Reviews (page 14 of 15)
This album had potential because I do like some nirvana songs however I couldn’t really get past the voice on this album which was 99% of it.
I enjoyed some damn good years in the 90s. But what I've come to realize is that how much of that was surrounded in myth because I don't miss the decade of snark, the cynicism, and in music that manifested into the "if it's not indie (which this wasn't...) it's utter shit" credo that wasn't even so much stated as just assumed. And Nirvana was the perfect synthesis of all of that. Which is probably why when they hit I hated them right off the bat. I wasn't stuck in the 80s or any particular era; as a marked counterpoint to that, the early 90s brought a revelation of/in rock music to me - so much amazing new music EVERYWHERE (I would say comfortably that nearly 100% of any excess money i made for a 2-3 year stretch went to buying new CDs) that I couldn't believe *this* was the band that stuck out and somehow got to be the symbol of the GenX rock fans. Goddammit WHY?! I wanted to revisit this today and give it a fresh ear. Because I hated this album. But I still hate it and maybe even more-so. Members of the loud/soft/loud cult of the late80s/early90s which I never enjoyed - there's not much melody to be found anywhere on this album; it's a noise record and - ok I can see how some people would like or even love this - but as much as I love power and energy in music there's no release in Nirvana's music for me. Kurt Cobain's voice is like listening to my cat angrily vomit into a microphone over and over which doesn't cover up the lack of musical progression. Listening to "Scentless Apprentice" are 4 of the worst minutes you'll ever spend. Until "Tourette's" - it's less than 2 minutes but feels like 20. Was going to give small points for occasional - OCCASIONAL - nostalgia. But then that same nostalgia gets some points docked because this is even worse than I remembered. No apologies. 1/10 1 star.
This is the most accessible Nirvana I've heard so far, and they compensate for that with noise and a few deranged lyrical turns. The drums seem barebones across basically the whole record, mixed loud. There always seems to be a drone, but the instrument or voice carrying it varies. I can't begrudge Cobain the grunge voice, but still don't adore it.
OH HELL YEAH.
Just ok
I feel like this is exactly what they were going for. They didn’t miss on one track. Perfect. 5/5
Genius album by a genius band. I have no faults. It’s perfect.
never really cared much for Nirvana
The authentic rock sound they were looking for is great, if only they also had some songs to go with it.
Has a rock band with a more flawless catalogue ever existed? This is an excellent album, but you already knew that. Not so fun fact. Frances Farmer is the most famous of at least 5 well-known songs by various artists dedicated to the ill-fated actress from Seattle. Fed up with media frenzy and the excesses of commercialism that surrounded her as a result of her fame (sound familiar?), she behaved erratically, was eventually committed to a psychiatric institution where she was allegedly raped, drugged and tortured. The experience led to her struggle with addiction and caused a severe worsening of her mental health. Kurt and Courtney supposedly had a strong fascination with her, and unsurprisingly connected with her story on a personal level.
Some good songs but could not handle the yelling rough sounds
Here's a fun fact I probably shouldn't admit: I used to think Utero was a city in America, and that this was a live album. This is still an absolute kick in the balls of an album, more aggressive and weird and artistic than Nevermind; Cobain's recorded suicide note. If Nevermind reflected teenage angst, In Utero is about adult anxiety.
Grunge
8,0 Great Grunge Legendary group
Very good
HSB and the guitars in general are undeniable but i think maybe i just don’t like grunge that much???
Its Ok, but just makes me want to listen to Pixies instead.
Banger
Love this album, Favourite songs being heart shaped box and rape me
Great album, such great emotion and energy from Dave’s drumming, Kurt’s singing and Kris’ lines
Classic
One of nirvanas best
Easy listening
Still nothing that really sounds like this, even with a pronounced Steve Albini influence on the drums. The tight, speedy tempo and lurching cascade of "Very Ape" preceded by the delicate, dour, violin-augmented "Dumb" are original sonic touchstones that few other bands have approached. "Scentless Apprentice" is an updated, perfectly-cooked thud of earlier postpunk. The singles "All Apologies" and "Heart-Shaped Box" balance the sometimes-harsh growl of Kurt Cobain's vocals and lyrics with saccharinely laced layering. The pacing of the album is ultimately flawed even if each song aside from "Tourette's" and "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" stands on it's own as an example of the unique sonic possibilities that meaningful production and raw talent might engender.
Sonzao curto das antiga já, não é o mejor album mas tem uns fadinho tri
Hey guys, first day and a what a wonderful start. In utero 10/10 best song dumb
Heart Shaped Box no duh, pennyroyal tea, all apologies. It’s undeniably a fantastic album, yelling stresses me out though.
Highlights: Frances Heart shaped Very ape Tourette’s Radio friendly
i'll start this review by saying i absolutely recognize the significance and influence nirvana had and still has. i agree in utero should be on this albums list! i'm just not a huge fan of their music. upon listening to this album, i've realized a lot of it has to do with kurt cobain's voice. in many songs, i couldn't hear many of his lyrics because his voice was so much softer than the music! that's my personal preference and that was his choice to sing that way. and i didn't care very much for when he screamed instead of sang. ah, i suppose that's grunge for you. the drums by dave grohl were just excellent. he completely controlled the songs via drums. and cobain's guitar could be very powerful. in some parts of the album, nirvana even edged close to heavy rock/metal. the lyrics were authentic and real. so this to say, i grew in my respect for nirvana, i did find a song i enjoyed, and i learned more about nirvana, but. i think a 3 is the best i can do.
It is often seen where bands go from punk to a more "radio friendly" genre, becoming polished over time and losing that "edge", but Nirvana did the exact opposite here, releasing their critically acclaimed Nevermind first and later following it up with the more edgy, unpolished In Utero. There are some songs on this album that have that similar Nevermind polish, but this is ultimately a more primal album. And as I understand it, this is exactly what Nirvana was going for. Still, the magic of Nirvana is there for those that are drawn to it in the first place. You have grating, visceral emotions from Cobain's vocals and lyrics. His words fit the grunge genre so well, as he is adept at telling his very personal stories with dirty, grimy, grungy lyrics befitting of the genre. The music, while also incredibly grungy and distorted, is masterfully edgy; you can tell you're listening to musicians who know how to do more than slam on their instruments. While I understand that Nirvana wanted to go more unpolished, I personally believe they were at their best on Nevermind. Still, this album is solid, and a very shining example of 90s grunge and punk-adjacent genres. Cobain was known for pushing hard for what he wanted, and Nirvana shows here what they wanted to be, and they were uncompromising on that. And it proved to be a success. This likely would have been the beginning of their sound moving forward, had it not been for Cobain's untimely death.
Heartshape box and rape me were really good
All apologies will never not be amazing
probably my favorite Nirvana studio album
Self aware angst driven grunge for the mature rocker.
Not a big fan
Nirvana at the height of it's power. Albini's production puts the band as they should sound on record, and it's so powerfully distorted and raw. This album straight up rocks and is an all-time favorite of mine.
I've tried to get into Nirvana but it's never really clicked. This album was just okay for me.
Peak music
Heart shaped box best song.
The obvious bit where Nirvana were still trying to cram Punk influence in their songs right next to finding the sound that made them go world famous. Some really good tracks, even the non-singles.
This all seems so frantic. What trouble Cobain must have been experiencing, if all this is him being honest. Not wanting what he got. Many of these songs are very cool in themselves but really they are hard to listen to knowing how much pain he must have been in. Maybe too much was made of Nirvana and Cobain in particular, but there was an incredible focus of media attention on his life after Nevermind. The stress of that is clear in almost every song on In Utero.
If you didn’t know it was Nirvana, would you really love this? I mean, I like the overall vibe and soundscape but nothing sticks out as melodically interesting.
nice
Sidste Nirvana album, grunge-vibes, råt, skarpt
In Utero cements Nirvana as one of the most influential bands of the 90's. The sound of the record is much more raw and hectic than its predecessor. The guitars are rough, angry, and aggressive. The lyrics are dark and mesmerizing. The drums are heavy and scary. Cobain is easily the most famous grunge artist to have ever lived, and he shows just why on many of the songs on this record. Not only do his guitar riffs feel dirty and raw, he is also able to show a softer side when the lyrics call for it. Very inspired record and its always fun to imagine what would have been had Nirvana continued into the late 90's. Favorite Track: Heart Shaped Box Least Favorite Track: Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
Serve the servants was somewhat listenable. Scentless Apprentice was just senseless noise. Heart-Shaped Box could be enjoyed, wouldn’t skip if it came on the radio. Rape Me’s intro was enjoyable, the rest of the song is pretty meh. FFWHHROS was again somewhat enjoyable, I liked the instrumental side of the song, remind me of GH3. Dumb is one of the better songs on the album, Kurt’s clean vocals were much more enjoyable here, and the overall song was decent. Very Ape was enjoyable, it wasn’t overly “ugh” and dull, it was fairly frantic and was quite punk which was fun. Milk It is another song that was just noise, it was a mix of Kurt just screaming and clean, dreary vocals. Pennyroyal Tea was listenable and somewhat enjoyable, probably wouldn’t skip it if it came on the radio. RFUS was actually just noise, didn’t enjoy at all. Tourette’s again was unlistenable. All Apologies was another song that I probably wouldn’t skip, it was calmer, which was a good ending to the album. Overall, Kurt Cobain’s vocals stop me from enjoying this album, it had some high moments but were overpowered by the lows. 2/5
not the type of music i would listen to, but i like it, is good :)
Not my favorite style
Noisy
It’s not Nevermind but what the f@$@?!?! You expect consistent and unrelenting genius? It’s still damned good.
It sure is Nirvana. I think Nevermind is more consistent, since there are a few meh tracks on this album (most notably "Tourette's") while the worst Nevermind song is probably still in the Top 30 best grunge songs of all time. Strooong 4/5.
How can you possibly follow up Nevermind? Do you remember what it was like when that came out? "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was EVERYWHERE. That was such a defining musical statement back then. I got the Nevermind album, but did not listen to it as much. This I listened to a _LOT_. So a few years later this comes out, and it's so... different, but utterly of the band. I remember not liking it as much at first, but a few listens later, I felt it was a musical evolution of the band. Thinking back, I could liken it to how "Angel Dust" was to Faith No More's "The Real Thing". "Serve The Servants" - I never liked it as the opener. But honestly I am not sure where there is a good place to put the song that fits the album. It kind of feels a bit like a b-side. "Scentless Apprentice" is credited by all three members, but is pretty noisy. Think it could have used a little more work, actually. "Heart Shaped Box" is just such a damn good song. It really shows you how far the band had come. I think at first I gravitated towards "Heart Shaped Box" as my favorite, but now it's "All Apologies." It makes me a bit sad, since it was the last song off their last studio album. "Rape Me" - ... I know what the song is, but it's still hard to sing along to. "Frances Farmer..." - interesting song, particularly once you know that the song is about the actress (Cobain's 'patron saint' as it were) "Dumb" - great song, both this version and the unplugged version. "Very Ape" - I always liked this tune, the crunchiness of the guitars, the line "If you need anything please don't hesitate to ask someone else first." "Milk It" - I always thought this song was a bit over the top, although I dug what they were trying for here. "Pennyroyal Tea" - I like the contrast of the two versions, this one and the unplugged version. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" - I liked the droniness of it. I imagine it being sort of done after a night of no sleep. "Tourette's" is very much a sequel to "Territorial Pissings" for me. Much shorter, though it doesn't need to be too long. Listening to a few different mixes of "All Apologies" it's obviously influenced by "Tomorrow Never Knows". Still it is probably one of their finest moments. I wish it wasn't their last. The album itself is a little uneven, but the great moments still outshine the previous album for me. So I am still going to give it 5 stars. Probably because I listened to it so much in my early 20s. A defining moment for me, musically, I think.
Like probably everyone, I own Nevermind. And probably like most, that's the only Nirvana album I own. Maybe that makes me like the guy they sing about in In Bloom. But I honestly never got into this follow-up; just didn't think it was as good. Re-listening to it, from the first two songs you notice how much harder (or as others say, abrasive) the sound is (I love the sound of Scentless Apprentice, though not the screeching vocals). That makes it more of a challenge to grasp the lyrics, which admittedly are just as good and thought-provoking as on their previous album. Cobain really was a masterful lyricist. And they show more depth in their musicianship. I totally hear Cobain's love of the Pixies in this album - in how it takes on a different sound than Nevermind, in how the songs differ vastly from each other, in some of the edginess. In retrospect, I really dug lesser knowns Frances Farmer, Very Ape, and Milk It just as much as well knowns Heart Shaped Box, Rape Me, Dumb, and All Apologies (all incredible songs). Even Pennyroyal Tea grew on me (until now I didn't understand why it was so beloved). I still think Nevermind is better, but In Utero is pretty damn good and a real close second.
Yeah
10/10 LOVE how experimental it is compared to their other projects Nevermind is still my favorite but this is a close second
Not my style 100%, but I did enjoy listening to this. A few songs were amazing grungy goodness.
Love Nirvana, great album.
This album never fails to hype me up, bring me down, and leave me feeling overall better.
Relistening to old favorites reveals much about how time changes our perceptions of things. I found myself thinking more about the style choices, composition, and individual tones for instruments than I did when first listening. More analytical. And it's fascinating.
Like a delicious three-ingredient stew, Nirvana are masters of doing a lot with very little. Every song has an iconic hook and takes me on a journey from calm to LET'S GO over and over again. I've been quoting lines from Serve the Servants and Heart Shaped Box for nearly thirty years. In Utero holds up.
How do I objectively evaluate this album? I was 12 when this was released and it looms large in my mind. It's easy to forget great songs like Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge and Very Ape when they're rubbing shoulders with classics like Heart-Shaped Box and All Apologies. Incredible lyrics and tight, well-written songs abound in this 40 minute masterpiece.
A solid album
One of my favourites!!!!
Not really jamming with any of it. The best songs were All Apologies and Heart-Shaped Box, which to my mind were the most unique. The others just weren’t for me.
It's hard to live up to the previous album Nevermind and In Utero almost reaches the same level. It's very different but I like it. It's too bad that this is Nirvanas final album because it would be interesting to see which direction they would take the band towards after In Utero. In Utero is very crisp and raw in a positive way. It's so easy to filter out all the sounds and just focus on for example Dave Grohls drums or Kurt Cobains guitar. It's a 5/5 for me even though I like Nevermind better.
It's tough to follow up an album as popular as Nevermind, but in my opinion Nirvana really did it with this album. It's a different, punkier direction but it hits hard.
Ca va, kwas er ni veu in de stemming denk
I have mixed views on this album. It's purposely a lot more experimental than Nevermind, and initially this turned me off it. But listening to it now, the catchy melodies are there but they're mixed in with distortion and dissonance. In many ways I think of Nirvana in the same way as Nick Drake who also made only 3 nearly perfect albums that were equally diverse in their respective genre. So despite some initial misgivings, this is as essential as the other Nirvana albums. And I love the line 'teenage angst has paid off well now I'm bored and old'.
I haven't listened to this because of teenage prejudices. A really good stomp a heavy sound.
I think i prefer this to the other one
Ra Ra Ra . Quality noise.
Did Frances Farmer ever have her revenge on Seattle?
Some deeper cuts on this album that I don’t care for but the hits are great
AAA
08/17/2022 :’) can’t believe this was my first one to start this all off. This album and Nevermind are the pinnacle of my early high school years. Truly feels like a throwback listening to this album again. I guess I’ll use this to also document what’s going on in my day as I do this. Use it like a lil Time Capsule. Laptop shopping before I start architecture school in 5 days. We’ll see how it goes by the end of this project, aptly titled “Until Graduation.”
I love this album! I think it has a lot more personality than Nevermind, which is made possible by the vivid lyrics and passionate vocals. I also enjoy the combination of louder, angrier songs (Scentless Apprentice, Tourette's, etc.) and calmer, more reflective ones (Dumb, All Apologies). Favorite song: Very Ape.
I prefer Nirvana's more polished, produced-for-radio songs to their harsher material. Even on this album, songs like "Heart-Shaped Box," "Dumb," and "All Apologies" are preferable to me than songs like "Milk It" and "Tourette's." This album showcases the energy, angst, range, and creativity of the band - possibly Kurt most of call - but isn't the album of theirs I gravitate toward. That said, it's still a very solid album.
I have an issue with the screaming, but I do believe Kurt Cobain was a very talented artist. He bascially wrote this entire album. Each song is unique. After Nevermind, Cobain wanted to produce something different, and he did. I am not a huge Nirvana fan, but I do feel that this album is an important chapter in the history of American rock. "All Apologies" is one of my favorites.
I was sort of surprised to see this album vs Nevermind, but after listening through again it does have something special.
I needed to be reminded how great Nirvana was 5.
Peak Nirvana. Peak Grunge. Incredible run of tracks from 'Scentless Apprentice', 'Heart-Shaped Box', 'Rape Me' to 'Frances Farmer...'
Without a shadow of a doubt Nirvana’s strongest record. Grunge really peaked with In Utero and everything grunge beyond this release is slowly fading into alternative rock to be honest.
Nirvana's "Nevermind" were famously produced "like pop songs". "In Utero" clearly aims to not be that. While the production on here is still great, the rhythm section is wielded as a cudgel, while Kurt creates a one-man wrecking crew of noise and abrasion. Even the most "poppy" song on here is not-safe-for-radio, the harshly named "Rape Me". Favorite tracks: "Tourette's", "Serve the Servents", "Milk It", "Dumb"
Raw, emotional, and excellent.
Excellent moment. J'ai simplement regretté l'absence de reprises de Jacques Brel, auxquelles Scott Walker nous avait pourtant habitué il y a quelques jours.
Kurt Cobain nous prouve encore un peu plus que le spensées suicidaires ammènent toujours à un grand album, bravo Kurt.
I can't objectively rate this album. It (and nirvana's other albums) are so routed in my teenage experience that this is soul music to me. The grinding guitars and wailing lyrics still send me into a state of peace, excitement that makes me feel how I figure I'm supposed to feel. This may sound ridiculous, but nirvana are my comfort blanket. Despite the bleakness, the mess, the misery. It helps me feel.
Outside of the singles that I already knew, I didn’t really care for the rest of the songs.
Heart-Shaped Box was highlihgt. lesser known album to me of Nirvanas but will listen more post this. "Rape me" and "Milk it" were also great.
Langzame punk-rock vind ik normaal niet zo geweldig, maar wat was Nirvana toch een goeie band eigenlijk. Beetje rauwe randje aan de gitaar en datzelfde rauwe randje aan de zangstem. Sommig nummers zijn wat vaag, maar anderen hebben weer een heel toegankelijke melodie. Niet meteen mijn favoriete album, maar sommige nummers zijn geweldig. ***
Прекрасный, болезненный альбом Тьма посмотрела в меня и я посмотрела во тьму, слушая его
эх где мои 14 лет.... физически не могу поставить ниже пятерки, хотя уже довольно давно почти не слушаю нирвану (только если mtv unplugged) вроде как считается, что это лучший альбом нирвану, с чем я не могу не согласиться. и хотя лично мне проще воспринимать nevermind (видимо, дело в его \"отполированном\" звучании, которое позже так не нравилось самой группе), понимаю, что in utero интереснее и сложнее (а еще манекен с обложки так и не подал в суд) короче: нирвана в сердце навсегда
Nirvana third last and strongest album. Pulsing with riffs, angst anger and screams. Brutal but listenable. Strong 4.
It’s Nirvana!
This is probably like every Nirvana superfan's favorite Nirvana album, but as a casual Nirvana listener I found it immature and annoying. Some good tracks in there (especially Heart-Shaped Box and All Apologies) help balance the keel to an even 3, but the mindless screaming of "Scentless Apprentice" and the horrible bullshit that is "Rape Me" really tried my patience.
влюбилась в этот альбом ещё подростком осознано дошла, что это любимый у нирваны уже в 11 классе
Last album before Kurt committed suicide Rape Me - cordero told me abt this one. Sounds like a similar chord progression to smells like teen spirit. Dumb and Heart-Shaped Box were also good
Raw, slick, classic 5/5 album
Solid
i love the noisier parts, radio friendly unit shifter is such a bop also, but i am no relistening this as much as nevermind
Brings me back to high school. Some great tunes and a few that are now a bit grating for a 46 year-old. :)
Not my favorite of theirs but still pretty good.
It takes a remarkable talent to build on the success of an album like Nevermind, but these guys managed it.
Fuckin classic
A few good songs but nothing to write home about. Solid three stars.
Solid. Enjoyed what I recognised but not all of what I didn't. Need some relistens to sink it in.
ahead of their time, aged very well. definition of teenage angst
I liked it, rated lower because it’s not my usual or my favourite but it was good.
In my mind, nothing defines grunge like "Nevermind", and nothing Nirvana did touches that masterpiece. However, this album is better, more melodic—despite having a dirtier sound—than I remembered. It’s got some really catchy tunes. The back and forth between acoustic and electric bits highlights how effortlessly the band can switch from delicacy to harshness in quick changes.
Always with rock and grunge, my ears don't find the filled in noise of drums and other instruments very pleasant. It's just very loud. Scentless Apprentice was going alright, but the screaming really was not it. I couldn't listen to it with my earbuds as it was going to make my head hurt. I could identify some melodies that I did like. It's still not something that my ears find pleasant. Highlights: Heart-Shaped Box
I found this a very interesting album. The songs I liked I really liked, and the songs I didn't like, I really didn't like. I seem to recall that when this album came out, people said it was rougher than Nevermind, and I found a few tracks really hard to listen to. "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" are great, classic songs, though, and I am fond of "Dumb."
My first attempt to listen to this album was last night as I crawled into bed. So, from that listen my only thought was "Grandma is too old for this!" I was concerned that this train passed me long ago and there was no chance for me to climb on board. In the light of a new day, I did enjoy much (not all) of the album.
I was so glad to arrive finally at Nirvana. I didn't really know anything from this album apart from the singles Heart-Shaped Box and All Apologies, both of which I like a lot. The first listen through was rough. Maybe I was tired, hot, crabby. But I just couldn't find the groove of the album, couldn't find more than a hint of greatness. Second time through, though, I fell into the pocket. The sound is raw and fuzzy and real, like having your ears scrubbed by a loofa. There's poetry and pain and humor in the lyrics (which, to be honest, I still can't understand without reading them --- but there's treasures to be found there). At the time of this writing, I've not yet listened a third time. But I just might.
Having acquired many grunge CDs through the Columbia House Music Club in the 90s, it is a bit of a mystery to me that I remained so unfamiliar with Nirvana. Perhaps even more perplexing is that I have lived in Seattle for nearly 25 years and still am only familiar with their bigger hits. Listening to Nirvana is something I always felt I though I needed to do. In Utero is the first Nirvana album I have listened to. I knew "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" - both great songs. The rest of this album is great! Definitely lived up to my expectations. Really glad to finally be addressing a glaring omission in my musical experience.
This album holds a special place in my life as it was the gateway to everything else music wise (and as a consequence highly formative. Eleven years old mw - sneaking up to the family stereo, nicking the CD from my sister’s collection when nobody was paying attention and listening to ‘All Apologies’ on repeat brought out the love of music in me. I still remember the day when I first saw the words ‘Nirvana’ etched out on a wall in my then new school - and being surprised that someone else out there also liked the band as for me, liking this album in the beginning was a very private and personal matter. So much so, I never really bothered with or knew ‘Nevermind’ until years later. Nirvana, started and ended with this album, and to me, it’s there best album. How does it hold up, however, now in the context of the all the other records I’ve listened to since? It’s still a wonderful journey - as dark as an abandoned formeldehyde-scented anatomy lab, at parts grotesque, at parts gentle, at parts ahead of it’s time both musically (Steve Albini’s touch/non-touch really lets this album transcend the era it was recorded in), and thematically (“Frances Farmer…”, “Pennyroyal Tea”, even the much less soft-touched ‘Rape Me’ - still relevant, almost even more so nowadays), while still leaving some space for pop gorgeousness in “Heart Shaped Box”, and “All Apologies”. Yes, it does hold up. It’s amazing through and through, and I’m grateful to this record for the world it has opened to me.
The songs are loud, poppy, urgent, timeless. The collection is as artistic as it is consumable making it the pinnacle of the bands career. You could even argue this was the pinnacle of punk rock. Listen to the Albini version unless you're a Radio Friendly Unit Shifter.
During Nirvana's short career, they produced only 3 studio albums. Bleach, the indie album (if you can call Sub Pop indie?), the major label, mainstream breakthrough record, Nevermind and their last album, the follow-up, In Utero. Nevermind was a tough act to follow, it went on to sell a gazillion records, got tons of airplay and was widely praised as one of the great albums of the 90's. In Utero was in fact a commercial and critical success, it was at the top of the charts and it also sold way too many records, but was it any good? Personally, when it was released I didn't care for it or I didn't really want to listen to it. At the time, I had an issue with bands that "sold out", signed with major labels and attracted a whole different audience (you didn't have before you became popular), once you became "too mainstream". Reflecting back and listening now, they didn't really compromise their sound too much, some of the songs on In Utero were more abrasive and didn't have the sound of a typical chart-topper. Music was shifting, grunge became mainstream, punk became popular and it became fashionable to listen to music that wasn't just force-fed through popular radio stations, so maybe it was a good thing. In Utero, did reflect the time period, it was a very good album, but if it came out 5 years earlier would it have been noticed?
3rd June 2022 Listened on the Saturday while cleaning / cooking breakfast. Long jubilee weekend, Friday was out walking with Seb, Saturday chilled one Sunday cleaning and packing! 90s grunge at its finest. Loud, hard but tender.
Love the raw production on the album. Was a treat.
A tougher more difficult and uncompromising album than Nevermind, but ultimately just as good. Contains classic Nirvana tunes like Rape Me, Pennyroyal Tea, Heart Shaped Box and has Cobain written a better song than Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle? May take longer than Nevermind but take the time and you'll discover an album even richer and more carried than that classic. 5 stars
El disco entero me gusta. Fue un bombazo tras el Smell ... Escucharlo entero en orden me sigue pareciendo increíble y si tengo que destacar las canciones por separado casi todas son de 10, desde el principio con «Serve the Servants» pasando por «Heart-Shaped Box», «Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle», «Dumb», «Very Ape», «Pennyroyal Tea», «Radio Friendly Unit Shifter» hasta acabar con «All Apologies».
Listened Before? Y YES! This is a great album. It has it's moments of irritation (like Scentless Apprentice with all the screaming), but overall it's phenomenal and captures late GenX angst perfectly. Added to Collection? Y (was already there) Songs Added to Playlist: Serve The Servants, Very Ape
Not often on this list does an album incontrovertibly deserve to be on it regardless of personal feelings about the band, the music, etc. Rarer still, does the album earn all five stars in spite of that as well. At this time, there are two studio and one live album by Nirvana on 1001. This being their final studio album, it did ride on the success of "Nevermind" but demonstrated more importantly that Nirvana was not single happenstance, but rather a hot iron that had everyone scrambling to strike. While the success of "In Utero" was comparatively somewhat dwarfed by "Nevermind" any band with any dreams of success would be hard-pressed to achieve what "In Utero" did as it would likely be their best performing album of their career if they did. This album captures all of the heavy, the hard, the angst, and grunge elements of an era, an era not necessarily started by Nirvana, however nearly 30 years later, comparisons and root traces still find Nirvana as their common ancestor. Bands who have "Seattle-based" as part of their promotional material is undoubtedly drawing from the mythos of Nirvana. Subsequent or "new" music can all go back to what Nirvana did to rock music in the early 90s, when music collectively abandoned overnight the glam rock and heavily synth'd pop of the 80s. People found that Cobain's introspection asked people to look inward, ultimately for him which led to a tragic end. Casting a shadow on an entire city that became socially ubiquitous with a perception of depression, and mental fatigue. The album deserves 5-stars because it proved "Nevermind" was not a fluke, that Nirvana had indeed codified into the world of music how things were going to be.
Not as good as Bleach or Nevermind. Still a great album but lacking the ferocity of Nirvana's previous albums. I always felt the production too clean for what they were trying to do. After listening to this, I had a listen to the Steve Albini mixes. They were right to change the vocals as they were too Low in Albini's mix but the rest of the sounds were perfect. The released result being to slick. Still this is the soundtrack of a band who couldn't deal with the massive changes success had brought. Cobain's lyrics being were conflicted. Fun fact: I was interning at Juice Magazine (an defunct Australian mag that was partnered with Spin) when the advance copy of the album cam into the office. Even though I was there as a graphic designer, one of the editors invited me to listen to the album with him so I could give a punter's opinion. I can't remember exactly what my response was. Something along the lines of not being as excited by it as Nevermind but still loving it. 29 years later my opinion hasn't changed that much
I don't think I had listened to all of In Utero before. I have listened to at least 2 other Nirvana albums before, and I know 5 of the 12 tracks from this album. From the beginning, I've felt at best ambivalant towards Nirvana. "Dumb" and "All Apologies" are interesting, and have kind of wormed there way in to where I like those tracks. But there are tracks on the album that I do not like. Sometimes it's the screaming and noise of the tracks, other times it's the content of the lyrics. The video for "Heart-Shaped Box" just makes me feel gross. As an album, I did not like In Utero.
i like dumb x
Great album start to finish.
Really good. The production is on point. I forgot how hard it goes
Pretty solid, Enjoyed most of the songs. Best song: Heart shaped Box
Didn’t hit as hard as Nevermind across the board, but still has some absolute smash hits.
What can I possibly say about "In Utero"? It's good. I like it.
This album still holds up for me! So great! Forgot how much I loved this album.
I know two songs on this album and that is the only reason it’s getting a 2. 😐
I was way into grunge in the 90s but heard so much Nirvana on the radio unsurprising never got their albums. This was my first listen to “In Utero.” Great intensity and overall solid, but I do prefer my grunge with more guitar leads and harmonies.
I don't think I've listened to this album before. Of course I love Heart Shaped Box, Rape Me and All Apologies. But I like that I discovered Milk It and Pennyroyal Tea which are both really good.
Another one I know "of" but never put on end to end. What fire in their bellies. And I'm sure I never really listened to the drums on this record. They hit HARD. I guess in my own ruleset I can't give this a 5 because I don't think every last track is a keeper or at least serves the whole, but it's damn close. Surprises: Scentless Apprentice, Frances Farmer Not surprises: Rape Me, All Apologies, Dumb
All Nirvana albums are 5-star albums. All of 'em. This is probably the raunchiest-sounding mainstream album ever released. The opening lick of Serve the Servants is so vile I used to turn my stereo down for the first few seconds of the song. After that, though, the lazy guitar lack drags the listener along through a hard rock sludged out fuzz fest. And the drums on Scentless Apprentice! In Utero is chock full of ultra-abrasive super fuzz and a few surprisingly gentle singles in Dumb, Pennyroyal Tea, and All Apologies. Rape Me and Heart-Shaped Box fall somewhere in the middle. Hard drivers, but not terrifying to casual listeners at the time. They would both be too abrasive for mainstream today. The entire album was recorded over 2 weeks with producer Steve Albini, using the wall-of-sound techniques pioneered by Phil Specter. It's mostly live with all players playing in a room full of mic'd amps. It makes for a truly brutal sound. Grohl's kick drum sounds huuuuge. I love this record.
Pretty undeniable I have to admit
An obvious classic, great production.
Has some bangers but also some misses in my opinion. Hard to beat Nevermind.
Heart shaped box, pennyroyal tea, all apologies. Great album. Last nirvana album.
Too much screaming, not enough music. And I do happen to enjoy grunge. While conceptually In Utero is really rather neat, it's execution leaves a lot to be desired - the songs get repetetive, the vocals appear sub-par, and the conherency and consitency just isn't there. Some tracks hold their own, but mostly the vocals aither overshadow or dissapear under the backing tracks. That said, it's still not outright unpleasant to listen to. Simply average.
Still Nirvana, but more inconsistent and hard to listen at times. Many hits mixed with hardcore grunge. Loved the bangers, grit my teeth on some of the rest. Still a great album tho. Highlights: Serve the Servants, Rape Me, Dumb, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies
Nevermind lepsze, ale to wciąż całkiem ok. Takie nie za mocne 4/5
Przyjemny, mocny grunge. Bardzo agresywny, ale dobrze się słucha. Nie porwał mnie na tyle, żebym często wracał, nieco za duża powtarzalność - dlatego daję 4.
4.5
The best Nirvana album. While being darker and more weird (there are some odd jazz rhythms and noise on here) Cobain's knack for pop makes it all listenable and even enjoyable. I often wonder what a further ablum would have sounded like - even more Albini brutalism? Even more musical diversity. It's a shame we'll never find out.
Sad and angry, possibly after a heart break. Classic nirvana
Just not a big fan of grunge music. Dumb had some nice sounding parts but that song was the exception not the rule. Some of the songs in the middle of the album were tolerable but bookending songs like “tourettes” were hard listens. All apologies was nice and I added it to liked songs with dumb so at least the song didn’t leave the album with a bad taste in my mouth.
Not as much of a stand out as Nevermind, but still a damn good album.
Mostly good. 3/5
Its legendary but it self pity hasnt aged well.
Awesome album, a favorite of mine in my teenage years! Some real grunge classics on here.
Uno de mis discos fundacionales. Y encuentro que es mejor que el Nevermind. Auguraba una nueva dirección para Nirvana y es una tremenda frustración no poder siquiera ver qué nos deparaba Kurt.
I really love this album a lot and listen to it regularly. One of my favorite albums and bands of all time.
4.25
Some killer songs on here but think I prefer that live album before this. He definitely goes pretty wildly grunge on a few, but still picked up a few tunes -- Big fan of All Apologies, Rape Me, and of course.... Heart Shaped Box
Nothing really stood out to me, might need another listen
Not Nevermind, which is exactly what they were going for. More noise, less pop, but still a lot of classics here. One of my favorites, Sappy, was a b-side.
Yeah, so, I never really saw that Nirvana was the transformational band that they get credit for. Transformational, certainly, just not as much as they've been given credit for. Personally, I felt that Alice In Chains should've been the band that got the credit for ending hair metal and ushering in flannel. I suppose they just didn't have the pop radio appeal that Nirvana had. I mean, Facelift came out a year earlier than Nevermind. Additionally, I think Nevermind was the more groundbreaking album anyway. In Utero has some great songs, it just wasn't groundbreaking or transformational in my opinion.
Ei paras Nirvana. Ihan jees kyllä. Ei ehi kirjottaa pitkii sepustuksii. Kassu löytyy hyllyst joten ihan tuttua kauraa 3/5
Ei säväyttänyt erityisen paljoa mikään biisi, mutta ihan hyvää riffitystähän tää on.
Koko Nirvanan tuotanto taitaa olla mulle keskimäärin varma 3/5. Puolet biiseistä iskee ihan hyvin ja puolet vähän kehnommin.
Tää on varmaan grungen huippuhetki tai varmasti ainakin yksi niistä. Kovaa bläsäystä eikä yhtään huonoja biisejä. Yritän antaa oikeesti hyville levyille enemmän vitosia nii lähdetään tästä. 5/5
Good strange stuff
Probably the Nirvana album I've listened to the most. Amazing front to back. The drums to start Scentless Apprentice is one of my favorite moments. There isn't much to harp on here. Great album.
OK. I am not going to get much love for this review ... but this album is just too much noise. Though I do love all "All Apologies", and there are some really big hits on this album, I would be quite happy living the rest of my life never hearing this again. C-
I wish that I was around when grunge rock happened. Of course Nevermind is their masterpiece, but this album has also some great songs on it. Really enjoyed the album and discovered some new songs too. Favourite songs: - Heart-shaped box - Rape me - Frances farmer will have her revenge on Seattle - All apologies
couple classics
This is one of those albums where I have heard multiple tracks off of it but have never sat down to give it a full listen. It is the first Nirvana studio album generated for me on this list, but I have received their Unplugged record already and have listened to 'Nevermind' many times. My overall impression of In Utero is that while it is a very good album with some amazing songs, it somewhat pales in comparison to both of those classics. I feel that this record starts off very strong in the first half (the first four tracks are all diverse, powerful, and just pure awesome); however, it slowly started to lose me in the second half. The last stretch of songs (completely disregarding the closer "All Apologies" as that song is excellent) is overall forgettable and repetitive in my opinion. The energy was there 100%, but it was the first time I felt like there was filler on a Nirvana album. In spite of that, I thought the band's direction on In Utero was super interesting as I see them going two completely separate ways. It is clear that they wanted to further expand sonically by incorporating strings and ballad-like songs throughout the track-listing, but you can also tell they were attempting to get back at critics/fans who thought they might have gone too mainstream on NM by releasing more hardcore/brutal songs such as "Scentless Apprentice" and "Tourette's". It would have been very interesting to see them progress past this album as I'm not sure which direction they would go (I lean towards more polished rock as Kurt Cobain was a huge fan of the Beatles/John Lennon). Overall, I had a fun time listening through this one completely, but it didn't blow me away. 3.5/5.
Rating system (Most of these albums are shoo-in 5-star albums for anyone “into” the genre they represent, my system is trying to avoid all 5-star reviews and break them down to represent my tastes. This is subjective and supposed to be fun, and some of these are snap judgements/hot takes after listening to an album once.): * Why is this even on here/DNF ** Album with artistic merit, but not my jam. Will probably not listen to again without prompting. ***Solid album, would listen to again. Some significant flaws for me to fully enjoy as a “full album.” Most albums will be in this category, as it’s the legit average. ****Almost flawless album, only one misstep in tracklisting or small engineering quibbles. *****Flawless album, one of my favorites, owning is required. Day 4: It’s been a minute since listening to something so unabashedly alienating. So much has been said about this album (and frankly, most of the stuff on this list) but it’s true that this gains so much more relevance in light of everything that happened after its release. Without the unaliving of Cobain, this would have been seen in a larger body of work as perhaps growing pains, or a third album “sophomore slump”. I know it’s more similar to their earlier/live work, but I can also see how it would be disappointing to someone expecting the relative polish of Nevermind. And I know from experience, since this was released when I was in high school, and folks just didn’t grok it the way they did with the previous album (though that number was not zero, obviously. Perhaps more of the population resonated with it in my HS, as I went to school in a semi-rural PNW town). I like loud and noisy and hard albums, but as I’ve gotten older, have definitely not been putting this kind of stuff on my daily listening rotation. I wasn’t really into this when it came out either, but it was a melancholy reminder of growing up in the ‘90s.
One of my all time favorites, Kurt Cobain at his gloomiest and angriest, what else can I say?
It was okay, I thought that the vocals overall were a little bit lacking though like I thought that the mix was kind of weird. I think that there were good melodies and good instrumentals and drums, however, I just thought that the mix of the vocals didn't really fit with the rest of the track. Overall pretty good. I think that my favorite tracks were Heart-Shaped Box, All Apologies, and Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle. I thought that the album got better as it went along, but maybe I just need to hear it more than once.
If Nevermind portrayed a baby on its cover picture and this is named In Utero there must be a reason: in a way the band is acknowledging the huge burden that following up on that album was, in spite of all of their efforts to distance themselves from it. At the same time, the uterus is the place where the baby was before. A warm, acuatic, comforting environment... Isn't there a parallel with the swimming pool and the dollar bill? And still, there is no regression here, quite the opposite, from baby to foetus, unless Kobain meant a return to a somehow more authentic nature of the band. Because there is nothing happy about the Nirvana state of consciousness, and nothing comforting about being in the uterus, especially when you know what is waiting for you out there. Famously a difficult listen, and I can confirm that this album surely is not easy listening . Never mind the Nevermind naysayers, this one is completely another beast, and deliberately so. Personally, it took me a while and many listens to even start appreciating its qualities, and every single time was like listening to a new album. Now that I am listening to it I am surprised at how it sounds raw and clean at the same time, loose and contained, wild and... I don't really want to say controlled but you get the sense that they knew what they were doing, what they were going for. The drums bang, the guitar screeches and howl, submerged in feedback, the vocals are throat-ripping, everything is so explosively loud and on the verge of collapsing that barely anyone is mentioning the cello on two tracks (Dumb and All Apologies). It's pure torment, anguish, rage. There is almost no pop in here. And still. No, this is not a classic. It's not for everyone, and for sure it's not for every day. A take it or leave it definite statement Same as a birth.
Could only accommodate Dumb on this album and I would be so very if I were to revisit.
Great album, but not Nirvana's best album. Hard to beat Nevermind though.
Bores me
Brilliant album.
Brilliant album, great production and barely a bad song on it.
Some good songs mixed in with some poor ones
One of my go-to albums when I am in a mood. Nirvana + Steve Albini is a killer combination. 5/5 stars
classic
Having a hard time rating this whole album. There are 5 or 6 great songs but also 4 or 5 terrible ones. Some of the worse ones just consisted of him yelling until his voice broke. Sometimes that works out (like on "Rape Me") but other times it was hard to listen to. The good songs pull this up to a high 3, low 4 stars, but not sure I'd like to have to listen to the whole album again.
Some great tracks on here, I like the grungy guitar sound and interesting chord progressions. In my opinion there aren't as many standout tracks as in their previous album though, there are quite a few forgettable moments
Plein de grr, de souffrance, de son gras. Cobain au sommet de son art de compositeur. Pas de mauvaise pièce et plusieurs morceaux iconiques.
I'MMM ANNNEEEEMIIICCC!!!!!
To be honest, this is the Nirvana record I like the least. It just doesn't jive with me in the way the others do and there aren't really any big stand-out tracks on this one for me. That said, it's still pretty good and I enjoyed re-listening to it as a whole.
Les années 90 n'ont rien produit de brillant
Y'a du lourd, mais j'suis pas fan de tout.
tous les moments où Kurt Cobain ne crie pas sont gold
some nirvana is overrated but not this shit
A classic (for my age group lol). I remember really not liking Nirvana when they first got big because their sound was different and, in all my elementary-school-aged wisdom, it bugged me. Came back to them recently after "Lithium" got picked as the Seattle Kraken hockey team goal song. I haven't listened to this whole album though, so I liked hearing both some familiar and some new-to-me songs on this one today.
ok
In Utero is great. Starts out with two unashamedly non-hits, then just bust the door down with Heart-Shaped Box. Nirvana always knew what they were doing, even though we may not have. Steve Albini produced the album and I'm a suckered for almost anything outta Electrical Audio, but this was kinda the big one. I like to think you can feel his influence on this album. They never lacked grit, but this album just feels gritty in just the right way.
Bueno!.. pero definitivamente no logro su sonido. Me quedo con las típicas.. Heart shaped box All apologies
The peak of grunge and one of the definitive albums of the 1990s.
5 🌟
Not my favourite Nirvana album
Bit too shouty for me
Bit of a mixed bag for me but I liked it
Get the shotgun
Not as good as I remember
Clean grunge sound, some killer songs. 90s leader.
Excellent grunge album. Probably nirvanas second best one. This album has some great hits and it’s deep cuts are pretty dark. Only like a song or two on here I don’t like. 8.4/10
Ну что сказать - классика!
At the risk of sounding like my Dad, this is mostly just a racket.
Fínt grunge.
Gets better through time. Great record
A difficult listen, even after all these years, when you know what was coming next.
Teen angst has paid off well Now I’m bored and old
Amazing band that was constantly evolving and getting better. Shame that this was their last album.
Great album which kicks against the success of Nevermind.
A masterpiece. I wish I could have heard Kirk’s follow-up.
I already liked some songs from this album, namely Heart-Shaped Box and All Apologies, but I also discovered I liked dumb. Honorable mention to Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle and, a little bit, knocked down in part by its title, Rape Me. Why call something that? Edgy I guess? Meh. Multiple songs were way too screamy, so it's sort of a 2.5, but that's rounded up to a 3 here I think.
I like the more chill songs more than the more aggressive ones this album also feels like a precursor to their hits
This is the second best Nirvana album.
I appreciate the importance of Nirvana but this album just doesn't work for me.
There are 2 types of people - Nevermind people and In Utero People. I plant my feet firmly in the In Utero Camp. Brilliant, and reminds me of driving around in my first car with this in my cassette player.
Ngl I’m just not into Nirvana music for the most part. I do like Heart-Shaped Box and All Apologies but I already heard these songs before.
Just as good as my teenage angst remembers! It gets the nostalgia 5/5
Excellent album
It was novel and interesting, but not entirely to our liking
A masterpiece, maybe less raucous and brash than its predecessor Nevermind, but nonetheless heartfelt and passionate
Osim što je album super, sve što se dogadalo prije i poslije s bendom i Kurtom dodaje jako puno značenja i album postaje još bolji. Tekst je savršen i u nekim trenutcima ti baš žestoko slomi srce i zato mislim da im je ovo najbolji album.
Vjerovali ili ne, ovo je najbolji Nirvanin album. Točka. Dumb je njihova meni najbolja stvar ikada, a i sam naziv pjesme opisuje nekad moje stanje. Nije savršen album, ali da je ispod četvotke? Neka hvala, mislim da oni nemaju loš album.
Cijeli život mi je dosl bio In Utero najbolji album Nirvane i to s razlogom. Ako nakon ovog slušanja Nevermind (ili Bleach ako slučajno je na ovoj listi) budu bolji, dat ću im 5 majkem.
Fucking eh, what a great album.
Cobain is one of the few lead singers that I know, that can't hit notes, but is still an amazing lead. Incredible album.
6/10
6/10
Very good
I would listen to Bleach on my walkman riding the bus home from high school. Those preppy fuckers I went to school with thought I was a devil worshiper. Then, a year later those same kids were so far up Nirvanas butt it made me sick and it totally ruined Nirvana for me. Years later, probably after Cobain died I bought Unplugged from a used CD bin and rediscovered them. I grew to love that CD but hadn't heard In Utero fully until now. Sure the tracks that you hear on the radio are great, especially Pennyroyal Tea and All Apologies. But I really liked, Frances Farmer and even Serve the Servants. I'm not a huge grunge fun but was happy to be reacquainted with this band.
In 1993, it was a different world. We didn't have cell phones or the internet (well, most of us). We didn't have Google, and we didn't have Genius for looking up song lyrics and meanings. We had the liner notes, pulled out of the jewel case and poured over for hours, trying to make some sense of the mystery. I can't decide if we were better off trying to decipher Kurt Cobain's obtuse lyrics, or better off now having so much information at our fingertips. Every magazine story about Nirvana, each video interview with Cobain, even Courtney Love's tweets to Lana Del Rey in 2012 about her vagina's role in Cobain's songwriting. And here we are judging this content 30 years later, 30 years filled with more life experiences and cultural changes that Cobain never experienced. How would he reflect on this music decades later? How would Nirvana's music have evolved? We'll never know, but we do have this amazing time capsule of an amazing band at their creative peak, raw and angry and vulnerable and passionate, screaming until their voices and instruments broke. It's pretty awesome.
Ok, I am about to get my 90s kid credentials revoked. Let me preface this by saying that I like grunge. I like the mix of rock and punk and all the grit and distortion that comes with it. But for whatever reason, I just could never get totally behind Nirvana. There are lots of songs I like (All Apologies, Dumb), some I love (Heart-Shaped Box), and some I don't really get but I'm willing to go on that ride (PennyRoyal Tea). But I actively dislike Scentless Apprentice and especially Tourette's (why is that possessive??). They are just noise for the sake of noise. Rape Me has always bothered me because it is supposed to be an anti-rape song like "go ahead and rape me but I will survive this" but you can't really get that unless you read that Kurt intended it that way. Ultimately I feel like Nirvana is Ethan Hawke's character, Troy, in Reality Bites. Trying to be counter culture, anti-everything artists on the outside with a soft, sensitive center...but in reality Troy (and Nirvana) just aren't as good as people want to believe them to be.
This album is rough around the edges. Sure there are a couple polished classics like Heart Shaped Box. The cello in Dumb is a magnificent touch while All Apologies is a masterpiece to me. I can’t get enough of that song. I’m quite fond of the rough edges too. The energy on Very Ape and Serve The Servants is intoxicating. And even Pennyroyal Tea, which was released as a single, kicks up the distortion. The lowest parts are both Tourette’s and the screaming on Scentless Apprentice, which are hard on the ears. Fortunately, these are relatively minor passages of the album. I used to have this album, but I only remembered the singles. I don’t think I appreciated the rawness back then as much as I do now. I’m glad to have rediscovered it on a deeper level.
Pretty good album. It has some of the classic Nirvana songs and the others were hit or miss but still some really good ones in there. 6/10
90s stuff. Meh
HEY
Is had moments but sounds like a pale version of some of their hits.
Nirvana never does it for me.
Klassiker.
Nirvana is a band that I'd never sit down to play but always enjoy when I do hear them. The tracks released as singles carry the album imo
Everyone has a collection of music that has helped them through some hard times and helped shape them. Nirvana features heavily in my collection. Tourette's is maybe the only song on the album that I wouldn't consider a banger as it feels almost too volatile, explosive and I think there's too much going on. I would however argue that it achieved exactly what it set out to achieve so I can hardly fault it. I may have only been 1 when this album was released but In Utero is timeless. 5/5.
Now we're talking! The best Nirvana album, sorry, Nevermind, which showcases a lot of the band's best tracks as well as having huge significance to me personally. Whilst the highs of Nevermind might have a slight edge on those of this record, In Utero has a stronger complete track list and is a stellar example of 90's grunge from the band that brought the genre out of it's niche and exposed it to the masses.
it's no Nevermind. Four stars.
Grunge will always have a special place in my heart, it was really the entryway for metal for me, and Nirvana played a big role in that. This is Nirvana at their best. 4/5 Album.
I used to listen to this album a lot when I was a teenager, but going back to it I don't think it has aged particularly well. Heart shaped box is still a great song, pennyroyal tea and rape me have a lot of energy to them, but the album overall seems to lack a certain something. As with a lot of my 3 stars, I'd go back for a song or two but probably wouldn't listen to the whole thing with any kind of regularity.
I _really_ enjoyed this album and while I'm very close to giving it a 5, I feel like this is not the Nirvana album for that yet. Iconic.
Definitivamente IT'S A MUST
I'm conflicted by this album, but underpinning and riding above all musical opinions, is the feeling of loss. What could this band have done if Kurt had been able to get well and stay healthy? I see the album as a conflicted stream of conciousness. You only need to hear the first two tracks back-to-back to get a sense of what I mean. Tracks like "Heart-Shaped Box", "Dumb", "Pennyroyal Tea" and "All Apologies" playoff as near ballads. Others like "Scentless Apprentie", "Milk It" and "Tourette's" explode and writhe. Throughout it all though, I just can't shake the sense that this album is primarily a band that is working through its understanding of itself. We, the listeners, are left with unresolved emotions and lingering questions.
241121 17:13 4.5
It’s uneven, we know it was intentional but it’s uneven. The top tracks are superb tho.
Meget crazy album, der bliver råbt en del. Der bliver ikke lagt fingre imellem.
I've never rally listened to a Nirvana album straight through, mainly sticking to the radio hits. But this album gave me an appreciation for the intentionality that Nirvana gave to their complete albums.
Some of Nirvana’s best songs are on here, but their pursuit in producing a more raw album, ends up mixing those great songs with a lot of noise. As a fan, still a great album, but inferior to Nevermind for sure.
Ultimately a bit disappointing, half the songs were really raw and mainly screaming, the other half of the songs were decent but didn't compare to Nevermind's songs
I think I'm dumb or maybe I'm just happy. I think I'm just happy.
Teenage angst has paid off well (on Nevermind) Now I'm bored and old
The best from this album IMO: - Serve the Servants - Heart-Shaped Box - Rape Me - Dumb Had never heard the full album before. I only knew their hit singles. Very solid stuff. C'est cru, défoulatoire, pure. 3.9/5
Heard it! Love it!
7/10
Crazy, I'd just had some bad news that day so the album was perfect. Loved Nirvana anyway, but this album was edgy, raw and incredible.
You gotta be kidding me, two of my favs in a row! Here's a meme for you: Слушает In Utero Мальчик: Rape Me, Heart-Shaped Box Мужчина: Milk It, Radio Friendly Unit Shifter, Very Ape
Might be my favorite album of all time.
3/3 студийных альбомов Нирваны.
Bleh. Nirvana is another one of those bands that probably deserves more credit than I give them. I just never really got into their particular flavor of grunge, similar to Pearl Jam. As such, this album only scores 2 stars for me.
Rating 6.3/10 Mostly only enjoyed Heart-Shaped Box. The rest of the songs were not my jam, mostly consisting of grungy guitars and Kurt Cobain screaming with a bit too much distortion.
good
Some songs have meh screamo segments.
I think I just don’t get it
A grunge manifesto in disgust for corporate and popular society at large. Cobain's seething delivery and simple yet evocative guitar lines underwrite not only an indictment of Nirvana's success post-Nevermind and Kurt's feelings of exploitation ('Rape Me', 'Radio Friendly Unit Shifter'), but a continually relevant vision of the sheer vapidity of modern society ('Very Ape', 'Dumb'). Shifting between pure discord and true beauty ('All Apologies' is and always will be a stunner of a track), this LP is not so much rage but cynicism sonified, one final wail against the cesspool of American society before finally giving in.
It’s amazing how influential nirvana became after essentially only 2 albums but it’s understandable. Both this and nevermind are all time greats for good reason, not much more to be said. Nevermind is still better in my opinion. Fav songs: heart-shaped box, rape me, all apologies
The sound of this album is great, and holds up over time. Easy to hear why they kind of took over the world. On the other hand, there are 4 or 5 songs on this album that I really like, but all the others wear me down and are exhausting to get through.
I was 13 when this came out and it was a big part of my life. I even have specific memories of times and places I listened to this album. I think about it every time I pass through Cannon Falls on 52.
Overall pretty good but a few songs are a bit meh. Definitely some cool songs in here I've never heard, I've really only heard Nirvana's "hits". 3.5 up to 4.
One of my favourite albums of all time
An absolute classic. Heard it a million times, happy to platter it up a million more
A few tracks I hadn't heard before, probably cus they aren't as good as the well known ones.
It’s the same as any other 90s grunge album.
2.75
Shot
J'aime bien le côté plus rock/punk que nevermind qui est clairement plus grunge pop. C'Est un bon album qui annonce bien la suite des choses pour cette époque. 4.5
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Serve the servants, Heart-shaped box, Rape me, Dumb, Very ape, Tourette’s
Someone should've told him he was brilliant. Best Tracks: Serve The Servants; Heart-Shaped Box; Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
Probably need to listen to this again
4.2 + I appreciate the warts on this album now that I'm older. When I was 14, I was disappointed that this didn't sound like "Nevermind 2.0." Steve Albini captures a more live, organic feel, and there's more dynamism in the guitars. Compared to "Nevermind", there are higher highs ("All Apologies", "Heart-Shaped Box"). But there are also lower lows, which almost tank the second half ("Tourette's", "Radio-Friendly Unit Shifter"). Some of the same themes around anatomy and disease are here with some darker kinks ("eat your cancer", basically all of "Milk It", "umbilical noose"...). It's a messier, nastier, less poppy and more interesting record than "Nevermind." My only knock is with those two aforementioned tracks - they kind of stink.
My favorite Nirvana album. In my estimation the best Nirvana album. It’s incredibly powerful.
Strange to think that this was considered anti-commercial at the time. I missed out on Nirvana for some reason - maybe a year or two too young, or my rural Devon upbringing, or possibly that by the time I encountered them they were incredibly mainstream already and I was a snob about them. Shame, as this is a really great album.
Great Album.
Ghastly pub rock drone
In Utero deliberately tries to be the anti Nevermind, at least sonically. It’s rougher, rawer and with less of the sheen and polish of its predecessor. I listened to this album a lot as a teenager, and it still sounds pretty good today, but I still prefer Nevermind, just.
Impossible to listen to without contemplating the tragic aftermath, In Utero will forever haunted by Cobain’s death. The album is angry, prickly and unsettling; as well as a band doing whatever they damn well please, despite what must have been enormous pressure to make Nevermind II. The sound is incredible and the energy and musicianship startling. Some tracks are almost unlistenable which makes them intriguing. And what a sign off All Apologies is. Fascinating, infuriating, uncompromising.
It was OK
Here's another that I own, and I haven't listened to it in years. While a few songs may suffer from radio overplay, the deeper cuts still shine through. Sooooo much better than the Foo Fighters.
Not their best...
After being quite disappointed with this album after it came out, it has really grown on me quite a bit. This album is fantastic.
Very grungy, high distortion guitar and vocals. Scentless Apprentice being one of the most egregious offenders, being particularly warped near the end. The song 'Rape Me' was particularly uncomfortable and I didn't feel as though it was sonically unique or profound enough to illicit such gross lyrics. I liked 'All Apologies' though.
I hadn't ever listened to this album in its entirety before, and I went in expecting five stars. After a few songs I was like "never mind."
oh man, my music tastes have really evolved since I was a teenager. I mean it's not terrible but I couldn't finish the album
One or two good songs - Heart-shaped Box and Dumb were good, but found a lot of the album very screechy