In Utero

I have been waiting for this, I could have brought the standard version but knew they would release a 30th anniversary version of this album eventually. I was gutted that I simply couldn't afford the super deluxe version but that said, this is excellent. Nirvana's break out album Nevermind changed music in the 90's, it was my introduction to the band and probably to alternative music, Nevermind was my gateway to music as a teenager. My tastes in music started with this band and in particular....Nevermind. It cannot be overestimated how important an album Nevermind is but is it my favourite.....the short answer is no!!! Whilst for awhile it was Nevermind that never left my CD player in the 90's, it was In Utero that I truly fell in love with. Following Nevermind, Nirvana literally beccame the biggest band in the world, and as a consequence of this Kurt Cobain suffered serious addition issues and depression which would ultimately end his life in April 1994. Before that however Nirvana wanted to follow up on Nevermind but they didn't want to do the same kind of record. They wanted to do something unapologetic, raw and in someways bring Nirvana closer to their debut album Bleach. They recruited Steve Albini and the rest is history. Since 1992 it had been challenging for Kurt who had also married Courtney Love (Hole) and had a baby, Kurt and Courtney's drug use was widely reported resulting for a short time in their child also being removed from their custody. In Utero as Dave Grohl has mentioned previous said, was a difficult listen as this is Kurt at his raw best, opening up about his issues but at the same time writing some absolutely incredible music. Whilst this album will not ever get as much recognition as Nevermind, this is Nirvana's true masterpiece. 'All apologies', 'Heart Shaped Box' (both these were the albums singles before Kurt's death) and possibly the greatest opening lyrics to any opener of a song on an album ever "Teenage angst has paid off well, now I'm bored and old"('Serve the servants') shows an album that was mature, raw and honest and brutal. Songs like Pennyroyal Tea shows Nirvana's brilliant talent for crafting a perfect song (originally this was to be their 3rd single from this album but was cancelled following Kurts death), their perhaps most controversial song 'Rape Me' still packs a punch even to this day. 'Dumb' is a beautiful song but is a sharp contrast with the dark lyrics of drug addition. My personal favourite song on this album and probably my favourite song written by Nirvana is 'Francis Farmer will have her revenge on Seattle is quite simple stunning, The middle bridge on this song is stunning with Dave Grohls drums and Kurt's riff providing an immense pleasure to the ears. This 30th Annivesary LP version comes with an additional EP which includes 'Gallons Of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through The Strip' (originally Inclued on the international version of in utero) The B side to Heart Shaped Box 'Marigold' written and sung by Dave Grohl hints at the foo fighters in future years time. 'Sappy' as originally released on the No alternative completion in 93 'Mosit Vagina' a brilliant B side which was originally included on the All apologises Single And finally one of my favourite Nirvana songs 'I Hate Myself And Want To Die.' This was written and recorded during the In Utero sessions but was ultimately left off the album because there were other songs on the album of similar style. It was then slated to be released as the B side for the 3rd single 'Pennyroyal Tea' which as mentioned was cancelled following Kurt's death. Instead this was released as an A side on the Beavis and Buthead experience album (a really good soundtrack, check it out). This reissue is fantastic, the vinyl is of high quality and sounds amazing, the art work is beautiful and I'm glad to finally own this on Vinyl. This is my favourite Nirvana Album and its not even close. This is essential Music for 90's era music.

Nirvana's In Utero is a hybrid of its two predecessors melding the globe dominating, polished grunge of Nevermind with the roughness of their debut Bleach. This is a winning formula, and the album begins with the grunge meets George Harrison-style lead guitar of Serve the Servants which along with the growling/howling Milk It conveyed Kurt Cobain's alienation with fame. Scentless Apprentice screams and thumps along with amazing raw power and its guitar riff was impressively written by drummer and future Foo Fighter Dave Grohl. Heart-Shaped Box is presumably about Cobain's heartbreak, and it is such a storming monster of grunge song - with a spectacular guitar solo - that it absolutely deserved to be lead single and easily ranks amongst Nirvana's best numbers like Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are etc. Track four is surely Nirvana's most controversial track but musically it is of very high quality and the opening riff recalls that iconic start to their most famous song (Smells Like Teen Spirit). Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle is another highly strong, crunching rocker too. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter is obviously sarcastically named and although it is discordant it is at the same time tuneful enough and a thrilling rush - although Cobain was aiming for a less commercialised sound than Nevermind, this shows his innate ability to write a great song still. Some critics - and the band themselves - were disappointed in the sound of Pennyroyal Tea and felt that it was the one that could have done with Nevermind producer Butch Vig's magic touch. But it is still one of the most mind-blowing cuts on In Utero combining a melodic acoustic initial verse with a heavy grunge sound for the rest of the track and is another that is amongst Nirvana's finest ever songs and the single version - released almost a decade later so not to make money from Cobain's untimely death - was remixed anyway. The sublime dynamics between loud and quiet on Pennyroyal Tea and some of the other tracks also makes In Utero slightly comparable to Nevermind in that aspect too. Very Ape and Tourette's are brief but both pounding and electrifying. While Dumb and All Apologies also provide facets of Nevermind as the former finishes the first half in a musically calmer but troubled way like 1991's Polly with a mixture of electric and acoustic. The latter begins with a quite folky riff and then is another to display the band’s inherent dynamics as grinding guitars appear for most of the rest of the song. It was Nirvana's last single - as a double A-side with track four - and like the lead one is another up there with the group's best ever work with both being re-mixed by R.E.M. producer Scott Litt to enhance their commercial potential slightly. In fact, the final refrain of "All in all is all we are" again saw Cobain channelling his inner Beatle as it is a Lennon-like mantra and a moving and fitting last album lyric before his unfortunate and tragic death. Essentially In Utero is an uncommercialised Nevermind with Cobain's chaotic lifestyle at the time being reflected in lyrics. The subject matter is mostly stark and dark with a lot of the songs describing depression and a couple of disturbing themes and it is comparable to the Manic Street Preachers' Holy Bible (the last one to include Richey James’ lyrics while he was still alive). This 30th anniversary remaster is excellent and including some of the live tracks that are on the super deluxe version makes it of fine value for the much lower price it is. With the talented Steve Albini recording it is loud and noisy rock but crucially spliced with Cobain's mesmerising gift for melody which ensured that Nirvana were not tuneless like some of their peers - though Soundgarden had some great singles - and by far the leading grunge band.

And so we finally get the 20th anniversary edition of In Utero, perhaps the most difficult album in Nirvana's back catalogue to review. Listening again it is very difficult to divorce the content here from the legacy. For someone who was there at the time its a landmark for many reasons and whilst it is still the five star album it always was it is a bittersweet listen. Taking the original album on its own merits this is a very strong offering. It has some of Nirvana's finest moments here alongside the screaming and wailing of numbers like Scentless Apprentice and others. There are moments of absolute genius here and twenty years does not diminish the power of Frances Farmer, All Apologies, Rape Me and pretty much every other track here. Its not the easiest listen, Pennyroyal Tea really gives the impression of how tired Cobain was of the music industry, it feels like it was an effort to make. One worth enjoying. To remember the moment this was released is to put it in true context. Nevermind had conquered the world. Out of nowehere Nirvana had become the focus of a movement that pushed loud rock music away from poodle haired rockers and made it accessible to everyone. The expectation of this was huge. That it lived up to that was an achievement. That it exceeded it, in my opinion this is Nirvana's best album, was astonishing. However, the echo's of Cobain's frustration and increasingly unhappy state of mind is all over the album. Lyrics that openly discuss suicide as well as selecting songs that were less commercial than the B sides are just evidence of Cobain and the bands attempts not to just put out an easy follow up. The extra's here are proof of that. Anyone familiar with Nirvana at the time is familiar with the B sides Marigold and Moist Vagina and the tracks that ended up on compilations Sappy (appearing uncredited on the excellent No Alternative album) and I Hate Myself and Want To Die (at one time the title track of the album and it appeared on the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack). Putting these on the same disk as the original album makes for an interesting experience. Sappy is as commercial a track as Nirvana ever made, and maybe one of their best. Marigold is a shambling and beautiful number. What comes across is that they deliberately put on the album more challenging tracks than go the easy course. The different mixes add little. All Apologies has a mix with the Cello's far more prominent and the mix of Heart Shaped Box has a more discordant breakdown, but its not going to be a massive difference to anyone listening. Except the band. Never forget that Nirvana asked for these mixes due to their attention to detail. It may run counter to what you think but the bands attention to detail was huge and they constantly reworked and picked out detail of tracks. The instrumental numbers are good but realistically if you have this already you are not going to get much more out of this package than you already have. Especially if you have the B sides I mentioned above. In Utero is the album of Nirvana's that is the most personal to me. Its the album I bought to take to uni with me, its the album I listened to when Cobain departed this mortal coil, it has other memories embedded into my DNA. Its a sad moment in music history where a band who had the world at their feet recorded a moment of brutal beauty. It is also a musical triumph. Nirvana delivered a landmark album that ended up being their swansong. Sad, beautiful, angry, frustrated and wonderful...name an album in the last twenty years that has this legacy. They are few and far between.

Honestly I’ve spammed listened to this CD twenty times in a row. It’s worth it

Product name was on the postage label where it can be seen, be mindful of this if buying as a gift. Aside from that, delivery was quick and painless.

Bought as gift, recipient was pleased with it.

Great record delivered before the due date in pristine condition 👌

After the disappointment that was the 20th anniversary of Nevermind (Poor 'loudness war' mastering being a big complaint of many) It is a relief and a delight to report that the 20th anniversary edition of In Utero is great. I would personally award In Utero 4 stars out of 5 if reviewing it based on it's music alone. This 5 star rating is awarded for reasons specific to this edition. The reasons being: 1. Great remastering. Volume levels are very similar to the original release from 1993, but the improvements in equipment used to master albums since then has managed to reveal a little more detail from the analogue master recordings of these songs. The mastering of this album and its bonus tracks was done at Abbey Road by Steve Rooke, who was involved in the (almost) universally praised 2009 Beatles remasters. It makes Bob Ludwig's remastering of Nevermind look like the work of an amature, a shame; considering Ludwig is a famed mastering engineer responsible for many fantastic sounding albums. 2. All the B-sides to the singles from In Utero and a couple of tracks used on compilation albums from the same era. Some may bemoan the fact these b-sides are 2013 remixes, but they are subtle remixes that don't differ much from their original incarnations. Nice to have all these songs in one place. Furthermore: the original mixes of Heart Shaped Box and All Apologies are included, these songs were given a remix by Scott Litt on the original album as they were earmarked as singles, Geffen records found the original mixes a little 'abrasive' sounding for potential radio play. 3. An alternative mix done by In Utero producer Steve Allbini, with input and approval from Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl by all accounts. An interesting version that to my mind neither improves upon or worsens the original release; its simply a great sounding companion piece. Pre album demos of songs are also included. Demos are of limited interest to me personally, but their inclusion isn't unwelcome. Many so called 'Deluxe Editions' of famous albums feature only Demos and/or live recordings as bonus content. Some also have questionable sound quality. The remastering and extras here show a concerted effort in creating a value for money re-release, which is only £6.99 at the time of writing. Consider that In Utero on CD would have been in the £12-15 in 1993. 4. Nice looking packaging and graphics, slightly understated and classy. Brief but faintly amusing liner notes from comedian Bob 'Bobcat' Goldthwaite (Most of us Brits only know him as the crazy crimiminal turned cop character from the 'Police Academy' films😁). Proper disc trays on this set too, not tight 'disc scratching' inserts. In conclusion: A deluxe edition worth purchasing. A single disc edition featuring only the original album remastered and a Super Deluxe edition with a whole host if goodies is also available. This 2cd set however is currently the best value for all but the devout completest.