Today - April 5th - marks the 14th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's tragic death. Say what you like about Kurt, he certainly made a mighty impact on the music world. Rather than remembering Kurt for everything illustrious he did with Nirvana, and showing you a video from Unplugged in New York (which don't get me wrong, would still be worthy), I am going to talk about his eclectic and superb taste in music other than his own.
Kurt Cobain spoke often of his favorite bands/artists in the press. Interviews were littered with references to obscure performers such as the Melvins, Daniel Johnston, The Raincoats, Meat Puppets, Wipers, The Vaselines and Young Marble Giants. Cobain was eventually able to convince record labels to reissue albums by his beloved Raincoats (Geffen) and The Vaselines (Sub Pop). Cobain also recorded covers of songs by The Vaselines, David Bowie, Meat Puppets and Leadbelly for Nirvana's classic performance on MTV's Unplugged in New York as well as further Vaselines tracks and a cover of Devo's Turnaround for B-sides and rarities compilation Insecticide. After Kurt's death, a list was found (and later published) in Kurt's journal of his Top 50 Albums of all time. The diverse list contained everybody from The Beatles to Black Flag, Swans to the Stooges, Public Enemy to Public Image and everything in between. The list can be found here. Below is a short selection of some of Kurt's more diverse and lesser-known faves, just going to show how musically-advanced he was on and off of the stage.
36. Flipper - Generic Flipper
Kurt made his love for San Francisco noise/punk band Flipper very public through a series of self-made Flipper t-shirts that can be seen on Cobain in the inlay of the Nirvanas In Utero as well as on the band's first performance on Saturday Night Live in 1992. Generic Flipper was the band's first studio release. It is regarded by most fans as their finest, and is definitely their most acclaimed. It is considered groundbreaking in its dabbling with sludge and heavy rock whilst still being considered a punk album. These days, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic tours and plays with Flipper and is considered a full-time member.
mp3: Flipper - Life
35. Daniel Johnston - Yip Jump Music
Yip Jump Music was the fifth self-released cassette by bipolar singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston. Released in 1983, Yip Jump Music was recorded in Johnston's brother's garage and was the first of his releases to feature himself, predominantly, on the organ. Johnston's blend of childlike naivety and dark themes has inspired countless musicians, Kurt being one of them. Cobain's love for Johnston was too made public through the countless wearing of Daniel Johnston t-shirts.
22. Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth
Young Marble Giants were a post-punk outfit from Cardiff, Wales. Their music was constructed around the powerful and minimal instrumentation of brothers Phillip and Stuart Moxham supporting the naive untrained vocals of Alison Statton. Colossal Youth was their first and only LP. The album was released on Rough Trade in 1980 to much critical acclaim and is highly influential to this day. Kurt once said of the album "Isn't it weird how, when you hear something like that, you still get excited, even though you know you shouldn't? I first heard Colossal Youth on the radio, after I started getting into K music when I lived in Olympia. It was a year before I put out the 'Bleach' album".
13. Gang of Four - Entertainment!
Entertainment! is the 1979 debut album by post-punk band Gang of Four. The album shows clear influences on punk, yet also incorporates funk and less-obvious influences of reggae and dub, similar to other bands at that time such as PiL and Pere Ubu. Gang of Four's angular, articulate style is often replicated by bands today. As well as Kurt's and my own, Entertainment! is known to frequently feature on Top Album lists.
mp3: Gang of Four - Ether
04. The Vaselines - Pink EP
The Vaselines were an indie rock band from Bellshill, Scotland consisting of Eugene Kelly and and Frances McKee. Kurt Cobain once described Kelly and McKee as his "most favourite songwriters in the whole world". Though the band were not widely known outside of the Scotland during their short career, their association with Nirvana brought exposure to the band. With songs covered for Nirvana's Insecticide and MTV Unplugged in New York albums respectively, the band gained a new audience (thats how I got into The Vaselines). At the 1991 Reading Festival, Eugene Kelly joined Nirvana on stage for a performance of Molly's Lips.
1 comment:
awesome post man
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