Why Nirvana’s label originally hated ‘In Utero’
No member of Nirvana was equipped for the baggage that came with the release of Nevermind. While everyone may have had high hopes for the record potentially being a hit on their new label, the release of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ sent shockwaves throughout the rock scene, with everyone flocking towards Seattle as the next hub of bold new talent. Although Nirvana was doing what came naturally, the label, DGC Records, wasn’t too happy when they worked on the follow-up.
Becoming desensitised to fame, Kurt Cobain didn’t feel comfortable returning to the same formula he had used on Nevermind. After the success of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, Cobain grew to loathe the hit that made him a star, saying that it was nothing but a cheap pop song in his eyes. Cobain had his mind focused on something more raw, and Steve Albini would be the one to give him the results he wanted.
Having worked with artists like Pixies and PJ Harvey, Albini was known for his minimal approach to production, looking to capture the band in real-time. Although Nirvana were proud of the results, the caustic sounds of tracks like ‘Serve the Servants’ and ‘Very Ape’ were the polar opposite of what their label had hoped for.
When talking about the first handing in the record to their label, Dave Grohl remembered everyone being mortified, telling Sonic Highways, “We came back from recording In Utero. The first thing the record company said to us was, ‘You’re kidding me, right? This is the follow-up to Nevermind?’”.
Given the massive sounds of Nevermind, Nirvana had created a deliberately caustic album, as if it was a reaction to the massive success they had had just a few months prior. Although the band were proud of what they had accomplished, Albini got the brunt of the ridicule for the final product, recalling in 33 1/3, “I wasn’t there when the band was having their discussions with the record label. All I know is… we made a record, everybody was happy with it. A few weeks later, I hear that it’s unreleasable, and it’s all got to be redone.”
While the band refused to roll over and start from scratch, they did decide to bring in mixer Scott Litt to provide touchups on the album’s singles, taking the edge off songs like ‘Heart Shaped Box’ and ‘All Apologies’. Even though the band compromised the record’s sound, a handful of retailers refused to sell the record unless it was censored, taking offence to the song ‘Rape Me’.
Despite the pushback from the label and a handful of fans, Cobain wasn’t willing to reel things back, later stating in the biography, Come As You Are, “Of course, they want another Nevermind, but I’d rather die than do that. This is exactly the kind of record I would buy as a fan, that I would enjoy owning.”
While the album was a massive success, it would only be a cover-up for what was going on behind the scenes, with Cobain becoming more and more dissatisfied with his place in the world, leading up to his eventual suicide in his home in 1994. The label may have wanted another version of ‘Come As You Are’, but every song on In Utero is the closest one can get to hearing Cobain’s frail state of mind.
