Punk veteran and legendary producer Steve Albini on growing up, Big Black, Kurt Cobain and much more…
Words: Paul Brannigan
Main photo: Joshua Ford
On the night before Nirvana were due to begin recording their third album, In Utero, Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl received an intriguing proposition. Chosen to record what was arguably the most anticipated rock album of the decade because of his sterling work with The Breeders, Jesus Lizard, Pixies and more, Steve Albini offered to work on the album for free if any one of the trio beat him in a game of pool. If Steve won, however, Nirvana would have to double his fee.
What propelled Nirvana out of the underground into stores monitored by SoundScan wasn’t
Butch Vig’s glossy, radio-friendly production. It wasn’t even Samuel Bayer’s visually catchy “Smells Like Teen Spirit” MTV video, with the band, moshing fans and anarchy-symbol-wearing varsity cheerleaders disrupting a high school pep rally. It was
Kurt Cobain’s ‘60s-pop-radio-bred compositional smarts, which sliced through the wall-of-filth guitars like a chainsaw aimed at a stack of Kleenex. Having a monster drummer in
Dave Grohl helped, as did Cobain’s uncanny ability to scream on pitch. But his songs perfectly captured the ennui and frustrations of the entire latch-key-kid generation entering their early 20s. They ensured Nirvana went mega. However, a quick scan of many of