Nevermind

全美Billboard流行专辑榜冠军，摇滚史上的经典巨作

强力推荐秋风扫落叶全球超级排行劲曲"Smells Like Teen Spirit"、"Come As You Are"

1994年4月5日，无情的枪声结束了Kurt Cobain仅仅27岁的年轻生命，换来的是全球乐迷的错愕悲痛与无限惋惜。

Kurt Cobain今日之所以被视为摇滚传奇，无非是因为他引领着Nirvana乃至整个Seattle Scene掀起了史无前例的Grunge风潮。88年成军的Nirvana原为四人组合，包括了Kurt Cobain(主唱/吉他手)、Krist Novoselic(贝斯手)、Chad Channing(鼓手)和Jason Everman(吉他手)，不过在乐团签入西雅图独立厂牌Sub-Pop旗下，录制首张专辑「Bleach」时Jason即离团加入Mindfunk，而在欧洲巡回期间，Chad Channing亦退出由Dave Grohl入替，成就Nirvana日后广为人知的三人组合。

仅仅花费600美金录制的「Bleach」成功地塑造出Nirvana旷世经典「Nevermind」的雏形，并为乐团赢得一纸主流厂牌Geffen的合约，91年底「Nevermind」问市，正式将Grunge热潮推至最高点。「Nevermind」由制作大将Butch Vig(Sonic Youth、Garbage、Helmet、Urge Overkill、Samshing Pumpkins)担纲制作，并由Andy Wallace(Sonic Youth、The Cult、Soul Asylum、Alice Cooper操刀混音)，首支单曲"Small Like Teen Sirit"在英美两地均势如破竹地进占Top 10，而这无疑是首Grunge界中列名「国歌」级的超级经典，后续推出的几首单曲"In Bloom"、"Com As You Are"、"Lithium"亦是Grunge界中不可多得的佳作，在92年年底揭晓的各大音乐杂志如「Spin」、「Rolling Stone」、「Q」、 「Select」等的年度最佳专辑名单中，「Nevermind」是必然的座上嘉宾，而在不久前「Select」所评选之「90年代最佳百张专辑」中，「Nevermind」更是仅次于Primal Scream的「Sureamadelica」及Oasis的「Definitely Maybe」而高居季军席次。

「Nevermind」是张摇滚史上的经典绝对无庸置疑，他的影响层面早已超越音乐反映出青少年在成长过程中所面临的旁徨与无助，并带动所谓的「另类音乐」浮上主流台面；「Nevermind」所充斥的颓废、沉沦、堕落、狂乱，是地狱，也是天堂。

Nevermind was never meant to change the world, but you can never predict when the zeitgeist will hit, and Nirvana's second album turned out to be the place where alternative rock crashed into the mainstream. This wasn't entirely an accident, either, since Nirvana did sign with a major label, and they did release a record with a shiny surface, no matter how humongous the guitars sounded. And, yes, Nevermind is probably a little shinier than it should be, positively glistening with echo and fuzzbox distortion, especially when compared with the black-and-white murk of Bleach. This doesn't discount the record, since it's not only much harder than any mainstream rock of 1991, its character isn't on the surface, it's in the exhilaratingly raw music and haunting songs. Kurt Cobain's personal problems and subsequent suicide naturally deepen the dark undercurrents, but no matter how much anguish there is on Nevermind, it's bracing because he exorcises those demons through his evocative wordplay and mangled screams -- and because the band has a tremendous, unbridled power that transcends the pain, turning into pure catharsis. And that's as key to the record's success as Cobain's songwriting, since Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl help turn this into music that is gripping, powerful, and even fun (and, really, there's no other way to characterize "Territorial Pissings" or the surging "Breed"). In retrospect, Nevermind may seem a little too unassuming for its mythic status -- it's simply a great modern punk record -- but even though it may no longer seem life-changing, it is certainly life-affirming, which may just be better.