Nirvana: Nevermind/Reissue - LP

When Nirvana released their album Nevermind in 1991, nobody suspected it would become one of the most iconic albums in the history of rock 'n' roll, as well as one of the most controversial. Kurt Cobain, influenced by bands like the Pixies, was trying to make music that transcended the boundaries of the then-current Seattle grunge scene. Nevermind is the first studio recording to feature Dave Grohl on drums. The music label released this album with absolutely zero expectations and almost no marketing support in the media.

It was therefore a huge surprise that the music from this album reached people on such a massive scale, with the single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in particular helping the band gain popularity. After the release of this now-legendary album, the public was outraged by its cover, which features a baby completely submerged underwater. Some more sensitive individuals were incensed simply by the fact that the baby in the photograph was naked, let alone in a swimming pool. In the album sales charts, Nevermind literally knocked Michael Jackson's album Dangerous from the top spot.

Of course, no child was harmed during the taking of these legendary photographs, and everything went smoothly. Kirk Weddle was there when these shots were taken. And why wouldn't he be, it was him behind the camera lens. What most Nirvana fans don't know is that after taking the series of shots of the baby in the pool, other photographs were also taken. Weddle then persuaded the whole band to take more pictures for the album. In the end, the entire band posed for him in the pool as well. In a recent interview, Kirk noted that Kurt Cobain and the others were not exactly thrilled with the idea, but after a while, all the band members relaxed and some unique photographs were created.

Nevermind is a significant album, partly because it popularised alternative rock and helped kick-start the punk and grunge wave of the nineties. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine declared it the 17th best album of all time. The same magazine also awarded it 1st place in the list of the best albums of the nineties.

Regarding the lyrics, Kurt Cobain said: "Music comes first, lyrics come second". The song lyrics are difficult to understand, even for English speakers. Producer Butch Vig added: "Even though you couldn't quite tell what he was singing about, you knew it was intense as hell." The girl who inspired most of the songs on Nevermind was Tobi Vail from the band Bikini Kill, with whom Kurt fell in love. However, she didn't take their relationship too seriously and soon broke up with him.

Coincidentally, on the very same day, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released their album Blood Sugar Sex Magik.