Nirvana released Nevermind today in 1991. Led by the first single, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', and three more successful singles – 'Come as You Are', 'Lithium', and 'In Bloom' -  the album has sold over 24 million copies world-wide. It wasn’t the first ‘grunge’ record but like Nirvana or not, this album spearheaded the ‘grunge’ movement to the masses, and signified the end of pop and hair metal/hard rock (mercifully some would say). Not surprisingly, grunge, per se, would run its course in a relatively short time period also due to its explosion in popularity. Once money is to be made, things always change and music devours itself (although I’m still waiting for this new rap-type stuff to cycle through.)

Cobain created chord sequences using primarily power chords and wrote songs that combined pop hooks with dissonant guitar riffs. He wanted Nevermind to “sound like The Knack and the Bay City Rollers getting molested by Black Flag and Black Sabbath". Many of the songs feature shifts in dynamics, where the band changes from quiet verses to loud choruses. Dave Grohl said this approach originated during a four-month period prior to the recording of the album, where the band would experiment with extreme dynamics during regular jam sessions.

Guitar World wrote, "Kurt Cobain's guitar sound on Nirvana's Nevermind set the tone for Nineties rock music." Cobain would only live for 3 more years but his opus still lives on and is relevant today.

Released             September 24, 1991

Recorded            April 1990; May 2, 1991–June 1991

Studio                 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California and Smart Studios,                                        Madison, Wisconsin

Label                   DGC

Producer             Butch Vig