I purchased In Utero on cd in 1993 (I still have it but not entirely sure where it is at the moment), probably the week of its release. My recollections of that are actually pretty vivid 30 years on: I had very recently moved to Milwaukee to start my first job post-college, was still very into the alternative rock/grunge scene and stoked for the newest Nirvana album. I remember being…disappointed. I don’t think I listened to the cd much after the first couple of weeks and I have not listened to it at all the last three decades. Upon reflection I think that had a lot less to do with Nirvana and In Utero and a lot more about me and where my head was at the fall of ’93, namely I had bigger and more important things on my mind, like navigating the first couple of months of being a “real adult” – paying all my own bills, having a car for the first time, an actual 9 to 5 job, etc. I was uncomfortable and In Utero is an intentionally uncomfortable record.

In Utero, Nirvana’s third and final LP, was produced by Steve Albini and hit #1 in both the US and UK; it is also on many best-of lists for rock/90’s albums. Having given it 30 years of space, I definitely appreciate it a lot more than I did in ’93 but some of it still makes me uncomfortable, especially “Rape Me” which is also, weirdly, one of my favorite songs on the record. The title is obviously triggering and singing along, loudly, is a really terrible idea even though the song is catchy as hell. The track was released as a single in the UK (not in the US where it was semi-banned) and went to #32. Another top pick for me is “Scentless Apprentice” (the guitar riff written by Dave Grohl, not Kurt Cobain, and Kris Novoselic also contributed to the song, making it the only Nirvana track to award writing credits to all three band members); though not released as a single, it ranks among many folks’ top picks for Nirvana songs. I also love the thrashing rocker “Very Ape” and the punk-crazed “Tourette’s” (though it is angular and uncomfortable, too). I find that I am still sick of “Heart-Shaped Box” (#5 UK, #1 US Alternative/Rock chart) and “All Apologies” (both versions: the LP and the MTV Unplugged one which ultimately became more popular than the original: the track went to #45 in the US/#1 on the alternative chart and to #32 in the UK).

The bonus LP is also a bit uncomfortable (mostly because it includes titles like “Moist Vagina” and “I Hate Myself and Want to Die“). The most recognizable track (besides the original mixes of “Heart-Shaped Box” and “All Apologies”) on the disc is “Sappy” (originally titled “Verse Chorus Verse”), originally recorded by Butch Vig in ’90 and then again in ’91. The recording of “Sappy” on this bonus disc is the one recorded by Albini in ’93; it originally  appeared on the 1993 comp No Alternative, an AIDS benefit release. It hit #9 on the US alternative chart in ’94.

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Anyway, Fleetwood Mac went to #1 on the Billboard chart and even though it was released in ‘75, it was still the second biggest selling album in ‘76 and the 10th biggest in ‘77, and then the band re-released it in ‘78 after the massive success of Rumours. It was the band’s first record to feature Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, Buckingham replacing Bob Welch on guitar and vocals after his departure following the ‘74 album Heroes Are Hard to Find. The first single from Fleetwood Mac was a UK-only release, “Warm Ways.” The second single, “Over My Head,” was released in both the US and the UK (though not at the same time) and it went to #20 on the Hot 100 chart. It’s a Christine McVie-penned track and, honestly, hers tend not to be my favorite. I far prefer the Stevie Nicks written tracks, including the third single, “Rhiannon,” which went to #11 in the US and #46 in the UK. (I also really love “Landslide,” a non-single track – but widely known and wildly popular – on Fleetwood Mac written by Nicks). The final single from the LP was “Say You Love Me” by Christine McVie, which went to #11 in the US and #40 in the UK. It’s better, in my opinion, than “Over My Head,” but still pretty tame soft rock as compared to the more witchy tracks by Nicks. Also of note are the tracks “Monday Morning” (written by Buckingham) and the blues-rock “World Turning” (written first by Fleetwood Mac founding member Peter Green and reworked for Fleetwood Mac by Buckingham and McVie).

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While not of the first 500 pressings (which are on orange vinyl), this copy is an original 1987 release. I’m not sure when or how we acquired it, but had I heard it back in ‘87 (which I did not), I probably would have been an earlier adopter of the Seattle scene.  I liked Soundgarden okay in the 90’s when they had widespread popularity, but this EP has much more raw and messy sound (i.e. the single “Hunted Down”) than their later big-money releases.  Life in general in the late 80’s was raw and messy and this EP would have been a great accompaniment to that time.

(I love looking for the little scratches of writing on vinyl.  This one has “Buy Green River” on side A and “Buy MalFunkShun” on side B.  I always wonder about the person in the pressing room deciding what little hidden gems to script.)

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