Saturday, September 24, 2011

Nevermind at Twenty



Today, September 24, marks the 20th anniversary of the releasing of the seminal and revolutionary album Nevermind by Nirvana. This album, which ousted Michael Jackson's Dangerous on the top of the Billboard charts, not only popularized the Seattle grunge movement but also brought alternative rock is a whole into the mainstream.



This album started it all during the time when the airwaves and the charts were dominated by the elite popular music. This also became the soundtrack of a whole generation of music fans in their twenties, a sound of revolt, and an uprising of the whole generation of young men and women who wanted to get out and express themselves. To quote Michael Azerad, author of the book Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, "Nevermind came along at exactly the right time. This was music by, for, and about a whole new group of young people who had been overlooked, ignored, or condescended to."

The album was so influential, it is still considered today as the album that changed the course of music history. It is also listed at number 17 by the prestigious Rolling Stones Magazine as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of all time.

If you know your local music history, then you probably know that our very own Eraserheads emerged and became popular in the mainstream during the height of the grunge revolution in the US. And I think that both bands came out just in time of the cultural and youth revolution for both countries during the nineties.

I was two years old when this album was released so obviously, I was not able toexperience the grunge revolution of the early nineties. But during the advent of mymusical exploration, I think I was about six years old then, this particular song was carved into my memory as one of the best songs to scream your lungs out, to jump, and to grohl (pun intended) until your throat wears out:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg]

And I was not wrong. Today, I still sing/scream this song on the videoke whenever I am wasted and drunk. In fact, this is my favorite may-amats-na-ako-pare song. No, not Sinatra's My Way. The song's fatal in this country.

In celebration of Nevermind's 20th year, I searched the internet for interesting finds about Nevermind and Nirvana. Here are some of them:

It has been twenty years since the album was released. It has been 17 years since Kurt Cobain died. The group may have disbanded but their music is still alive in the hearts and minds of fans. And Nevermind is still a revolutionary album inspiring millions.

Can today's music heroes beat that? I don't think so.

That is influence for you.

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