Record Rebound: Nirvana reissue their third and final album, ‘In Utero’
If three decades have passed since Nirvana released their sprawling third and final studio album, Dave Gohl’s luscious dark locks certainly don’t show it. Following up on 1991’s Nevermind was never going to be a walk in the park. The seminal second album brought the band to a summit of fame as the quintessential grunge band. While Nirvana may not have invented the genre, it certainly condensed its spirit into the most marketable product.
Where on Earth does one go after Nevermind? This question began to rattle around Kurt Cobain’s mind in 1991, and when Nirvana finally returned with their follow-up in 1993, one would be excused for expecting a regression session of sorts, considering the baby cover was proceeded by In Utero’s references to maternal anatomy.
For their third album, Nirvana sought the production expertise of Steve Albini, who had such notable releases under his belt as PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, The Breeders’ Pod and Pixies’ Doolittle. In welcoming Albini, Cobain hoped to bring a more complex sound while retaining a heavy, jagged sound reminiscent of 1989’s Bleach.
In an interview with The Guardian, Albini reflected on his bittersweet experience working with Nirvana on In Utero. “The three members of Nirvana I have absolutely no gripe with whatsoever,” he said. “Every other person they worked with was a manipulative piece of shit who was putting pressure on them, scapegoating me and shit-talking this great record they made.”
Label bureaucracy aside, this record was indeed “great”, and all the better for Albini’s distinctive touch. Although Albini was upset with the label’s decision to hire the more radio-friendly Scott Litt to remix the singles ‘All Apologies’ and ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ for the original release and ‘Pennyroyal Tea’ for the deluxe edition, this dissonance in production added the spice of variety to the album.
Like Nevermind, In Utero explored Cobain’s personal demons through oblique lyrical structures teeming with dark humour. The album perhaps lacks the consistency of Nevermind but was reconciled by its tonal variety. Fans can skim the surface with clean-cut head-bopping singles like ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ or sink to the depths of unrefined esoterica in ‘Tourette’s’.
Although unbalanced, In Utero offered a satisfying glimpse into a deeply troubled mind one year before its infamous demise. Unsettling lyrics are abundant, but even in tracks like ‘Rape Me’, the purposefully disconcerting messages strike the listener with the dark truths behind one of the 20th century’s most cherished rock icons.
To celebrate In Utero’s 30th birthday, Nirvana has announced a special reissue pressed on 180g vinyl. The release also includes five B-sides and bonus tracks pressed onto a ten-inch vinyl and encased in a separate sleeve with new artwork. The original recordings have been newly remastered from 96kHz 24-bit transfers of the original analogue tapes by the album’s original engineer, Bob Weston.
The reissue will arrive on Friday, October 27th, and is available for pre-order now. The record is currently listed for £37.99 here.
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