Load Up On Grunge, Bring Your Friends
Today's date will go down as one of the greatest days in grunge history, alongside July 8, 1988 (the day Mudhoney debuted "Touch Me, I'm Sick"), January 25, 1992 (the date Nevermind surpassed Michael Jackson's Dangerous at #1 on the Billboard charts), and June 4, 2004 (the day Creed broke up).
Why is November 7, 2006 so grunge-tastic, you ask? Only because of three monumental, flannel shirted, drop-D tuned releases that are hitting record store shelves today! The most important of the three is, of course, the DVD release of Live! Tonight! Sold Out! by Nirvana. This film was one of the last projects created by Kurt Cobain before his suicide in 1994, and it chronicles the year leading up to Nevermind's release, and its subsequent explosion on the charts. Most importantly, Live! Tonight! Sold Out! shows something that has been overshadowed since Cobain's death -- Nirvana was one of the funniest bands ever. They were also quite a rude awakening to the bloated mainstream music of 1991. For further evidence, check out their appearance on BBC's Tonight with Jonathan Ross show, which is one of the highlights of the DVD:
The second, and almost equally important of today's releases, is Matador Record's deluxe edition of Pavement's brilliant third album, Wowee Zowee.
You may not label Pavement a "grunge" band per se, but just take a listen to either "Flux=Rad" or "Serpentine Pad" off Wowee Zowee, and you will agree that either of these tracks would have felt right at home on a Mudhoney or Tad LP. At the time of its release in 1995, Wowee Zowee was pretty much trashed by critics and deemed unlistenable slop. Over time, it has become a cult classic and a fan favorite -- Rolling Stone even named it the 12th coolest album of all time (and they originally panned it)! The lesson here is to never trust Rolling Stone, and that Pavement ist Rad. I could wax poetic for hours about why Wowee Zowee is my favorite Pavement album, but I'll just link you to Pitchfork's stellar review of the "Sordid Sentinels" edition instead. And if that isn't enough to convince you, take a listen to this mp3 of "Rattled by the Rush" (shredding guitar solo, right?) or "Heckler Spray/In the Mouth of a Desert", which is a live bonus track.
Finally, the Foo Fighters' live acoustic album, Skin and Bones also sees its release today. While this isn't as earth shattering as the aforementioned releases, Skin and Bones is important to the Grunge Nation for a couple of reasons. This album includes a version of "Marigold," Dave Grohl's lone songwriting contribution to the Nirvana canon (and the B-side to "Heart Shaped Box"). Skin and Bones also features the return of Pat Smear to the band, as well as the addition of Petra Haden, a major league crush of mine. Dave Grohl has been known wade into the sea of sappy with his music, and this album may fall into that category; however it is worth mentioning that the Foo Fighters' 9-piece acoustic band stole the show at these year's Bridge School Benefit.
In short, I've had this date circled on my calendar for quite some time. This evening, I am planning on donning my best flannel shirt and ripped jeans, then taking the M72 bus across town to Tower Records. After making my purchases, there will be a viewing and listening party at my apartment. So load up on beer, and bring your friends.
Why is November 7, 2006 so grunge-tastic, you ask? Only because of three monumental, flannel shirted, drop-D tuned releases that are hitting record store shelves today! The most important of the three is, of course, the DVD release of Live! Tonight! Sold Out! by Nirvana. This film was one of the last projects created by Kurt Cobain before his suicide in 1994, and it chronicles the year leading up to Nevermind's release, and its subsequent explosion on the charts. Most importantly, Live! Tonight! Sold Out! shows something that has been overshadowed since Cobain's death -- Nirvana was one of the funniest bands ever. They were also quite a rude awakening to the bloated mainstream music of 1991. For further evidence, check out their appearance on BBC's Tonight with Jonathan Ross show, which is one of the highlights of the DVD:
The second, and almost equally important of today's releases, is Matador Record's deluxe edition of Pavement's brilliant third album, Wowee Zowee.
You may not label Pavement a "grunge" band per se, but just take a listen to either "Flux=Rad" or "Serpentine Pad" off Wowee Zowee, and you will agree that either of these tracks would have felt right at home on a Mudhoney or Tad LP. At the time of its release in 1995, Wowee Zowee was pretty much trashed by critics and deemed unlistenable slop. Over time, it has become a cult classic and a fan favorite -- Rolling Stone even named it the 12th coolest album of all time (and they originally panned it)! The lesson here is to never trust Rolling Stone, and that Pavement ist Rad. I could wax poetic for hours about why Wowee Zowee is my favorite Pavement album, but I'll just link you to Pitchfork's stellar review of the "Sordid Sentinels" edition instead. And if that isn't enough to convince you, take a listen to this mp3 of "Rattled by the Rush" (shredding guitar solo, right?) or "Heckler Spray/In the Mouth of a Desert", which is a live bonus track.
Finally, the Foo Fighters' live acoustic album, Skin and Bones also sees its release today. While this isn't as earth shattering as the aforementioned releases, Skin and Bones is important to the Grunge Nation for a couple of reasons. This album includes a version of "Marigold," Dave Grohl's lone songwriting contribution to the Nirvana canon (and the B-side to "Heart Shaped Box"). Skin and Bones also features the return of Pat Smear to the band, as well as the addition of Petra Haden, a major league crush of mine. Dave Grohl has been known wade into the sea of sappy with his music, and this album may fall into that category; however it is worth mentioning that the Foo Fighters' 9-piece acoustic band stole the show at these year's Bridge School Benefit.
In short, I've had this date circled on my calendar for quite some time. This evening, I am planning on donning my best flannel shirt and ripped jeans, then taking the M72 bus across town to Tower Records. After making my purchases, there will be a viewing and listening party at my apartment. So load up on beer, and bring your friends.
posted by Alexander at 9:43 AM
1 Comments:
where is Bart's penis?
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