind' was released, Nirvana wasn't yet the biggest band in the world—that would still take another three months."
Peter Buck, guitarist for R.E.M.
Read more testimonials on the website. Spin.