Drummer was surprised by the success achieved by the trio he formed alongside Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic
Second studio album by Nirvana, Nevermind (1991) is one of the best-selling albums of all time. More than 30 million copies were sold across the planet.
Going further, the work was responsible for shaping rock and even pop culture in the early 1990s. The more sober proposal went against practically all the excesses of the 1980s.
For many, it is as if the story of Nirvana started in 1991. Far from it. The group was founded in 1987 by Kurt Cobain (voice and guitar) and Krist Novoselic (bass) and even released an album, Bleachin 1989. At the time of this album, the drummer wasn’t even Dave Grohlbut yes Chad Channing.
As much potential as the band showed, it’s safe to say that no one expected such success all at once. Grohlwho joined the band in 1990, knows this very well.
In a 2021 interview with Uncut (via Far Out), the drummer, who would become leader of Foo Fighters after the death of Cobainshared some reflections on what it was like Nirvana before the explosion. Initially, he commented that many people around the group were excited about its future, but the musician himself didn’t think it would have so much popularity.
“Everyone had these very excited opinions. However, I used to think and say, ‘well, it’s nice of you to say that about the band, but there’s no way this is going to get off the ground’.”
The musical scene of the period itself — the end of the 1980s — made Grohl think this way. In rock, it was the height of hard rock, with extravagant visuals and very different influences from Nirvana. The trio even saw themselves as part of the punk subgenre, which was experiencing a decline in popularity at that time.
“You also have to remember what was popular in music at the time. They weren’t bands like us. So it seemed completely implausible that we would ever come close to that kind of success.”
Nirvana, grunge and success
Although it was the most popular name in grunge, the Nirvana was not the first in the Seattle movement, a city in the United States, to release an album on a major record label. Still in 1989, the Alice in Chains signed with the Columbia Recordsreleasing his debut album, Facelift, next year. Interestingly, the group of Layne Staley (voice) and Jerry Cantrell (guitar) was the most identified with the hard rock scene still in vogue, although this was no longer reflected in their sound.
However, it was with Nevermindalready mentioned second studio album by Nirvana, that grunge exploded. To give you an idea, Facelift achieved gold certification in the United States, for the 500 thousand copies sold, only in September 1991 — shortly before Cobain and company emerge into the mainstream. With the push given by the movement, the work reached 3 million units sold in the country.
The commercial success of Nevermind It also gave strength to other groups. O Pearl Jam had launched ten, their debut album, a month earlier. Sales, however, only took off from 1992 onwards. Soundgardenwhich released its third album in October 1991, Badmotorfingeralso got underway — as did the project Temple of the Dogwhich brought together musicians from the two aforementioned bands.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
