How Nirvana’s Sound Evolved Between ‘Bleach’ and ‘Nevermind’

Following the release of Nirvana's sophomore album Nevermind in 1991, hair metal pretty died off. It ended up becoming popular again, of course, and is nostalgic to listen to today, but for years, it was pretty much extinct while grunge ruled the music world. Bands that had been selling out arenas and amphitheaters suddenly couldn't even perform at small concert halls and fill the seats. There are really few moments in music history as dramatic as the shift from hair metal to grunge, and for that, Nirvana can really take the credit.

Sure, Nirvana is known for Nevermind, and it's that album and the songs off that release that made them worldwide superstars. But, their story didn't start with Nevermind. Well before that album came out, Kurt Cobain and the band were on SubPop Records and a very different band. They toured Europe on their debut album, 1989's Bleach, and played small venue and clubs but already had a very excited base of followers.

The early Nirvana was a big part of the Seattle scene with bands such as Screaming Trees, Mother Love Bone and Mudhoney. Sadly, lead singer Andrew Wood from Mother Love Bone passed away before Nevermind came out, or else Mother Love Bone is another grunge band that could have been huge. Wood passed away on March 19, 1990, and Nevermind came out the following year. But, the group was the precursor to Pearl Jam, featuring Pearl Jam's instrumentalists with Eddie Vedder on vocals.

So, Nirvana's sound on their early music in the 1980s was different from their style in the 1990s, although they did sound like the same band. Let's look at their early work and compare it to Nevermind.

Nirvana's Bleach and Nevermind albums had one major difference, and that was really that Nevermind was a more polished and produced album. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind had a more radio-friendly style than the band's previous material, and it fit perfectly on the radio because of that.

Nirvana recorded Nevermind at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, and Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, in May and June of 1991. It was released on September 24, 1991, and took off.

Cobain told Clash Music that Nirvana's "early songs were really angry," however, "as time goes on the songs are getting poppier and poppier as I get happier and happier." He added, "The songs are now about conflicts in relationships, emotional things with other human beings" and that "when I write a song the lyrics are the least important subject."

So, by the time Nirvana recorded Nevermind, they had matured a bit as songwriters, even though they were still known for some of the same nonsensical lyrics and themes.

Another big difference between Bleach and Nevermind is that they featured totally different drummers. Chad Channing played drums on Bleach, and Dave Grohl played on Nevermind.

A funny story from the recording of Bleach comes straight from Channing. In an interview with Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic for the Seattle Weekly, he says of the often underrated album that, "Working on 'About a Girl,' the song didn't have a title by that time, so I asked Kurt, 'What is that song about?'" Cobain replied that it was simply about a girl, so Channing suggested to do with that. The rest is rock 'n' roll history.

He added, "When we set up in the studio in Seattle, the idea was to detune everything. The drum heads were really loose, and it was kind of hard to play because you didn’t get that snap-back. Jack Endino taped a coin to the kick-drum head so it would have a brighter tone."

So, Bleach was popular on the underground circuit, but it was nothing compared to Nevermind. The latter took off like wildfire and quickly became one of the biggest rock records on the planet.

Even though Butch Vig is known for his work with many bands, Nevermind is really is crowning glory. Speaking with NPR in 2011, Vig said that he was excited to work with Nirvana and that "as I started talking to them, they told me they were ready."

Vig added that the band had been rehearsing every day for three months and that "there was definitely not a slacker ethic in that band," which is a bit of a contradiction to how some like to pain Nirvana. "I mean, they wanted to make a great record," he added, "and Kurt [Cobain] was very ambitious, you know. When they walked into the studio, they were ready to go."

In a separate interview with Billboard, Vig talked about the creative process behind Nevermind. He said that the album defined that particular time and place. "[Kurt Cobian] was singing about things that we don’t even understand, but somehow you can hear him trying to fight through that frustration and rage, his fragility… all those complex feelings he expressed at the time still resonate today," he added.

Later in the interview, Vig said that he didn't really listen to the album after it was released and distanced himself from it a big after forming Garbage. But, he did revisit it around the 20th anniversary of the record. "And it wasn’t really until about the 20th anniversary that Dave Grohl, Krist [Novoselic] and I got together a lot and we did a lot of interviews and press for the 20th," Vig said, adding that, "and we went back and dug through all the masters, we had the album re-mastered and then we found some outtakes."

Vig also reminisced about the first time he heard that song that he would eventually record for Nevermind, telling Uncut, "It was a boombox recording and I heard this scratchy guitar and Dave's drum fills and then sheer distortion. The recording was horrible, but I could tell the songs were tight and hooky." The recording was taken at a rehearsal, and Vig mentioned that on the tape, Cobain introduced Dave Grohl as the band's new drummer before launching into the songs.

So, while Bleach and Nevermind are different in that the former is very raw and the latter is more polished, they both have that Nirvana grunge style. They're both worthy albums and should be seen as some of the Seattle movement's finest. Contact me with your thoughts.